Hunger is likely to be the main driver of stone juggling in otters, new research has shown.
Researchers from the University of Exeter have carried out an extensive study into why captive otters tend to play with stones, commonly referred to as “rock juggling”.
The dextrous mammals are often seen lying on their backs and batting the stones into the air, catching them and rolling them around their chests and necks.
Experts had suggested the behaviour might help the animals practise the foraging skills they need to extract foods from complex prey such as mussels...
The current lockdown may have come as a positive in terms of Tomas Francis’ return from injury, but the Exeter Chiefs prop insists he can’t wait to get playing for both club and country.
The 28-year-old has not played a game of rugby since he severely damaged his shoulder during Wales’ Rugby World Cup semi-final loss to South Africa back in October.
Following surgery on the injury, Francis has been working tirelessly behind the scenes in rehab to get himself back in the selection mix.
Months on, though, Francis finds his return to competitive action halted...
Frontline healthcare workers can take a new app-based micro-course on resilience and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Developed by Dignity Health Global Education (DHGE) and the University of Exeter, Strength to Endure is a one-hour course that gives insights on navigating the unprecedented situation healthcare workers now face on a daily basis.
The course costs $10 (US) and, as a way to give back to frontline workers and their communities, profits will be donated to charities in the UK and the US.
For more information and to register, visit www.exeter.ac...
Devon County Council is reopening its recycling centres for essential use only from Monday 11 May.
The government has defined ‘essential use’ as waste that ‘cannot be stored without causing a risk of injury, health or harm to the resident or other members of their household.’
Residents are urged to follow government guidance and only travel to recycling centres if the waste presents a hazard and ‘cannot be legally and responsibly disposed of in other ways.’
It is the first stage of what will be a phased reopening for Devon’s 19 Household Waste Recycling Centres...
A professor who consistently ranks in the global top five of neuroimaging will bring his expertise to Exeter’s new £10 million Mireille Gillings Neuroimaging Centre.
Marios Politis has been appointed Professor of Neurology and Director of the Mireille Gillings Neuroimaging Centre at the University of Exeter Medical School. His research involves using cutting edge PET and MRI scanners to understand how the brain works, and to gain insight into how best to prevent and treat diseases including dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
A Wellbeing Support Fund has been launched in Exeter to support people who find themselves in financial difficulty due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
The scheme has been launched by Exeter City Council, with funding being provided by Devon County Council’s COVID19 Hardship Support Grant, to help individuals who are unable to access support from any other local or national initiatives.
Exeter City Council Leader, Phil Bialyk, said: “These are incredibly difficult times in so many different ways. We know that there are many people who may be struggling financially at the...
Stagecoach South West has paid tribute to the country’s bus and coach workers, as it joins the industry today to mark Bus and Coach Worker Support Day in recognising the thousands of people involved in keeping key bus services running during the Covd-19 pandemic.
Stagecoach South West has joined forces with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) and government to publicly thank all of the country’s bus and coach workers for continuing to run essential services.
As part of the support day, members of the public are encouraged to share messages of thanks for bus...
A team of cancer specialists from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital has raised more than £7,000 for charity by doing laps of the Wonford site.
Eighty-six people took part in the challenge to run or walk two-kilometre circuits around the perimeter of the RD&E campus last week, before and after work and during their breaks.
They all joined in to raise money for FORCE Cancer Charity, which is still supporting local people affected by cancer during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
Team Oncology included doctors, radiographers, physicists, head and neck...
With growing concern for the safety of some children during the coronavirus crisis the NSPCC wants more people to know how to get advice and support and where to raise concerns about a child’s wellbeing.
The charity is launching a new TV and advertising campaign today (May 4) across the UK to promote its free and confidential helpline for adults.
The film, which will run on national television and across social media, depicts a helpline expert taking a call from someone concerned for the wellbeing of a neighbour’s child.
EXETER residents are being encouraged by a care provider in the county to maintain contact through social distancing with elderly relatives, friends and neighbours to prevent loneliness following Coronavirus restrictions (May 2020).
Guardian Homecare says many older people are becoming lonelier as they are not getting enough social interaction, and this can have a devastating impact on their physical and mental wellbeing.
Catherine Porter, Manager at Guardian Homecare, which has teams operating in Exeter and surrounding areas, says: “The Campaign to End Loneliness says...
