Latest news with #UniversityOfLincoln
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
University of Lincoln finds tortoises have human-like feelings
Tortoises can feel human emotions, like optimism and positivity, a University of Lincoln study has found. Tests have shown red-footed tortoises experience long-term moods, similar to those of mammals and new findings could help shape how animals are cared for in captivity, according to a university spokesperson. Prof Oliver Burnman, who studies animal behaviour and welfare, said the results "represent a significant shift in our understanding of what reptiles experience". A team of researchers studied 15 red-footed tortoises - chelonoidis carbonaria - using a cognitive bias test, commonly used on mammals and assessed how they reacted to ambiguous situations, analysing how they felt and found tortoises living in "enriched environments" were more optimistic and positive. The experts also conducted anxiety-related tests, which involved exposing the tortoises to new objects and unfamiliar that displayed more optimistic decision-making in the cognitive bias test had less anxious behaviour, results found.A University of Lincoln spokesperson said it was the first clear evidence that animals can experience long-term mood states. The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 states animals have the capacity to feel things, which shapes how the law protects Anna Wilkinson, whose expertise is in animal cognition at the university, said: "Animal welfare concerns are reliant upon evidence that a given species has the capacity to experience affective states. "With reptiles becoming increasingly common as pets, it is essential for us to study their moods and emotions to try to understand how captivity may impact them." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Click here to download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and here to download the BBC News app from Google Play for Android devices.
Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Bricks and Disorder: the housemates who became unlikely DIY stars
O la Soyemi and Cullen Farleigh bought a tumbledown house together just as the country went into Covid lockdown. However, unlike many 25-year-olds stepping on to the property ladder, Soyemi and Farleigh were not in a relationship. 'It made sense for me and Ola to buy because we had the same job and same income,' Farleigh says. 'We were working together every day as part of our old job [in creative advertising, which they also studied together at the University of Lincoln], we were a duo, and we have been since university. We worked out that we'd actually spent more time together than most married couples. So the trust was there.' Soyemi and Farleigh had been working together for five years after graduating before deciding to take the plunge. After viewing about ten houses, they put in an offer on a three-bedroom property in east London for £452,000 and moved in in March 2020. They each put in half the £45,000 deposit, and the £1,290-a-month mortgage payments are split equally.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- BBC News
Driver admits killing woman near Lincoln pedestrian crossing
A driver has been warned he faces prison after admitting killing a woman near a pedestrian crossing in Islam, 32, cried in the dock at Lincoln Crown Court as he pleaded guilty to causing the death of Maria Cristina Cherino Munoz by dangerous Munoz, 55, died a week after being hit the car on Carholme Road on 13 of Lindum Avenue, Lincoln, was bailed and will be sentenced on 27 August. The Crown Prosecution Service asked for sentencing to be adjourned for victim impact statements to be taken from the family of Ms Munoz who were present in court heard Islam was a father-of-two with no previous James House KC agreed to a defence request for a pre-sentence report on Islam but warned him that prison was the likely outcome."A custodial sentence is the overwhelming outcome in cases of this nature," Judge House said. Ms Munoz worked as Associate Professor and Programme Leader in the University of Lincoln's language and International Business School before joining the staff at Lincoln County family has described her as a "hugely positive person who always put others before herself".Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New £8.6m Campus for Future Living opens in Mablethorpe
An £8.6m campus has opened in Mablethorpe for researchers and businesses working in the health site, known as the Campus for Future Living, includes laboratories, lecture halls and accommodation to support the development of medical technology and provide training for carers and William Gray, from East Lindsey District Council (ELDC), said: "It has been several years in the making and its a flagship development. We're hoping it will make a real difference to people living here and the surrounding area."The council also said it hoped the development would create and support jobs. According to ELDC, the campus is part of a vision to bring professionals and the community together to understand local health is strongly linked to the medical school at the University of Lincoln, which opened in 2019 as well as the University of council said the site would provide a permanent base for researchers, education and wellbeing campus will be operated by Acis Group, a charity supporting communities through housing, skills and education, across Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, North Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Lincolnshire dental school to train hygienists and nurses
A training centre in Lincolnshire offering courses in dental hygiene and therapy will open in University of Lincoln has been granted funding of £1.5m to establish the facility. Vice chancellor Prof Neal Juster said it was "a first step towards training dentists themselves".The funding has been approved by the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA), with Mayor Andrea Jenkyns saying the award was "great news for residents". Prof Juster said the county was "known as a dental desert" and he hoped to get to a full dental school training dentists one it opens in September 2026 the new Lincolnshire Institute of Dental and Oral Health will be part of the University's Medical will accept around 30 students in its first year and will teach a new BSc in Dental Hygiene and Therapy alongside a foundation course designed to help dental nurses and other healthcare professionals retrain and upskill. The funding has come from the government's Shared Prosperity Fund which was handed to the GLCCA to for the first time since last month's local elections and chaired by Mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns, it voted unanimously to award the Andrea said she recommended the funding was approved and was "really pleased to get this project off the ground".At the same meeting councillor Ingrid Sheard was voted in as deputy greater Lincolnshire is an elected Lincolnshire County Council member for Spalding Elloe for the Reform UK party. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
