The project, led by Professor Yasser Mahmoudi Larimi from The University of Manchester, has been awarded a £3 million EPSRC Critical Mass Programme Grant. It brings together expertise from industry and academia across the UK, including The University of Manchester, the University of Birmingham, the University of Liverpool, Cranfield University and Imperial College London.

As the UK increases its use of renewable energy, one of the biggest challenges is how to store excess electricity generated on windy or sunny days and make it available when demand rises, or when the weather changes and turns dark, for example. GPStore aims to deliver a first-of-its-kind approach to storing clean energy for hours, weeks or months - something existing storage options cannot achieve at scale.

By 2050, the UK is expected to need up to 100 terawatt-hours of long-duration energy storage to ensure a stable, affordable and low-carbon energy system. While today’s technologies, such as pumped hydro, compressed air and flow batteries, offer useful short- to medium-duration storage, they often face geographical and environmental constraints, high costs, or complex engineering, making them difficult to scale.

The novel GPStore technology takes a completely different approach. It converts surplus renewable electricity into high-temperature heat storing in solid particles, in aboveground insulated tanks. When energy is needed, the stored thermal energy is converted back to electricity. GPStore could help manage energy demand not only day-to-day, but also between summer and winter, which is essential for achieving a fully renewable, climate-resilient energy grid.

The project brings together 13 academics across five UK universities and 16 industry and policy partners, including EDF Energy, UK Power Networks, Fraser-Nash Consultancy and 91ֱ�� City Council.

The initiative, known as the Resource for AI Science in Europe (RAISE), brings together computing power, data, expertise and funding to support researchers in applying AI to scientific discovery across all disciplines.

Following an announcement at the AI in Science Summit in Copenhagen, the SCIANCE (AI in Science) consortium, which includes researchers at The University of Manchester, has been invited to enter into a grant agreement to support the development and pilot phase of RAISE under Horizon Europe.

SCIANCE will coordinate AI-enabled science across Europe through a bottom-up, community-driven approach, bringing together top research organisations and major research facilities from across Europe, focusing on five key areas of science: physics and astronomy, materials science, life sciences, earth sciences, and social sciences and humanities.

The project will, among other things, deliver:

• A Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for AI in Science
• An implementation roadmap for infrastructure upgrades
• The RAISE Secretariat for AI in science, to support long-term collaboration, capacity building, and alignment with European policy objectives.

The University of Manchester brings an interdisciplinary team of researchers, including , who will act at the Scientific Coordinator for Astronomy and Astrophysics, and , also from , supported by from the 91ֱ�� . 

RAISE is a flagship initiative under the European Strategy for AI in Science and aims to position Europe as a global leader in AI-enabled research by supporting scientists to develop and apply AI for transformative discoveries.

Jonas L’Haridon, Project Coordinator, ESF, said: “SCIANCE represents a unique opportunity to coordinate AI-enabled science across Europe - connecting research communities, infrastructures and AI expertise in a way that truly reflects scientific priorities.”

The GPIW is an international initiative that recognises pioneering contributions to water desalination and celebrates innovators driving progress towards sustainable global water solutions. Winning this award places Hollowgraf Ltd among the most influential emerging innovators in the global water sector. 

Hollowgraf originates from the graphene membrane research group led by , internationally recognised for its work on graphene-based membranes for separation and filtration. Building on this foundation, the team has filed a patent for an innovative desalination and value-recovery process powered by atmospheric CO₂ or flue gas. To accelerate real-world deployment, the team established Hollowgraf Ltd to commercialise the technology. 

With water scarcity affecting billions worldwide, Hollowgraf’s technology offers a radical new approach: turning seawater into drinking water using carbon dioxide and advanced graphene membranes. This innovation could transform desalination into a near-zero-waste process.  

Hollowgraf stood out among 2,570 entries from 119 countries, securing $50,000 in prize money and $250,000 in prototype and piloting support, fuelling the next stage of development and scale-up. 

“This recognition is a huge step toward turning cutting-edge graphene research into real-world solutions for water scarcity. With this support, we can move from the lab to large-scale pilot projects in partnership with the Saudi Water Authority,” said , Research Fellow at the National Graphene Institute and CEO of Hollowgraf Ltd. 

Prof. Rahul Raveendran Nair, Professor and Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair at The University of Manchester and CTO of Hollowgraf Ltd, said: 

“This award highlights our commitment to turning world-class research into solutions for global challenges. Hollowgraf’s breakthrough could redefine sustainable desalination, and we’re proud to see 91ֱ�� innovation recognised worldwide.” 

The patent-pending process, developed at The University of Manchester, uses graphene membranes and carbon dioxide to produce clean water and valuable by-products, all at ambient pressure thus making it more sustainable and cost-effective than traditional methods. 

This achievement reinforces The University of Manchester’s position as a global leader in graphene innovation and sustainability, making a tangible impact on one of the world’s most pressing challenges. 

The is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Engineers and geologists in the “DUST” group at the University have developed a synthetic test dust supported by an EPSRC IAA Proof of Concept grant, led by Dr Merren Jones and , that accurately replicates the fine, talcum-powder-like particles commonly found in desert regions - materials known for causing accelerated wear on some aeroengine components.

This recreated dust has become an important element of Rolls-Royce’s extensive testing programme in Derby, where the company is working to improve the durability of engines used by airlines.

Sand ingested during take-off and climb can penetrate the hottest parts of an engine, corrode components, and block coolant holes. While not a safety issue, the damage reduces efficiency, increases the maintenance burden, and shortens component life.

Using the University of Manchester’s synthetic dust, Rolls-Royce has been able to replicate harsh Middle Eastern conditions inside its Testbed 80 facility in Sinfin.

of the University’s DUST Research Group, said: “Standard test dusts do not contain the same chemical composition as the dust we see in the air of these increasingly busy airport hubs, therefore would not stress the engine in the same way. A bespoke recipe was needed to reproduce the molten glassy deposits that cause the damage in the hottest parts of the jet engine. Combining the expertise of geologists, who are familiar with the minerals of these regions and how they break down under high temperature, with engineers who can simulate the conditions inside a jet engine, has been pivotal in developing this bespoke test dust.”

This realistic testing allowed engineers to trial new coatings that better withstand heat and corrosion, and to redesign coolant holes so they are less prone to blockage.

According to Pat Hilton, Rolls-Royce’s Test Facilities Manager, the University’s contribution has helped increase the understanding of how dust behaves inside high-temperature turbines. Engine changes have been tested with the synthetic raw material and modified engines have returned to service, showing  a 60% increase in time between overhauls.

The DUST group (Drs Jones, , and )  continues to support this effort through InnovateUK-funded projects focusing on on-wing component inspection and digital tool development for virtual sand and dust tests.

The work forms part of a £1 billion durability programme aimed at doubling the lifespan of engines such as the Trent XWB-97 by 2028. 91ֱ��’s breakthrough dust replica is an important tool to achieve this goal, helping Rolls-Royce strengthen performance across its Middle Eastern fleet.

Published today in , the images reveal a series of delicate, ring-like structures that record decades of violent outbursts during the star’s early life.

The international study, which included astronomers at The University of Manchester, used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), one of the world’s most advanced astronomical facilities.

The team focused on a fast-moving jet emerging from SVS 13, a binary system around 1,000 light-years from Earth, capturing high-resolution images that show hundreds of nested molecular rings. Each group of rings trace the aftermath of an energetic burst during the star’s infancy.

The findings provide the first direct confirmation of a three decade old model of these jets, allowing the reconstruction of the chronological record of how forming stars feed on, and then explosively expel, surrounding material.

is a co-author on the paper and Principal Investigator of the UK ALMA Regional Centre Node, which supports UK astronomers in their use of the ALMA observatory.

He said: “ALMA has provided a level of precision we’ve never been able to achieve before. These images give us a completely new way of reading a young star’s history.
Each group of rings is effectively a time-stamp of a past eruption. It gives us an important new insight into how young stars grow and how their developing planetary systems are shaped.”

Stars like the Sun form deep within dense clouds of gas and dust. In their earliest stages, they undergo energetic outbursts that heat and disturb the material around them. At the same time, they launch rapid, tightly collimated jets of gas that play a crucial role in regulating how the star accumulates matter and how its surrounding disc – where future planets eventually form – evolves.

The team identified more than 400 individual rings in the jet from SVS 13, showing how its shape and speed change over time as it punches through its environment. Using this data, the researchers reconstructed the jet’s 3D structure in unprecedented detail – a technique they describe as “cosmic tomography”.

They found that the youngest ring matches a bright outburst observed from the SVS 13 system in the early 1990s. This is the first time astronomers have been able to directly connect a specific burst of activity in a forming star with a change in the speed of its jet.

The project involved researchers from 16 institutions across eight countries and was led by the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC) in Spain. The new ALMA observations form part of a long-running project to understand how stars and planets form, building on earlier work from the US National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array (VLA), which first revealed the jets from SVS 13.

ALMA is run by the which is operated by , and . The (UK ARC Node) is supported by .

This research was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Full title: 'Bowshocks driven by the pole-on molecular jet of outbursting protostar SVS 13'

DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02716-2 

URL:

The study, published in the journal , is based on interviews with 23 housing and construction specialists. It reveals widespread concern that while heating in homes has long been a priority, cooling in homes is largely overlooked, despite climate change driving more frequent heatwaves.

The researchers warn that without urgent action, residents could face increasing energy bills and worsening health risks, increasing pressure on NHS and emergency services during extreme heat.

The study highlights gaps in policy and long-term funding making it difficult for the sector to deliver energy-efficient, climate-resilient homes and short-term schemes, like the Warm Homes Grant, may not provide long-term solutions.

It also highlights a skills gap and a lack of guidance on climate-resilient home design, particularly for cooling solutions.

The report calls for urgent action to:

• Establish a national climate-resilience strategy for homes, aligning housing policy with UK climate commitments
• Provide long-term, stable funding for social housing retrofits
• Prioritise cooling, ventilation and overheating prevention alongside heating efficiency
• Strengthen training and skills programmes for low-carbon, climate-resilient construction
• Ensure equitable outcomes for low-income households as energy systems transition

Lead researcher , a PhD researcher at The University of Manchester's Tyndall 91ֱ��, said: “The UK is not moving fast enough to protect residents from the impacts of climate change. Our research makes clear that we urgently need a comprehensive climate-resilience framework - one that brings together strategy, regulation, construction practice and smart energy-demand management.

“Thermal comfort is a basic human need and our social homes must be safe, affordable and resilient. Overheating is already a risk, particularly for vulnerable residents, yet cooling is barely discussed in policy or practice. From our interviews, we can see that the construction sector is ready to act, but it needs clear direction, long-term commitment and a fair policy framework from the government.”

The UK is committed to building over 1.5 million new homes while achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The researchers stress that without urgent action, the UK will fall further behind these climate targets.

While the introduction of Building Regulations Part O in 2022 marked progress, the researchers say it does not go far enough to counter the long-term temperature rise projected for the UK.

Claire Brown added: “Housing must be treated as critical infrastructure, just like schools and hospitals, if we are to meet carbon budgets while delivering more than 1.5 million new homes. Without significant systemic change, we risk locking in higher emissions, higher costs and poorer outcomes for the people who rely on social housing most.”

This research was published in the journal Energy Policy

Full title: Improving energy performance and futureproofing social housing: Professional views and policy directions in the UK

DOI:

URL:

In a study published today in , the team demonstrate a completely new way of probing the tiny “ticking” of the thorium-229 nucleus without needing a specialised transparent crystal – a breakthrough that could underpin a new class of timekeeping so precise it could transform navigation, communications, earthquake and volcano prediction, and deep-space exploration.

The advance builds on a landmark achievement , when the team succeeded  in using a laser to excite the nucleus of thorium-229 inside a transparent crystal - a feat the team has been working on for the past 15 years.

Now, researchers have achieved the same results using a tiny fraction of the material and with a method so simple and inexpensive that it opens the door to real-world nuclear clock technology.

“Previously, the transparent crystals needed to hold thorium-229 were technically demanding and costly to produce, which placed real limits on any practical application,” explained , co-author of the research and Lecturer in Computational and Theoretical Chemistry at The University of Manchester. “This new approach is a major step forward for the future of nuclear clocks and leaves little doubt that such a device is feasible and potentially much closer than anyone expected.”

In the new study, the team instead excited the thorium nucleus inside a microscopic thin film of thorium oxide, made by electroplating a minute amount of thorium onto a stainless-steel disc – a process similar to gold-plating jewellery and a radical simplification of their previous method.

The thorium nuclei absorb energy from a laser and then, after a few microseconds, transfer that energy to nearby electrons so it can be measured directly as an electric current. This method, known as conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy, has been in use for years, but normally requires high-energy gamma rays at special facilities. This is the first time it has  been demonstrated with a laser in an ordinary lab.

Crucially, it shows that thorium-229 can be studied inside far more common materials than previously thought, removing one of the biggest obstacles to building practical nuclear clocks.

The technique also offers new insight into how thorium-229 behaves and decays, which could one day inform new types of nuclear materials and future energy research.

“We had always assumed that in order to excite and then observe the nuclear transition the thorium needed to be embedded in a material that was transparent to the light used to excite the nucleus. In this work, we realized that is simply not true,” said UCLA physicist Eric Hudson., who led the research. “We can still force enough light into these opaque materials to excite nuclei near the surface and then, instead of emitting photons like they do in transparent materials like the crystals, they emit electrons which can be detected simply by monitoring an electrical current – which is just about the easiest thing you can do in the lab.”

