Research news

Shrinking ice warning

Almost half of the vast ice shelves around Antarctica reduced in volume between 1997 and 2021, with a net release of 7.5 trillion tonnes of meltwater into the oceans, a study led by Leeds researchers has found.

Launched by the European Space Agency, the CryoSat-2 satellite enables scientists to map the erosion of ice shelves. They believe human-induced global warming is a key factor in changes to ocean currents and rising sea temperatures, causing the loss.

Research fellow Dr Benjamin Davison said: “We expected most ice shelves to go through cycles of rapid short-lived shrinking, then regrow slowly. Instead, we see almost half are shrinking with no sign of recovery.”

Robots to treat cancer

A tiny robot which can travel deep into the lungs to detect and treat the first signs of cancer has been developed by Leeds researchers.

The ultra-soft tentacle, which measures just 2 millimetres in diameter and is controlled by magnets, can reach some of the smallest bronchial tubes and could transform the treatment of lung cancer. In tests using a cadaver, the researchers found that the magnetic tentacle robot can travel 37 per cent deeper than the standard equipment and leads to less tissue damage.

Developed by engineers, scientists and clinicians based at the University’s Science and Technologies of Robotics in Medicine lab (STORM), the robot paves the way for a more accurate, tailored, and far less invasive approach to treatment.

Alpine trees reveal ancient sun storm

A huge solar storm which caused a sudden spike in the Earth’s radiocarbon levels 14,300 years ago, has been
revealed through the examination of ancient trees found in the French Alps.

The research, in collaboration with partners in France, found raised levels of Carbon-14 in the rings of trees buried beside the Drouzet River in Provence, indicating energetic solar particles hitting the atmosphere.

Were this to happen today, the impact could be catastrophic. Professor of Applied Statistics Tim Heaton said: “Such extreme solar storms could permanently damage the transformers in our electricity grids, resulting in huge and widespread blackouts lasting months.”

The team warns of the need to better understand such storms to protect our global communications and energy infrastructure.

An artist’s illustration of events on the sun changing the conditions in near-Earth space. Credit: NASA

Tackling skin tone bias

Leeds researchers are working with a smartphone company to ensure digital photographs more accurately represent all skin tones. Historically, the calibration of digital photos has been biased towards lighter skin, meaning that people with darker skin can look overexposed or desaturated.

The six-month collaboration between the School of Design, Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour and mobile phone manufacturer TECNO hopes to improve technology to produce more true-to-life portraits.

Those crucial 1,000 days

The formative days of a child’s life, from their conception to their second birthday, can have a huge impact on their future health outcomes. An impoverished environment can affect a baby’s brain development, and poor nutrition can even increase a child’s chances of a stroke or heart attack later on in life.

But a new research project aims to improve the development and life chances of children born into some of the most disadvantaged communities in Leeds.

Launched with a donation from alumni Duncan (Law 1990) and Jaynie Ford (Geophysical Sciences 1991), My First 1,000 Days draws on a range of disciplines to understand a child’s early development needs – and will create practical measures to overcome deep-seated inequalities.

The University is working with local NHS and community partners to create a programme of practical interventions for primary caregivers and their 0–2-year-olds, which in turn could be rolled out nationwide.

For more information, visit: www.myfirst1000days.co.uk

Metals in the sky

Metal particles from satellites and rocket boosters have been found miles above the earth’s surface. The metals, vaporised by the heat of re-entry, are in the stratosphere, a layer of the atmosphere that moderates Earth’s climate and is home to the protective ozone layer.

The discovery comes from data collected by a high-altitude research plane over the Arctic during a mission by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Chemical Science Laboratory.

John Plane, Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry, who helped to analyse the results, said: “There are plans for a huge increase in satellite launches, so the injection of space debris into the atmosphere will increase markedly over the next decade,” he said. “Research is needed to understand how these metals may impact the stratosphere and hence climate.”

Why chocolate tastes so good

Scientists have decoded the physical process taking place in the mouth as we eat chocolate, to understand why many people find it irresistible.

Working alongside colleagues from Mechanical Engineering, researchers from the School of Food Science and Nutrition found that fats in the chocolate’s surface play a key function in creating a distinct and pleasurable sensation on the tongue.

Fat deeper in the chocolate plays a more limited role – and the researchers think it could be reduced without negatively impacting the experience. The team hope it will pave the way for luxury chocolate which has the same feel and texture but is healthier to consume.

Disused coal mines could power our green future

The abandoned collieries of West Yorkshire could play a key role in powering Leeds’s low-carbon future.

Scientists at the University’s Geosolutions Research Centre believe the labyrinth of flooded mines around the region could be harnessed to heat our homes and water. Sandra Piazolo, Professor in Structural Geology and Tectonics, said: “These old mines are full of water at up to 70 degrees centigrade. This could be extracted and used directly for heating, or to heat clean water.” Similarly, clean water could be pumped from the surface to be warmed deep underground.

Yorkshire’s biggest power station offers an example of how such warmed-up water might be used: “At Drax they’ve used waste water to heat greenhouses for many years. By using sub-surface water to warm public buildings or create a heat network, we’d be putting the legacy of these pit communities to a really positive use.”

A diagram outlining how geothermal systems could contribute to becoming carbon neutral

Experts in the Geosolutions Research Centre explore how to use geology to move towards a low-carbon future. Together, they apply their expertise to a range of potential solutions.

The Geosolutions Research Centre brings together experts from a wide range of disciplines to explore how to use geology to move towards a low-carbon future. Together, they apply their expertise to a range of potential solutions – as well as refining existing technologies. “In many places you might have experts on one technology, but our centre focusses on an integrated approach, combining expertise from the earth sciences, climate and engineering.”

The sub-surface offers vast storage capacity – whether for waste from nuclear power plants, CO2 or the hydrogen needed for fuel cells and heating. It could also store electricity, as Sandra explains: “Wind and solar power produce energy which is unrelated to demand, so we could use this to heat water or compress air, and store it underground until it’s needed, essentially using the earth as a battery.” Sandra added: “Similarly, the energy produced by large data centres could be stored underground.”

Because of the energy needed to make them, offshore wind farms must operate for 25 years until they become carbon neutral. “Enabling them to reach that point more quickly requires engineers to provide the science behind more effective turbines, oceanographers and climatologists to better understand the currents and storm surges they will face.”

The centre also draws on the expertise of social scientists and economists to help ensure its solutions become reality. “You can have the best idea, but if you don’t have the ears of the MPs and agencies it doesn’t matter,” says Sandra. “Policy, public engagement and business models are incredibly important.”

And by working with local business, partners from the city council – and exploring the geothermal potential beneath the University – Sandra hopes that ideas and innovative solutions developed on campus could help Leeds and the UK achieve its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030.