Despite a general consensus among scientists and in the racing industry that racehorse speed has plateaued, a new study from the University of Exeter has found that racehorses are getting quicker. Further research is required to determine whether the increased speeds have a genetic basis or are the result of improved training, jockey tactics or other environmental factors.
It had appeared that racehorse speeds were not improving and previous studies concluded that thoroughbred racehorses may have reached the limits of their abilities. However these studies only analysed the winning...
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has recognised researchers at the University of Exeter Medical School as being among the most outstanding health researchers in the UK.
Three researchers have been appointed as NIHR Senior Investigators. Professor David Richards has been appointed for a second term as a Senior Investigator. Professor Richards leads research in increasing access to mental health care and improving the evidence base for nursing. Professor Rod Taylor, who works in the field of cardiac secondary prevention and rehabilitation, has received the accolade...
Research by the University of Exeter has helped underline new national guidelines to help GPs diagnose cancer earlier, and save lives.
Professor Willie Hamilton, at the University of Exeter Medical School, was a major contributor to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) process to consider the latest evidence in formulating guidelines for use in general practice and healthcare settings. He was the clinical lead on the NICE Guideline Group, feeding in his expertise into key decisions that affect the way healthcare is delivered.
Academics and undergraduates from the University of Exeter are set to work with school pupils from Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester on a new study to explore the distribution of Lyme disease in the region.
Local vets and wildlife trusts are being asked to collect animal ticks for the school pupils who will use the latest laboratory techniques to reveal the ticks’ genetic fingerprints.
The results will be used to map the distribution of ticks in Dorset and investigate their role in the spread of Lyme disease.
Blood-sucking ticks have resulted in a recent rise in...
The current battle for the leadership of the Labour Party is in full swing with televised show downs between the candidates hitting the airwaves. A new edition of ‘A History of the British Labour Party’ by a historian at the University of Exeter has recently been published. The book brings up to date analysis of the party, examining both Gordon Brown's period in office and the Labour Party under the leadership of Ed Miliband. Professor Andrew Thorpe's study has been the leading single-volume text on the Labour Party since its first edition in 1997 and has now been thoroughly revised...
Debra Myhill, Professor of Education at the University of Exeter has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for her leadership of the Secondary PGCE programme and the Centre for Research in Writing.
The fields of language and literacy are Professor Myhill’s main areas of expertise, with a focus on the teaching of writing, gender and literacy, and talk. Her research is conducted collaboratively with colleagues in the Centre for Research in Writing. Their most recent research has looked at the role of grammar in the teaching and learning of writing, with a focus on...
The University of Exeter is hosting a series of events for Being Human 2015, the UK’s only national festival of the humanities. This involves a broad range of events including digital storytelling in Dartmoor, a theme park installation game aimed at teenagers, macro filming workshops exploring the body to creating modern folk ballads that reflects the heritage of the South West.
The programme has been made possible by a grant from the festival organisers, the School of Advanced Study, University of London with additional funds for specific projects from the University of Exeter....
A new study from the University of Exeter has revealed that the Central African country of Gabon is providing an invaluable nesting ground for a vulnerable species of sea turtle considered a regional conservation priority.
A huge ground survey covering nearly 600 km of Gabon’s coastline has uncovered the largest breeding colony of olive ridley turtles in the Atlantic.
The study, published today (4 June) in the journal Biological Conservation, is the first to combine existing monitoring data with a back-to-basics coastal survey of the area. The results suggest that Gabon...
Ladybirds use colour to reveal their toxicity to predators says new research
For one of Britain’s best-loved and colourful group of insects, ladybirds, the brightness of their colour reveals the extent of their toxicity to predators, according to new research undertaken at the Universities of Exeter and Cambridge.
The study which is published in the journal Scientific Reports, also found that the more conspicuous and colourful the ladybird species, the less likely it is to be attacked by birds.
Lina María Arenas, a PhD student at the Centre for Ecology and...
The final episode of a three-part BBC 2 TV drama-documentary series Armada: 12 years to save England - Endgame will feature a University of Exeter medical historian on Sunday 7 June at 9pm.
Dr Alun Withey will share his knowledge about the role of the barber surgeon on board ship and the sorts of things he had to treat in battle and the sorts of instruments he used.
Elizabeth I played by Anita Dobson shows the monarch as politically astute and presenter Dan Snow takes to the sea to tell the story of how England came within a whisker of disaster in summer 1588. He explores...
