News: August 2019

Bangor University Shines the Spotlight on Women in Music

Bangor University’s School of Music and Media is holding its Second International Conference on Women’s Work in Music this year. The Conference takes place on 4 - 6 September, and the University will be welcoming prominent speakers and musicians, including music scholars, practitioners, funders, broadcasters, journalists and music professionals from all around the world.

Publication date: 27 August 2019

Cilia: cell's long-overlooked antenna that can drive cancer — or stop it in its tracks

You might know that our lungs are lined with hair-like projections called motile cilia. These are tiny microtubule structures that appear on the surface of some cells or tissues. They can be found lining your nose and respiratory tract too, and along the fallopian tubes and vas deferens in the female and male reproductive tracts. They move from side to side to sweep away any micro-organisms, fluids, and dead cells in the respiratory system, and to help transport the sperm and egg in the reproductive system.

This article by Angharad Mostyn Wilkie, PhD Researcher in Oncology and Cancer Biology, at the School of Medical Sciences republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 27 August 2019

How do we prepare cricketers for the pressure of performance on the pitch?

In July 2019 the England Men’s cricket team won the World Cup, and on Sunday 25th August 2019 Ben Stokes steered the team to a record run-chase to delivery victory against Australia in the 3rd Ashes Test Match.

Ground-breaking individualised training programmes are helping the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to prepare their players to face the pressure of performing on the pitch, and were a key factor in the England Mens teams’ recent world cup success.

Publication date: 27 August 2019

How to become a great impostor

Unlike other icons who have appeared on the front of Life magazine, Ferdinand Waldo Demara was not famed as an astronaut, actor, hero or politician. In fact, his 23-year career was rather varied. He was, among other things, a doctor, professor, prison governor and monk. Demara was not some kind of genius either – he actually left school without any qualifications. Rather, he was “The Great Impostor”, a charming rogue who tricked his way to notoriety.

This article by Tim Holmes, Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice at the School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciencesis republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 22 August 2019

Does social media influence your physical activity levels?

As concerns are being raised about how social media influences young people’s perceptions of their body image, sports scientists at Bangor University as asking whether and how social media affects our participation in physical exercise, and who and what are the motivators?

Surprisingly little research has been published on how social media affects participation in exercise, and yet there are numerous influencers, coaches and participants sharing their tips and triumphs to be found on various social media platforms. Could social media also be acting as a positive influencer, encouraging some to participate in physical exercise or to have a healthier body image?

Publication date: 20 August 2019

What happens to biopsy tissue after it's tested? Your donated cells could be helping important cancer research

If you’ve ever had a tumour removed or biopsy taken, you may have contributed to life-saving research. People are often asked to give consent for any tissue that is not needed for diagnosis to be used in other scientific work. Though you probably won’t be told exactly what research your cells will be used for, tissue samples like these are vital for helping us understand and improve diagnosis and treatment of a whole range of illnesses and diseases. But once they’re removed, how are these tissue samples used exactly? How do they go from patient to project?

This article by Helena Robinson, Postdoctoral Research Officer in Cancer Biology at the School of Medical Sciences is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 20 August 2019

Bangor University secures £4.6m EU funds for research into low carbon energy efficiency

A new data science hub for green energy is to be created at Bangor University, backed by £4.6m EU funds.

The new Smart Efficient Energy Centre (SEEC) will develop joint research between Welsh and international organisations and businesses. It will investigate the options for using big data science to improve the efficiency of low carbon energy systems including nuclear, marine and offshore wind energy.

Publication date: 16 August 2019

New research collaboration for sustainable use of seas around Wales

The Welsh Government and Bangor University are joining forces to help ensure that the seas around Wales are clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse.

Bangor University’s research vessel, the Prince Madog will be used to gather data from the seas around Wales which will assist the Welsh Government to fulfil its marine and fisheries evidence requirements.

Gathering evidence from the seas around Wales is essential in order to maintain good standards in our marine environment. This involves developing appropriate targets, indicators, assessment criteria and monitoring programmes to acquire relevant data.

Publication date: 14 August 2019

An innovation to ease our way into the next digital revolution

A new algorithm which can be introduced into existing components could speed up the advent of the next digital revolution.

The ‘internet of things’ and 5G mobile communications are expected to revolutionise the way we conduct our lives and businesses.

However, there are some problems than need solving before the true ‘internet of things’ is able to makes the best use of our current data networks and before 5G networks become a reality.

Publication date: 12 August 2019

Being left-handed doesn't mean you are right-brained — so what does it mean?

There have been plenty of claims about what being left-handed means, and whether it changes the type of person someone is – but the truth is something of an enigma. Myths about handedness appear year after year, but researchers have yet to uncover all of what it means to be left-handed.

This article by Emma Karlsson, Postdoctoral researcher in Cognitive Neuroscience, Bangor University is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 12 August 2019