Edible bananas have been grown for the first time by the talented gardeners at the University of Exeter.
The mini versions of the popular fruit of the Musa acuminata ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ – normally only found in tropical countries - have been cultivated at a greenhouse at the University’s Streatham campus. They are of the same Cavendish variety found in shops but taste slightly sweeter.
The plant has been growing for five years, and the University’s grounds team are unsure as to why it has suddenly started producing fruit. It gets plenty of feed and attention, particularly...
A new research-backed risk assessment tool will support GPs in identifying the symptoms of bowel cancer and inflammatory bowel disease in patients aged under 50.
The research and the assessment tool is led by the University of Exeter, in partnership with Bowel Cancer UK Never Too Young campaign, Durham University and University Hospital of North Tees.
The assessment tool will calculate the risk of the patient’s bowel symptoms allowing the GP to decide whether they need further tests. This is the first of its kind for younger people and aims to speed up the diagnosis of...
Pupils from Westcountry schools used genetic processes commonly seen in TV crime dramas to help solve the mystery of who is sabotaging Devon’s very own Bake Off.
Year 9s from Devon, Dorset and Somerset got hands-on with scientists in University of Exeter Medical School laboratories in British Science Week, when they used state-of-the-art microbiology and DNA analysis techniques to unravel a scandal which had erupted in the “Great Bideford Bake Off”.
The scenario involved an outcry as the Westcountry’s most talented bread makers ended up with soggy bottoms as their loaves...
Growing up in tough conditions can make wild animals live longer, new research suggests.
Scientists from the University of Exeter found that male banded mongooses that experienced poor conditions in their first year had longer lives.
However, there was no difference in the number of offspring they fathered – suggesting those born into poor conditions “live slow, die old” while those with an easier first year “live fast, die young”.
Surprisingly, the males that fathered the most pups were those that grew up when conditions were highly variable. These males also lived...
LED street lighting can be tailored to reduce its impacts on the environment, according to new research by the University of Exeter.
The UK-based study found predatory spiders and beetles were drawn to grassland patches lit by LED lighting at night, but the number of species affected was markedly reduced when the lights were dimmed by 50% and switched off between midnight and 4am.
LEDs made up just 9% of the global lighting market in 2011, but forecasts suggest they will account for 69% by 2020.
This has led to concerns about their effects on plants and animals, and...
Researchers in Exeter are to receive £5m in funding to improve the early detection of cancers in GP surgeries, Cancer Research UK has announced. The CanTest is part of Cancer Research UK’s Catalyst Award which aims to help researchers deliver trailblazing progress in their field with long-lasting results. The CanTest team, led by Professor Willie Hamilton - from the University of Exeter will work with researchers in three UK sites and across the globe on a five year project that will help GPs to detect cancers in a primary care setting and reduce the burden of referrals. This research will...
Adults across Devon can learn a new skill for free in 2017 as part of Government research project looking at ways to improve mental health and wellbeing.
Devon County Council’s adult education service, Learn Devon, is offering free leisure courses in subjects including arts and crafts.
It is part of an England-wide project which aims to develop, deliver, share and evaluate educational approaches to support mental health.
The courses will be running at Learn Devon centres in Exmouth, Newton Abbot, Totnes, Tavistock and Bideford until July 2017, when the project ends...
The University of Exeter has been awarded £1.5 million by Wellcome to enable translation of findings from its world-leading research programmes into improvements in human health on a global scale.
The University has received the substantial grant from Wellcome’s Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) – the third time it has successfully applied for funds through the leading scheme.
The five-year award will be used to establish the Translational Research Exchange@ Exeter (TREE) – an innovative programme designed to build research links between biomedical and clinical...
New research reveals that just 12% of children in the South West are doing physical activity every day, with 50% of parents thinking that children should be properly fitness tested in schools.
Over half of the parents questioned are worried about obesity levels in children and think their children would benefit from more education around fitness in school. According to the research, by Premier Sport, 85% of parents think their children would benefit from more education around fitness and half of parents agree that children should be properly fitness tested in schools. Other key...
Retired holidaymakers are needed to take part in new research which aims to discover how giving up work has affected their tourism choices.
Academics from the University of Exeter Business School want to collect data on how people holidayed before and after retirement. They hope this will allow experts to better understand how tourism affects the wellbeing of older people, and how retirement leads to changes in the choice of location and holiday type.
The researchers are working with the charity Age UK Exeter to carry out the survey, which can also be completed online ....
