Saccorhytus CREDIT Philip Donoghue et al An international team of researchers have discovered that a mysterious microscopic creature from which humans were thought to descend is part of a different […]
University of Bristol
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
A Decline In CO2 Cooled Earth's Climate Over 30 Million Years Ago
New research led by the University of Bristol demonstrates that a decline in the concentration of atmospheric CO2 played a major role in driving Earth’s climate from a warm greenhouse […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Microbes Feast On Crushed Rock In Subglacial Lakes Beneath Antarctica
Pioneering research has revealed the erosion of ancient sediments found deep beneath Antarctic ice could be a vital and previously unknown source of nutrients and energy for abundant microbial life. […]
Posted inExtinction events, Impact events, Press Release
Earth's Greatest Mass Extinction Triggered The Switch To Warm-bloodedness
Mammals and birds today are warm-blooded, and this is often taken as the reason for their great success. University of Bristol palaeontologist Professor Mike Benton, identifies in the journal Gondwana […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Press Release
Glacier Algae Creates Dark Zone At The Margins Of The Greenland Ice Sheet
New research led by scientists from the University of Bristol has revealed new insights into how the microscopic algae that thrives along the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet causes […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Animal Embryos Evolved Before Animals
Animals evolved from single-celled ancestors, before diversifying into 30 or 40 distinct anatomical designs. When and how animal ancestors made the transition from single-celled microbes to complex multicellular organisms has […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Shape Shifting Protocells Hint At The Mechanics Of Early Life
Inspired by the processes of cellular differentiation observed in developmental biology, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Bristol have demonstrated a new spontaneous approach to building communities […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Dinosaurs Ended And Originated With A Bang
It is commonly understood that the dinosaurs disappeared with a bang – wiped out by a great meteorite impact on the Earth 66 million years ago. But their origins have […]
Posted inPlant Biology, Press Release
Earth Plants Colonized Land 100 million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought
For the first four billion years of Earth’s history, our planet’s continents would have been devoid of all life except microbes. All of this changed with the origin of land […]
Posted inFossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
How Old Are Animals on Earth?
The origin of animals was one of the most important events in the history of Earth. Beautifully preserved fossil embryos suggest that our oldest ancestors might have existed a little […]