Research impact stories
Themes
Environment
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Creative science opens up unlimited possibilities in biochemistry
28 May 2013
An artistic approach to unpacking the structural components of proteins is proving revelatory for biochemists at the University of Bristol. Their back-to-basics philosophy is a useful antidote to the complexity of one of the on-going challenges in the discipline, allowing them to create new proteins entirely by design.
Cretaceous Sediment Investigations (CSI) of the Deep Biosphere
12 March 2013
Buried deep within the sediments at the bottom of the ocean – up to a kilometer below the seafloor – there are organisms that we know little more about than had we discovered them on Mars. But thanks to Bristol researchers, we are learning more each day.
Research that marries molecular biology and palaeontology helps solve evolutionary puzzles
11 February 2013
Fossils can capture a moment in time and provide a glimpse into how organisms looked and changed through time, revealing how, for instance, the major vertebrate groups – jawed fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds – diverged and diversified. However, there are many groups that are poorly represented within the fossil record, and the origins of which are far more. Dr Jakob Vinther, a lecturer in Macroevolution, is trying to resolve some of these evolutionary ambiguities.
Model that shakes entire cities improves earthquake risk assessment
30 January 2013
Earthquake disasters have many catastrophic effects - loss of life and injury as well as direct physical and financial loss. In the aftermath of an earthquake event, these direct impacts can induce a cascade of indirect losses and distress that trickle down through society.
Monitoring the world’s forgotten volcanoes from space
30 January 2013
The eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010 left millions of travellers stranded and cost airlines an estimated €900 million. It was a wake-up call to the world that communities don't need to be perched on the side of a volcano to be profoundly affected by its activity. Geophysicist Dr Juliet Biggs is one of many scientists responding to that wake-up call.
Predictive model used to assess quality of carbonate reservoirs
25 January 2013
Scientists are studying the chemical composition of modern limestones and how water interacts with them to help understand the development of porosity in ancient carbonate builds-up through time. The research is helping to develop a model that is being applied by industry to predict the quality of carbonate oil reservoirs.
New approach to nano-iron composite materials improves environmental remediation
25 January 2013
Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a nano-filter by grafting nanoscale metallic iron particles onto a porous substrate made of carbon glass. The nano-filter may help decrease costs associated with the remediation of contaminated sites as well as reduce risks to human health and the environment that are potentially associated with the use of free (unbound) nano-particles.
Volcanological input reduces uncertainty surrounding volcanic ash forecasts
3 September 2012
Models used to predict how much ash is pumped into the atmosphere and where it goes during a volcanic eruption are being informed by world-leading volcanology experts from the University of Bristol.
Research into rare Sorbus reproduction informs conservation of the Avon Gorge
3 September 2012
Conservation management plans for one of Bristol’s historic woodland sites are being shaped by new findings about the complex reproductive biology of some rare tree species.
Conker Tree Science: how small investments can reach thousands
3 September 2012
It all started with handing out 1,000 vials containing ‘alien bugs’ in Bristol’s shopping hub of Cabot Circus. Two years later, Conker Tree Science, a hypothesis-led citizen science project, has engaged thousands of people across the UK and generated important data about the spread of an invasive leaf-mining moth.
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