News: October 2019

Botswana is humanity's ancestral home, claims major study – well, actually …

A study claims the first humans lived in a wetland around what is now northern Botswana. A recent paper in the prestigious journal Nature claims to show that modern humans originated about 200,000 years ago in the region around northern Botswana . For a scientist like myself who studies human origins, this is exciting news. If correct, this paper would suggest that we finally know where our species comes from. But there are actually several reasons why I and some of my colleagues are not entirely convinced. In fact, there’s good reason to believe that our species doesn’t even have a single origin. This article by Isabelle Catherine Winder , Lecturer in Zoology, is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

Publication date: 31 October 2019

Increasing Ram productivity and fighting crime

A Science Park on Anglesey is fighting rural crime, using a specially developed Internet of Things (Iot) device. Bringing innovation together with existing IoT technology, a matchbox sized device has been created which can help fight sheep rustling, sheep worrying by dogs, and track ram mating patterns!

Publication date: 25 October 2019

Time Travel, History and Fun – It’s all here at the Brambell Natural History Museum

If you’re looking for a spot of time travel and historical adventure, Brambell Natural History Museum, Bangor University has it covered this October Half Term as part of Welsh Museums Festival (26 October to 3 November). Brambell Natural History Museum, Bangor University will be open on Saturday, 2 nd November 11-1 as part of the Festival.

Publication date: 24 October 2019

Scientist and lecturer to exhibit in major national Wildlife art exhibition

An honorary lecturer at Bangor University balances her scientific interest in birds by expressing her fascination with them through her art. Rachel Taylor’s work has now been selected from over 600 submissions to appear alongside works by some of Britain’s leading wildlife artists. The exhibition will be on display at Mall Galleries between 24 October to 3 November 2019.

Publication date: 22 October 2019

£4m boost for 5G research in Wales

Wales is set to become a global leader in 5G technology following the announcement of a new Digital Centre of Excellence, supported by nearly £4m EU funds. The Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Centre of Excellence at Bangor University will provide highly specialised research into digital communication systems like mobile phones, WiFi hubs and modern manufacturing lines. Improvements in DSP are a cost-effective way of speeding up networks, dramatically improving the way that mobile phones, devices and network architecture work.

Publication date: 17 October 2019

Researchers invent device that generates light from the cold night sky – here's what it means for millions living off grid

More than 1.7 billion people worldwide still don’t have a reliable electricity connection. For many of them, solar power is their potential energy saviour – at least when the sun is shining. This article y Jeff Kettle , ‎Lecturer in Electronic Engineering,is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

Publication date: 16 October 2019

Airbus, Bangor University and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai start new skills partnership

Three Degree Apprentices at Airbus started the new Applied Data Science programme with Bangor University and delivery partner, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai (GLLM) recently.

Publication date: 14 October 2019

Relocating China’s pig industry could have unintended consequences

Writing in Nature Sustainability (30/9/19) an international group of agriculture and environmental scientists warn that the Chinese Government’s desire to relocate its pig industry from the South, in order to protect water quality could have unintended detrimental consequences. In 2015 the Chinese Government banned livestock production in some regions to control surface water pollution near vulnerable water bodies. This has reduced the availability of pork at a period when consumption is forecast to increase from 690 to 1,000 million head per year between 2018-50.

Publication date: 8 October 2019

Dr. Simon Middleburgh gives a seminar on Nuclear Futures at Bangor University

On the 2nd October 2019 Dr Simon Middleburgh (Bangor University) gave a research seminar on the Nuclear Futures Bangor research group and the growth and need for low CO2 nuclear power in Wales and the UK. The group has rapidly grown since its inception in early 2018, established with funding from the Welsh Government’s Sêr Cymru programme and industry funding focused on developing safe next generation nuclear power (including nuclear fusion). The group has a core set of materials scientists/engineers and physicists focusing on modelling and experiments targeted at solving significant challenges within the nuclear industry.

Publication date: 7 October 2019

University’s U-Boat research featured in Drain the Oceans

Research by Bangor University is to feature in the Drain the Oceans series on National Geographic Channel on Monday 7 October 8-9.00pm. Monday’s programme outlines the development of U-Boats, and how they changed the shape of naval warfare. The introduction of the world's first stealth weapon forced Allied forces to adopt new tactics to fight back. Highlighted in the programme is work carried out by Bangor University’s School of Ocean Science ’s research vessel the Prince Madog , which has surveyed numerous shipwreck sites in the Irish Sea as part of a joint research project with the Royal Commission on Ancient & Historic Monuments in Wales‘s Heritage Lottery funded project: Commemorating the Forgotten U-boat War around the Welsh Coast, 1914-18.

Publication date: 4 October 2019

Bangor University Open Days to empower the next generation of scientists

The College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Bangor University is aiming to set the record straight on the so-called ‘snowflake’ generation by putting out a call for students determined to make a difference to the world’s problems. A recent survey* revealed 85% of young people, far from being the over-sensitive souls portrayed in the media, feel empowered to tackle issues like global warming, rising sea levels and widespread pollution.

Publication date: 4 October 2019

Envision supporting inter-disciplinary research via summer internships for undergraduates

As part of the Envision Doctoral training partnership funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, two paid research experience placements were offered to Electronic Engineering undergraduates over the summer to apply their engineering knowledge by working alongside environmental scientists in Bangor University. The placements were awarded to Ashley Beynon and Cai Williams.

Publication date: 2 October 2019

First students start at the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & Advanced Computing

We welcome the first students onto the UKRI funded Centre for Doctorial Training (CDT) in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Advanced Computing . The UK Research and Innovation funded Centre is a collaboration between Swansea, Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Bristol and Bangor Universities.

Publication date: 2 October 2019