Like atomic clocks, nuclear clocks rely on the natural “ticking” of single atoms. But in atomic clocks that process involves electrons, while nuclear clocks use oscillations within the nucleus itself. This makes them far less sensitive to external disturbances, giving them the potential to be orders of magnitude more accurate.

Nuclear clocks could even be used to predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Because of Einstein’s theory of general relativity, nuclear clocks should be sensitive to small changes in the Earth’s gravity due to the movement of magma and rock deep underground. By placing nuclear clocks all over earthquake zones, like Japan, Indonesia, or Pakistan, we could watch what’s going on beneath our feet in real time and predict tectonic events before they happen.

Dr Morgan added: “In the long term, this technology could revolutionise our ability to prepare for natural disasters. It’s incredibly exciting to think that thorium clocks can do things we previously thought were impossible, as well as improving everything we currently use atomic clocks for.”

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, and also included physicists from the University of Nevada Reno, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Ziegler Analytics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität at Mainz, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

This research was published in the journal Nature

Full title: Laser-based conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy of 229ThO2 

DOI:10.1038/s41586-025-09776-4 

URL:  

Thanks to a €2.25M Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC), UnifySky - a five-year project led by Dr Phil Bull - will combine decades of existing radio observations with new data from a custom-built horn-antenna – named RHINO - to tackle one of cosmology’s biggest challenges.

The “radio sky” refers to the radio waves emitted by objects across the Universe, including pulsars, quasars, and clouds of hydrogen gas. Although invisible to the human eye, these signals carry vital clues about the Universe’s earliest moments, such as how the first stars and galaxies formed. Mapping the radio sky allows astronomers to uncover hidden structures and processes that cannot be seen with traditional optical telescopes. However, progress has been held back by sky maps that are incomplete, inconsistent, or affected by instrumental errors.

“Existing sky maps can be wrong by more than 10%, yet we need errors below 1%,” explained Dr Bull, Reader in Cosmology at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester. “These inaccuracies arise from old, inconsistent data stitched together from many different telescopes. Without improved models, the faint signals from the first stars and galaxies are lost beneath the much stronger radio emission from our own Galaxy.”

To achieve this, the project will combine decades of existing observations with new, precisely calibrated measurements from RHINO. Using advanced statistical techniques implemented in Dr Bull’s world-leading software, UnifySky will untangle overlapping signals and correct for errors from previous instruments, producing the first fully consistent model of the radio sky.

A key target is the extremely faint 21cm signal emitted by hydrogen in the early Universe, which carries key information about when the first stars and galaxies formed. The improved models will transform the scientific output of major experiments such as the ), and the which are seeking to observe the signal.

The project will also revisit two puzzling results reported by the instrument and experiment, which both detected unusual radio signals that some researchers have suggested might hint at new physics.  It is not yet clear whether these signals are real or the result of errors in making these tricky measurements.

The UnifySky project will focus on three main areas of work:

1.      Building a high-precision statistical model of the radio sky
By developing an advanced statistical model that combines past and current radio observations, the project will produce a single, consistent map of the sky. This model will correct long-standing errors, account for uncertainties, and provide a flexible tool for calibrating telescopes and studying the faint signals from the early Universe.

2.      Observing the sky with a novel horn antenna telescope
By building a precisely calibrated horn antenna called the project will reobserve the unusual signal seen by the EDGES experiment and provide a reliable reference for other measurements. The antenna will be the size of a semi-detached house, and will be built at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, a stone’s throw away from the historic Lovell telescope.

3.      Unlocking new physics from the radio sky
By combining the new, high-precision sky model with RHINO’s calibrated measurements, the project will re-analyse data from leading radio telescopes to study the early Universe. This will improve measurements of the 21cm signal from the first stars and galaxies, map the radio emission from our Galaxy, and separate different sources of cosmic radio waves. The results will give new insights into the formation of early structures and the effects of dark energy.

The work builds on Jodrell Bank’s long-standing global reputation in radio astronomy, together with Dr Phil Bull’s world-leading expertise in theoretical and observational cosmology, ensuring 91ֱ�� is uniquely equipped to deliver the UnifySky project.

An international collaboration of scientists, including from The University of Manchester, working on the experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory announced that they have found no evidence for a fourth type of neutrino, known as a sterile neutrino.

For decades, physics experiments have observed neutrinos - sub-atomic particles that are all around us - behaving in a way that doesn’t fit . One of the most promising explanations was the existence of a sterile neutrino, named because they are predicted not to interact with matter at all, whereas other neutrinos can. This means they could pass through the Universe almost undetected.

Using a highly sensitive detector called MicroBooNE, sitting on two different neutrino beams, the researchers observed how thousands of neutrinos behaved over several years. If the fourth neutrinos existed, it would have left a clear fingerprint. The result, published today in the journal , shows there was no evidence and rules out a single sterile neutrino explanation with 95% certainty.

Professor of Particle Physics at The University of Manchester and co-spokesperson for MicroBooNE, said: “Any time you rule out one place where physics beyond the Standard Model could be, that makes you look in other places. This is a result that is going to really spur a creative push in the neutrino physics community to come up with yet more exciting ways of looking for new physics. Sometimes, science is just as much about what you don’t find as what you do."

The University of Manchester played a leading role in the breakthrough. Dr Elena Gramellini was the driving force behind the experiment’s physics programme using the NuMI beam - a crucial part of the analysis behind this result. Professor Roxanne Guenette was one of the originators of MicroBooNE’s short-baseline oscillation programme, helping to shape the strategy used to investigate the sterile-neutrino question. The new paper builds directly on that foundational work.

Neutrinos come in three known types, or flavours: muon, electron and tau. They can change from one type to another as they travel. But this flavour-flipping cannot fully be explained by the current Standard Model.

Some earlier experiments - -  also made observations suggesting that muon neutrinos were oscillating into electron neutrinos over shorter distances than should be possible.

“They saw flavour change on a length scale that is just not consistent with there only being three neutrinos,” explained , “And the most popular explanation over the past 30 years to explain the anomaly is that there’s a sterile neutrino.”

The experiment collected data from 2015 to 2021, observing neutrinos from Fermilab’s Booster Neutrino Beam and the NuMI beam. MicroBooNE is the first experiment that has done a sterile neutrino search with one detector and two beams simultaneously. This reduces the uncertainties in MicroBooNE’s result, making it possible to exclude nearly the entire favoured region in which a single sterile neutrino could be hiding. 

Although this result rules out one explanation for anomalies seen in neutrino behaviour, the mystery itself remains. Scientists are now analysing the remaining MicroBooNE data and other experiments in the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program are also on the case.

In addition to the search for new physics, the MicroBooNE collaboration is providing insight into how neutrinos interact in liquid argon, an important metric that will benefit other liquid-argon time projection chamber experiments such as the .

Matthew Toups, Fermilab senior scientist and co-spokesperson for MicroBooNE, said: “It’s really exciting to be doing both cutting-edge science that has a major impact on our field as well as developing novel techniques that will support and enable future scientific measurements.”

This research has been published in the journal

Full title: Search for light sterile neutrinos with two neutrino beams at MicroBooNE

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09757-7

URL:

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By , Professor of Evolutionary Ecology & Conservation, The

On the western flanks of Mount Kenya lies the Laikipia plateau, an achingly beautiful landscape that is both a refuge for wildlife and a home to traditional Masai communities. Black rhinos, which were once nearly extinct, are now thriving on some of these conservation properties, thanks to the intense efforts to keep them safe.

The tells the story of the people and the challenges faced to in this volatile landscape. The cinematography and score beautifully captures the landscape, people, animals and pace of life, which is at times languorous and at times frantic.

The story unfolds from the perspective of two rangers. Ramson Kiluko is an experienced ranger who works with his team to watch, protect and understand the rhinos. The film gives us a glimpse into his family life, the camaraderie of the ranger team and the rich knowledge he has about the lives of individual rhinos and their landscape. Rita Kulamu is a young ranger learning about rhinos as her property prepares to welcome them. Their work takes place against a background of danger, posed by both people and animals.

Rhino focuses on the critical role rangers play in the conservation story of black rhinos, which is an inspiring change from the traditional wildlife documentary that suggests a wildness that exists without the need for human intervention or involvement. Once on the brink of extinction, it is precisely the intensive efforts made to protect rhinos by people like Kiluko and Kulamu that has seen .

The film loosely follows a narrative around the planned move of 21 rhinos from the and reserves in central Kenya, where they are too numerous, to – a 58,000 acre wildlife conservation area which has long been without rhinos.

On Lewa and Borana, the rhinos fight for space and territory, on Loisaba they have the opportunity to create a new breeding population. Moving rhinos between reserves is a core part of their conservation. Poaching pressures require rhinos to be fiercely guarded. In Kenya, where my team has carried out research to understand the factors that lead to successfully breeding , rangers are tasked with finding each rhino every day. Fences that keep rhinos in and people out mean that rhinos cannot move to avoid threats, avoid inbreeding, or to reestablish populations where they no longer are found.

Moving rhinos is far from easy. They can be aggressive and need to be handled with care. Rhinos are also not very resilient to being moved between properties. These moves often lead to rhinos dying from fighting, stress and .

The film shows how led to a delay of several years to try to maximise the success . This widespread and prolonged drought caused intense suffering of humans, livestock and wildlife. Conflicts over animals and land boiled over, leading to violence but also . These day-to-day challenges faced by conservationists are rarely touched on. Hopefully this film will help audiences understand that there are legions of passionate conservation professionals behind every success story.

However, there is much that the story doesn’t tell. My experience researching wildlife health and disease in this landscape has highlighted how critical it is to create solutions that benefit both nature and people. Laikipia is a complicated landscape, where land rights, land ownership and power inequalities create tensions, and even violence, .

This is a landscape where settlers, European farmers that immigrated, appropriated the best, most productive beautiful lands from . High-end conservation reserves manage landscapes that teem with wildlife but are often off limits to the people that once moved widely with their animals. Our conversations with local people suggest that they view rhino conservation as a Trojan horse, moved around to justify high fences, armed security and to restrict people’s movement.

Rhino portrays the situation in somewhat simplistic terms: the good rangers and the bad “bandits”. In reality, conservation sits at a much less clear cut interface between the haves and the have nots, between those with international and national support for protecting animals, and pastoralists, a traditional way of life where people move with their herds of animals across the land, who feel their rights and traditional lands have been taken from them and that the wild animals have more rights that they do.

Violence comes not just from evil, avaricious thieves, but sometimes from frustrated, desperate people who have to deal with too many animals on too little land. Rhino tells an interesting and valuable story, but true conservation success must also address inequality, disenfranchisement and the tensions that “parachute” and colonial conservation in local communities.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

The report, commissioned by Marketing 91ֱ��, Visit England, and the Growth Company, is the first detailed analysis of direct tourism emissions for a city-region in England. The findings reveal that international flights and domestic car travel are the biggest sources of emissions, alongside smaller impacts such as accommodation, and attractions.

Led by Dr Chris Jones and , the research also makes recommendations for how the region can grow a low carbon visitor economy in the region, supporting Greater 91ֱ��’s ambition to become carbon neutral by 2038.

The framework will act as a guide for other destinations to conduct similar assessments and address common data limitations in the tourism sector.

a Research Associate based at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, said: “Tourism connects people with places and cultures, while supporting local economies and jobs. However, this value can’t come at the expense of our environment. In the climate crisis it is vital that the sector becomes sustainable in every sense of the word. Measuring tourism emissions is challenging, but it is important for identifying where change is most needed.

“By commissioning this research Marketing 91ֱ�� has taken an important and proactive step to decarbonise tourism. We hope that this work will not only support Greater 91ֱ�� to take action and reimagine what truly sustainable tourism looks like, but also inspire other destinations to do the same.”

Key findings of the report include:

• International travel dominates emissions: Although relatively low visitor numbers, long-haul flights from Asia, Oceania, and North America make a disproportionately large contribution to carbon impacts.
• Domestic car travel a major contributor: Trips by petrol and diesel vehicles account for the majority of domestic travel emissions, even on well-connected rail routes.
• Trip profiles matter: Analysis suggests the carbon footprint or a trip to Greater 91ֱ�� can range from under 10kg CO₂e for regional day-trippers to over 500kg CO₂e for long-haul visitors. Mostly because of transport options.
• Low-carbon infrastructure already in place: Most major attractions benefit from excellent public transport accessibility, increasing the opportunity for car-free tourism.

Recommended actions include:

• Promoting rail and ferry access from nearby European countries.
• Targeting tourism growth in markets accessible by low-carbon transport.
• Supporting accommodation providers and attractions to meet local energy efficiency targets.
• Encouraging car-free tourism through public transport integration and sustainable travel itineraries.

The research establishes benchmark targets aligned with Greater 91ֱ��'s commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2038 and its aim to be in in the Global Destination Sustainability Index top 40, including phasing out petrol and diesel car visits and ensuring no net growth in aviation emissions until truly low-carbon alternatives become available at scale. It also supports Marketing 91ֱ��'s participation in the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.

Victoria Braddock, Managing Director of Marketing 91ֱ��, said: “Tourism is a significant contributor to Greater 91ֱ��’s economy, but we cannot overlook its environmental impact. As a destination, Greater 91ֱ�� is passionate about driving forward low-carbon tourism, and this report, in collaboration with the Tyndall Centre, is helping us set a standard for other English cities to follow through . Having clear objectives will help us to make a positive impact and support our partners to become greener in the process; all of which will contribute to our region’s ambition to become carbon neutral by 2038 and keep our status as a leading sustainable UK destination.”

