News: February 2015

Waste-biogas is at least ten times more effective than crop-biogas at reducing greenhouse gas emissions

In a paper just released in the leading bioenergy journal Global Change Biology Bioenergy, researchers from Bangor University and the Thünen Institute in Germany conclude that crop-biogas and liquid biofuels are at best inefficient options for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, per hectare of land used and per £ public subsidy required. At worst these options could actually lead to higher global GHG emissions owing to indirect land use change caused by displacement of food production. In comparison, waste-biogas and Miscanthus (woody grass) heating pellets achieve at least ten times more GHG mitigation per tonne of dry matter biomass and per hectare of land used, respectively, leading to cost-effective GHG mitigation.

Publication date: 26 February 2015

Inaugural Duncan Tanner memorial lecture

Devolution in the aftermath of the Scottish referendum: some observations from Chinese scholars

Professor Zhanpeng Wang, Beijing Foreign University

Publication date: 25 February 2015

PhD student Izaddin Rasool published in The Sociological Review

An article by PhD student Izaddin Rasool has been published in The Sociological Review, one of the world’s leading journals for sociological research.

Publication date: 24 February 2015

Dr Eirini Sanoudaki to give a guest lecture at University of Essex

Dr Eirini Sanoudaki has been invited to give a lecture at the University of Essex, as part of the Department of Language and Linguistics seminar series, on 5th March.

Publication date: 23 February 2015

Dr. Marco Tamburelli to speak to teachers in Milan about bilingual education

In March, Dr. Marco Tamburelli will be talking to teachers and educators in Milan about bilingual education at the “Our Multilingual Schools: Opportunities and Challenges” conference.

Publication date: 23 February 2015

Join Bangor academics for a Twitter roundtable chat on payment trends

What are the payment trends set to affect retailers in 2015? That’s what a Twitter roundtable chat aims to discover this Wednesday (25th February 2015).

Publication date: 23 February 2015

Visiting Scholar from the University of Helsinki to give lectures in the School

Dr Elizabeth Peterson from the University of Helsinki will be visiting the School from Tuesday 24th to Thursday 26th February.

Publication date: 23 February 2015

Climate change should not affect near elimination of malaria

Some good news in the face of climate change has emerged from health economists: a study into the health economics of combatting malaria in countries nearing elimination has shown that climate change will not have too great an effect and should not dissuade health organisations from continuing to scale- up their current elimination methods.

Publication date: 16 February 2015

Prof David Crystal awards best first year Linguistics and English Language Student with prize

Gemma Hutchinson, winner of the David Crystal Prize for best first year student 2013/14 received her award on the School of Linguistics and English Language’s annual David Crystal Day on 4th February 2015.

Publication date: 16 February 2015

Professor Vyv Evans discusses whether emojis can be construed as language

For The Guardian newspaper this week, Professor Vyv Evans discusses whether emojis can be construed as language.

Publication date: 16 February 2015

Professor Vyv Evans to take part in Edinburgh International Science Festival debate

Professor Vyv Evans will be taking part in a 90 minute debate at this year’s Edinburgh International Science Festival on April 15th 2015 at 8pm.

Publication date: 16 February 2015

Tides stir up deep Atlantic Heat in the Arctic Ocean

Researchers have identified how warm Atlantic water that is flowing deep into the Arctic Ocean is mixing with colder waters above to contribute to sea-ice loss in the Arctic. The results, published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience (16.2.14 10.1038/ngeo2350 ), show that tidal flows in the Arctic are causing deep, warm water (originating from the Gulf Stream) to mix with cold, fresh water lying above, in turn contributing to melting the floating sea-ice.

Publication date: 16 February 2015

Train to Teach - Information Seminar

Find out more about a career as a secondary school teacher during our Information Seminar where tutors from the Secondary Teacher Training team will be on hand to answer your queries.

Publication date: 11 February 2015

Bringing the Middle Ages into the digital age

Publication date: 10 February 2015

New more efficient method of sampling biodiversity showcased in major UK estuaries

Two of the UK’s major estuaries have proved to be a successful testing-ground for an effective new method of ‘health-checking’ aquatic biodiversity, which could lead to faster and more efficient sampling for other sites.

“Bio-monitoring” or assessing the impacts of human activities in the natural environment is often achieved by monitoring biological diversity.  Existing methods rely on manual identification, but that takes time, resources and often focuses on larger creatures, that sometimes may not be able to reflect accurately the health of particular habitats.

Publication date: 9 February 2015

There may be more influencing your exercise endurance than you think

Now that we’re in to February, are you struggling to stick to your New Year’s resolution exercise plan? There may be more to your success or failure than meets the eye.

Researchers at Bangor University and the University of Kent have found that being shown positive or negative images subliminally, or so fleetingly that you’re not even aware of having seen them, had an effect on when individuals reached their point of exhaustion while exercising.

Publication date: 6 February 2015

Tiny organisms could change the face of coastal science

New scientific research published in the journal Nature Communications, led by researchers at Bangor University in collaboration with scientists from the National Oceanography Centre Liverpool and the Universities of St. Andrews, Hull, Leeds and Plymouth, has discovered that ‘sticky’ sugars produced by micro-organisms have a remarkably large effect on the movement of sand and mud in aquatic environments.

Publication date: 6 February 2015

Flagship civil society research centre enjoys official inauguration

The Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) will celebrate the launch of its flagship WISERD Civil Society Research Centre on Thursday 5th February, 2015. WISERD has received funding in excess of £10 million to found a national research centre which will undertake a five year innovative and far-reaching research programme of policy relevant research addressing Civil Society in Wales, the UK and Internationally. This funding includes £7 million from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and a further £3m from Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, South Wales and Swansea Universities. WISERD Civil Society is a collaborative venture, involving researchers from across twelve UK Universities and a range of international partners.

Publication date: 4 February 2015

Phil Harper- Novel Anticancer Prodrugs

Cancer is a disease which can affect anybody worldwide. There approximately 200 different types of cancer which are known to affect humans, including common cancers such as lung cancer and breast cancer and other less common forms such as cancer of the pancreas.

Publication date: 4 February 2015

Sacred values are crucial for conservation of remaining forests in Ethiopia

Forests that are sacred to local people are less likely to suffer deforestation according to results of research by Bangor University.

Publication date: 4 February 2015