University of Exeter

In the largest study ever conducted investigating disease risk and genetic sex hormone levels researchers have found naturally high testosterone levels can confer different effects between men and women, particularly in relation to type 2 diabetes.

For the first time, new research describes both gesture-based and vocal communication among wild orang-utans: specifically Southwest Bornean orang-utan mothers and their young.

An international team of researchers suggests that a wide variety of marine species could be used for monitoring the world's oceans. Using electronic tags, exploiting their natural behavior could fill gaps in our knowledge of the seas.

Underwater loudspeakers could be used to revitalized devastated corals, by blasting the sounds of healthy reefs to make them more attractive to young fish. Earth’s ocean reefs are currently under major threat from human-led climate change.

A study by the University of Exeter shows that staring at seagulls discourages them from stealing your chips. By placing a bag on the ground and then staring at herring gulls trying to sneak up for a free meal, the team found that stared at birds took longer than ones where the humans looked away.

Two new studies affirm the potential for a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of age-related dementia and cognitive decline. The research particularly suggests lifestyle factors can counteract genetic predispositions for Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists at the University of Exeter have turned to Twitter for a better picture of the effect ocean plastics are having on sharks and rays. Summing these reports, they identified more than 1,000 individual sharks and rays seen entangled in ocean waste.

Evolution is usually gradual, but half a billion years ago it took off at a gallop in an event that’s now known as the Cambrian Explosion. One of the leading theories is this came from a huge spike in oxygen levels, and now a team may have found where all that oxygen come from – plate tectonics.

​The Arctic Ocean could experience an ice-free summer at some time in the next 20 years, according to a newly-published study. The thawing is due to a combination of a natural warming phase, coupled with the effects of human-induced climate change.

Most climate change events can be linked to specific causes, but the cause of the last major shift, which occurred about a million years ago, has remained a mystery. By taking samples from the ocean floor of the Bering Sea, a new study may have uncovered the mechanism behind this outlier event.

​​There remains a lot we don't know about the whereabouts of the all the plastic waste that washes into the ocean each year, but scientists are continuing to discover bits and pieces in increasingly concerning places, a list that now includes turtles.

​​An international team of astronomers has discovered that helium atoms are causing the atmosphere of a "warm-Neptune" exoplanet to expand like a party balloon before escaping into the cold expanse of space.