Most national strategies emphasise supply-side technological solutions such as electrification and renewable energy generation. But the research, published today in , finds that supporting demand-side solutions, such as social and behavioural changes to how people travel, work, heat their homes, and consume goods, could cut total UK energy demand by between 18% and 45% by 2050 compared to today.

These demand-focussed pathways would continue to maintain quality of life while costing around half as much as technology-led pathways.

The finding is the result of a unique collaboration between academics from The University of Manchester, University College London, University of Leeds, and University of Oxford and members of the public, which informed a published by the UK Government Office for Science in 2023.

The study uniquely placed policymakers at the centre of modelling four future scenario designs, guided by the experts. Together, they explored how different mixes of technology, lifestyle, and social change could shape the country’s energy system and costs:

• Atomised Society: Rapid tech growth drives high consumption, but it creates a divided society where the rich are protected and the poor face greater climate risks.
• Metropolitan Society: High growth and trusted AI enable efficient living, but this concentrates prosperity in cities, creating an urban-rural divide.
• Self-preservation Society: Low growth and outdated tech lead to a fragmented society, though some communities find comfort in the slower, traditional pace of life.
• Slow Lane Society: Despite low growth, strong community values and high trust promote repair, reuse, and major cuts in energy demand.

Analysis shows that all four futures deliver lower energy demand than today, but reductions vary. The Slow Lane Society achieves the biggest cut (around 45%), while Atomised Society delivers the smallest (around 18%). Energy system costs also vary: the most energy-intensive future could see costs rise 136% by 2050, while the lowest-demand scenario limits this to just 24% compared to today.

Crucially, higher-demand futures depend far more on large-scale carbon removal technologies, which are still unproven at scale, whereas lower-demand pathways could reduce the need for such measures by around 70%.

The researchers also held discussions with members of the public to explore how believable each scenario felt and what impacts people thought they might have on everyday life. Participants generally viewed Metropolitan Society and Self-Preservation Society as most realistic, while Atomised and Slow Lane Societies were seen as more aspirational. Interestingly, while policymakers described Slow Lane as somewhat restrictive, the public viewed it as hopeful and positive.

The team say their approach could help other countries design people-centred climate policies that balance technological innovation with social, demand-side change.

Our research is at the forefront of the energy transition. Guided by our innovative spirit and interdisciplinary outlook, we work to mitigate climate change while transforming our energy system, to enable a just and prosperous future for all. Find out more about our energy research.

Previously, little was known about the drivers of post-infection symptoms typically associated with severe viral infections, such as breathlessness and fatigue, but the study sheds light on what exactly might underpin these long-term effects.

“Serious viral infections like influenza and Sars-CoV-2 can cause long-term breathlessness and fatigue, though until now, the biological context to this has puzzled scientists,” said co-author Prof Tracy Hussell from The University of Manchester:

The study, funded by Wellcome and published in the journal Mucosal Immunology, also explains how inflammation may lead to aging in the lungs. 

The researchers found that following severe viral infection, a critical structure in the lung remains damaged, even after the symptoms and virus have both cleared. 

The structure, known as the basement membrane, is a thin supportive layer of extracellular matrix that anchors and separates cells from underlying tissue 

The basement membrane forms a barrier to line airspaces, support cells, and regulate fluid and cell movement. 

For the study, the lungs of mice with influenza virus were analysed by proteomic mass spectrometry, to identify potential protein biomarkers compared to non-infected mice.

The study also used peptide location fingerprinting, a technique developed by Dr Eckersley’s lab, which can identify damage across protein structures. 

They found that basement membrane proteins had reduced abundance and harboured structural damage following recovery from infection. 

That suggests post-viral damage is long-term, and that the membrane does not repair appropriately. The damage appeared patchy when observed histologically and resulted in leaky lungs.

 As similar structural damage was also observed by the scientists in aged lungs of non-infected mice, they propose that long-term, age-related complications may be caused by repeated inflammation.

Dr Alex Eckersley, from the University of Manchester said: “We’re very excited about our findings which reveal a new angle on why some viral infections have a long-term impact on lung health.

“Our study suggests that similar processes occur both when your lungs are exposed to a serious viral infection, and when you age.

“This means repeated viral infection could cause some people’s lungs to age more quickly.”

In many cases, the resolution of inflammation is incomplete, and the lung is thought to accumulate damage as a result over time.

By identifying evidence for this process, the  researchers hope to have found a new area of interest in developing therapeutic targets for treating long-term post-viral symptoms.

He added: “By identifying these persistent basement membrane changes, we provide an entirely novel area to target with new medicines to treat complications arising from viral infection.

“By providing new therapeutic targets, and opportunities to broaden our understanding of how relevant biological structures might be being damaged or struggling to repair, we can better understand, research, and medicate post-viral symptoms.”

• Lung basement membranes are compositionally and structurally altered following resolution of influenza infection is published in . DOI:

The discovery, published in the journal , provides the first biomolecular data linking several extinct Australian megafauna species to their living relatives.

Led by at The University of Manchester, an international team analysed 51 fossilised marsupial bones collected from caves and swamps across Tasmania – one of the last refuges of these giant animals. Using an innovative technique called zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS), or collagen fingerprinting, the team was able to analyse fossils more than 100,000 years old – far beyond the age limit for traditional DNA analysis.

Dr Buckley said: “Until now, we’ve struggled to determine exactly how many of these extinct species were related because Australia’s hot climate destroys DNA over time. However, collagen proteins survive in much older and even extremely fragmented bones, allowing us to identify species and reconstruct the evolutionary relationships between extinct and living marsupials that could not be achieved through traditional methods.”

The most surprising discovery was that despite being wildly different animals, the koala and the marsupial lion - one of the largest meat-eating mammals ever to roam Australia - shared a common ancestor around 25-35 million years ago. This places the two animals much closer previously thought.

The research also provides new biomolecular data for two other extinct species – Zygomaturus trilobus and Palorchestes azael. Comparisons of their ancient collagen sequences confirmed that both belonged to the broader wombat–koala group, known as Vombatiformes.

The findings could help solve one of Australia’s biggest prehistoric mysteries surrounding the extinction of the continent’s giant animals.

During the Late Pleistocene, Australia lost nearly 90% of its giant land animals in one of the greatest extinction events in Earth’s history. Scientists are still debating whether the cause was climate change, human hunting, or a combination of both.

Because ZooMS can identify even tiny bone fragments and reveal their species, it could help scientists refine the timeline of when Australia’s megafauna disappeared and how long they overlapped with humans.

Dr Buckley added: “ZooMS also allows thousands of fossil specimens to be analysed quickly, so it could be a game-changer for the study of extinct species. We can now identify more fossils, improve extinction chronologies, and better understand ancient biodiversity.”

This paper was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Full title: Collagen fingerprinting and sequence analysis provides a molecular phylogeny of extinct Australian megafauna

DOI/link:  

The study, funded by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC),  and led by researchers at The University of Manchester, introduces a more detailed way of simulating how urban areas interact with the atmosphere inside one of the world’s leading models, the Community Earth System Model (CESM), which scientists use to predict how the Earth’s climate behaves now and in the future.

Until now, these large-scale climate and Earth system models have treated cities very simply, grouping them into just a few generic categories such as “high density” or “medium density”. But cities differ enormously with a mix of buildings, roads, vegetation and human activity, which can significantly affect how heat is stored, released and transferred, with knock-on effects for heatwaves, air quality and energy demand.  These factors are often overlooked in current climate predictions and policy decisions.

The new model, published today in the , integrates a detailed urban classification system known as Local Climate Zones (LCZ), which distinguishes between ten types of built environments – from compact high-rise districts to open low-rise neighbourhoods. Each environment is defined by its building height, layout and materials and allows researchers to simulate how cities exchange heat and energy with the atmosphere in much finer detail.

Lead author Dr Zhonghua Zheng, Co-Lead for Environmental Data Science & AI at 91ֱ�� Environmental Research Institute (MERI) and Lecturer in Data Science & Environmental Analytics at The University of Manchester, said: “Cities, which host more than half of the world’s population, are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, but they are also key to sustainable solutions. By using the Local Climate Zones approach, we can now represent the true diversity of urban areas, which is crucial for making accurate climate predictions. Improving how we simulate cities will help researchers and policymakers better understand urban heat stress and energy use, and design more effective strategies for the future.”

Yuan Sun, PhD researcher at The University of Manchester, added: “Incorporating LCZs into ESMs provides a bridge for communication between the environmental model community and urban climate adaptation actors.”

Tests carried out at 20 urban observation sites worldwide, including locations in France, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, showed that the new LCZ-based approach improved the model’s accuracy in simulating key urban heat processes. These include how city surfaces release heat into the atmosphere (known as upward longwave radiation) and the heat generated by human activity, such as air conditioning (known as anthropogenic heat flux), compared with the standard urban scheme.

The study also identified where LCZ-based models could be refined to further improve accuracy.

Sensitivity experiments revealed that rooftop reflectivity has the biggest impact on sunlight and heat in cities, while the layout and shape of streets and buildings, along with roof materials, also play key roles.

Understanding these factors in urban areas could help explain why some areas get hotter than others and could guide future urban design and climate adaptation strategies.

This research appeared in the

Full title: Enhancing Global-Scale Urban Land Cover Representation Using Local Climate Zones in the Community Earth System Model

DOI:   

Scientists have developed a simple, low-cost method to drive key chemical reactions, which could make large-scale drug manufacturing, faster, more accessible and affordable.

The new study, published in the journal today by The University of Manchester, describes how complex light or electricity-mediated methods currently used across modern chemistry could be replaced by those driven by a simpler technology - heat.

By heating two common, inexpensive chemicals together, the researchers triggered ‘electron transfer’ reactions that chemists use to make many of our everyday products and medicines.  

Lead researcher, , Lecturer in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at The University of Manchester, said: “Our goal was to develop a broadly accessible and low-cost way to promote electron transfer reactions for industrial applications.

“By using something as simple as heat - something every chemistry lab already has - we’ve created a process that can be scaled more easily and used by companies without the need for expensive, specialised equipment, opening up new possibilities for chemists all over the world.”

Many modern chemical reactions rely on photochemical (light) or electrochemical (electricity) technologies to kick start ‘electron transfer reactions’ – a process that involves transferring electrons between molecules to make medicines, or other essential materials. Although these high-tech methods are powerful and effective, they can be difficult to scale up for industrial use as they require specialist reactors and costly infrastructure.

The 91ֱ�� team’s new approach achieves the same result using only heat and two widely available chemicals - a type of azo compound and a formate salt. When heated together in a standard industrial reactor, these reagents naturally form a highly reactive molecule known as ‘carbon dioxide radical anion’ - a simple yet powerful species capable of driving a wide range of chemical transformations.

Working with Dr James Douglas from AstraZeneca, the research team successfully demonstrated the scalability of the developed method  and tested it on a variety of other chemical reactions used in drug discovery.

, Lecturer in Computational & Theoretical Chemistry at The University of Manchester, added: “Radical chain chemistry underpins so many areas of science and manufacturing, so we hope this simple initiation method will be of wide use across both industry and academia. Beyond large-scale applications, it could also become a valuable tool for researchers studying new chemical reactions.”

This research was published in the journal . 

DOI: 10.1038/s44160-025-00919-z

The University of Manchester is globally renowned for its pioneering research, outstanding teaching and learning, and commitment to social responsibility. We are a truly international university – ranking in the top 50 in a range of global rankings – with a diverse community of more than 44,000 students, 12,000 staff and 550,000 alumni from 190 countries.  Sign up for our e-news to hear first-hand about our international partnerships and activities across the globe. 

On 15-17 September, over 30 leading experts in synthetic biology, mirror biochemistry, sociology, ethics, and tech governance gathered outside of Manchester, U.K. for technical workshops co-hosted by of the University of Manchester and the Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund, a non-profit dedicated to understanding and addressing risks posed by mirror organisms.

Concerns about mirror organisms have been discussed at several recent scientific meetings. A at the Institut Pasteur – detailed in a subsequent – explored how mirror organisms could plausibly evade many mechanisms of immunity and natural ecological controls and pose potentially significant risks to humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems.

Participants at the 91ֱ�� workshop examined four key precursor technologies that could contribute to the creation of mirror organisms. They evaluated the potential benefits of each technology, the extent to which its development would lower barriers to the creation of mirror life, and possibilities for its governance. The technologies examined were:

1. Protein synthesis Using Recombinant Elements (PURE) systems using natural-chirality proteins;
2. Mirror ribosomes;
3. “Crossover” translation systems that enable natural-chirality transcription-translation machinery to produce mirror-image proteins; and
4. The “booting-up” of fully synthetic natural-chirality cells.

“Any governance framework for mirror-image organisms should explicitly preserve beneficial mirror biomolecule research, particularly chemical synthesis of mirror biomolecules,” said Jonathan T. Sczepanski, Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University. “Mirror biomolecules are promising candidates for treating diseases that current therapies can’t address effectively. Workshop discussions underscored the importance of drawing boundaries against high-risk applications like creating mirror life, while ensuring that therapeutic and other valuable research can progress.”

No firm conclusions on research boundaries were reached at 91ֱ��, though international discussions on mirror life are ongoing – for example, recent discussions at the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine explored mirror life, and further engagement is planned at the National University of Singapore in 2026.

