Science features and reviews from University of Bristol students
There is something oddly captivating about superlatives. What is the biggest? The fastest? The cleverest? This article covers one in particular, the oldest.
As a benchmark, human life expectancy is on average 72 years as of 2016 (WHO).… Read the rest
As the discoveries of new planetary bodies are being made at a rapid rate around us, it inspires the question, “Are we alone in the universe?” The search for planets and development of theories on life outside of Earth is now a science in its own right, known as astrobiology.… Read the rest
The German academic publisher Springer has recently brought out a whole book written by a piece of artificial intelligence software called Beta Writer. The book, Lithium-Ion Batteries: a machine generated summary of current research, can be downloaded free of charge as a PDF.… Read the rest
Not too long ago, cardiovascular activity was seen as the holy grail of fat loss. Most people thought that to shift the extra Christmas pounds, LISS (low-intensity steady state) on the treadmill was the only way to burn that fat. The resistance training area of the gym was dominated by body-building young men – yet weight training could actually be superior to cardio for women seeking to ‘reshape’ their body.… Read the rest
1 out of 350 adults in the UK will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in their lifetime. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder that becomes increasingly common over the age of 60. As this disease has such a large impact on society, you may be wondering what is being done to bring an end to its impact in ageing communities.… Read the rest
Walking is simple. Most people don’t have to think about placing one foot in front of the other, but then most people don’t have Huntington’s disease.
I sit at the New Scientist Live 2017 expo, transfixed by the woman on the screen.… Read the rest
Ever since early humans first tasted alcohol from fermented fruit, people have been fascinated by drugs that affect our conscious state, whether that is by making us drowsy or by causing hallucinations. From caffeine to cannabis, we now have a vast array of these drugs, but scientists still don’t fully understand a class of consciousness-altering drugs that is crucial to modern medicine: general anaesthetics.… Read the rest
Looks are important to many of us, and nowadays it seems as though nearly everyone is on some sort of diet. Yet these diets can seem more like fads than solutions and we face the problem of being able to fish out those that provide long term results that are backed up by the scientific research which they claim to be based on.… Read the rest
The world is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction: current vertebrate loss is at a rate higher than any other extinction event in history. Even ecologically resilient species like the sloth bear aren’t safe from this human-caused crisis.
The sloth bear, Melursus ursinus, is a member of the Ursidae family and is instantly recognisable by the crescent marking that adorns its chest.… Read the rest
