news 2023

The genomes of two hornet species, the European hornet and the Asian hornet (or yellow-legged hornet) have been sequenced for the first time by a team led by UCL scientists. By comparing these decoded genomes with that of the giant northern hornet, which has recently been sequenced by another team, the researchers have revealed clues suggesting why hornets have been so successful as invasive species across the globe.

Scientists at UCL have worked with the Royal British Legion to assess a new plastic-free Remembrance poppy, finding that it produces 40% less carbon emissions over its lifetime. The Royal British Legion has been developing the plastic-free poppy for the last three years, in collaboration with expert partners, in efforts to reduce its use of single-use plastic and be economical, sustainable, and less impactful to the environment.

A new review of evidence highlights the impact air pollution has on health across the life course, from before birth through to old age. The report was commissioned by the Greater London Auth ority via Imperial Projects and carried out by researchers from Imperial College London's Environmental Research Group.

UK-wide lockdowns gave scientists a unique opportunity to observe wildlife with the absence of traffic, shedding light on what characteristics and traits make iconic British species - like badgers and pheasants - more likely to be involved in collisions with vehicles. Researchers at The Road Lab, based at Cardiff University, used data of roadkill records to assess the 19 wildlife species most frequently involved in vehicular collisions, to see which exhibited changes in road mortality during two major lockdown periods (March- May 2020 and December 2020 - March 2021).

Large bodies of water in urban areas can be effective at removing pollutants and heat from cities, but smaller ones can actually make the problem worse. A new study shows that large bodies of water in urban areas can be effective at removing pollutants and heat from cities, but smaller ones can actually make the problem of the -heat island effect- worse.

New research has found that rivers in England and Wales have recovered biologically from pollution since the early 1990s, but improvements appear to have slowed in recent years. Researchers from Cardiff University's School of Biosciences investigated invertebrates that live on river beds across England and Wales.

Ice sheets can retreat up to 600 metres a day during periods of climate warming, 20 times faster than the highest rate of retreat previously measured. An international team of researchers used high-resolution imagery of the seafloor to reveal just how quickly a former ice sheet that extended from Norway retreated at the end of the last Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago.

Evidence of the widespread, and likely illegal, trading of critically endangered European eels has been uncovered using DNA testing carried out by researchers at UCL and the University of Exeter. The research team carried out "DNA barcoding" on products including jellied eels and unagi, which is used in sushi and donburi.

Between 25% and 38% of air pollution that could harm human health in UK cities is the result of agriculture, more than produced by the city itself, while pollution drifting in from continental Europe is a sizable source as well, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The researchers studied three cities, Leicester, Birmingham and London, for the paper published in City and Environment Interactions .

Moths are more efficient pollinators at night than day-flying pollinators such as bees, finds Amid widespread concern about the decline of wild pollinating insects like bees and butterflies, University of Sussex researchers have discovered that moths are particularly vital pollinators for nature. Studying 10 sites in the South East of England throughout July 2021, the Sussex researchers found that 83% of insect visits to bramble flowers were made during the day.

Filters fitted to vehicle exhaust systems to remove particulate matter pollution have limited impact on ultrafine particles, new research shows. o 3 minute read Airborne particles from vehicle emissions are a major contributor to air pollution levels. Exhaust filters designed to mitigate this pollution have been a legal requirement in new cars since 2011, and in heavy duty vehicles since 2013.

Temperature influences how badly pesticides affect bees' behaviour, suggesting uncertain impacts under climate change, according to a new study. The findings indicate that future extreme temperature events under climate change could increase the impact of pesticides on bee populations and their pollination services.

Cambridge scientists have come up with a system of measuring animal welfare that enables reliable comparison across different types of pig farming. This means that animal welfare can now, for the first time, be properly considered alongside other impacts of farming to help identify which farming systems are best.

Parasite treatments and preventatives we put on our pets are finding their way into UK waters in concentrations that are toxic to aquatic species. Parasiticides are commonly applied as 'spot-on' treatments on dogs and cats to prevent or kill fleas or ticks, but they contain toxic chemicals that are making it into UK rivers and ponds, particularly in urban areas.

Scientists have calculated that the fastest changing Antarctic region-the Amundsen Sea Embayment-has lost more than 3,000 billion tonnes of ice over a 25-year-period. If all the lost ice was-piled on London, it would stand-over 2-km-tall -or 7.4 times the height of the Shard. If it were to cover Manhattan, it would stand at 61 km- or 137 Empire State Buildings placed-on top of one another.

Underwater waves deep below the ocean's surface - some as tall as 500 metres - play an important role in how the ocean stores heat and carbon, according to new research.

Cambridge researchers have observed a highly unusual behaviour in the endangered freshwater mussel, Unio crassus. Who'd have thought that a mussel, that doesn't even have a head or a brain, knows to move to the river margin and squirt jets of water back into the river during springtime? David Aldridge In spring, female mussels were seen moving to the water's edge and anchoring into the riverbed, with their back ends raised above the waterline.

Using solar and battery power can reduce costs and emissions associated with providing power to refugee camps, researchers have found. It's important that work is done to de-risk investing in low-carbon energy infrastructure in humanitarian settings Hamish Beath Researcher, Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment Most refugee camps use diesel generators to power essential services including hospitals, police stations, and lighting.

Researchers have developed an algorithm that uses computer vision techniques to accurately measure trees almost five times faster than traditional, manual methods. Ground-based measurements are hugely valuable, but also time-consuming. We wanted to know whether we could automate this process. Amelia Holcomb The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, developed the algorithm, which gives an accurate measurement of tree diameter, an important measurement used by scientists to monitor forest health and levels of carbon sequestration.

The incoming head of the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences has contributed a Perspective article to the latest edition of the journal Science . Professor Todd Ehlers, currently of the University of Tübingen, Germany, was invited to contribute the piece in response to research published in the same issue which discusses a new computer-model reconstruction of global topography over the last 100 million years.