“The discussions at 91ֱ�� highlighted how creating mirror life would require major technological advances, but also that researchers are making progress on the underlying technologies,” said Kate Adamala, Associate Professor of Synthetic Biology at the University of Minnesota. “We’re still in a position where it’s possible to stop mirror life from being made, but as these technologies mature, our options for intervention will become more limited.”

“The interdisciplinary nature of these challenges became clear through our discussions,” said Joy Zhang, Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent. “Red lines alone aren’t sufficient – we need a portfolio of governance approaches, including red lines, safety nets, and incentives, that account for the social and ethical dimensions of this technology.”

The Engineering and Safeguarding Synthetic Life (ESSL) on 18 September also featured discussions about mirror organisms. The conference included talks on synthetic cells, genome engineering, and convergence with AI and robotics. Several presentations and a panel discussion examined historical examples of red lines in scientific development; technical and ethical questions about mirror organisms; and scientific discussions since the December 2024 publication of a Science and that first presented the risks of mirror organisms in detail.

“The discussions at 91ֱ�� showed the importance of scientific input and careful analysis in any decision-making around guardrails on research,” said James Smith, Deputy Director of the Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund and adjunct faculty at the J. Craig Venter Institute.

"As this conversation moves to Singapore next year, I’m excited to invite diverse stakeholders from Asia and around the world to join this critical discussion,” said Matthew Chang, Executive Director of the National Centre for Engineering Biology, Singapore, and Professor at the National University of Singapore.

A team from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, working with industry partner Q-Sustain Limited, an engineering consultant based in 91ֱ��, is designing innovative vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) that capture airflow generated by trains moving through tunnels – known as the piston effect.

The project, which begins with the Transpennine Route Upgrade project, will explore how this untapped energy source can be integrated into transport infrastructure, providing clean electricity and supporting the UK’s decarbonisation goals.

Early feasibility studies have already confirmed the potential of tunnel airflow, and the team has developed a bespoke techno-economic analysis (TEA) toolkit to evaluate performance and commercial viability of such designs. Available through , the software offers a practical platform for assessing renewable energy projects, with potential applications beyond just rail.

The project, funded under EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and under the remit of ‘sustainable engineering and transport systems’, could transform how transport infrastructure is designed and operated in the future.

Academic Lead of the project at The University of Manchester, said: “Our VerXis toolkit represents a leap forward in renewable energy research. By turning minimal tunnel geometry and schedule data into bank-level economic indicators in minutes, we're bridging the gap between academic innovation and real-world deployment, making piston-wind VAWTs not just technically viable, but genuinely investable.”

Mr Azhar Quaiyoom, Director of industrial partner Q-Sustain Limited, added: “What excites us most about VerXis is its ability to rapidly test and scale turbine designs tailored to each tunnel environment. This toolkit enables smarter, data-driven decisions, helping us deploy sustainable solutions in railway infrastructure that align with the UK's net-zero ambitions and calculates the return on investment for our clients”

The next stage will see prototype turbines tested in real-world tunnel environments, alongside further development of the VerXis toolkit, with the ambition of influencing future rail energy standards.

If successful, the approach could be applied not only to rail but also to other transport networks, providing a scalable model for integrating renewable energy into infrastructure across the UK and beyond.

This surprising finding also contradicts what scientists previously knew about strongly confined water. showed that confined water loses its ability to respond to an electric field, becoming "electrically dead" when measured in the direction perpendicular to surfaces. The new study reveals the complete opposite in the parallel direction – water’s electrical response rises dramatically, by an order of magnitude.

The study, published in by a team led by in collaboration with , used an advanced technique called scanning dielectric microscopy to peer into water's electrical secrets at the true nanoscale. They trapped water in channels so narrow they held only a handful of molecular layers.

The results are striking: bulk water has a dielectric constant around 80, but when thinned to just 1-2 nanometres, its in-plane dielectric constant reaches values close to 1,000 – on par with ferroelectrics used in advanced electronics. At the same time, water's conductivity increases to values approaching those of superionic liquids, materials considered highly promising for next-generation batteries.

"Think of it as if water has a split personality," explains Dr Fumagalli. "In one direction it is electrically dead, but look at it in profile and suddenly it becomes electrically super-active. Nobody expected such dramatic behaviour."

The discovery required the team to develop ultrasensitive measurement techniques capable of probing water layers much thinner than the skin of a virus and track their electrical response across frequencies from kilohertz to gigahertz – spanning six orders of magnitude.

The research also reveals that confined water exists in two distinct electrical regimes. For channels larger than several nanometres, water behaves like its bulk form, albeit with much higher conductivity. But once squeezed to atomic dimensions, it undergoes a sharp transition into a new "superionic-like" state.

This transformation occurs because extreme confinement disrupts water's hydrogen-bond network, which in bulk is a dynamic but rather ordered structure. At the molecular scale this network becomes disordered, allowing dipoles to align more easily with electric fields and enabling rapid proton transport.

"Just as graphene revealed unexpected physics when graphite was thinned down to a single atomic layer, this research shows that even water – the most studied liquid on Earth – can still surprise us when squeezed to its absolute thinnest”, notes Prof Geim, who previously won the Nobel Prize for graphene research.

The implications extend far beyond fundamental science. Insights into water’s electrical properties at the nanoscale are crucial not only for physics and chemistry but also for technologies ranging from advanced batteries and microfluidics to nanoscale electronics and biology.

“Our study changes how we should think about water," adds Dr Fumagalli. "The most ordinary substance on Earth has extraordinary talents that were hidden until now."

This research was published in the journal Nature.

Full title:

DOI:

Drs Laura Fumagalli and Andre Geim are available for interview on request.

Images and more information about water research can be found at www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk

The is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

The dolphin-sized ichthyosaur called Xiphodracon goldencapensis, or the “Sword Dragon of Dorset” is the only known example of its kind in existence and helps to fill an important gap in the evolutionary fossil record of ichthyosaurs.

Thousands of ichthyosaur fossils have been found along the UK’s Jurassic Coast since the discoveries of pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning. Yet the discovery of Xiphodracon is the first described genus of an Early Jurassic ichthyosaur described from the region in over 100 years.

Discovered near Golden Cap in 2001 by Dorset fossil collector Chris Moore, the fossil is almost perfectly preserved in three dimensions. The skeleton includes a skull with enormous eye socket and a long sword-like snout. The scientists say the animal would have been about three metres long and would have dined on fish and squid. The remains even show what may be traces of its last meal. It is probably the world’s most complete prehistoric reptile from the Pliensbachian period.

The finding has been described by a trio of international palaeontologists, led by ichthyosaur expert Dr Dean Lomax, an Honorary Research Fellow at The University of Manchester and an 1851 Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, in the journal today.

Dr Lomax said: “I remember seeing the skeleton for the first time in 2016. Back then, I knew it was unusual, but I did not expect it to play such a pivotal role in helping to fill a gap in our understanding of a complex faunal turnover during the Pliensbachian. This time is pretty crucial for ichthyosaurs as several families went extinct and new families emerged, yet Xiphodracon is something you might call a “missing piece of the ichthyosaur puzzle”. It is more closely related to species in the later Early Jurassic (in the Toarcian), and its discovery helps pinpoint when the faunal turnover occurred, being much earlier than expected.”

After its discovery in 2001, the skeleton was acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada, where it became part of their extensive collection of ichthyosaurs but had remained unstudied.

Ichthyosaurs from the Pliensbachian (193–184 million years ago) are incredibly rare and makes Xiphodracon a vital piece of evidence for scientists studying the critical but poorly understood time in ichthyosaurian evolution.

Ichthyosaur expert and co-author, Professor Judy Massare, from the State University of NY at Brockport, USA, said: “Thousands of complete or nearly complete ichthyosaur skeletons are known from strata before and after the Pliensbachian. The two faunas are quite distinct, with no species in common, even though the overall ecology is similar. Clearly, a major change in species diversity occurred sometime in the Pliensbachian. Xiphodracon helps to determine when the change occurred, but we still don’t know why.”

Dr Erin Maxwell, a co-author and ichthyosaur expert from the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, added: “This skeleton provides critical information for understanding ichthyosaur evolution, but also contributes to our understanding of what life must have been like in the Jurassic seas of Britain. The limb bones and teeth are malformed in such a way that points to serious injury or disease while the animal was still alive, and the skull appears to have been bitten by a large predator - likely another much larger species of ichthyosaur- giving us a cause of death for this individual. Life in the Mesozoic oceans was a dangerous prospect.”

Collectively, the trio have identified several features in Xiphodracon that have never been observed in any ichthyosaur. The most peculiar is a strange and unique bone around the nostril (called a lacrimal) that has prong-like bony structures.

Dr Lomax, who is the author of the recently published book, “The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs”, said: “One of the coolest things about identifying a new species is that you get to name it! We opted for Xiphodracon because of the long, sword-like snout (xipho from Greek xiphos for sword) and dracon (Greek and Latin for dragon) in reference to ichthyosaurs being referred to as “sea dragons” for over 200 years.”

The new research has been published today in the international journal “Papers in Palaeontology”. The skeleton is planned to go on display at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada.

Paper title:  A new long and narrow-snouted ichthyosaur illuminates a complex faunal turnover during an undersampled Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian) interval

DOI:   

Professor Zara Hodgson and Professor Jovica Milanović have been elected for their exceptional contributions to their field: pioneering new innovations within academia and business, providing expert advice to government, and fostering a wider comprehension of engineering and technology. 

Zara Hodgson, Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at The University of Manchester is an internationally renowned expert in nuclear energy policy and research. She has been pivotal in the UK government’s recent interventions to grow the UK’s nuclear fuel production capability, delivering advances for the global net-zero mission, and generating energy security by building resilient supply chains. Zara is the Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute and a Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Manchester, where she is leading contributions to the national nuclear enterprise through high impact research, education, training and independent advice.

Jovica Milanović, Professor of Electrical Power Engineering at The University of Manchester is internationally recognised for his outstanding contributions to power systems engineering. His research focuses on the probabilistic modelling of power system dynamics, addressing uncertainties in generation, demand, and network topology, and advancing distributed voltage control strategies. He has played a pivotal role in shaping industrial standards through leadership in IEEE and CIGRE task forces, and his work on load modelling has been instrumental in improving peak demand management across UK networks. Professor Milanović also holds leadership positions within the IEEE and senior advisory roles in the electrical power industry.

The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a special ceremony in London on 18 November, when each Fellow will sign the roll book. In joining the Fellowship, they will lend their unique capabilities to achieving the Academy’s overarching strategic goal to engineer better lives.   

The group consists of 60 Fellows, nine International Fellows and five Honorary Fellows.They are drawn from every specialism from within the engineering and technology professions and cover sectors ranging from energy and defence to new materials.

 Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “As we approach our 50th anniversary next year it’s a good time to reflect on how much we have achieved. The Academy is built on the foundation of our Fellowship, and that remains as true today as half a century ago. Our story began as a ‘Fellowship of Engineering’ of 130 Fellows including such pioneers as Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, Lord Hinton of Bankside and Sir Ove Arup, driven by the support of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

“Today’s cohort join a community of around 1,700 of some of the most talented engineers and innovators in the UK and around the globe. Their knowledge and experience make them uniquely well placed to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world, and our determination to advance and promote excellence in engineering remains undimmed.” 

Further information about the new Fellows can be found on the

Working with colleagues at 91ֱ�� St Mary’s Hospital and the University of Malaysia, the researchers used mathematical modelling to understand how the cord’s unique twisted shape affects the way oxygen, nutrients and heat are exchanged before birth.

The study, published in the , found that the spiral design of the blood vessels in the cord appears to affect the exchange of oxygen and heat, minimising the risk of heat and oxygen being lost, helping to keep babies’ temperature and oxygen levels stable before birth.

Although the umbilical cord is essential to life, scientists still know little about how its complex coiled structure contributes to its function. These new findings shed light on an overlooked but vital process.

Complications linked to the placenta and umbilical cord, such as fetal growth restriction and pre-eclampsia, affect around 10% of pregnancies in the UK, yet remain poorly understood.

The researchers hope their work will pave the way for further studies on abnormal cord structures, such as cords that are too loosely or tightly coiled, which are known to be associated with complications during pregnancy.

Paper details:

Journal : Journal of the Royal Society Interface

Full title: A functional shunt in the umbilical cord: the role of coiling in solute and heat transfer

DOI:

The image from this research was also chosen as the journal's issue cover: 

The project, supported by a £3 million grant from the Gates Foundation, will develop national-scale irrigation mapping data and capacity in three countries – Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria – between September 2025 and August 2029.

Expanding and improving irrigation access is vital for climate adaptation and food security across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Yet, most SSA countries lack up to date or reliable information about existing irrigation systems, leaving governments and development actors limited in their ability to target interventions to improve irrigation access, evaluate outcomes of investments, and ensure development is both sustainable and equitable.

The new project – IrrEO: Irrigated Area Mapping Tool Development and Deployment – will leverage advances in Earth Observation (EO) imagery and artificial intelligence algorithms, working with national partners in the three focal countries to co-develop a set of data products, algorithms, and software that enable high-resolution mapping of irrigated croplands both now and into the future.

The project will also work with local research teams to use new irrigation mapping data and tools to understand the barriers and opportunities for irrigation development, highlighting investment strategies that deliver better results for small-scale farmers.

Another key goal is to strengthen the capacity of government agencies and development partners across Sub-Saharan Africa to apply advanced mapping approaches in national irrigation planning. Over four years, the team will conduct training workshops and participatory design session to help overcome barriers to adopt of EO methods and tools in irrigation decision-making and policy.

