NTU News

Professor Dawn Scott and Dr Jonathan Fletcher discuss their new study, which suggests that food from people – directly or indirectly – accounts for more than a third of urban fox diet. 🦊 🦊 🦊 Foxes are omnivorous; naturally consuming prey such as small mammals, birds, and invertebrates, whilst also eating fruit and carrion (dead animals). They can exploit urban areas due to the abundance and accessibility of food, including discarded food waste or that which is intentionally left out for wildlife, such as meal leftovers, pet food and bird food. The researchers say that more needs to be done to understand the potential health impact on foxes, particularly in urban areas, as they eat more human-derived food and less natural food. The study was led from Nottingham Trent University's School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences. #Foxes #Wildlife #Ecology #Nature #NTUResearch Dawn Scott NTU Research

Changes to speech and language can help detect Alzheimer’s early - here are five things to look out for, by Sarah Curtis of Nottingham Trent University #Linguistics #NTUResearch https://lnkd.in/exQ5-VrA

Nottingham Trent University academics wrote 150 articles for The Conversation UK during our most recent membership year, amassing an incredible 4.6m views. 👏 👏 👏 The Conversation is an independent source of news analysis and informed comment written by academic experts, who work with the NTU press office and Conversation editors to share their knowledge with the world. The most-read NTU piece from the last year was by Dr Jacqueline Boyd - an animal scientist in the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences - who explored the science behind bed-sharing with pets. The piece, below, has almost a quarter of a million views. Thank you to all our colleagues who have written for The Conversation 🙌 NTU Research https://lnkd.in/gjDFPMZT

The White House press pool became a way to control journalists – Trump is taking this to new levels, by Dr Colin Alexander, an expert in political communications at Nottingham Trent University #Politics #Propaganda #NTUResearch https://lnkd.in/eGXCPt6y

Stargazers marvel at 'Blood Moon', rare total lunar eclipse - with expert comment from Dr Daniel Brown of Nottingham Trent University #Science #Astronomy #BloodMood #NTUResearch https://lnkd.in/exAvF2WZ

It was great to welcome BBC Director-General, Tim Davie, to NTU last night - his second visit in a year after the BBC Election Debate last summer.

Any parent or carer of young children will be familiar with the bedtime battle. But how important is a consistent bedtime and the right amount of sleep for 6-12 year olds? This World Sleep Day, researcher Professor John A Groeger from the School of Social Sciences at NTU and Sleep Well Science explains the three key factors which impact on childhood sleep ⏱️ 🎉 📱 #WorldSleepDay #Sleep #ChildhoodSleep #Psychology #NTUResearch

Large, undisturbed forests are better for harbouring biodiversity than fragmented landscapes, according to new research published in Nature. Ecologists agree that habitat loss and the fragmentation of forests reduces biodiversity in the remaining fragments. They do not agree, however, on whether it's better to focus on preserving many smaller, fragmented tracts of land, or larger, continuous landscapes. The study, led by the University of Michigan and involving Nottingham Trent University, comes to a conclusion on the decades-long debate. “This puts an end to a long-lasting theoretical debate with strong practical consequences for conservation,” - Dr Felipe Melo, Associate Professor in Ecological Restoration in NTU’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences. NTU Research #Conservation #Ecology #Biodiversity #Nature #NTUResearch https://lnkd.in/eehmJwaQ 📸 Adriano Gambarini

BBC Newsround has featured the new Nottingham Trent University-led study which revealed how a third of urban fox diet could be linked to humans. The study showed that human food made up 16% of urban fox diet, while pet food accounted for 19%. This compared to just 2.5% human food and 3.5% pet food for rural foxes. Animal and Plant Health Agency University of Glasgow University of Brighton NTU Research #Wildlife #Foxes #Nature #NTUResearch https://lnkd.in/eAt7C3Ff

Increases in wage contributions aimed at funding health and social care will put additional financial pressure on the very charities that are vital in delivering health and wellbeing services. The latest VCSE Observatory barometer questioned 665 voluntary organisations on their financial outlook and the impact of upcoming rises in the National Living Wage and Employer’s National Insurance Contributions. Around half anticipated negative impacts, with many planning to cut staff, increase redundancies, rely more on volunteers, raise service prices, reduce free services, or scale back overall offerings. Professor Daniel King, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, said: “The Barometer highlights the ongoing challenges facing the voluntary sector, which is under pressure from all sides. The upcoming costs increase risk, exacerbating long-term issues and potentially leaving a critical gap in community support – support that health and social care services depend on. As some respondents warn, this could be the final blow that pushes many organisations past their breaking point.” 📰 Read more in this piece by Charity Today https://lnkd.in/estE3VUX 🌐 Learn more about the VCSE Barometer: https://lnkd.in/e_z2qYCM #VoluntarySector #Charity #SocialImpact #FundingChallenges #CommunityOrganisations #NTUResearch