Wild bird populations are generally thought to benefit from being given additional food in winter, but our understanding of the effects of such food provision is incomplete. The results of a new study, carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), has found that feeding wild blue tits in winter resulted in less successful breeding during the following spring.
The research, just published in Scientific Reports, revealed that woodland blue tits that were provided with fat balls as a supplementary food during the winter months went...
Mindfulness – a mental training that develops sustained attention that can change the ways people think, act and feel – could reduce symptoms of stress and depression and promote wellbeing among school children, according to a new study published online by the British Journal of Psychiatry.
With the summer exam season in full swing, school children are currently experiencing higher levels of stress than at any other time of year. The research showed that interventions to reduce stress in children have the biggest impact at this time of year. There is growing evidence that...
Researchers at the University of Exeter found that older male burying beetles make better fathers than their younger counterparts. The study found that mature males, who had little chance of reproducing again, invested more effort in both mating and in parental care than younger males.
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London – B, considered how the likelihood of paternity influenced the way that males cared for young. Older males were good fathers and looked after the young even when they were unsure whether the offspring were theirs. Younger...
Exeter Northcott Theatre has launched its new look autumn 2013 season brochure. As well as being packed with great drama, dance, opera, family theatre and comedy, the brochure features stunning images throughout by local photographer Matt Austin.
Inspired by the family Christmas show, The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr Benn , dressing up is very much the theme this autumn. The Exeter Northcott Theatre invited members of their audience to delve into their magical dressing up box whilst Matt Austin took a fantastic set of photographs.
The University of Exeter has been granted planning permission for a new research centre, the Living Systems building. The £50 million facility will be dedicated to developing novel strategies to address the great challenges facing humanity: food security, lifelong health and a sustainable environment.
Living Systems represents a groundbreaking interdisciplinary venture, bringing together world leading research in biosciences, engineering, mathematics, medicine and physical sciences alongside new undergraduate provision in natural sciences to train the scientists of tomorrow....
Students studying the One Planet MBA programme are working with the University’s Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) to explore how a Cornish business can become a ‘firm of the future’ – a business inspired by nature. The students are looking at the development of a Cornish seaweed industry with Falassa, a local business that encourages the use of seaweed for nutrition and therapy. There are a few companies that are working with seaweed in Cornwall but the ESI and Business School is looking to explore ways in which things can develop and diversify. Alex Huke, Research and...
The University of Exeter has been awarded a first class award for the fifth year running and ranked 13 out of 143 universities.
The People & Planet Green League 2013 is the UK's only comprehensive and independent green ranking of universities. It assesses the environmental and ethical performance of all universities, awarding 'first class degrees' to the greenest and ‘fail’ to those doing the least to address their environmental impacts. The University of Exeter is among 43 institutions to achieve a ‘first’ in 2013 and has risen to 13th from 24th position in the league....
Expressing Muslim belief through the creative arts forms the basis of an exhibition and series of live events at the University of Exeter from 11 to 13 June. The ‘Resonate’ and Reformulate’ event involves youthful artists creating work onsite producing graffiti art with an Islamic twist and Sufi-Dub DJs spinning their creative tracks on the Streatham Campus.
The three-day festival stems from the ‘Islamic Reformulations’, a three-year Global Uncertainties Leadership Fellowship that explores how Muslim thought has developed and will be re-examined through thought, literature and the...
When carbon is emitted by human activities into the atmosphere it is generally thought that about half remains in the atmosphere and the remainder is stored in the oceans and on land. New research suggests that human activity could be increasing the movement of carbon from land to rivers, estuaries and the coastal zone indicating that large quantities of anthropogenic carbon may be hidden in regions not previously considered.
The research, published in Nature Geoscience and led by researchers from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, the University of Exeter, Laboratoire des Sciences...
Arts funding is being squeezed hard in this harsh economic climate, especially in regional theatres, libraries and arts and culture organisations.
A discussion about the future of arts funding in places like Devon and Cornwall will form part of a special event at the Northcott Theatre on Wednesday 12 June 2013.
Professor Sir Chris Frayling, former Chairman of Arts Council England and ex-Rector of The Royal College of Art, will discuss the future of the arts. There will be a particular focus on the problems of allocation of funding between regional and national organisations...