The University team brings together interdisciplinary expertise in remote sensing, agricultural sustainability, rural development, and data justice. Alongside , the other 91ֱ�� team members include , Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography from the School of Environment Education and Development (SEED) and co-lead of MERI’s newly launched Land and Resource Futures Initiative – and , Senior Lecturer in Socio-Environmental Systems in the Global Development Institute (GDI).

Organised in partnership with Rethink Rebuild Society and supported by the Chemists’ Community Fund (Royal Society of Chemistry), 48 children aged nine to 14 visited the University’s state-of-the-art Makerspace facility over three days to take part in a variety of fun and practical experiments, including making batteries out of lemons, testing acidity with natural indicators, and simple filtration experiments.

The initiative is the brainchild of Dr Abdullatif Alfutimie, Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University. Dr Alfutimie first came to 91ֱ�� from Aleppo in 2009 to pursue postgraduate study before going on to complete his PhD in 2012. But while pursuing his research career, his home city of Aleppo – once one of Syria’s most vibrant cultural centres – was being devastated by civil war.

Staying closely connected to family and friends affected by displacement and the collapse of education, he began to consider how he might use his own expertise to help displaced students regain educational confidence.

Dr Abdullatif Alfutimie, who led the programme, said: “This event wasn't just about science — it was about recognising curiosity, celebrating identity, and creating a sense of belonging for children who often face immense challenges.

"If we need to rebuild our country or even to contribute to improve this country, we need to educate this generation.

“The enthusiasm from the pupils was truly heartwarming - one parent told us that their child couldn't wait to repeat an experiment at home for their siblings.”

The initiative concluded with a Community Celebration Day at Rethink Rebuild Society’s centre in 91ֱ��, welcoming more than 150 children and family members. Each child received a certificate and a take-home chemistry kit to continue their learning at home. A representative from the Royal Society of Chemistry was also in attendance to present the certificates and celebrate the children’s achievements.

Magda van Leeuwen, Volunteer and Engagement Manager for the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “Chemistry Education for Refugee Students is an important initiative that gives young people who have already experienced a lot in their lives hope and opportunities. Programmes like the one Abdullatif has developed show that chemistry really is for all and can be a catalyst for instilling a lifelong passion in our subject.

“Through the Outreach Fund and with the backing of the Chemists’ Community Fund, the RSC is committed to supporting projects that give more people the opportunity to get hands-on scientific experiences. We are proud to have played a small part and want to applaud Abdullatif and his colleagues for their hard work in putting together such a practical and engaging experience for the participants.”

The University of Manchester is recognised as a University of Sanctuary, working to make the University a welcoming and safe place for refugees and asylum seekers. The University’s commitment to supporting sanctuary seekers is embedded across its three core goals: research, teaching, and social responsibility. The city of Manchester is also a City of Sanctuary, part of the . The University works closely with the organisation to help its aim of making 91ֱ�� a place that is open and fair. 

Read more about Abdullatif’s initiative on the

’, published to mark the Centre’s 25th anniversary, looks back at the Tyndall Centre’s own energy scenarios, alongside more than 80 others produced in the 2000s. The study found that while most scenarios assumed some level of reduction in energy demand, only one -  Tyndall Centre’s “Red” scenario - came close to predicting the UK’s actual energy demand in 2022.

The researchers say this mismatch reveals that early scenarios often focused on untested technologies while overlooking practical and proven ways to reduce energy use, such as improving public transport, insulating homes, and reducing air travel.

They identified that these modelling choices often influenced policy debates, with optimism about new technologies often overshadowing everyday solutions, potentially limiting the scope of decarbonisation deemed possible by policymakers.

 By comparing the envisioned futures with the UK energy system changes that actually emerged, the authors show where foresight was limited, where assumptions proved overambitious, and where genuine transformation was underestimated.

The report also reflects on two decades of Tyndall Centre’s research. Starting with the Royal Commission’s 60% carbon cut target by 2050, the Tyndall Centre helped bring carbon budgets to the centre of UK climate policy and highlighted the need for action across all sectors, including aviation and shipping,.

The authors argue that energy scenarios aiming to support an urgent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, must explore a wider range of options, with greater focus on proven solutions such as efficiency, lifestyle change, and equity. Doing so would open up more options for policymakers to deliver on their climate ambition, reduce reliance on unproven technologies, and align the UK’s energy pathways more closely with climate science.

Decarbonising the UK revisited is being launched at the Tyndall Centre’s 25^th Anniversary Conference at the University of East Anglia (UEA) on Monday, 8 September. Our Critical Decade for Climate Action is a major meeting for 300 researchers from 20 countries.

The report is part of a wider project at Tyndall Centre that explores how energy scenarios influence policy and what lessons can be drawn halfway through this critical decade for climate action.

Read the full report

In a new review, published in the journal today, the researchers have examined the current scientific research on how tiny plastic fragments – called micro and nanoplastics – enter the air, where they come from, and the mechanisms that transport them across vast distances.

The study reveals significant gaps in knowledge and understanding of airborne plastic pollution, driven by inconsistent measurement techniques, limited data, oversimplified simulations, and gaps in understanding atmospheric cycling mechanisms.

One key uncertainty is the scale of plastic entering the atmosphere. Current estimates vary wildly - from less than 800 tonnes to nearly 9 million tonnes per year - making it difficult to assess the true global impact. It also remains unclear whether the dominant contributors are land-based, such as road traffic, or marine based, such as sea spray.

Such large uncertainties raise the concern that airborne plastics, which pose potential risks to human and environmental health, may have a more extensive presence and influence than previously captured by current monitoring and simulation systems.

Each year, the world produces over 400 million tonnes of plastic, with a significant proportion ending up as waste. Over time, these plastics breaks down into microscopic particles called microplastics (less than 5mm) and nanoplastics (smaller than 1 micron), which are increasingly being found in the air we breath, oceans and soil. These particles can move thousands of miles within days and have even remote regions like polar ice zones, desserts and remote mountain peaks.

While our understanding of the problem has grown rapidly, limited real-world data, inconsistent sampling methods, and computer models that oversimplify how plastic behaves in the air, means that key questions remain unanswered.

To address these concerns, the authors are calling for future research efforts to focus on three critical areas:

• Expanding and standardising global observation networks
• Improving and refining atmospheric modelling
• Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI)

They say this integrated approach could transform how we understand and manage the plastic pollution crisis.

Full title: A Review of Atmospheric Micro/Nanoplastics: Insights into Source and Fate for Modelling Studies

Journal: Current Pollution Reports  

DOI: 10.1007/s40726-025-00375-5

Link:

Located around 3,400 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius, the Butterfly Nebula is one of the best studied planetary nebulae. Its ‘wings’ of glowing gas were previously but Webb’s new observations, published in today, go even further, uncovering hidden structures and finally pinpointing the nebula’s elusive central star.

Planetary nebulae like the Butterfly form when stars heavier than the sun reach the end of their lives, casting off their outer layers of gas and dust. The Butterfly Nebula is what astronomers call a bipolar nebula, meaning that it has two lobes of gas that spread in opposite directions to form the ‘wings’ of the butterfly. At its centre, a dense band of dusty gas called the torus, which poses as the butterfly’s ‘body’. This structure energises the nebula and may be responsible for its insect-like shape by preventing gas from flowing evenly in all directions. 

Using James Webb’s , scientists have now been able to see through this dusty torus for the first time, providing an unprecedented view of its complex structure.

By combining images at many different wavelengths with complementary data from the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array in Chile, the international team of researchers, including from The University of Manchester, discovered  the butterfly’s central star, one of the hottest ever found in our galaxy, with a scorching surface temperature of around 220,000 Kelvin.

Although this intense heat powers the nebula’s colourful glow, earlier telescopes lacked the sensitivity and resolution needed to see through the thick layer of dust, making the star impossible to detect at visible wavelengths.

Professor Albert Zijlstra, a co-author of the paper from The University of Manchester, said: “This is an extraordinary discovery. We’re looking at one of the hottest stars ever found - an object so elusive that even Hubble couldn’t detect it for decades. Thanks to JWST, we’ve finally uncovered it, concealed within its own dense shroud of dust.

“Surrounding the star is a massive dark torus, the heaviest ever observed around such an object, containing more material than our own Sun. Even Webb can’t fully pierce through it. Inside, the environment is sheer chaos; powerful radiation and stellar winds tearing into the surrounding cloud. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

“Most planetary nebulae appear graceful and symmetric, but this one is still at the beginning of its transformation – it’s more like a butterfly struggling out of its cocoon than the elegant shapes we’re used to seeing.”

The Webb data revealed that the torus is composed of crystals similar to quartz as well as unusually large grains of dust, suggesting they have been growing for a long time. Outside the torus, the team observed jets of iron and nickel blasting away from the star in opposite directions, along with a multilayered structure made up of different atoms and molecules.

Perhaps most intriguing was the discovery of carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. On Earth, these molecules are found in smoke from fires or even burnt toast – but they have never before been seen in an oxygen-rich planetary nebula. The team believes the PAHs may form when a bubble of stellar wind bursts into the surrounding gas.

The finding provides an important glimpse into the details of how these molecules form.

***

Journal:

Full title: The JWST/MIRI view of the planetary nebula NGC 6302 – I. A UV-irradiated torus and a hot bubble triggering PAH formation

DOI:  

Link:  

A series of three new papers published this week in Nature Astronomy and Nature Geoscience, reveal that Bennu is a mix of dust formed in our solar system, organic matter from interstellar space and stardust that predates the solar system itself. The asteroid is thought to have formed from fragments of a larger parent asteroid destroyed by a collision in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

In the first paper, co-led by researchers at the University of Arizona and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, published in the journal , 91ֱ�� researchers studied the gases trapped inside Bennu’s samples – in particular xenon, which is a very rare gas. Their measurements showed that Bennu’s gases resembled those found in some of the most primitive meteorites found on earth and materials returned from asteroid Ryugu by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission.

When combined with other elemental and isotopic analyses, the results suggest that Bennu’s parent body contained material from a range of origins, close to the Sun, far from the Sun, and even some grains from beyond our solar system.

The findings also show that while much of the materials in the parent asteroid had been affected by water and heat, some of the material had escaped various chemical processes and retained its original chemical signatures. Some even survived the extremely energetic collision that broke it apart and formed Bennu.

The studies also show that while some of Bennu’s original material survived unchanged, similarly, much of it was transformed by reactions with water. Minerals in its parent asteroid likely formed, dissolved, and re-formed over time, with up to 80% of Bennu’s material now made up of water-bearing minerals.

These findings were reported in a second paper the paper published in co-led by the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and included contributions from Professor Rhian Jones at The University of Manchester.

In the third paper, co-led by Lindsay Keller at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Michelle Thompson of Purdue University, also published in , researchers found microscopic craters and tiny splashes of once-molten rock – known as impact melts – on the sample surfaces - signs that the asteroid was bombarded by micrometeorites. These impacts, together with the effects of solar wind, are known as space weathering and occurred because Bennu has no atmosphere to protect it.

Lindsay Keller at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, said: “The surface weathering at Bennu is happening a lot faster than conventional wisdom would have it, and the impact melt mechanism appears to dominate, contrary to what we originally thought.

“Space weathering is an important process that affects all asteroids, and with returned samples, we can tease out the properties controlling it and use that data and extrapolate it to explain the surface and evolution of asteroid bodies that we haven’t visited.”

As leftovers from the formation of planets 4.5 billion years ago, asteroids like Bennu provide a valuable record of solar system history. Unlike meteorites that fall to Earth, which often burn up or are altered in the atmosphere, Bennu’s pristine samples give scientists a rare opportunity to study untouched material.

The project brings together researchers from NASA, universities and research centres around the world – including the UK, the United States, Japan and Canada – to study Bennu’s samples and unlock new insights into the origins of the solar system.

For more information on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, visit:

The breakthrough, reported in by a team led by Professor Andre Geim, was achieved by placing a sheet of graphene just three atoms below cleaner bulk graphite. This “proximity mirror” cancels out unwanted electric fields, reducing disorder in graphene by a factor of 100.

"Think of it like creating the ultimate clean room, but for electrons," explains first author Dr Daniil Domaretskiy. "We’ve removed almost all the ‘dirt’ that disrupts smooth flow of electric current. You can suddenly see effects that were hidden, like wiping clean a fogged-up window."

In quantum materials, disorder hides delicate effects and can prevent new physics from emerging. Researchers normally go to great lengths to remove impurities and minimise interference, but in graphene the team has now pushed this to an extreme: just one uncontrolled electron per 100 million carbon atoms remains across an entire device.

This record-low disorder means that electrons travel faster and further than ever before. Key benchmarks of material quality, such as Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations, are now visible at fields below 10 Gauss. The celebrated quantum Hall effect appears below 50 Gauss, far weaker than a fridge magnet.

The concept is straightforward: the nearby graphite acts like an electrical mirror, cancelling random electric fields in the graphene layer. The challenge was engineering the mirror close enough, three atoms apart, without damaging the graphene.

“Now that we know how to make things this clean, it opens the door to exploring phenomena that were out of reach,” said co-author Dr Zefei Wu. “This is just the beginning.” 

The team expects their ‘proximity-mirror’ technique to become standard for probing quantum phenomena in two-dimensional materials, enabling new discoveries in superconductivity, magnetism and exotic quantum phases, which would all benefit from the ultraclean electronic conditions to clearly emerge.

The work involved collaborators from Lancaster University, the National University of Singapore, and the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan.

This research was published in the journal .

