Log in
Hundreds of millions of laying hens in the European Community are now kept in enriched cages with significantly more space than conventional battery cages and with specific provision for nesting, scratching and perching. Research undertaken at Bristol University provided much of the evidence base for the full implementation of the relevant European directive in January 2012; the prohibition of the conventional battery cage and the introduction of a superior, scientifically researched alternative. This has had a dramatic impact on husbandry standards and the welfare of laying hens. With Bristol's involvement, similar progress has also been made in countries beyond Europe.
Since 1993 researchers from the University of Leeds (UoL) have devised robust and standardised experimental methodologies to study human appetite and food consumption objectively. Companies in the food and pharmaceutical sectors have used these procedures to develop functional foods and anti-obesity drugs. The validated methodologies also allowed global clinical research organisation Covance to establish its Human Appetite Laboratory to provide product evaluation for US and EU pharmaceutical companies. Food regulators have also recommended the Leeds approach for producing evidence to support appetite control claims for functional foodstuffs.
Dairy-cow herds in the UK and overseas, together with the dairy farming industry, are benefiting from strategic animal-husbandry changes and lameness-control programmes underpinned by research undertaken at the University of Bristol since 1997. The dissemination by the UK Dairy Levy Board of national Standardised Lameness Scores (the DairyCo Mobility Scoring system, launched in 2008) and of Husbandry Advisory Tools (the DairyCo Healthy Feet Programme, launched in 2011) was a direct result of Bristol's work. It has led to the widespread adoption of lameness scoring as a farm-management tool, the inclusion of lameness assessment within certification schemes and a nationwide network of trained `mobility mentors'. Where implemented, this advisory support has resulted in a significant drop in lameness prevalence, thereby improving welfare and reducing the economic losses associated with treating and culling lame cows. Successful engagement with industry groups throughout the research process has ensured that scientific outputs have been rapidly implemented within the farming community. This approach has been adopted internationally with the scoring system being used by Europe's largest dairy company and a modified version is also being promoted by the New Zealand dairy industry.
Evershed and his research group in The School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, have pioneered a suite of novel molecular and stable isotope analytical chemical techniques for provenancing amorphous organic residues in archaeology, particularly for the elucidation of ancient diet and the origins of agriculture. Their on-going research continuously achieves impact worldwide at all levels. Impact has been actively enhanced via the involvement of Evershed and his entire team in hundreds of public engagement activities (art/science exhibitions and festivals, personal presentations, media interviews/articles/documentaries), school and college educational outreach activities (teacher/student conferences, items/articles in the educational literature and contributions to educational films/documentaries). Critically, their `fingerprinting' methods have found application in detecting food fraud in the vegetable oil trade, protecting the human population worldwide from consuming impure corn oil for ca. 15 years to the present day. Most poignantly, when called upon, their methods were pivotal in solving a murder case for the Metropolitan Police.
Since 2010, infants around the world have been saved from death or severe disability as a result of research conducted by Professor Marianne Thoresen and her team at the University of Bristol. Translational research conducted between 1998 and 2010 by the Thoresen group showed that mild cooling of newborn children who had suffered a lack of oxygen during labour and delivery reduced death and disability by over 50%. Extensive publication on this treatment and practical training for neonatal staff, led by the Bristol team since 2008, has transformed the management of neonatal brain injury. By 2010/11, therapeutic cooling had been adopted as standard treatment throughout the developed world, saving thousands of children from death or severe disability, including cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Therapeutic hypothermia also saves the NHS and UK families about £200 million/year in care and compensation costs.
Prebiotics are dietary ingredients selectively fermented by populations of gut bacteria seen as beneficial to health. Following the development of the concept of prebiotics by Professors Glenn Gibson and Marcel Roberfroid, research at the University of Reading has developed, pilot- manufactured and tested in humans, a novel prebiotic that shows greater selectivity for beneficial gut bacteria. The prebiotic has been commercialised through formation of a new Small Medium Enterprise (SME) company, Clasado. A range of functional food product formulations of the prebiotic is available over the counter at a variety of supermarket and high street outlets in the UK, as well as products containing it as a branded ingredient in North America. Research on Bimuno conducted at Reading has therefore had impact on human health through alleviation, or attenuation, of symptoms of common gut disorders and on the economy through the formation of a new SME company.
Research at the University of Reading into the origin of acrylamide, a neurotoxin and probable human carcinogen, in cooked cereal and potato products has provided crucial information for the food industry and government agencies. This has enabled important mitigation strategies to be developed. When acrylamide was unexpectedly discovered in food in 2002, there was no explanation for its origin. Pioneering research at Reading showed that it was formed during heating from naturally-occurring sugars and the amino acid asparagine. Because of this knowledge it was then possible to investigate factors affecting acrylamide formation and develop methods of mitigation. Subsequently investigations were undertaken worldwide, including work at Reading, to minimise the problem.
The Cabot Project, led by Dr Evan Jones at the University of Bristol, has raised public awareness of England's contribution to early maritime exploration, in the process challenging perceptions among both the public and schoolchildren about how history is researched and written. The Project's research has generated massive international news coverage, including numerous follow-up stories, written as a result of the positive response to earlier coverage, in both the mainstream press and popular history publications. Attention has focused on both the outcomes of the research and on the process of historical research and publication. Since 2013, the Project's `Schools Group' has used the team's research findings to contest accepted readings of history in local schools. Research conducted by Dr Jones led to his appointment as a trustee and Education Chair for the Matthew of Bristol Trust, which runs a replica ship that serves as an icon for the city and is an important heritage attraction.
Research by Professor Gary Williamson and researchers at the University of Leeds (UoL) has revealed new pathways of polyphenol absorption and metabolism in humans, including the effect of gut microflora on the bioavailability of these natural compounds found in coffee, having major impact on commerce. Output has provided the scientific evidence to support Nestlé's post-launch marketing for its Green Blend coffee. The UoL research supports Green Blend's key positioning as a "functional" coffee with health benefits because it delivers high levels of antioxidants to the body. The brand has estimated global sales of hundreds of millions of pounds per year.
Thousands of exhibition visitors, public lecture-goers, readers, school students and TV viewers have been encouraged to explore areas of number theory and mathematical physics as a result of public engagement initiatives in four countries by University of Bristol academics. Lay people's encounters with the Bristol scientists have also changed their view of mathematics, mathematicians and the nature of their work.
Audiences have been reached through the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in 2011, a science fair in 2012, an award-winning Japanese TV documentary made in 2009, popular lectures given between 2008 and 2013 and contributions to popular science books.
Research on quantum mechanics, chaos and the Riemann Hypothesis is very appealing to members of the general public who have an interest in popular science. Bristol research ties these areas together. Its dissemination through various media has captured public attention internationally and inspired non-mathematicians to consider the mysteries addressed by mathematical research.