University of Exeter

Scientists examining shark and ray populations across the globe have published an alarming study depicting a rapid decline of these species over the past half century, with the blame mostly resting at the feet of unsustainable fishing practices.

Minute differences in the blood pressure between each arm aren’t cause for concern, but there is a point at which variances could represent cardiovascular trouble, and an expansive international study has shone new light on where that point lies.

A new study has shed further light on the way plastic waste moves through the marine environment with the use of tagged plastic bottles. The bottles were dropped into the Ganges river and some ended up thousands of kilometers away.

A new study has found that climate change is raising nighttime temperatures across the globe faster than daytime temperatures, which could have “significant implications” for the environment, the authors warn.

Scientists have developed a new method to detect trace amounts of plastic in edible tissues, and tried it out on a range of seafood such as oysters, prawns, squid, crabs and sardines to find plastic particles in all samples tested.

A new study has cast doubt over one method of cleaning up ocean plastics in floating trash-collection barriers, finding that these devices are unlikely to put a dent in the overall problem, even if left to run well into next century.

Scientists at the University of Exeter have developed a promising technique that could help slow the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, by quickly illuminating bacteria when antibiotics are having the desired effect.

The efforts of researchers to trace plastic waste continues to turn up evidence of its detrimental effects on the natural world, with the latest example a study detailing the first evidence of river-borne plastic waste traveling up the food chain.

Sargassum seaweed is growing out of control in many regions – it washes up on beaches in huge amounts. Utilizing a new technique, that rotting organic matter could soon be converted into biofuels and other products.

Research from a medical student is pointing to an early-stage biomarker for a variety of cancers. The research found subjects with abnormally small red blood cells were twice as likely to be diagnosed with cancer as those with normal blood results.

Over 10,000 years ago ancient human settlers began the construction of around 4,700 artificial forest islands in ancient Amazonia to farm savanna land, according to the results of a newly published paper.

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.