Full title: Proximity screening greatly enhances electronic quality of graphene

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09386-0

The is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

The research, published today in , tracks 130 years of changes in the “spirograph” Planetary Nebula IC418 - a glowing shell of gas and dust cast off by a dying star about 4000 light years from Earth.

By piecing together observations dating back to 1893, when astronomers first recorded the nebula by eye through a telescope, to today, scientists found the nebula’s signature green light, emitted by oxygen atoms, has grown around 2.5 times stronger since Victorian astronomers first studied it.

This change is being driven by the central star’s rising temperature, which has increased by around 3,000°C since 1893, or roughly 1,000°C every 40 years. For comparison, the Sun increased by the same amount during its formation, but took 10 million years to do it.

However, although the star is heating faster than ever observed, it is still slower than the latest models had predicted. This challenges current theories of how stars age and die, and may force astronomers to rethink the masses of stars capable of producing carbon — the element essential for life.

A planetary nebula marks one of the final stages in a star’s life. As the star’s core becomes unstable, it sheds its outer layers into space. The remaining core heats rapidly, energising the surrounding gas and dust to form beautiful structures. In the case of IC418, this creates an intricate, swirling structure, earning its nickname “the spirograph nebula”. Our Sun will undergo the same fate in about 5 billion years.

While planetary nebulae usually evolve slowly, the researchers discovered that IC418 is evolving fast enough to track within a human lifetime.

This makes it the most prolonged and rapid transformation ever recorded in a planetary nebula, and possibly any star.

The team examined 130 years of observations from a wide range of telescopes – from the human eye measurements in the late 1800s to the advanced technologies of today. They verified, calibrated, and combined the data before comparing it with detailed models of stellar evolution. This allowed them to measure the star’s heating rate, determine its current mass, and even estimate the mass of the star before it began its transformation.

The findings offer a rare insight into of how planetary nebulae evolve and suggest the night sky can change much faster than we usually think.

Co-author, Professor Quentin Parker from the University of Hong Kong, said: “We believe this research is important because it offers unique, direct evidence of how planetary nebulae central stars evolve. It will prompt us to rethink some of our existing models of stellar life cycles.

“It’s been a strong joint effort - collecting, verifying, and carefully analysing more than a century’s worth of astronomical data and then melding that with stellar evolutionary models. It’s a challenging process that goes far beyond simple observation, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to contribute to our field in this way.”

Journal: The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Full title: The secular evolution of planetary nebula IC 418 and its implications for carbon star formation

DOI: 10.3487/2041-8213/ADF62b

Link:

A new study, led by researchers at The University of Manchester, in collaboration with Chester Zoo, found that birds appear to follow Zipf’s Law of Abbreviation (ZLA) – the idea that more frequently used sounds tend to be shorter. This rule, found in all human languages, helps make communication more efficient.

The findings, published in the journal today, offer new insight into how animals communicate and provide a new foundation for researchers exploring whether birds, like humans, shape their vocal signals according to the 'principle of least effort'.

Lead author Dr Tucker Gilman, Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester said: “In human language, if we say something a lot, we tend to shorten it – like saying ‘TV’ instead of ‘television’. It turns out that the same pattern exists in birdsong.

“We know that birds and humans share similarities in the genes and brain structures involved in learning to communicate but this is the first time we’ve been able to detect a consistent pattern of ZLA across multiple bird species. There’s still a lot more work to be done but this is an exciting development.”

Although previous studies hinted that animal communication might follow ZLA – including in penguins – it has been difficult to find clear evidence of ZLA in birdsong. That’s partly because most birds have much smaller repertoires compared to humans. While humans use thousands of words, birds may only produce a few dozen distinct sounds.

To tackle this, the researchers developed new method for studying ZLA in birdsong that focuses on how often individual birds use certain note types and how long those notes last allowing them to examine communication at an individual rather than population level.

They then applied this method using a new open-source computational tool called ZLAvian, which compares real-world observed patterns to simulated ones to determine if ZLA is present.

Using ZLAvian, the team analysed more than 600 songs from 11 bird populations spanning seven different species. They found that while individual populations didn’t always show clear signs of ZLA, a stronger pattern emerged when the data was combined, showing more frequently used birdsong phrases were shorter on average.

Co-author Dr Rebecca Lewis, Conservation Scientist at Chester Zoo, said: “91ֱ��ing ZLA in birdsong is far more complex than in human language. Birds often have very few note types, individuals even within the same species can vary widely in their repertoires, and classifying notes is tricky too. Our research has taught that it’s important to look across a wide range of species when looking for language patterns and we hope ZLAvian will make it easier for other researchers to explore these patterns in  more birds but also other animals in the future.”

The team says that further studies are needed across a broader set of bird species to confirm their findings.

Paper details:

Journal: PLoS Computational Biology

Full title: Does Zipf’s law of abbreviation shape birdsong?

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013228

Link:

The University of Manchester has been awarded a major grant to lead a new programme that will transform the lifecycle of graphite in nuclear energy - an essential material for the future deployment of nuclear power.

The award brings together world-leading expertise led by The University of Manchester in collaboration with the Universities of Oxford, Plymouth, and Loughborough.

Nuclear energy is expected to play a central role in the UK’s net zero goals as it emits nearly zero carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions – but it comes with challenges.

The five-year ENLIGHT programme (Enabling a Lifecycle Approach to Graphite for Advanced Modular Reactors) will develop critical technologies to support the deployment of next-generation nuclear energy technology and will address two of the UK’s most pressing nuclear challenges - securing a sustainable, sovereign supply of nuclear graphite and finding solutions to manage the country’s growing volume of irradiated graphite waste.

The project is supported with an £8.2m grant from UK Research and Innovation’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Higher Education Institutions, and around £5m of contributions from industry partners.

The programme of research, collaboration, and skills development aims to secure the UK’s position at the forefront of nuclear innovation and a global leader in advanced reactor technology and clean energy innovation.

Graphite is a critical component in many next-generation Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs), including High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors and various Molten Salt Reactor designs - technologies key to achieving the UK’s ambition to deliver 24GW of new nuclear power by 2050.

The material accounts for around one-third of reactor build costs, yet despite its importance, the UK currently relies entirely on imports to meet demand.

With the existing Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor fleet approaching decommissioning by 2028, and more than 100,000 tonnes of irradiated graphite already in storage, ENLIGHT will pioneer new approaches to both recycling legacy material and producing new, sustainable high-performance graphite suitable for future AMRs.

Dr Greg Black, Senior Advisor at the Environment Agency, said: “The Environment Agency look forward to participating as a partner in the ENLIGHT programme. As the environmental regulator for the nuclear industry in England, we consider the ambitions of the ENLIGHT programme on 'sustainable graphite' aligns with our Regulatory and RD&I areas of interest.”

The programme will focus on three strands of work:

• Sustainable Graphite – Developing processes for decontaminating, recycling and reusing irradiated graphite from AMR deployment.
• Graphite Selection & Design – Designing new graphite materials engineered to withstand extreme conditions in AMR environments.
• Graphite Performance – Understanding how these new materials behave in novel AMR conditions to improve its lifespan.

These advances could save the UK up to £2 billion in future waste management costs and offers a pathway to strengthen the UK’s unique position as a global hub for graphite research and innovation.

, Professor of Energy Materials at the University of Oxford will lead theme two around graphite selection and design. He said: “I’m delighted to be leading Theme two (Graphite Selection & Design – Designing new graphite materials engineered to withstand extreme conditions in AMR environments) in this major project.  Materials will contribute to several work packages across the whole activity, and our initial focus will be on novel studies of mechanical damage to support the design and qualification of new nuclear graphites for advanced fission reactors.”

At Loughborough University, researchers are contributing advanced computational modelling to explore how nuclear graphite behaves under extreme conditions.

Senior Lecturer in Materials Modelling at Loughborough University, said: “This will help us predict how and when these critical reactor components may fail, guiding the design of stronger, more reliable materials for the reactors of tomorrow. Our research also supports the reuse and recycling of existing graphite, helping to make future nuclear energy both safer and more sustainable."

The University of Plymouth will bring expertise in the analysis of porous materials, which will play a critical role in evaluating the performance and suitability of repurposed graphite.

, Lecturer in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry at the University of Plymouth, said: “This project is not just about scientific discovery; it's about pioneering sustainable solutions for nuclear energy, turning waste into a valuable resource and bolstering the UK's energy security for decades to come. This consortium embodies a truly cyclical and green approach to nuclear solutions, aiming for a cleaner energy transition and helping to demystify some of the traditional concepts that surround the nuclear industry. Our expertise in analysing the intricate properties of porous materials will be instrumental in ensuring the suitability of repurposed graphite for next-generation nuclear reactors, and we are particularly excited to have the opportunity to grow our relationship with The University of Manchester – and our industrial partners across the nuclear industry – through this initiative.”

ENLIGHT will also focus on skills development to expand the national graphite research community and train the next generation of graphite scientists and engineers essential to the UK's clean energy future.

Home to the and a core partner in the , The University of Manchester is uniquely positioned to lead the ENLIGHT programme. The University brings together cutting-edge facilities from the Irradiated Materials Laboratory and the .

ENLIGHT will also build on 91ֱ��'s role in flagship activities and initiatives including, the , the and

Researchers at The University of Manchester’s have developed a new class of programmable nanofluidic memristors that mimic the memory functions of the human brain, paving the way for next-generation neuromorphic computing.

In a ground-breaking study published in , scientists from the , and the have demonstrated how two-dimensional (2D) nanochannels can be tuned to exhibit all four theoretically predicted types of memristive behaviour, something never before achieved in a single device. This study not only reveals new insights into ionic memory mechanisms but also has the potential to enable emerging applications in low-power ionic logic, neuromorphic components, and adaptive chemical sensing.

Memristors, or memory resistors, are components that adjust their resistance based on past electrical activity, effectively storing a memory of it. While most existing memristors are solid-state devices that rely on electron movement, the team, led by Prof Radha Boya, used confined liquid electrolytes within thin nanochannels made from 2D materials like MoS₂ and hBN. This nanofluidic approach allows for ultra-low energy operation and the ability to emulate biological learning processes.

Four memory modes, one device

The study reveals that by tuning experimental parameters such as electrolyte composition, pH, voltage frequency, and channel geometry, the same nanofluidic device can switch between four distinct memory loop styles, two “crossing” and two “non-crossing” types. These loop styles correspond to different memory mechanisms, including ion-ion interaction, ion-surface charge adsorption/desorption, surface charge inversion, and ion concentration polarisation.

“This is the first time all four memristor types have been observed in a single device,” said , senior author of the study. “It shows the remarkable tunability of nanofluidic systems and their potential to replicate complex brain-like behaviour.”

Mimicking the brain’s synapses

Beyond demonstrating multiple memory modes, the devices also exhibit both short-term and long-term memory, akin to biological synapses. This dynamic control over memory duration is crucial for developing neuromorphic systems that can adapt and learn from their environment.

For instance, the devices could “forget” information over time or retain it for days, depending on the applied voltage and electrolyte conditions, e.g., like how one might quickly forget where they left their keys, yet remember their home address for life.

Imagine you're working in a café. At first, the clatter of cups and chatter is noticeable, but soon your brain filters it out so you can focus. This everyday phenomenon is called sensory adaptation, and short-term synaptic depression is one of the cellular mechanisms contributing to them. The team mimicked short-term synaptic depression, a process where consecutive neural signals reduce the strength of a response unless sufficient time is allowed for recovery. In neurons, this is caused by temporary depletion of neurotransmitter vesicles. In the nanochannels, a similar effect emerges due to the ionic interactions, which requires time to relax back to its initial state.

A minimal model and a major leap

To explain the observed behaviours, the team developed a minimal theoretical model that incorporates ion–ion interactions, surface adsorption, and channel entrance effects. The model successfully reproduces all four memristive loop types, offering a unified framework for understanding and designing future nanofluidic memory systems.

“This work represents a major leap in our understanding of ionic memory,” said Dr Abdulghani Ismail, lead author of the study. “It opens up exciting possibilities for low-power, adaptive computing systems that operate more like the human brain.”

Towards brain-inspired computing

By harnessing the unique properties of 2D materials and fluidic ion transport, the researchers envision a new class of reconfigurable, energy-efficient computing devices capable of real-time learning and decision-making, with broad implications for artificial intelligence, robotics, and bioelectronics.

This research was published in the journal .

Full title: Programmable memristors with two-dimensional nanofluidic channels

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61649-6

The is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

The team introduced a new type of thermal switch utilising high thermal conductivity graphite films. When a voltage is applied, ions insert between graphite layers. These ions disrupt phonon motion, cutting thermal conductivity by up to 1,300%. Removing the voltage expels the ions and restores the original heat-carrying capacity. This powerful modulation allows the device to actively turn heat conduction "on" and "off" at will, mirroring the functionality of electronic transistors, but for heat instead of electricity.

 “What makes our device truly transformative is its ability to operate reliably in extreme environments such as space,” said Dr Pietro Steiner, lead author and current technology lead for graphene-based thermal technologies at , a spinout from the University of Manchester. "The solid-state nature and absence of mechanical parts make it particularly attractive for aerospace applications, where reliability, weight, and efficiency are critical."

Beyond basic switching, the team demonstrated that their device could actively steer heat flow in desired directions. By configuring voltages across patterned electrodes, they created anisotropic thermal conduction pathways, opening possibilities for programmable thermal management systems.

Lead author added, "This thermal switching technology could revolutionise spacecraft thermal regulation, offering dynamic and reconfigurable solutions to manage excess heat without complex moving mechanisms or bulky radiators."

