Deep Evolutionary Origins of the Human Smile in Ancient Ancestors
The origins of a pretty smile have long been sought in the fearsome jaws of living sharks which have been considered living fossils reflecting the…
University of Bristol
Human African Sleeping Sickness: Sex Cells in Parasites Are Doing Their Own Thing
Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered how microbes responsible for human African sleeping sickness produce sex cells. In these single-celled parasites, known as…
Breakthrough Insights From Color-Blind Octopus Help Fight Human Sight Loss
University of Bristol research into octopus vision has led to a quick and easy test that helps optometrists identify people who are at greater risk…
After Mass Extinctions, Herbivores Developed Powerful Jaws to Digest Tougher Plants
Researchers at the University of Bristol found that plant eaters diversified quickly after mass extinctions to eat different kinds of plants, and the ones that…
Artificial Intelligence Algorithm Helps Unravel the Physics Underlying Quantum Systems
Protocol to reverse engineer Hamiltonian models advances automation of quantum devices. Scientists from the University of Bristol’s Quantum Engineering Technology Labs (QETLabs) have developed an…
Friendships and Rivalries: Cooperative Male Dolphins Can Tell Who’s on Their Team
When it comes to friendships and rivalries, male dolphins know who the good team players are. New findings, published in Nature Communications by University of Bristol researchers,…
Ancient Pottery Reveals First Evidence of Prehistoric Honey Hunting in West Africa 3,500 Years Ago
A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, with colleagues from Goethe University, Frankfurt, has found the first evidence for ancient honey hunting,…
Unusual Fossil Discovered That Reveals Last Meal of a Prehistoric Pollinator
An amber fossil of a Cretaceous beetle has shed some light on the diet of one of the earliest pollinators of flowering plants. The animal’s…
Bioengineers Learn the Secrets to Precisely Turning on and off Genes in Living Cells
In a recent study led by the University of Bristol, scientists have shown how to simultaneously harness multiple forms of regulation in living cells to…
Discovery Unravels Darwin’s “Abominable Mystery” Surrounding Origin of Flowering Plants
The origin of flowering plants famously puzzled Charles Darwin, who described their sudden appearance in the fossil record from relatively recent geological times as an…
Snappy Evolution and Spectacular Variation Was Behind the Success of Ancient Crocodiles
New research led by the University of Bristol has revealed that crocodiles once flourished on land and in the oceans as a result of fast…
Younger Tyrannosaurus Rex Were Incapable of Delivering the Ferocious Bone-Crunching Bites of Adults
By closely examining the jaw mechanics of juvenile and adult tyrannosaurids, some of the fiercest dinosaurs to inhabit Earth, scientists led by the University of…
Animals Fake Death for Long Periods of Time to Escape Predators
Many animals feign death to try to escape their predators, with some individuals in prey species remaining motionless, if in danger, for extended lengths of…
Tropical Paper Wasps Babysit for Neighboring Nests
Wasps provide crucial support to their extended families by babysitting at neighboring nests, according to new research by a team of biologists from the universities…
Technology Breakthrough Paves Way for Fast and Cheap Fabrication of Rapid Medical Diagnostic Tools
Breakthrough Pioneering technique promises to democratize microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technology, benefiting resource-poor countries and settings. New technology developed by the University of Bristol has the…
Preserved With Life-Like Fidelity, 100 Million-Year-Old Beetle Is Fireflies’ Missing Fossil Link
Amber-Encased Fossil Shines Light on Evolution of Bioluminescent Insects Trapped in amber for ~100 million years, an exceptionally well-preserved, light-producing beetle sheds light on the…
How Vitamins, Steroids and Potential Antivirals Might Might Help Combat COVID-19
Study indicates that some vitamins, steroids and antivirals could bind to the Spike protein, and may inhibit virus infectivity, whereas high cholesterol may enable the…
Common Pesticides Stop Bees and Flies From Getting a Good Night’s Sleep and Disrupts Their Memories
Researchers urge UK to keep EU ban on pesticide which has detrimental effect on pollinators. Just like us, many insects need a decent night’s sleep…