University of Brighton launches campus hedgehog survey
Survey works see students placing "tracking tunnels", which use ink pads and paper to log paw prints, across the university's campuses in Falmer, Moulsecoomb and the city centre.The results will then be used to decide where to target support based on where the hedgehogs are living on the university's grounds.Ms White added: "It's about making practical changes like creating safe spaces and removing hazards to reduce the impact campus life has on local wildlife."We're proud to take an active role in protecting local biodiversity and equipping our students with the tools to make a difference."Experts from The British Hedgehog Preservation Society said in October that population numbers across the UK had halved over the space of the last decade.Steps people can take to help hedgehogs in their own back gardens include leaving small holes in the bottom of fences to help them get around and giving them leaves and foliage to hide under.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Parts of David Attenborough's latest series filmed in fish tank, BBC admits
The BBC has admitted that part of Sir David Attenborough's latest nature series was filmed in specialist 'tanks' rather than in the wild. Key segments in the corporation's new Parenthood series, narrated by Sir David, could not be filmed 'in situ' in order to protect the species involved, according to the producers. Skeleton shrimp, boxer crabs and Banggai cardinalfish were among the animals filmed in 'a specialist filming environment' to ensure family bonds and habitats were not disturbed. Specialist tanks and 'incubation units' were therefore used – in part – to help the BBC capture 'the intimate relationships between parent and their offspring '. Jeff Wilson, the series producer and director, and Olly Scholey, its producer, insisted that the balance in these relationships could 'be easily upset' by interference. Writing in an online article about the series for the BBC, they explained: 'In the world of wildlife filmmaking, affecting the behaviour of your subjects is a line we work hard not to cross, and these parenting relationships are incredibly fragile. 'In many cases, across the series, we are also dealing with species that are no bigger than a thumbnail … [meaning] that we needed to design the sequences with specific macro-technologies and careful use of light. 'So often, teams filming in these situations needed to tread carefully, or in this case, paddle carefully – and at times, we were forced to use specialist filming tanks to ensure that we got the balance absolutely right.' One such example featured in the opening of the Freshwater episode, which sees hundreds of thousands of Amazon river turtle hatchlings following their mothers to the water. However, the moment of actual hatching could not be captured in the wild because of the 'sensitive condition of the unhatched eggs underground'. 'To do so would mean risking the survival of the young themselves,' Wilson and Scholey explained. Instead, the filming crew for the natural history series worked 'hand-in-hand' with Brazilian scientific researchers and their incubation unit to 'create a specialist environment' where hatching could be captured. Similarly, producers needed to create 'a specialist filming environment' of see-through tanks to tell the parenting stories of skeleton shrimps as well as Banggai cardinalfish. Previous fakery claims The decision to film in specialist tanks rather than disrupt the animals' natural habitats follows wildlife filming's unofficial non-intervention rule. The BBC has previously been embroiled in accusations of fakery in its natural history documentaries, including a Frozen Planet sequence in 2011 in which a polar bear appeared to give birth in the Arctic, but was in fact filmed in a Dutch zoo. The corporation also admitted that a sequence filmed for an episode of Human Planet, also in 2011, misled viewers by giving the impression the tallest treehouses built by Papua New Guinea's Korowai people were used as homes. However, the broadcaster has said since these incidents it has strengthened training for its Natural History Unit in 'editorial guidelines, standards and values'.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Experts reveal potential unintended side effect of Ozempic – and whether we should worry
The use of weight-loss jabs in the UK has skyrocketed, with an estimated 1.5 million people using them. Yet drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy don't just help people lose fat, but potentially muscle too, new research has suggested. A study that tested weight loss jabs on mice found that although muscle mass changes less than expected, muscles still get weaker and tissues like the liver also shrink. Weight-loss injections, also known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by mimicking the natural hormone which regulates blood sugar, appetite and digestion. The medications, known as semaglutides, predominantly treat diabetes but are also available on the NHS or via private providers to help adults with a high body mass index (BMI). For example, although Ozempic is used for type 2 diabetes, it is sometimes prescribed off-label as a weight-loss drug. The results of the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, revealed Ozempic -induced weight loss decreased muscle mass by about 10 per cent. Most of this lost weight wasn't from skeletal muscles, which surround bones and joints, but instead from other tissues like the liver, which shrank by nearly half. However, because the Ozempic was tested on mice, researchers emphasise that more research is needed to determine whether similar changes to organ size occur in humans and whether those changes come with any risks. 'Loss of mass in metabolically active organs, such as the liver, is expected as part of healthy weight loss,' said Dr Ran Hee Choi, research instructor in nutrition and integrative physiology at the University of Utah college of health, and co-first author on the study. In both mice and humans, weight gain and loss can affect the size of organs like the liver without affecting their function. 'It's unlikely that the observed lean mass loss represents a serious adverse effect,' added Dr Takuya Karasawa, another co-first author on the study. Researchers found some skeletal muscles did shrink by about 6 per cent as the mice lost weight, but not enough to explain the overall muscle loss. However, when someone gains fat, they also tend to gain skeletal muscle. Study authors explain this is because the body needs to work harder to move around. As a result, losing extra fat can lead to a loss of muscle, which will not affect the person's overall quality of life. Researchers also tested the amount of force the mice's muscles exerted and found that some muscle strength decreased as the mice lost weight, even when the size of the muscle stayed roughly the same. This potential loss of strength when taking Ozempic could be a particular concern for adults over the age of 60 who are at a higher risk of muscle loss and reduced mobility. 'The loss of physical function is a strong predictor of not just quality of life but longevity,' added Dr Katsu Funai, professor of nutrition at the University of Utah and the senior author on the study. Dr Funai concluded that further clinical trials of weight loss jabs should check for changes in muscle strength. A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, said: 'In clinical trial for Wegovy or Ozempic we did not specifically study the medicine's impact on muscle mass. In a sub-study of 140 patients with a BMI of 40 or less, analysis suggested that treatment with Wegovy was accompanied by reductions in both fat and lean body mass, with a greater reduction in fat mass than lean body mass. 'We recommend that any patients experiencing side effects while taking Wegovy or Ozempic contact their healthcare provider.'
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
New research changes what we know about dinosaur predators
A comprehensive new analysis of 18 dinosaur species has revealed that several of the giant prehistoric predators had weaker bites than previously assumed. Researchers, including those from the University of Bristol, found that Tyrannosaurus rex had skulls optimised for powerful, crushing bites, similar to modern crocodiles. In contrast, others such as spinosaurus and allosaurs possessed weaker bites, better suited for slashing and ripping flesh, akin to a Komodo dragon. The study, published in Current Biology, used 3D X-ray scanning technology to analyse skull mechanics and quantify bite strength across the species. This biomechanical diversity indicates that giant carnivorous dinosaurs followed different evolutionary paths, leading to a wider range of feeding strategies than often thought.
