News: May 2018

British Science Association | May 2018 newsletter

Publication date: 31 May 2018

How babies became the baked beans of the childcare world

Most of us are used to seeing crazy bargains when we go into the local supermarket, with items such as baked beans, bananas or milk being sold at a price that seems far below what they must cost to grow/make and sell. It’s a well-tried method – “loss leaders” are used to draw us into shops where we are also enticed to buy non-discounted items. So, unless we only plan to eat baked beans, our shopping basket usually gives the retailer an overall profit by the time we get to the checkout.

This article by David Dallimore, WISERD Researcher, at the School of Social Sciences was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Publication date: 30 May 2018

Cultivating Chinese orchids could conserve wild species

Asking people who want to buy orchids about their preferences when choosing which plants to buy has revealed that many unknowingly buy wild, possibly endangered orchids, when they would be just as happy to buy commercially grown plants that meet their preferences for colour and price.

Publication date: 25 May 2018

Obese people enjoy food less than people who are lean – new study

Global obesity rates have risen sharply over the past three decades, leading to spikes in diabetes, arthritis and heart disease. The more we understand the causes of obesity and how to prevent it, the better.

We are interested in understanding reward-driven eating. Laboratory experiments have shown that obese people are less rewarded by food than people who are lean. We wanted to know if this held true when people were in a more natural environment – that is, going about their everyday lives.

This article by Hans-Peter Kubis, Director of the Health Exercise and Rehabilitation Group, School of Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Publication date: 25 May 2018

Best presentation runner up at Marine Biology Association Postgraduate Conference

Publication date: 24 May 2018

Improved financial regulation deters misconduct, study finds

Improved regulation has deterred a greater amount of financial misconduct in the UK since the global financial crisis, according to new research published today by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and others including ourselves.

Since the crisis of 2007, there has been increased awareness of the risks posed by the conduct of financial institutions and their employees. More incidents of financial misconduct have been investigated, with regulators applying increasingly large fines and demanding the repayment of profits.

Publication date: 24 May 2018

'All that is Wales' conference

Publication date: 22 May 2018

How to Get Published: Traditional and Innovative Approaches to Publishing.

Publication date: 22 May 2018

The Toddlers who took on Dementia

“The Toddlers who Took on Dementia” is a BBC Wales documentary that follows three days of planned activities which aimed to examine what happens when nursery children come together with people living with Dementia.

Publication date: 21 May 2018

Tidal range power plants hold potential for electricity generation

In theory, one third of global electricity needs could be provided by the world’s tidal range, according to a new comprehensive state-of-the-art review of tidal range power plants.

Publication date: 21 May 2018

Why Wales was right to say yes to the UK's Brexit Bill

Both Wales and Scotland have acknowledged the need to prepare UK laws for EU withdrawal, yet they have taken very different stances on how this can be achieved. While the Welsh Assembly has agreed to the UK government’s proposed Brexit Bill, the Scottish parliament has said no.

This article by Stephen Clear, Lecturer in Law, Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Publication date: 18 May 2018

Sacred sites have a biodiversity advantage that could help world conservation

Since the dawn of history, human societies have ascribed sacred status to certain places. Areas such as ancestral burial grounds, temples and churchyards have been given protection through taboo and religious belief. As many of these places have been carefully managed for many years an interesting side effect has occurred – the sites often retain more of their natural condition than surrounding areas used for farming or human habitation. As a result, they are often called “sacred natural sites” (SNS).

This article by John Healey, Professor of Forest Sciences, Bangor University; John Halley, Professor of Ecology, University of Ioannina, and Kalliopi Stara, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Ioannina was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Publication date: 17 May 2018

Some lizards have green blood that should kill them – and scientists can't work out why

If you were to see certain New Guinea skinks lose their tails, you’d notice that their blood isn’t the usual red colour we’re used to but rather a virulent shade of green. What’s even more bizarre is that the substance that’s responsible for the green colour of the lizards’ blood (and bones, tongues, muscles and mucous membranes) would be toxic in other animals if they carried it in such large amounts.

Exactly why these skinks are filled with this toxic substance and why it doesn’t kill them is something of a mystery. But new research published in Science Advancesmakes an important step towards answering these questions.

This article by Dr Anita Malhotra, Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article

Publication date: 17 May 2018

Open Science Café

Publication date: 15 May 2018

New insight into motivation of farmers to plant trees

The research of former Bangor University PhD student Syed Rahman features in a new high-profile blog published by the prestigious Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). 

Publication date: 14 May 2018

NRN-LCEE public lectures

Publication date: 14 May 2018

Five brain-boosting reasons to take up martial arts – at any age

This article by Ashleigh Johnstone, PhD researcher in Cognitive Neuroscience at the School of Psychology was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

We are all aware that exercise generally has many benefits, such as improving physical fitness and strength. But what do we know about the effects of specific types of exercise? Researchers have already shown that jogging can increase life expectancy, for example, while yoga makes us happy. However, there is one activity that goes beyond enhancing physical and mental health – martial arts can boost your brain’s cognition too.

Publication date: 8 May 2018

2001 comes to Bangor

The Centre for Film, Television and Screen Studies at Bangor University will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the legendary movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey in Pontio on Saturday 16th June 2018.

Publication date: 3 May 2018

Postgraduate Workshops May 2018

Publication date: 3 May 2018