Spacecraft often rely on radiators or mechanical valves to dump excess heat. These systems add weight and risk mechanical failure under vibration. A thin, solid-state switch removes those constraints. It can operate in ultra-high vacuum and tolerate radiation levels found in orbit.

Next, the group will test switching speed under high thermal load. They plan to integrate the switch with prototype electronics. Faster ion motion and alternative intercalants could boost performance further. By directly linking electrical signals to heat transport, this work lays the groundwork for programmable thermal management in aerospace, electronics cooling and adaptive insulation.

This research was published in the journal .

Full title: Electrically controlled heat transport in graphite films via reversible ionic liquid intercalation

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adw8588

The is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

Silver has long been used to combat bacteria, particularly in wound care, due to its ability to release ions that disrupt bacterial cells. However, current approaches have limitations; silver can be released too rapidly or unevenly, potentially harming surrounding healthy tissue and resulting in short-lived or inconsistent antibacterial protection.

The 91ֱ�� team tackled these issues by designing a graphene oxide-based membrane that can release silver ions slowly and precisely over time. The key lies in the structure of the membrane itself, its nanoscale channels act like filters, regulating how much silver is released.

"Our research represents a paradigm shift in antimicrobial coating technology," states lead author . "By harnessing the potential of graphene oxide membranes, we've unlocked a method for controlled silver ion release, paving the way for sustained antimicrobial efficacy in various applications.”

The team also created a testing model that better reflects real biological conditions. By using foetal bovine serum in lab trials, they could simulate the environment the coating would encounter in the body, offering a clearer view of how it performs over time.

“This approach allows us to deliver just the right amount of silver for extended protection,” first author Dr Swathi Suran adds. “It has potential in many areas, including wound care dressings and antimicrobial coatings for implants, and could bring long-term benefits for both patients and healthcare providers.”

As the team looks ahead, they're focused on exploring how this coating could be integrated into a range of everyday and medical products, making bacterial resistance less of a hidden threat and more of a manageable challenge.

This research was published in the journal .

Full title: Tunable Release of Ions from Graphene Oxide Laminates for Sustained Antibacterial Activity in a Biomimetic Environment

DOI:

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

The team uncovered a rare type of wave, known as a shear phonon polariton, in a two-dimensional form of the material. Phonon polaritons are light-matter hybrid waves that emerge when light interacts with atomic vibrations in certain crystals. They can travel through materials in unusual ways and concentrate light into extremely small volumes.

In this study, the researchers found that in  thin films of gypsum, these waves undergo a topological transition, shifting from hyperbolic to elliptical behaviour, passing through a unique canalized state.

This transition allows scientists to tune how light propagates through the material.

“The studies of shear phonon polaritons in previous studies were limited to bulk crystals in the hyperbolic regime. In our study we aimed to complement those initial findings with shear polaritons in a 2-dimentional material,” said Dr Pablo Díaz Núñez, who co-led the study. “And remarkably, we discovered that shear phonon polaritons in gypsum support a topological transition from hyperbolic to elliptical propagation, with canalization in between.”

Dr Díaz Núñez added, “Moreover, we were able to confine light to a space twenty-five times smaller than its wavelength and slow it down to just a fraction of its speed in vacuum, this opens up new possibilities for manipulating light at the nanoscale.”

The research also highlights the role of crystal symmetry. Gypsum belongs to a class of materials with low symmetry, specifically to the monoclinic crystal system, which gives rise to asymmetric light propagation and energy loss, the central characteristic of shear polaritons.

These findings extend beyond fundamental research of phonon polariton propagation and could support future developments in areas that rely on precise control of light, such as thermal management, sensing, and imaging beyond the limits of conventional optics. Moreover, the study introduces gypsum as a new platform for exploring advanced photonic concepts in emerging areas like non-Hermitian photonics.

This research was published in the journal .

Full title: Visualization of topological shear polaritons in gypsum thin films

DOI:

The National Graphene Institute (NGI) is a world-leading graphene and 2D material centre, focussed on fundamental research. Based at The University of Manchester, where graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, it is home to leaders in their field – a community of research specialists delivering transformative discovery. This expertise is matched by £13m leading-edge facilities, such as the largest class 5 and 6 cleanrooms in global academia, which gives the NGI the capabilities to advance underpinning industrial applications in key areas including: composites, functional membranes, energy, membranes for green hydrogen, ultra-high vacuum 2D materials, nanomedicine, 2D based printed electronics, and characterisation.

On Thursday 17^th July 2025, researchers from The University of Manchester furthered their entrepreneurial journey by completing the MEC R2I programme at the Options Roundabout event. The event saw participants pitch their innovations to a panel of commercialisation experts, entrepreneurs and funders from across the University. The day concluded with a celebration of the cohort’s accomplishments with peers and supporters of the programme, as well as a networking opportunity to aid them in their next steps.

The R2I programme aims to inspire and accelerate the translation of academic research into impact-driven ventures. Over the course of 12-weeks, participants benefited from a series of bespoke workshops and mentoring opportunities to help them articulate their ideas and explore the commercial potential of their research.

Six Innovation Enabling Awards were granted to acknowledge the progress and growth potential, with early career researchers receiving between £2,000 to £10,000 to support the further development of their businesses.

Aurore Hochard, Director of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, presented the Innovation Enabling Awards to the six winning projects.

Award Winners

Innovation Enabling Award: £10,000

Lutèo Medical

Dr Abigail Elias (School of Biological Sciences)

“The support, mentoring, and resources provided through the Researcher to Innovator (R2I) programme have been transformative. Most importantly, the experience gave me the confidence to reach out to potential stakeholders and begin building the connections needed to bring my ideas to life. It was also great to connect with people on the cohort from such a broad range of disciplines."

Innovation Enabling Award: £5,000

ViRTUE: Virtual Reality Training in Ultrasonic Evaluation

Daniel Conniffe (School of Engineering)

“R2I equipped me with the resources, motivation, and communication skills to bridge the gap between research and industry. Through building a strong network, I gained insight into real-world challenges and was able to pivot my research toward creating a meaningful, practical solution.”

Innovation Enabling Award: £3,000

Hollowgraf

Dr Premlal Balakrishna Pillai (School of Engineering)

“The encouragement, guidance, and practical knowledge I gained through R2I have been truly inspiring. The programme really helped me to clarify my idea and shape it into a commercially viable opportunity, giving me the confidence to take the first steps into entrepreneurship.”

Innovation Enabling Award: £2,000

PRECIOUS: Programmable Recovery of Critical Elements Using Synthetic Biology

Dr Sergio Gutiérrez Zapata (School of Natural Sciences)

“The R2I programme gave me the push I didn’t know I needed. It helped me go from a scientific idea to something that could actually work in the real world — with real people and real challenges. Being able to shape a venture around bioremediation, and test the idea from different angles, has been incredibly motivating.”

Innovation Enabling Award: £2,000

PRISM: Prostate cancer Risk Identification by Spectroscopic Measurement

Dr Dougal Ferguson (School of Engineering)

“The R2I programme really helped me hone my ability to concisely and impactfully pitch my research as a commercial application. I am much more confident now pitching my science to a non-scientific audience!”

Innovation Enabling Award: £2,000

Inclusive Skincare Solutions

Yoana Kirilova (School of Biological Sciences)

“The Researcher to Innovator programme has been a fantastic journey – connecting with like-minded peers, learning from experienced entrepreneurs, and gaining insights that will continue to shape my innovation journey.”

The prize winners will also receive expert support and signposting to regional and national accelerator programmes and all the participants on the MEC R2I programme will be connected to the wider ecosystem for further support, mentoring and guidance in taking their research ideas forward.

The organisers wish to thank the Innovation Academy and the Engineers for Business Fellowship for their sponsorship of the Innovation Enabling Awards.

The  is supported by the University’s Innovation Academy. The Innovation Academy is a pan University initiative and joint venture between the , the  and the Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange team, bringing together knowledge, expertise and routes to facilitate the commercialisation of research.

The study, led by ETH Zurich and supported by The University of Manchester, sheds new light on how fast-moving mixtures of water, soil and rocks – known as debris flows – develop into a series of surges, destroying everything in their path. 

Using highly sensitive 3D laser scanners, the scientists collected measurements during a major debris flow in the Illgraben valley in Switzerland on 5 June 2022. Analysis enabled the scientists to pinpoint how small surface disturbances evolve down the channel into powerful large amplitude waves that concentrate the flow’s destructive power.

The findings, published in the journal , are among the most detailed measurements of a real-life debris flow ever recorded.

Debris flows are a recurring natural hazard in steep terrain throughout the world, and are triggered by heavy rainfall, and increasingly, glacial runoff and permafrost melt. Recent landslides in the Alps continue to highlight the risks posed by debris flows, such as the 2017 Bondo landslide in Graubünden, which triggered a debris flow that travelled 4km downhill into the Bondasca Valley. This emphasises the urgent need to better understand and predict these hazardous events.

Due to the frequency of debris flow occurence, the Illgraben valley has been equipped with measuring instruments since 2000. It has recently supplemented by five highly sensitive 3D laser scanners, called LiDAR, which can determine distance and speed, and six high-speed video cameras.

On the day of the June 2022 event, 25,000 cubic meters of water, earth and debris poured approximately seven kilometres down the bed of the Illbach before the muddy stream was absorbed by the river Rhône at Susten. The devices measured surface velocities and the evolving free surface of the debris flow at three measuring stations with a spatial resolution of 2 cm and a temporal resolution of 0.1 seconds.

The team of scientists from ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (Birmensdorf) and The University of Manchester, were able to document how the waves grew along the channel and use the data to develop a new friction law that was used in a debris-flow model to realistically simulate the  genesis and growth of the waves.

They found that near the top of the (about 2km from the outflow into the Rhône river), the debris flow had a fast-moving wave front, but no surges, while further down the channel the flow became shallower and spontaneously developed a series of waves. During the 30-minute event, researchers recorded 70 of these surges, which emerge from a surface instability that allows the waves to grow and as they move downhill.

Lead researcher, Jordan Aaron, Professor of Engineering Geology at ETH Zurich, said: "It has long been known that waves play a central role in the destructive power of debris flows, because they concentrate the forces that are applied to structures in their path.

"Thanks to the measurements around the debris flow of June 2022 and the modelling based on them, the researchers now have a better understanding. Our analysis provides new insights into the dynamics of debris flows and enables improved hazard management in the medium term.”

This research, which was partially funded by the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (), has been published in the journal Communication Earth & Environment

Full title: Detailed observations reveal the genesis and dynamics of destructive debris-flow surges

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02488-7

Link:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02488-7

The research, published today in , investigates a meter-long flipper from a Temnodontosaurus - a giant ichthyosaur – with uniquely preserved with fossilised soft tissues.

The findings reveal that the marine reptile, which exceeds 10m in length, was equipped with evolved to have specialised fins that the scientists believe served to suppress the sound of its own movements when foraging in dimly lit environments about 183 million years ago - an evolutionary adaptation never previously seen in any aquatic creature, living or extinct.

The team involves an international team of scientists, led by Dr Johan Lindgren from Lund University in Sweden, in collaboration with one of the world’s leading ichthyosaur experts, , a Palaeontologist at The University of Manchester, who has been working on the fossil for about six years and says the finding “represents one of the greatest fossil discoveries ever made”  and could revolutionise the way scientists investigate other prehistoric animals.

Dr Lindgren, who has pioneered research on ancient marine reptile soft tissues, said: “The wing-like shape of the flipper, together with the lack of bones in the distal end and distinctly serrated trailing edge collectively indicate that this massive animal had evolved means to minimise sound production during swimming. Accordingly, this ichthyosaur must have moved almost silently through the water, in a manner similar to how living owls—whose wing feathers also form a zigzag pattern—fly quietly when hunting at night. We have never seen such elaborate evolutionary adaptations in a marine animal before.”

Although many small ichthyosaurs have been found with soft-tissue preservation, scientists have never found anything on this scale.

Using a range of advanced imaging, chemical analysis and computational modelling techniques, the researchers also identified that the structure of the flippers were truly unique, with scalloped trailing edge reinforced by mineralised, rod-like structures that the team name ‘chondroderms’. 

Moreover, Temnodontosaurus also had the largest eyes – the size of footballs – of any vertebrate known, supporting the hypothesis that this aquatic reptile hunted under low-light conditions, either at night or in deep waters. 

Dr Dean Lomax, who is also an 1851 Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, said: “The first time I saw the specimen, I knew it was unique. Having examined thousands of ichthyosaurs, I had never seen anything quite like it. This discovery will revolutionise the way we look at and reconstruct ichthyosaurs (and possibly also other ancient marine reptiles) but specifically soft-tissue structures in prehistoric animals.”

 The fossilised flipper was discovered by fossil collector Georg Göltz, a co-author on the new study. Remarkably, Georg made the find entirely by chance whilst looking for fossils at a temporary exposure at a road cutting in the municipality of Dotternhausen, Germany.

The fossil consists of both the part and counterpart (opposing sides) of almost an entire front flipper. Although Georg looked for more, no other remains were found. As the top part of the fin is missing, the team surmise that it was originally an isolated flipper that might have been ripped off by a larger ichthyosaur.

Georg brought the specimen to the attention of palaeontologist and co-author Sven Sachs of the Natural History Museum, Bielefeld, who recognised the rarity of the find.

