Latest News

Effective communication and engagement with businesses critical to making Wales’ new tax system a success, suggests new report

Improving and developing business understanding of the new landscape of Welsh taxation is vital to its success as tax devolution continues to evolve according to a new report released today by FSB Wales (Federation of Small Businesses).

The report authored by Bangor University Business School academics Dr. Helen Rogers and Sara Closs-Davies and supported by Bangor University’s ESRC Impact Acceleration Account looks at the landscape of new Welsh taxation and focuses on the experience to-date of Land Transaction Tax.

Publication date: 20 March 2019

Mind the gap: Differences in attitudes to health and health improvement across Welsh society

A new report by Public Health Wales and Bangor University highlights stark differences in health-related opinions between people in Wales depending on their age and employment, and how they live their lives.

People who said they feel healthy were more likely to agree (59 per cent) that the NHS should spend less on treating illness and more on preventing it than those who said they feel less healthy (46 per cent) - who may feel a greater need for health treatment.

Publication date: 13 March 2019

Uncoupling the link between snake venom and prey

What was fast-becoming received wisdom among herpetologists, namely that snake venom composition normally reflects the variety of their prey, has been disproved in one common species of North American rattlesnake.

Many recent studies had identified links between the type of prey and the type of venom that had evolved in venomous snake species world-wide. This was thought to reflect natural selection to optimise venom for different prey, and sometimes evolutionary ‘arms- races’ between snake and prey species.

Publication date: 13 March 2019

North Wales and the North West of England leads the UK in securing clean energy

North Wales and the North West of England are the key areas for the development of nuclear research and engineering in the UK, according to a UK Government commissioned Audit report published today.

The report shows that nowhere else in Europe has such a concentration of nuclear expertise, with unparalleled access to a world-renowned skills base and pioneering expertise in nuclear research and development.

Publication date: 8 March 2019

What’s in the soil beneath our feet?

A Canadian student with Welsh roots, is breaking new ground in his research to assess exactly what lives in the Welsh soil beneath our feet.

PhD student Paul George who is studying at Bangor University’s School of Natural Sciences and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH),  has his research published today (7 March 2019) in Nature Communications.

Publication date: 7 March 2019

Microplastic pollution widespread in British lakes and rivers - new study

New research by Bangor University and Friends of the Earth has found microplastic pollution in some of Britain’s most iconic and remote rivers and lakes.

The study, believed to be the first of its kind, looked at ten sites - including lakes in the Lake District, waterways in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, a wetland and Welsh reservoir - and found microplastics in all of them.

Publication date: 7 March 2019

An exhibition, map and app uncovers Bangor’s Jewish history

A Bangor University Professor is to launch an exhibition, map and app about the Jewish history of Bangor. 

Titled A Jewish History of Bangor,  the new exhibition and map celebrate the presence of Jews in Bangor from medieval times to the Second World War (and beyond).

Publication date: 6 March 2019

Disappearing rice fields threaten more global warming

All over China, a huge change has been taking place without any of us noticing. Rice paddies have been (and are being) converted at an astonishing rate into aquaculture ponds to produce more protein for the worlds growing populations. This change risks creating an unexpected impact on global warming.

International researchers, including Prof Chris Freeman from Bangor University, have found conversion of paddy fields to aquaculture is releasing massive amounts of the greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere. 

Publication date: 4 March 2019

Daffodils for St David’s Day

The national flower of Wales has found a new role this St David’s Day (Friday 1 March) – helping scientists to better understand the value of plant extracts as an alternative to antibiotics in animal feed.

Researchers from Bangor University and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have teamed up to investigate the effects of daffodil extracts as natural antimicrobials on the digestive systems of cattle and sheep.

Publication date: 1 March 2019

Bangor University part of a £200m collaboration to create a new generation of Artificial Intelligence leaders

Bangor University is to take part in an exciting new drive to create a thousand new research and business leaders the project is designed to ensure that the UK leads the global revolution in Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

A new generation of PhD students will use AI technology to improve healthcare, tackle climate change and create new commercial opportunities, thanks to a £100m investment from UK Research and Innovation announced recently.  

Publication date: 1 March 2019

The power of language: we translate our thoughts into words, but words also affect the way we think

The power of language: we translate our thoughts into words, but words also affect the way we think

Have you ever worried in your student years or later in life that time may be starting to run out to achieve your goals? If so, would it be easier conveying this feeling to others if there was a word meaning just that? In German, there is. That feeling of panic associated with one’s opportunities appearing to run out is called Torschlusspanik.

This article by Guillaume Thierry, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the School of Psychology is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 26 February 2019

Why Paris is the perfect city to introduce break dancing to the Olympics

Along with surfing, climbing and skateboarding, break dancing has been proposed for inclusion at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. While fans of the sports have been delighted by the news, it has provoked some criticism too, not least from followers of sports such as squash and karate which will not be considered for the 2024 games.

This article by Jonathan Ervine, Senior Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies, at the School of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 22 February 2019

Bangor compositions feature on BBC Radio 3's Hear and Now

Listeners to BBC Radio 3’s Hear and Now program are set to to enjoy a repertoire of music by Bangor University School of Music & Media staff and student composers at 10.00pm this coming Saturday, 23 February. The broadcast will feature Étude aux objets by Prof. Andrew Lewis, Ultrasonic by Dr Guto Pryderi Puw and acousmatic pieces by Huw McGregor and Alex Bailey.

Follow the link below for more information and to hear the live broadcast or listen again!

Publication date: 22 February 2019

Even Coral Reefs are affected by socio-economics

Marine biologists working to save the world’s coral reefs say that they are increasingly being affected by human activities. As a result, the marine biologists now need to include an assessment of the effects of activities, perhaps in distant markets or cities, on the survival of coral reefs.

Writing in a special issue of Functional Ecology, “Coral reef functional ecology in the Anthropocene”, and using coral reefs as an example, the scientists call for the inclusion of socio-economic activity into account when predicting future ecosystem responses of coral reefs.

Publication date: 21 February 2019