Exeter Uni News

Satellite images reveal ancient hunting traps used by South American social groups 

Satellite images reveal ancient hunting traps used by South American social groups 

Satellite images have revealed an ancient system of elaborate, funnel-shaped mega traps likely built by hunters and pastoralists to catch prey in the high altitudes of northern Chile. New research on the Andean landscape and the people who lived there has identified 76 stone ‘chacus’, often stretching hundreds of metres in length, that would have been used to capture vicuña, a wild relative of the alpaca. Similar structures have been found in other arid regions of the world,…

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“Cocktails” of common pharmaceuticals in our waterways may promote antibiotic resistance

New research has shown, for the first time, how mixtures of commonly used medications which end up in our waterways and natural environments might increase the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. When humans or animals take medications, as much as 90 per cent can pass through the body and into natural environments, via waste water, or run-off from fields, ending up in the ocean.  In the environment, this build-up of antibiotic medicines can accumulate to a strength sufficient…

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Exeter–Queensland partnership striving to improve the security of global communication

A new international research collaboration has been launched focusing on one of the biggest challenges in contemporary communications. Experts at the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland will work together on a breakthrough technology called Quantum Link Verification, which promises to improve security in an increasingly connected, data-driven world. Developed by Exeter’s Quantum Non-Equilibrium Group (QNEG) and Queensland’s Quantum Technology Laboratory (QTLab), QLV uses the rules of quantum physics to detect if anyone is trying to…

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Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns

The increasing pressure for teachers to obey school curriculum policies is “profoundly demotivating” and is leading directly to people leaving the profession, a new study warns. Teachers value being able to be creative and collaborate with each other to design lessons but are increasingly subject to school policies requiring their conformity. The research shows this is also reducing their curriculum-making skills and reducing teacher autonomy and motivation, as well as relationships between colleagues and with pupils. There is…

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‘New reality’ as world reaches first climate tipping point

Widespread mortality of warm-water coral reefs under way, as world reaches first tipping point With global warming set to breach 1.5°C, world dangerously close to further catastrophic tipping points These include melting ice sheets, Amazon rainforest dieback and collapse of vital ocean currents Tipping points pose a new type of threat that current international structures and agreements are not designed to counter Key to averting catastrophe is to act urgently, by supporting societal transformation and triggering ‘positive tipping…

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Exeter boosts global fight against antifungal resistance with £2.8m funding 

As the threat of drug‑resistant fungal infections grows into a serious global health concern, the University of Exeter is taking decisive action with groundbreaking funding to tackle antifungal resistance. With an additional £1.1 million investment in its latest funding round, the University of Exeter’s pioneering FAILSAFE project has now directed a total of over £2.8 million in just one year to support 135 researchers worldwide. This fresh funding boost is empowering researchers to develop groundbreaking solutions that could…

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Lessons from Ascension’s shark troubles could help boost conservation

Understanding people’s attitudes to interactions with sharks could help halt the global decline of shark numbers, according to new research carried out on Ascension Island.   In 2017, there were two non-fatal shark attacks at Ascension – a UK territory in the South Atlantic with a population of about 800 people. Large numbers of sharks – mostly silky and Galapagos sharks – have affected the island’s recreational fishers, who often lose tackle and hooked fish before they can…

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Dental shame stops people seeking help for oral health issues, study warns

Shame can lead people to avoid getting treatment for dental issues, potentially worsening oral health inequalities, a new study warns. A better understanding of dental shame could encourage more people to seek help, researchers and practitioners have said. It would alleviate some of the devastating consequences that oral health problems can have on overall health, disease and even risk of death. Researchers warn that healthcare practitioners can incite shame in patients both intentionally and unintentionally. When shaming is…

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University maths schools are driving social mobility and success, analysis shows

University-sponsored maths sixth forms such as the Exeter Mathematics School are having a transformative impact on the lives of young people across England, a landmark new study shows. The independent evaluation by the Observatory for Mathematical Education (OME) finds the specialist schools boost attainment and progression and significantly widen participation in mathematics and STEM. The analysis shows female students, those from under-represented ethnic groups, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds all progress at higher rates to mathematically intensive…

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A woman’s place was not in the home: New book challenges assumptions about women’s work in early modern history

A woman’s place was not in the home: New book challenges assumptions about women’s work in early modern history

New research has revealed that women played a fundamental role in the development of England’s national economy before 1700. Far from being the unpaid homemakers and housewives of traditional historical record, women contributed to all the most important areas of the economy, such as agriculture, commerce, and care. More than half of the work done by women in the period between the 16th and 18th centuries took place outside of the home, and around half of all housework…

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Research Quality powers Exeter rise in global league table

The quality of research conducted by the University of Exeter has helped to consolidate its position among the best in the world in the latest global league table. The University climbed two places in the 2026 THE World University Rankings to 170th out of almost 2,200 assessed internationally, inside the top eight per cent. Among the drivers for this improvement was in Research Quality, in which the University was ranked 52nd. It also scored highly for International Outlook…

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Sir Sajid Javid to lead Exeter’s largest ever fundraising campaign

The University of Exeter is delighted to announce alumnus the Rt Hon Sir Sajid Javid as chair of its new fundraising campaign, which will launch in 2026. Sir Sajid (Economics and Politics, 1991, Hon LLD 2025) will lead Exeter’s ambition to secure £150 million in philanthropic donations, and secure 150,000 volunteering hours by the end of the decade, in support of the University’s ‘2030 Strategy’ to create a Greener, Healthier and Fairer future. Full details of the campaign…

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