Dr Lindgren said: “The fact that we are able to reconstruct the stealth capabilities of a long-extinct animal is quite remarkable. Also, because human-induced noise from shipping activity, military sonar, seismic surveys, and offshore wind farms has a negative impact on today’s aquatic life, our findings could provide inspiration to help limit the adverse biological effects from anthropogenic input to the modern marine soundscape.”

 To unravel the mystery behind the features preserved in this fossil, it was subjected to a range of sensitive imaging, elemental and molecular analyses. The multidisciplinary research team included palaeontologists, engineers, biologists and physicists. This involved high-end techniques such as synchrotron radiation-based X-ray microtomography at the Swiss Light Source SLS at PSI and Diamond Light Source, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and infrared microspectroscopy, along with the reconstruction of a virtual model using computational fluid dynamics.

Dr Lomax added: “The fossil provides new information on the flipper soft tissues of this enormous leviathan, has structures never seen in any animal, and reveals a unique hunting strategy (thus providing evidence of its behaviour), all combined with the fact that its noise-reducing features may even help us to reduce human-made noise pollution. Although I might be a little bias, in my opinion, this represents one of the greatest fossil discoveries ever made.”

The very first ichthyosaur brought to the attention of science was discovered over 200 years ago by pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning and her brother Joseph. That fossil was also a Temnodontosaurus, the same type of ichthyosaur to which this flipper belonged.

“In a weird way, I feel that there is a wonderful full-circle moment that goes back to Mary Anning showcasing that even after 200 years, we are still uncovering exciting and surprising finds that link back to her initial discoveries”, added Dr Lomax.

Nature article reference: Lindgren, J., Lomax, D. R., Szász, R-Z., Marx, M., Revstedt, J., Göltz, G., Sachs, S., De La Garza, R. G., Heingård, M., Jarenmark, M., Ydström, K., Sjövall, P., Osbæck, F., Hall, S. A., de Beeck, M. O., Eriksson, M. E., Alwmark, C., Marone, F., Liptak, A., Atwood, R., Burca, G., Uvdal, P., Persson, P. and Nilsson, D-E. 2025. Adaptations for stealth in the wing-like flippers of a large ichthyosaur. Nature, 10.1038/s41586-025-09271-w.

Link to paper:

The research, published today in the journal, , demonstrates that compounds or ‘volatiles’ found in sebum — the oily substance produced by our skin —hold key biomarkers for identifying Parkinson’s in its earliest stages.

Using a technique known as Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (TD-GC-MS), scientists at The University of Manchester, in collaboration with Salford Royal NHS Trust and the Medical University of Innsbruck, analysed skin swabs from participants with Parkinson’s, healthy volunteers, and those with a sleep disorder called isolated REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (iRBD) — a known early warning sign of Parkinson’s disease.

The results showed that people with iRBD had distinct chemical profiles in their sebum that were different from healthy individuals, but not yet as pronounced as those with established Parkinson’s disease. This supports the idea that Parkinson’s disease leaves a detectable trace on the body well before physical symptoms appear.

Joy Milne – the ‘super smeller’ who inspired the research  –  was also able to distinguish swabs from people with iRBD from the control group and Parkinson’s patients. Intriguingly, she was able to detect both diseases in two of the swabs that came from iRBD individuals, who were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s at their next clinical appointment, after sampling.

Professor Perdita Barran, Professor of Mass Spectrometry at The University of Manchester, said: “This is the first study to demonstrate a molecular diagnostic method for Parkinson’s disease at the prodromal or early stage. It brings us one step closer to a future where a simple, non-invasive skin swab could help identify people at risk before symptoms arise allowing for earlier intervention and improved outcomes.”

The study involved more than 80 participants, including 46 people with Parkinson’s, 28 healthy controls, and nine with iRBD.  They found 55 significant features in the sebum that varied between the groups. Those with iRBD often showed levels that sat between the healthy controls and the Parkinson’s group, reinforcing the possibility of detecting the disease in its early phase.

Dr Drupad Trivedi, a researcher from The University of Manchester, built a model that examined the markers in a longitudinal sampling study. He collected samples from Parkinson’s patients over a three-year period and found patterns that suggest this method can also be used to map the progression of the disease, which could have use in refining treatment options and improve patient outcomes.

Sebum is also easy to collect using gauze swabs from the face or upper back, making it ideal for non-invasive routine screening and regular monitoring. by the team has also shown it does not need to be stored in the same cold conditions as other biofluids, such as blood, reducing associated costs.

The research is inspired by the observations of Joy Milne, who detected a unique scent in individuals with Parkinson's disease, prompting researchers at The University of Manchester to explore sebum as a source of diagnostic biomarkers.

By using mass spectrometry, a technique that measures the weight of molecules, they have found that there are distinctive Parkinson’s markers in sebum, which has led them to develop this non-invasive swab test.

These findings have recently been validated in another paper, published today in the, where trained dogs were able to detect Parkinson’s in the patients recruited by Prof Barren and Dr Trivedi with remarkable accuracy by smelling skin swabs.

Now, the researchers are continuing to develop and improve the sebum-based testing to eventually use as a practical tool in real-world clinical settings.

Dr Drupad Trivedi, Lecturer in Analytical Measurement Sciences at The University of Manchester, said: "Our goal is to develop a reliable, non-invasive test that helps doctors detect Parkinson’s earlier, track its progression, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

“We’re also keen to hear from other hyperosmic individuals, potential ‘super smellers’ like Joy, whose remarkable sense of smell could help extend our work to detect other diseases with potential odour signatures."

***

This research was published in the journal npj Parkinson's Disease

Full title: Classification of Parkinson’s Disease and idopathic REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Delineating Progression Markers from the Sebum Volatilome

DOI: 10.1038/s41531-025-01026-8

Link:

***

Biotechnology is enabling us to find new and more sustainable ways to produce chemicals, materials, and everyday products, by understanding and harnessing nature’s own processes and applying them at industrial scales. Supported by the 91ֱ�� Institute of Biotechnology, our 400+ experts are innovating solutions in environmental sustainability, health and sustainable manufacturing. Find out more about our biotechnology research.  

Developed with the support of engineers at The University of Manchester since 2019, Concretene is a graphene-enhanced admixture for concrete that improves compressive strength and durability, enabling removal of cement and a reduced carbon footprint.

The company has extended its production and materials testing facility in the adjacent Pariser Building – part of the new – taking advantage of the advanced materials ecosystem delivered by the GEIC.

Concretene is one of several technologies being developed and applied at the GEIC to explore the potential of graphene in construction. It aims to create a more sustainable and cost-effective solution for the industry by increasing the service life of concrete and reducing cement requirements.

This is an ideal case study for ‘the 91ֱ�� model’ of innovation, whereby an idea for the exploitation of nanomaterials is grown through The University of Manchester to become a spin-out company, creating high-value jobs and encouraging inward investment in the city.

Concretene has attracted £1.9m of UK government funding and £6m of venture capital investment since its incorporation in late 2022 and has grown to a staff of 20.

Three Innovate UK-funded projects have delivered significant advances in the application of graphene-enhanced concrete:

• GraphEnhance – scale-up of graphene and graphene oxide supply chain (with and ).
• SMART – pre-cast foundation pilings (with )
• GCRE – low-carbon railway sleepers (with )

Prototype trials have demonstrated compressive strength increases up to 50% in ready-mix applications and 15-20% in pre-cast, all showing compatibility with existing low-carbon concrete mixes incorporating cement replacements (CEM II limestone, CEM III GGBS).

Tests by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) on Concretene’s low-carbon railway sleeper for Cemex have indicated improvements in durability, notably to mitigate shrinkage – a common problem for low-carbon concretes that can lead to cracking and shorter service life.

Collaboration is ongoing with ARUP – the global design and engineering consultancy, which is one of  – and a range of material suppliers to hone specifications for different concrete mixes and applications, with a programme of further scaled trials upcoming to produce the robust dataset required for product certification and launch.

James Baker, CEO of Graphene@91ֱ��, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to support Concretene’s journey as a standout example of how graphene innovation at the GEIC can scale into real-world industrial impact. Their progress reflects the strength of our collaborative model, which brings together engineers, researchers and industry to tackle global challenges like decarbonising construction. Concretene represents the kind of transformative work we’re driving forward, and we continue to collaborate with a broad range of partners to accelerate the adoption of graphene-enhanced technologies that deliver both environmental and economic benefits.”

Mike Harrison, CEO of Concretene, said:
“We’re really pleased to extend our deal with the GEIC for another three years. Having a dedicated formulation development facility, technical support and high-end microscopy and characterisation kit on site has been invaluable in the development of the product. The proximity of growth and maker space within the Sister Innovation District has allowed us to remain in 91ֱ�� and we are grateful of the support from this community.

“We look forward to building on our success to date with the GEIC, commissioning our pilot plant in the Pariser Building and supporting asset owners in their journey to decarbonise concrete in construction.”

Advanced materials is one of The University of Manchester’s research beacons - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships tackling some of the planet's biggest questions. #ResearchBeacons

Professor Cox returned to his hometown of Oldham in July for a series of four inspirational ‘Great Horizons’ events. These celebrated STEM education and highlighted the vital role teachers and industry play in shaping future opportunities for young people in Oldham. They were designed to raise the profile of science teachers and science learning, towards igniting ambition in the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators.  On Tuesday 1 July, Professor Cox took part in a celebration event for science teachers and leaders from across Oldham’s schools. The event was coordinated by the Cranmer Trust and brought over 250 teachers together to identify how they can take science to a new level in their schools. 

The following day, he engaged with primary school pupils in a ‘tour of the galaxy’ during special morning assemblies, promoting participation in the Great Science Share for Schools. 

In the afternoon, Professor Cox met with business leaders, council representatives, and local influencers, working with Oldham’s Economy Board’s and Oldham Athletic Football club with the remit to lever local business engagement to actively support education and career pathways in STEM. 

Later that evening, he hosted a Q&A session with secondary and college students at Oldham Sixth Form College, sharing insights and answering questions about science and space. 

 The University of Manchester provided leadership in coordinating and hosting the events, with special focus on the primary school event that involved Professor Cox having a whistle-stop tour of 4 primary schools in Oldham, working to ignite the curiosity of hundreds of pupils. Across the town other schools received VIP visits from the Oldham Lord Mayor, industry and charity professionals. These experiences provided opportunity to incentivise schools to become involved in the University’s  flagship campaign, the Great Science Share for Schools, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. The campaign encourages young people to ask, investigate and share scientific questions, elevating the prominence of practical science in the classroom. 

Professor Lynne Bianchi, FSE Vice Dean for Social Responsibility, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Director of SEERIH, said: “The two days were powerful in bringing the town’s industry and education partners together. It’s been a real place-based approach that is starting something that will have legacy beyond these launch events. The key now is to harness the energy that spued out of each event and identify key actions that can impact on young people in the short and longer term.’  

Dave Benstead, Chairman of Oldham Enterprise Trust and Oldham’s Economy Board, said: “We set out to optimise STEM-Industry-School-College partnerships which will lead to greater exposure of a variety of STEM career options, broaden student's perspectives and help them make more informed decisions as they progress through education. Our young people need a clearer understanding of the real-world problems that STEM related careers can address and Professor Brian Cox achieved this grabbing their interest and motivation as only he can.” 

With acknowledgments to: Oldham Council, Oldham Enterprise Trust, Oldham Athletic Football Club, Cranmer Education Trust, Pinnacle Learning Trust and SEERIH (The University of Manchester). 

Using high-resolution 3D seismic (sound wave) imaging, combined with data and rock samples from hundreds of wells, researchers from The University of Manchester in collaboration with industry, identified vast mounds of sand – some several kilometres wide – that appear to have sunk downward, displacing older, lighter and softer materials from beneath them.

The result is stratigraphic inversion - a reversal of the usual geological order in which younger rocks are typically deposited on top of older ones on a previously unseen scale.

While stratigraphic inversion has previously been observed at small scales, the structures discovered by the 91ֱ�� team – now named “sinkites” – are the largest example of the phenomenon documented so far.

The finding, in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, challenges scientists understanding of the subsurface and could have implications for carbon storage.

Lead author Professor Mads Huuse from The University of Manchester, said: “This discovery reveals a geological process we haven’t seen before on this scale. What we’ve found are structures where dense sand has sunk into lighter sediments that floated to the top of the sand, effectively flipping the conventional layers we’d expect to see and creating huge mounds beneath the sea.”

It is believed the sinkites formed millions of years ago during the Late Miocene to Pliocene periods, when earthquakes or sudden shifts in underground pressure may have caused the sand to liquefy and sink downward through natural fractures in the seabed. This displaced the underlying, more porous but rigid, ooze rafts - composed largely of microscopic marine fossils - bound by shrinkage cracks, sending them floating upwards. The researchers have dubbed these lighter, uplifted features ‘floatites’.

The finding could help scientists better predict where oil and gas might be trapped and where it’s safe to store carbon dioxide underground.

Prof Huuse said: “This research shows how fluids and sediments can move around in the Earth’s crust in unexpected ways. Understanding how these sinkites formed could significantly change how we assess underground reservoirs, sealing, and fluid migration — all of which are vital for carbon capture and storage”.

Now the team are busy documenting other examples of this process and assessing how exactly it impacts our understanding of subsurface reservoirs and sealing intervals.

Prof Huuse added: “As with many scientific discoveries there are many sceptical voices, but also many who voice their support for the new model. Time and yet more research will tell just how widely applicable the model is.”

This research has been published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment

Full title: Km-scale mounds and sinkites formed by buoyancy driven stratigraphic inversion

DOI: