With 40 days to go before the start of COP27, an international collaboration is preparing to unveil a series of powerful stories that reflect upon the climate emergency. We Still Have a Chance: 12 Climate Stories for 12 Days of COP27 has been uniquely co-created by scientists, health professionals, activists, and artists in the UK and […]
University of Exeter
Posted inSci/Tech
Increasing frequency of El Niño events expected by 2040
Global weather fluctuations called El Niño events are likely to become more frequent by 2040, a new study shows. El Niño – the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean –affects climate, ecosystems and societies worldwide. The study examined four possible scenarios for future carbon emissions, and found increased risk of […]
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One in ten people may still be infectious for COVID after 10 days, new research indicates
The study, led by the University of Exeter and funded by Animal Free Research UK, used a newly adapted test which can detect whether the virus was potentially still active. It was applied to samples from 176 people in Exeter who had tested positive on standard PCR tests. The study, published in the international Journal of […]
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Books: Hot Air: Climate denial and scientific discoveries ’emerged simultaneously’
Denial of climate science emerged simultaneously with key scientific discoveries about humanity’s impact on our planet, according to a new book. Professor Peter Stott – author ofHot Air: The Inside Story of the Battle Against Climate Change Denial – began 25 years ago in the then-obscure field of the detection and attribution of climate change. As […]
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‘Tipping points’ in Earth’s system triggered rapid climate change 55 million years ago, research shows
A team of researchers, led by Dr Sev Kender from the University of Exeter, have made a pivotal breakthrough in the cause behind the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) – an extreme global warming event that lasted for around 150 thousand years which saw significant temperature rises. Although previous studies have suggested volcanic activity contributed to […]
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Study pinpoints key causes of ocean circulation change
Researchers have identified the key factors that influence a vital pattern of ocean currents. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) carries warm water from the tropics northward. Many scientists think that this heat transport makes areas including north-west Europe and the UK warmer than they would otherwise be. Climate models suggest the AMOC is likely to […]
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“Stark warning”: Combating ecosystem collapse from the tropics to the Antarctic
February 26, 2021 – Eminent scientists warn that key ecosystems around Australia and Antarctica are collapsing, and propose a three-step framework to combat irreversible global damage. Their report, authored by 38 Australian, UK and US scientists from universities and government agencies, is published today in the international journal Global Change Biology. Researchers say it heralds a […]
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Using human rights laws may be most effective way of harnessing international legislation to protect the Amazon, study shows
February 22, 2021 – Using laws governing human rights may be the best way of harnessing international legislation and tribunals to protect the Amazon, a new study shows. Safeguarding the rainforest is a critical priority because of the ecosystem’s planetary importance. Recent increases in deforestation and fires in the region have made this even more […]
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Plant evolves to become less visible to humans
November 24, 2020 – A plant used in traditional Chinese medicine has evolved to become less visible to humans, new research shows. Scientists found that Fritillaria delavayi plants, which live on rocky slopes of China’s Hengduan mountains, match their backgrounds most closely in areas where they are heavily harvested. This suggests humans are “driving” evolution of this […]
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Seafood study finds plastic in all samples
August 12, 2020 – A study of five different seafoods has found traces of plastic in every sample tested. Researchers bought oysters, prawns, squid, crabs and sardines from a market in Australia and analysed them using a newly developed method that identifies and measures five different plastic types simultaneously. The study – by the University […]
Posted inEnviro
Surface clean-up technology won’t solve ocean plastic problem
August 5, 2020 – Clean-up devices that collect waste from the ocean surface won’t solve the plastic pollution problem, a new study shows. Researchers compared estimates of current and future plastic waste with the ability of floating clean-up devices to collect it – and found the impact of such devices was “very modest”. However, river […]
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‘Price of life’ lowest in UK during COVID-19 pandemic, study finds
August 4, 2020 – In a cross-country comparison across nine nations – Belgium, the US, Germany, Korea, Italy, Denmark, China, New Zealand and the UK – researchers used epidemiological modelling to calculate how many lives were lost through delaying lockdown, estimating that a UK lockdown date just three days earlier would have saved 20,000 lives. […]
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Half of the world’s population exposed to increasing air pollution, study shows
June 17, 2020 – Half of the world’s population is exposed to increasing air pollution, new research has shown. A team of researchers, led by Professor Gavin Shaddick at the University of Exeter, has shown that, despite global efforts to improve air quality, vast swathes of the world’s population are experiencing increased levels of air […]
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Some polar tipping points ‘already passed’, says top climate scientist
Dr Ricarda Winkelmann said temperatures are already within the range of the estimated “point of no return” for the Greenland ice sheet. August 2, 2019 – Some tipping points that will cause vast quantities of polar ice to reach the ocean have already been passed, a top climate scientist says. Dr Ricarda Winkelmann, of the […]
Posted inEnviro
Hundreds of sharks and rays tangled in plastic
July 8, 2019 – Hundreds of sharks and rays have become tangled in plastic waste in the world’s oceans, new research shows. University of Exeter scientists scoured existing published studies and Twitter for shark and ray entanglements, and found reports of more than 1,000 entangled individuals. And they say the true number is likely to […]
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Experiencing extreme weather is not enough to convince climate change sceptics in the U.S.
Oct. 2, 2018 – Experiencing extreme weather is not enough to convince climate change skeptics that humans are damaging the environment, a new study shows. Political bias and partisan news reporting influence whether people report experiencing certain extreme weather events, the research suggests. But Americans who lived in areas where a variety of extreme events […]
Posted inEnviro
Climate-threatened animals unable to relocate
May 17, 2018 – Many of the European mammals whose habitat is being destroyed by climate change are not able to find new places to live elsewhere. 30 of the 62 mammal species in the University of Exeter study will have their habitat substantially affected by climate change, but don’t have the traits that could […]
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Climate change could raise food insecurity risk in many countries
April 2, 2018 – Weather extremes caused by climate change could raise the risk of food shortages in many countries, new research suggests. The study, led by the University of Exeter, examined how climate change could affect the vulnerability of different countries to food insecurity – when people lack access to a sufficient quantity of […]
Posted inEnviro
Seabed mining could do irreversible damage to deep-sea ecosystems
Jan. 23, 2018 – Mining on the ocean floor could do irreversible damage to deep-sea ecosystems, says a new study of seabed mining proposals around the world. The deep sea (depths below 200m) covers about half of the Earth’s surface and is home to a vast range of species. Little is known about these environments, […]
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Macho pursuits dominate assessments of risky behavior, reinforcing gender stereotypes
Oct. 5, 2017 – Women can be just as risky as men – or even riskier – when the conventional macho measures of daring – such as betting vast sums on a football game – are replaced by less stereotypical criteria, according to new research led by the University of Exeter. Traditional barometers of high […]