Life Sciences » Life Sciences News (tag [Environment & Ecology])

North Sea ‘Lost World’ had habitable forests thousands of years earlier than thought

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:50:00 GMT

Forests were growing on the now-submerged landmass of Doggerland thousands of years earlier than previously believed, according to a major new sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) study led by Professor Robin Allaby

The findings suggest that Doggerland may have provided a surprisingly hospitable refuge for plants, animals, and potentially humans, thousands of years before forests became widespread across Britain and northern Europe.

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the research reveals that temperate trees such as oak, elm, and hazel were present more than 16,000 years ago, and even detected DNA from a tree genus thought to have vanished from the region 400,000 years ago. The findings also show that parts of Doggerland survived major flooding events, including the Storegga tsunami around 8,150 years ago, and parts of the landscape remained above water as late as 7,000 years ago.

"How different mushrooms learned the same psychedelic trick" - The Conversation

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 15:52:00 GMT

jimmiev, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dr. Fabrizio Alberti has written the article "How different mushrooms learned the same psychedelic trick" for The Conversation on a new discovery that two different mushrooms have evolved the ability to make the psychedelic psilocybin, the first time that convergent evolution has been observed in two organisms from the fungal kingdom.

Exploring Europe's key Stone Age site: The major underwater scientific expedition to preserve history

Mon, 13 May 2024 08:06:00 GMT

Led by Professor Robin Allaby, a new expedition is set to delve into Europe’s pivotal Mesolithic Stone Age site, Bouldnor Cliff. The expedition is a race against time to the submerged prehistoric settlement as erosion threatens its complete loss.

Press Release (26 April 2024).

The sound of the underground: What noisy worms tell us about soil health

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 14:13:00 GMT

Researchers are listening to earthworms to monitor soil health, in what could be a major innovation for maintaining soil health. In the first study of its kind, scientists are using a technique called ecoacoustics to listen to the activity of earthworms and other invertebrates in the soil. The theory is that a noisy soil is a healthy soil – and that the sounds generated in soil can be recorded, measured and used to evaluate soil condition. Press release (14 July 2023)

Jackie was interviewed about the research by David Gregory-Kumar for BBC Midlands Today.
Watch the interview (16 July 2023)

ENABLE workshop: Are the university learning environments as inclusive as we think?

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 09:33:00 GMT

On Friday 29 September 2023, the School of Life Sciences will be hosting a free workshop: "Are the university learning environments as inclusive as we think? An investigation from the awarding perspective".

Based on a thorough data analysis from recent years and first-hand practical experience, the workshop will identify existing reasons for lack of inclusivity and unbiased awarding in biological science and related degree streams.

The workshop participants, comprising academic leaders, teaching professionals and a diverse student community, will also provide on consensus recommendations on how to close existing awarding gaps for a more inclusive learning and teaching environment throughout the UK.

Consensus recommendations will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Find out more and register

Faculty Post Doc Prizes awarded to Amol Bhandare and Richard Guillionneau

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 12:52:00 GMT

Each year, the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine (SEM) funds a prize for the best Warwick-affiliated research output from an Early Career Researcher (ECR). Each department nominates a winner out of the applications received after a judging process as determined by the Faculty. This year the School of Life Sciences has awarded two prizes:

Dr Amol Bhandare
Dr Richard Guillioneau

The Panel recognised the scientific excellence of the research published in these outputs and the leading roles that both researchers had taken in conceiving and undertaking the research.

Find out more

Honorary Fellow

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:28:00 GMT

Professor Murray Grant has been re-elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Fellows have made contributions to knowledge at the highest levels in their different fields and across disciplinary boundaries. Find out more

Four new academic positions available in the School of Life Sciences

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 11:42:00 GMT

We wish to appoint four excellent and ambitious early to mid-career principal investigators who are capable of developing innovative and original research programmes:

2 x Permanent positions focused on Host-virus Interactions
1 x Permanent position focused on Plant Virology
1 x Permanent position focused on Host Responses to Microbes

Find out more and apply

Our Technical Talent

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 15:27:00 GMT

Over the next few weeks the University is showcasing the vital roles our technical staff play in the world-class research and teaching at Warwick. The latest video features Georgia Lavender, Senior Teaching Lab Technician, from the SLS Teaching Lab.
Watch the video.

Warwick included in ancient DNA compilation celebrating Nobel Prize

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 09:56:00 GMT

Nature Portfolio has compiled a collection of key ancient DNA papers in celebration of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine award to the field’s principal pioneer, Svante Pääbo, which includes the work of Professor Robin Allaby published in Nature Reviews Methods Primers. The paper outlines the best current methodological approaches to the field, the wide range of applications possible and ethics involved. The primer is freely available for a month.

The Nobel Prize was awarded in particular for the discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution which has dramatically changed how we understand human evolution and contributes to our understanding of modern-day human physiology. At Warwick, Professor Allaby has applied ancient DNA to past genomes of crop plants which is rewriting our understanding of domestication, recently reviewed in Trends in Ecology and Evolution.