Latest News

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Mathematical computing techniques developed by Dr Emili Balaguer-Ballester at Bournemouth University, and a team of neuroscientists at Indiana Purdue University in US, the University of Heidelberg in Germany and British Columbia in Canada have been used to map the effects of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, on neural activities and behaviour. This has enabled the team to prove a long-held assumption in computational neuroscience: that cognitive decisions seem to be represented by temporarily stable states of neural dynamics which are modulated by dopamine. Until the publication of a new study, based on the application of their method, this theory remained insufficiently evidenced.

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YouTube sensation CassetteBoy are to join a delegation of academics and experts to talk about the implications of copyright reform, one year on from a change in the law in October 2014.

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Britain has the fourth highest rate of infant mortality of all Western countries. More seriously, the high death rates of British children correlate with high child poverty and with a lack of investment in healthcare, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

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A Bournemouth University researcher has been awarded a prestigious fellowship to launch a health and wellbeing project for people with dementia.

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A special orchestra for people with dementia has helped boost their confidence and mood, according to a new research project.

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A new Orthopaedic Research Institute (ORI) has been launched at Bournemouth University. By building on the research and reputation of its members, ORI aims to improve patient care and develop clinical practice.

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Labels and messages could encourage responsible use of digital devices and raise awareness of potential side effects.

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Early humans were skilful at using the landscape features of the Kenyan Rift to ambush and kill their prey. They became adept at predicting the pathways used by potential prey, enabling them to ambush large and dangerous animals.

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Researchers from Bournemouth University, Birmingham University and Omega Research Foundation have released #RiotID – a civic media guide which features images and instructions on how to safely identify and photograph riot control weapons such as tear gas and rubber pellets safely.

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Modern living could be responsible for an ‘almost epidemic’ increase in neurological brain disease, according to new research from Bournemouth University. Published in the USA journal Surgical Neurology International.

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Unexplained weight loss is often seen in people with dementia, which can lead to further complications, including mental and physical deterioration. New research from Bournemouth University, funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, has revealed the challenges of providing good nutrition and hydration in people with dementia who live in care homes.

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Bournemouth University experts have analysed the potential impact of changing climate conditions on the tree species that occur in the tropical Andes, along with other factors.

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Researchers at Bournemouth University have been looking at the impact of lower-limb prosthetics on competitive running, specifically looking at whether athletes with prosthesis are at an unfair advantage when running against athletes without prosthetics.

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Over 1.5 million people currently work in the care sector in the UK and as the population ages, the demands for care and employees will increase. However, the health and social care sector have experienced challenges in recent years as a result of austerity measures in the public sector which has had implications for the pay and pensions of those working in the sector. With growing demands and fewer resources, the issue of workforce planning has become increasingly critical. Research commissioned by the Borough of Poole and The Dorset Better Together Programme and carried out by Bournemouth University’s National Centre for Post-Qualifying Social Work and Professional Practice has explored some of the barriers to employment and how they can be tackled.

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When thinking about the extinction of Neanderthals some 30,000 years ago, rabbits may not be the first thing that spring to mind. But the way rabbits were hunted and eaten by Neanderthals and modern humans – or not, as the case may be – may offer vital clues as to why one species died out while the other flourished.

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3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the process of turning a 2D digital image into a 3D object through printing successive layers of materials until an entire item is created. Initial images are created in design software programmes before being realised through 3D printing. The advent of consumer 3D printing has the potential to revolutionise its use as a technology, but also opens up a whole host of intellectual property (IP) debates.

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Despite recent media attention on worldwide uprisings and protests, such as the Arab uprisings and the Occupy movement, the phenomenon of protest camps is not new. Throughout human history and across multiple locations, when faced with significant societal challenges, people often gather to protest against the problems they face. Dr Anna Feigenbaum, leader of the politics programme at Bournemouth University (BU), has been examining the phenomenon of protest camps, looking at what makes them unique, what draws people to them and what it says about human behaviour and social change.

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Research by Bournemouth University's John Stewart has found that birds living during the Ice Age were larger, with a mixture of birds unlike any seen today, and many species now exotic to Britain living in Northern England.

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What affects how we hear? Do we hear sounds as they are, or do our expectations about what we are going to hear instantaneously shape the way sound is processed? These are questions that Bournemouth University’s (BU) Dr Emili Balaguer-Ballester and colleague Andre Rupp of Heidelberg University have been considering in their research into auditory central processing.

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The legendary humpback Mahseer, one of the world’s most iconic freshwater fish, is on the brink of extinction according to scientists from Bournemouth University in the UK and St. Albert’s College in Kochi, India.

