news 2011

Environmental Sciences - Agronomy/Food Science - 14.05
Wasted milk is a drain on resources
Milk poured down Britain's kitchen sinks each year creates a carbon footprint equivalent to that of thousands of cars, research shows. University scientists say the 360,000 tonnes of milk wasted in the UK each year creates greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 100,000 tonnes of CO2.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 9.05
Antarctic octopuses 10,000km apart “genetically similar”
Scientists at the University have found that genetic information on the Antarctic octopus supports studies indicating that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could have collapsed during its history, possibly as recently as 200,000 years ago.   Genes from more than 450 Turquet's octopuses, collected from species in the Southern Ocean that surrounds Ant

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 30.04
Ancient network of rivers and lakes found in Arabian Desert
Satellite images have revealed that a network of ancient rivers once coursed their way through the sand of the Arabian Desert, leading scientists to believe that the region experienced wetter periods in the past.

Environmental Sciences - 16.04
Earlier relatives may have climbed out of family tree
It has long been believed that coming down from the trees was a crucial evolutionary shift. The behaviour of these chimpanzees suggests a more deep-seated, gradual transition." —Kathelijne Koops The first study into rarely-documented ground nest-building by wild chimpanzees has offered new clues about the ancient transition of early hominins - our "human-like" ancestors  – from sleeping in trees to sleeping on the ground.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 5.04
Vomiting caterpillars weigh up costs and benefits of group living
A type of caterpillar which defends itself by regurgitating on its predators is less likely to do so when in groups than when alone, a new study by researchers from the University of Bristol and the University of Liverpool has found.

Environmental Sciences - Administration/Government - 30.03
Assessing protected area effectiveness
A new study published in Conservation Letters aims to measure whether parks and reserves in the tropics succeed in protecting forests Just as deforestation rates in remote protected areas should not be compared with deforestation rates from more accessible and lower altitude unprotected areas, it is also critical to control for gover

Environmental Sciences - Earth Sciences - 22.03
Plants may absorb more carbon dioxide than previously thought
By Simon Levey Thursday 22 March 2012 The capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to absorb carbon dioxide emissions from human activity may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change , which looks at how plants react to environmental change.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 9.03
Insects offer clues on animal habitats
The long-term impact of climate change on communities of wild animals could be better understood thanks to a new study. The research will help predict how migration of animals or changes to their habitats associated with climate change could affect relationships between predators and their prey.

Chemistry - Environmental Sciences - 8.03
Scientists save energy by lubricating wood
By Simon Levey Thursday 8 March 2012 A little bit of lubrication could make a big energy saving when manufacturing sustainable biofuels and bio-chemicals from timber, according to research published in the journal Green Chemistry this month.

Environmental Sciences - Business/Economics - 5.03
Shortcuts costly when buying conservation from farmers
Shortcuts in the design of payment schemes to persuade farmers to undertake conservation works could be putting the potential environmental benefits at risk, a study involving researchers at The University of Nottingham has found.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Environmental Sciences - 29.02
Read the full article
Research at the University has shown that future projections of Europe's climate could allow the Asian tiger mosquito to live in northern regions. The Asian tiger mosquito, originally from south-east Asia, is an invasive species with potential to transmit infectious disease, including dengue and chikungunya fever.  The mosquito was introduced into Europe via shipment of goods, such as used tyres and lucky bamboo.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 27.02
Free-runners explore orang-utans’ ease in the trees
University of Birmingham scientists are using parkour athletes - also known as free runners - to discover how orang-utans and other tree-dwelling primates maximise energy efficiency as they move through the forest canopy.

Environmental Sciences - 21.02
Russian heat wave 'had both manmade and natural causes'
The heat wave that struck western Russia in summer 2010, causing 55,000 deaths, was caused by a combination of manmade and natural factors. However, the frequency of occurrence of such heat waves has increased by a factor of three over recent decades, new research suggests.

Environmental Sciences - 14.02
Productive farms can be 'greener than organic'
Farms that aim for high food production using environmentally-friendly practices could be better for the environment than both organic and conventional farms. A study, led by Oxford University scientists, compared the environmental impact of different farming systems.

Environmental Sciences - Earth Sciences - 1.02
Plant invasion triggered ice ages
They may have looked more like a green carpet than a forest but the first land plants really did change the world. New research led by scientists from Oxford University and Exeter University has shown that the invasion of the land by plants in the Ordovician Period (488-443 million years ago) cooled the climate and triggered a series of ice ages.