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Reformation Rebels: The surprising histories of Benedictine monks in exile (31 August 2017) Sixteenth and seventeenth century Benedictine monks refused abstinence, died in duels, went off to war and spread illegal Catholic doctrine, a new study has revealed. The Monks in Motion project, led by Dr James Kelly of the Department of Theology and Religion , has brought together records of English and Welsh Benedictine monks exiled in Europe in a first-of-its-kind searchable database and uncovered some of their remarkable histories.

Many people over 60 in the UK are victims of sexual violence, according to Durham University research. Despite the pervasive stereotypes of what constitutes a "real rape" - a young woman being attacked by a stranger - the research has uncovered that older people are victims too. The study shows that people over 60 are more likely to be raped by an acquaintance either in their own home or a care home.

People who hear voices that other people can't hear may use unusual skills when their brains process new sounds, according to new research. The study, published in the academic journal Brain , found that voice-hearers could detect disguised speech-like sounds more quickly and easily than people who had never had a voice-hearing experience.

The Little Cub galaxy (circled) which is being stripped of gas by its larger neighbour. Credit: SDSS Collaboration A primitive galaxy that could provide clues about the early Universe has been spotted by astronomers as it begins to be consumed by a gigantic neighbouring galaxy. The Little Cub galaxy - so called because it sits in the Ursa Major or Great Bear constellation - is being stripped of the gas needed to continue forming stars by its larger companion.

Solar eruptions, including enormous coronal mass ejections (pictured), could be triggered by a single process. Credit: NASA/SDO Large and small scale solar eruptions might all be triggered by a single process, according to new research that leads to better understanding of the Sun's activity. Researchers at Durham University and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, USA, used 3D computer simulations to show a theoretical link between large and small scale eruptions that were previously thought to be driven by different processes.

A simulated galaxy is pictured, showing the main ingredients that make up a galaxy: the stars (blue), the gas from which the stars are born (red), and the dark matter halo that surrounds the galaxy (light grey) Further evidence of the existence of dark matter - the mysterious substance that is believed to hold the Universe together - has been produced by Cosmologists at Durham University.

Universe's ultraviolet background could provide clues about missing galaxies (22 March 2017) Astronomers have developed a way to detect the ultraviolet (UV) background of the Universe, which could help explain why there are so few small galaxies in the cosmos. UV radiation is invisible but shows up as visible red light when it interacts with gas.

Archaeologists have helped solve a centuries' old medical mystery which could change the way doctors today view the common condition of prostate stones. An international team of researchers, including experts at Durham University, used neutron beam technology to identify three stone-like objects found during excavations of a prehistoric grave in Central Sudan.

An effective treatment for a deadly strain of meningitis could become more readily available in less developed nations as a result of research led by Professor Graham Sandford of the Department of Chemistry. Cryptococcal Meningitis (CM) is the leading cause of meningitis in Saharan Africa and also accounts for 20% of HIV/AIDs deaths worldwide.

New research may help to unlock the mystery of why and how our evolutionary ancestors first combined a consonant with a vowel to make the first word. Kiss squeaks The research, led by Dr Adriano Lameira of the Department of Anthropology , is published Human Behaviour. The study has analysed over 4,400 individual recordings of voiceless consonant-like calls, or 'kiss squeaks', from 48 orangutans in four different populations.

Monster black holes sometimes play a cosmic game of hide and seek, shrouding themselves from view behind giant clouds of gas and dust, according to new research. Scientists believe supermassive black holes lurk at the centres of most big galaxies, but many are hidden from the view of most telescopes.

Two Eighteenth Century drinks recipes, discovered by researchers from Durham University's Department of Theology and Religion , have revealed that a brandy-based cocktail was a favourite drink amongst a community of English Catholic monks exiled in France. The recipes were discovered by Dr James Kelly , Research Fellow in Early Modern British and Irish Catholicism, during research work for the Monks in Motion project.

Professor Jim McElwaine of the Department of Earth Sciences talks about new research, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface , which has given some of the first detailed measurements of what takes place inside an avalanche. Tell us a bit about the research? The aim of the project was to understand what processes are taking place inside an avalanche as it travels down a mountain.

The Northeastern coast of the USA could be struck by more frequent and more powerful hurricanes in the future due to shifting weather patterns, according to new research. Hurricanes have gradually moved northwards from the western Caribbean towards northern North America over the past few hundred years, the study led by Durham University, UK, found.

An orangutan called Rocky could provide the key to understanding how speech in humans evolved from the time of the ancestral great apes, according to a study led by Dr Adriano Lameira of Durham University and published in the journal Scientific Reports . Learned behaviour Dr Lameira , a Junior Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology led a research project to look at whether an orangutan could demonstrate the ability to learn new sounds and control its voice.

Archaeologists from Durham University and the crowd-funded archaeology platform DigVentures have found what they believe to be evidence of the earliest monastery on Lindisfarne. During an archaeological dig on the Holy Island in June a rare Anglo Saxon grave marker was found. Ancient name stone The small, round-headed sandstone marker, commonly known as a name stone, has been dated to the mid-7 th to 8 th Century AD, well within the period of Lindisfarne's first monastery.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. It's not easy being green - what colours tell us about galaxy evolution (30 June 2016) Scientists may have answered why green galaxies are rare in our Universe and why their colour could reveal a troubled past.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. A new approach to gas exploration has discovered a huge helium gas field, which could address the increasingly critical shortage of this vital yet rare element.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Seeds of supermassive black holes could be revealed by gravitational waves (27 June 2016) Gravitational waves captured by space-based detectors could help identify the origins of supermassive black holes, according to new computer simulations of the Universe.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. How pupil shape can help animals survive A research collaboration involving Durham University has found that pupil shape can be directly linked to an animal's place on the food chain, as either the hunter or the prey.