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The internet, and smart technology, have revolutionised the way consumers shop and interact with service providers. From online shopping to keeping up with the latest news, a range of industries have had to adapt to reflect the online habits of their customers. But the travel and tourism industry seems to have thrived online more than most, and Bournemouth University’s (BU) Dr Alessandro Inversini has been researching how the travel and tourism industry can improve its online offering to benefit consumers.

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The London 2012 Paralympics raised the profile of disabled athletes in way never seen before. The focus was unquestionably on people’s achievements and successes rather than exclusively on their disabilities. While it went a long way towards changing perceptions of disability, concerns remained that it did little to challenge the negative media portrayals of disabled people. Some even argued that the image of disabled athletes as ‘super humans’ only served to emphasise the divide between elite sports people and ordinary disabled people. For Dr Carrie Hodges and her team in Bournemouth University’s (BU) Faculty of Media & Communication, and Wendy Cutts and Dr Lee-Ann Fenge from the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, the platform provided by the Paralympics created the perfect opportunity to challenge perceptions of disability.

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Climate change is a perennially controversial subject frequently splashed across mainstream headlines. However, what we see in the news is not always what the scientists at the front line of climate change experience. Some scientists have been trying to counteract these misconceptions via citizen journalism and directly connecting with the public through blogging rather than official media channels.

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The UK banking system has had a lot of press recently, mostly for negative reasons as bankers’ bonuses, foreign exchange rate fixing and a rise in interest rates have grabbed the headlines. The British public are being warned of tough times continuing as the country recovers from recession and pays back its national debt. But will the UK’s financial system ever change? Are big banks really serving the UK public well or is self-interest the real of the UK’s high street banks.

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New research from Bournemouth University has found that the UK has the fourth highest child mortality rate, third worst relative poverty and lowest funded health care in the Western world.

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Fatigue is one of the most commonly reported and debilitating symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and can significantly reduce an individual’s quality of life. Unlike the tiredness that we all experience sometimes, fatigue in those with MS can have a hugely negative impact – it can limit or stop people from doing day-to-day activities and things that really matter to them. It is the main reason why people with MS stop working. Research undertaken at Bournemouth University (BU) has been tackling the challenge of managing fatigue in people with MS, with encouraging results.

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The implications of intellectual property in 3D printing have been outlined in two documents created for the UK government by Bournemouth University.

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Bournemouth University’s newest research Institute – the Institute for Studies in Landscape and Human Evolution (ISLHE) – has been awarded a significant grant from the Natural Environment Research Council to explore how techniques for documenting ancient footprints can help forensic scientists understand modern-day crime scenes.

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While it has long been recognised that genetics – alongside environmental factors – play a role in developing psychiatric disorders, the function of individual genes is still largely unknown. But an international, multi-disciplinary team led by Bournemouth University’s Dr Kevin McGhee is aiming to uncover just that – using fruit flies to isolate and examine the genes involved in the development of schizophrenia, with the hope of improving knowledge and treatments for the condition.

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Stories involving cancer and its devastating consequences are a frequent occurrence in the news. We are constantly being told which foods may cause cancer, and which may prevent it, but how much is fact, and how much is fiction is often in dispute. The same is true for cancer survivors trying to find reliable nutritional information which will help them to improve their quality of life and prevent future relapses. A team of researchers at Bournemouth University (BU), led by Dr Jane Murphy, are working with cancer nurse specialists to change that. By developing an e-learning tool for healthcare professionals, the team has created an innovative way of educating and empowering frontline staff to deliver reliable and helpful information about nutrition.

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A new Bournemouth University study, in collaboration with University of Portsmouth, has challenged conventional thinking that people’s attention is readily captured by other people’s faces above all other objects.

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A new study has revealed that suicide figures may not be as accurate as they are reported, with key Western countries having a higher suicide rate than that reported in official figures.

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Bournemouth University lecturer Dr Julie Kirkby is investigating the significance of copying and note-taking in the classroom and how it affects the learning in children with dyslexia.

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A new test that rules out heart attacks in patients could reduce hospital admissions by as much as 40%, for patients with chest pain, according to research published by Bournemouth University (BU).

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A unique archaeological find uncovered near the site of a Roman villa in Dorset could help to shed light on the rural elite of late-Roman Britain.

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The study, published in Emerging Microbes and Infections, found a strong link between Buruli ulcer outbreaks in French Guiana, in South America, and changes in complex rainfall patterns, including extreme rainfall events driven by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).