Life and Environmental Sciences News

Keeping 1.5 degrees alive

People walking down a city street at sunset

We know that we must keep global temperature increase to below 1.5⁰C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Fossil research affected by significant colonial bias, study finds

Close-up of the spirals of an ammonite fossil.

The fossil record, which documents the history of life on Earth, is heavily biased by influences such as colonialism, history and global economics, argues a new study involving palaeontologists at the University of Birmingham and the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg.

Molecular Sciences Visitors' Centre officially opens

Vice Chancellor David Eastwood cuts ribbon in front of Molecular Sciences Visitor Centre

The University of Birmingham officially opened the Molecular Sciences Visitors' Centre on Thursday 2 December, celebrating the start of the newest campus development with Morgan Sindall Construction.

New tool can identify harmful blue-green algae

Algae on a pond

A new way to detect early signs of harmful blue-green algae has been developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham together with researchers at the Culture Collection of Algae & Protozoa.

Ancient sea ice core sheds light on modern climate change

A 170 m record of marine sediment cores extracted from Adélie Land in Antarctica by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme is yielding new insights into the complicated relationship between sea ice and climate change.

Collegiate Recovery Programs for Addiction

Student wearing a rucksack standing in a library aisle between two bookshelves

Higher education institutions are paying increasing attention to the health needs and well-being of students as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may mean that this process needs to be accelerated.

Huge Jurassic seabed uncovered in Cotswolds quarry

Sally and Neville Hollingworth

One of the largest and most important finds of exquisitely preserved Jurassic echinoderms – spiny-skinned marine animals such as starfish and sea urchins has been excavated at a secret site in the Cotswolds.

Breathing life into bone

Figure 3 credit Viktor Radermacher

An international team of scientists has used high-powered X-rays to show how an extinct dinosaur breathed.

PhD students to contribute to future Rangers FC success

Rangers football in a stadium

Four doctoral students at the University of Birmingham are working alongside the research team at Rangers Football Club, designing projects to enhance training and technical skills development at the club.

Insecure immigration status and UK families

Immigration Inside

Research launched this week shines a light into the experiences of British citizens with parents or partners who have insecure immigration status in the UK.