Exeter Uni News

Researchers discover of a new type of diabetes in babies

Advanced DNA sequencing technologies and a new model of stem cell research has enabled an international team to discover a new type of diabetes in babies. The University of Exeter Medical School worked with Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Belgium and other partners to establish that mutations in the TMEM167A gene are responsible for a rare form of neonatal diabetes. Some babies develop diabetes before the age of six months. In over 85 per cent of cases this is due genetic…

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Acclaimed Ukrainian soldier poet invited to the UK for Being Human festival

A Ukrainian poet renowned for composing her verse on the frontline of her country’s defence against Russia’s illegal war is to visit Devon and London to share her experiences and perspectives. Yaryna Chornohuz has been helping to defend her country from Russian aggression since 2019. She is currently a drone operator and previously took part in fierce battles as a member of the 140th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the Ukrainian Marine Corps at the time of the full-scale…

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Student entrepreneurs spark electric vehicle revolution for education sector

Two Exeter students are making inroads in business by supplying colleges and universities with electric vehicle chargers. Ruairi Duignan, who studies Business and Environment, and Ammar El Beik, a Law with Business student, started a startup called Turbo Zone in their first year of studies at Exeter’s Penryn campus. They initially planned to manufacture their own EV chargers but were steered towards a different business model after consultation and mentoring from University experts. Turbo Zone emerged as a value-added reseller of…

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New partnership set to strengthen regional education for the South West.

Andy Berry, CBE of UCS College Group and Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice Chancellor, University of Exeter signed of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a significant step towards strengthening regional education, research, and skills development across the South West. The collaboration aims to explore joint initiatives in several key areas, including improving education outcomes, fostering social mobility, developing innovative healthcare solutions, and enhancing employer-led training. The partnership will also seek to make collaborative bids for regional…

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2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

The June 2023 heatwave in northern European seas was “unprecedented but not unexpected”, new research shows. During the heatwave, temperatures in the shallow seas around the UK (including the North Sea and Celtic Sea) reached 2.9°C above the June average for 16 days. While unprecedented since observations began, the study warns that rapid climate change means there is now about a 10% chance of a marine heatwave of this scale occurring each year. The June 2023 marine heatwave…

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Help researchers track the fascinating history of seaweed eating in Cornwall

Researchers need the help of communities in Cornwall to help trace the fascinating history of seaweed eating. There has been a seaweed culinary revival in recent years, but people have eaten it for thousands of years. Seaweed’s historical use as a food seems to be less well remembered in Cornwall compared to Scotland, Wales and Ireland, where there are still living memories of foraging for and cooking with laver, dulse and carrageen. Now a research team are putting…

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Experts to embark on radical new approach to understand the challenges of academic writing

Experts will launch a radical approach to understanding the challenges of writing well at school and university. A team working on a major new study will create a ‘map’ of writing task types, and their key linguistic features, across different subject areas and educational levels. This will lead to an online resource and guidance to help educational professionals and researchers better understand the different linguistic and academic challenges posed by different text types and the ways in which…

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Predicting and managing harmful algal blooms

A pioneering new project that will harness cutting-edge technology to develop tools to predict and manage harmful algal blooms (HABS) before they grow has launched. South West Water is working in partnership with the University of Exeter, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, South West Lakes Trust, and other water companies and collaborators as part of the PEDAL project to address the growing challenge HABs pose to the water sector across the UK. HABs occur naturally when algae grow rapidly in…

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Clam shells sound warning of Atlantic ‘tipping point’

A study of clam shells suggests Atlantic Ocean currents may be approaching a “tipping point”. Scientists studied records of quahog clams (which can live for over 500 years) and dog cockles – because shell layers provide an annual record of ocean conditions. They studied these natural archives to understand long-term patterns in Atlantic Ocean currents such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the subpolar gyre (SPG). Recent studies have debated possible AMOC and SPG tipping points…

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Innovative approaches can help finance sector respond to nature loss

A group of researchers have published new methods to help the financial sector recognise the importance of nature to economic and financial stability. Introducing a special issue of journal Ecological Economics, Professor Ben Groom from the University of Exeter Business School said the financial sector largely fails to consider the economic and financial risks posed by biodiversity loss. Assets including equities, bonds, loans, and other financial instruments he said are vulnerable to ecological disruptions that undermine the long-term…

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National project launched to rediscover Henry VIII’s long-forgotten ‘Tudor Domesday Book’

National project launched to rediscover Henry VIII’s long-forgotten ‘Tudor Domesday Book’

A nationwide survey commissioned by Henry VIII on the property and wealth of 16th century England and Wales is to be made publicly accessible for the first time. The survey, known as the Valor Ecclesiasticus, set out to discover the financial state of the Church of which the Tudor king had just made himself head in his Break with Rome. Valor Ecclesiasticus counted 8,000 parish churches, 650 monasteries, 22 cathedrals and numerous chapels, chantries, colleges, schools, hospitals and…

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New podcast explains what happens after inevitable ‘overshoot’ of 1.5°C global warming

A new podcast series will explore what will happen when global warming exceeds 1.5°C. The four-part documentary – called Overshoot: Navigating a world beyond 1.5°C – is released 10 years after the landmark Paris climate agreement set a goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. That goal is being lost, and the series examines the misconceptions about what will happen next, drawing on rich and surprising stories of the people and places on the frontline. Overshoot…

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