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Weeding out the facts – how farming affects biodiversity
A multi-institution research project is looking at how the land management strategies of farmers affect the biodiversity of the countryside. Involving Professor Rob Freckleton from the University of Sheffield, the research brings together social and natural scientists to understand the factors underlying farming practice, and the implications of these differing practises for biodiversity.
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Black hole hunters set new distance record
Astronomers from the University of Sheffield have detected a stellar mass black hole about 6 million light years away from the Sun, much farther away than any other previously known. With a mass of about twenty times that of the Sun, it is also the second most massive stellar mass black hole ever found.
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You can hear a pin drop: The secret to our sensitive senses
There are approximately 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people living in the UK. A new study into the mechanisms involved in hearing, led by Dr Walter Marcotti, has produced significant findings which could take us closer to understanding deafness and hearing loss.
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Nano-engineering turns viruses into 'good guys'
16 researchers drawn from seven departments at the University of Sheffield are developing a synthetic nano-particle capable of mimicking the action of a virus in order to deliver a drug or a gene into a cell. The research could result in improved treatments for neurodegenerative conditions such as Motor Neurone Diseases and Spinal Muscular Atrophy, as well as possible new treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
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Computer modelling sheds new light on natural selection
As human activity continues to put pressure on the environment, bringing about rapid changes to habitats around the world, an ecologist at the University of Sheffield is using complex computer models to investigate how environmental pressures ultimately shape the evolution of a species.
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What's on your mind? Scientists model complex brain processes
The highly complex relationship between brain activity and blood flow can now be explained using a relatively simple mathematical model, thanks to pioneering interdisciplinary research at the University of Sheffield. The research has important implications for a number of neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease.
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Sheffield research to improve millions of lives in the third world
As part of a £7million international project to address the challenges facing agriculture and food security in developing countries, a team of researchers at the University of Sheffield are developing crops that are resistant to one of Africa's most devastating parasites.
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Fantastic plastic – developing biomedical technologies in the microscopic world
Under an £800,000 EPSRC Platform Grant, a team of researchers based in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Sheffield are developing a critical mass in polymer science research for biomedical applications.
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Bacteria-busting bandages – new technology fights wound infections
Sheffield experts in chemistry, photo-physics, microbiology and tissue engineering are close to producing a medical dressing capable of detecting and removing bacteria from a wound.
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Science fiction into science fact: developing ‘thinking’ robots
Researchers at the University of Sheffield are working to develop an autonomous robot capable of exhibiting some of the complex behaviours of the vertebrate brain. The research has wide-ranging applications, from deep space and ocean exploration, to rescue missions at disaster sites.
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Escape from the country - genetic studies in birds promise more effective conservation
A project investigating the genetic differences between urban and rural bird populations is shedding important new light on the largely neglected area of urban wildlife conservation.
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New 3D imaging technique with multiple medical applications
Dr Stephen Matcher, a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering, is developing a pioneering imaging technique which could benefit medical research into osteoarthritis and severe burns.
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Research into sexual selection could shed new light on species extinction
As species extinction continues to threaten the diversity of animal life on our planet, new research into sexual selection, based in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, could help shed light on this important area.
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Cutting-edge micro-scale research could deliver macro-scale benefits
Engineering on a nano-scale (at an atomic and molecular level) offers a number of benefits. A team of Sheffield researchers are exploring cutting-edge methods for building structures on a tiny scale, molecule by molecule, which could deliver benefits to medicine and the manufacture of electronic devices.
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In the footsteps of giants – tackling fundamental questions of the universe
Theoretical physicists at the University of Sheffield are working to solve some of the most important questions of the universe, such as 'what is dark matter?'.
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Inner Space - At the cutting-edge of nanotechnology research
Researchers from the Departments of chemistry and physics at the University of Sheffield are aiming to create a self-propelling nano device, which could one day enhance lives through medical applications.
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Harvesting the sun – improving the efficiency of solar cell technology
New research in the Department of Physics and Astronomy could lead to larger, more efficient solar cells to meet society’s growing energy needs.
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Now organics can detect toxic gases and save lives
Dr Tim Richardson from the University of Sheffield's Department of Physics and Astronomy is currently working on some revolutionary organics which can detect toxic gases at very small levels.
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Preventing post-traumatic stress disorder
A series of studies have been carried out by Professor Graham Turpin from the University of Sheffield looking into the effects of the psychological support provided to people who have experienced physical traumas in order to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Professor Turpin from the Clinical Psychology Unit at the University is aiming to discover the best possible way to treat the condition.
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The revolutionary glue that can come unstuck
A new type of glue that can be switched on and off simply by changing its pH value, has been developed by Dr Mark Geoghegan and his team at the University of Sheffield.
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Helping to make computer models more accurate
Computer modelling is playing an increasingly important role in modern life. As well as being vital in many areas of research and development, modelling has a direct impact on most of us in our daily lives. But an important question which is currently being researched by Professor Tony O'Hagan from the University of Sheffield is: can we trust it?
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Sheffield scientists develop artificial blood
Scientists from the University of Sheffield are developing an artificial 'plastic blood', which could act as a substitute for real blood in emergency situations. The 'plastic blood', which will be on display at the Science Museum this month, could have a huge impact on military applications.
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Mother Nature damaged ozone before humans
Scientists from the Universities of Sheffield and Cambridge have discovered that Mother Nature caused a massive ozone depletion event, some 251 million years ago, during the greatest mass extinction event of all time.
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Females avoid incest by causing male relatives to leave home
Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the UK and Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, Germany, have found that female hyenas avoid inbreeding with their male relatives by giving them little choice but to leave their birth group.
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Sun's solar sound hits the right note
Astronomers at the University of Sheffield have found that the atmosphere of the Sun behaves like a giant musical instrument. According to the new research, the magnetic field in the outer regions of our nearest star forms loops that carry acoustic waves in much the same way that sound is carried through a pipe organ.
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Producing light and electricity from plastic
The University of Sheffield's Professor David Lidzey has been using a technique called Scanning Near Field Optical Microscopy (SNOM) to examine the structure of various types of plastics, in a bid to understand their electronic properties and how they can be used in thin-film devices.
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There's much more to a walk in the park
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have found that parks rich in species are not only beneficial for the environment but also for people's general well-being. They have shown that the psychological benefits gained by visiting urban green spaces increase with the levels of biodiversity.
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Capturing the Universe at 1000 pictures a second
Dr Vik Dhillon of the University of Sheffield's Department of Physics and Astronomy is opening up the Universe with the recent commissioning of ULTRACAM on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.
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Scientists unravel feeding habits of flying reptiles
Scientists at the University of Sheffield, collaborating with colleagues at the Universities of Portsmouth and Reading, have taken a step back in time and provided a new insight into the lifestyle of a prehistoric flying reptile.
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We are all made from stars – but which ones?
Professor Paul Crowther of the University of Sheffield is searching for the origins of the universe, and he's looking at some of the biggest bangs since the very first one.
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Art meets science to create eco-friendly products
What is the result when a top level chemist works closely with an award-winning artist? A dynamic collaboration between Professors Tony Ryan and Helen Storey is proving extremely fruitful in creating fresh solutions to environmental problems.
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How did the universe begin?
The search goes on for answers to two of our biggest unsolved mysteries: how did the universe begin and how does it work? Current research is focusing on the theory of supersymmetry and the as yet undiscovered Higgs Boson particle, and a team at the forefront of this quest is being led by Dr Dan Tovey from the University of Sheffield's Department of Physics and Astronomy.
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