How “just putting one foot in front of the other” exploded onto the scene in 2023

Holly Millard on 31 December 2023

At the end of 2023, one of the big winners was running. It felt like everyone was doing it. Your walks to campus were filled with people on a run, and why not?

As a student, running appears to be the perfect solution. Getting out and about in the winter is hard, especially when we’re getting to and from university in the dark. Therefore, running on the weekend is a perfect way to spend some time outside, away from the laptop screens.  It’s not just on the streets of Leeds that people are running, it’s on social media too. From those running 5ks to the ones training for half marathons, it is fair to say running has just as much a presence online as on the tracks. The evolution of “RunTok” has opened the world up to the wonders of running. The majority are starting as beginners and showing just how accessible a run can be. RunTok also normalises the realities of running and is a perfect place to start before you even lace up the trainers.  

Why has running become so popular? Partly because of RunTok and partly because of its benefits. It improves mental health, and fills the long summer days. It’s a perfect opportunity to meet a range of people, which as a student can be a daunting task. Running is a global community, for sure, but it is also a great way to meet new people in the city. Around Leeds there are many running routes and loads of running communities; think the canal and the city’s parks. Of course, one of the largest benefits of running is the physical fitness, but there is so much more to it. 

There’s a certain consensus that to be a good runner, you need all the gear. The most fancy, colourful running shoes, shorts and tops. There’s so much out there it can be overwhelming. So here is my guide for running outside in the Winter:

  • A pair of gloves-  to keep your hands warm!
  • Layers or thermals- running in the winter is no joke, so having some layers is a nice place to start. 
  • A goal for the end of the run– whether it’s a sweet treat or a hot chocolate. It doesn’t have to be a PB.  
  • Run at a gym- If it is just too cold outside, you can always run inside.  

There is also a need to be careful, especially if running in the dark. Try to stay on well lit paths as much as possible and run in groups. There are a few running groups across Leeds such as Hyde Park and Harriers, and in the last few months, These Girls Run has popped up in Leeds. These Girls Run is a women’s only run club with two runs a week, and like the other clubs, it caters for beginners too. More information can be found on their retrospective websites below.

Where to start?

There are many types of running: road, track, trail and treadmill. Whilst the idea of going outside in the cold isn’t exactly at the top of everybody’s wish list, Park Runs are a great place to start. They represent a range of different abilities and have a really good atmosphere. 

The closest one to the university campus is at Woodhouse Moor. They meet at 9am on Saturdays. It has been said that you never regret a run,  so why not give Park Run a try! If you scan the barcode you can set up on the website, and there you’ll get accurate times to help track your progress. Park Runs are dotted across the UK and are a free, wholesome way to start your weekend. 

With the dark nights, and intense deadlines of university, running can be just the thing to help you balance your hectic student life. It doesn’t have to be a massive commitment. You don’t have to race, and you don’t have to have an insane training schedule. You can run for two minutes or twenty, it really doesn’t matter. Maybe that’s why it’s proven to be so popular in 2023, and why that looks set to continue in 2024.

More Information:

Hyde Park Harriers: https://www.hydeparkharriers.co.uk/

These Girls Run: https://www.thesegirlsrun.co.uk/

Park Run: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/

Are We Getting Dumber?

Rosie Bibby on 23 December 2023

After millions of years of evolution has bought the human race a brain size of 1600cc compared to that of a chimpanzee at 350cc. However, a recent press release has found a plethora of evidence to suggest human brain size is decreasing; resulting in lower IQs alongside mental health.

Our large brain is substantial but not compared to the 1700cc of a dolphin brain. These differences mostly arise due the nutrients we consume. Professor Micheal Crawford, the director of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition UK, claims omega-3 DHA, derived from algae, is they key fatty acid that stimulates our brains to express genes. He says this was the factor that “would have powered the increase in brain size and function.” In fact, dolphins are consuming considerably more omega-3 DHA than the average 21st century human.

Omega-3 DHL can be acquired from seafood including mussels, crabs, oysters and fish. The modern human consumes less of these than ever due to the shift in diet away from fats and towards carbohydrates and sugar. This arose from the misconception that it was the fat in our diets causing physical conditions such as heart disease, although evidence now suggests sugar is the biggest factor. The lack of seafood in our diets has led to “increased rates of depression, autism, ADHD and dementia” from lower omega-3 DHL intake; claims the CEO of the charity FoodfortheBrain, Patrick Holford.

Furthermore, Holford recommends if you are following a plant-based diet you “must supplement omega-3 DHL, derived from algae”. Getting a blood test to check your levels can help identify if you are taking the right amount of omega-3. This can be carried out via Food for the Brain’s pin prick test that can be delivered to your door!

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, brain expert Professor Stephan Cunnane suggests a “shore-based diet” including “frogs, bird’s eggs and aquatic plants” are the best way to increase your brain power.

Professor Crawford also highlights that during pregnancy, a diet poor in omega-3 can lead to the child having learning and emotional problems from the lower IQ. This arises from how the body produces a substitute fat, called oleic acid, to fill the baby’s brain in the absence of omega-3 DHL.

In the past couple of decades it has been measured that IQ scores are falling. This follows the long-term study by Norwegian researchers, analysing the IQ scores of Norwegian men born from 1962-1991.  They found that their scores had been steadily dropping. Ole Rogeberg, head of the research group states “similar studies in Denmark, Britain, France and the Netherlands, Finland and Estonia have demonstrated a similar downward Trent in IQ scores”.  Since the shift in diet to carbohydrates and fatty acids, IQ scores have been on a downward trend at a 7% loss per generation.

The consequences of a lower IQ score and brain size is not only related to intelligence but has been found to increase the risk of developing a mental health condition. A report from the World Health Organisation (WHO), found mental health conditions has risen by 13% and now one in earth people suffer from some form of mental illness. This corresponds with how there were over 100 million antidepressant prescriptions last year, in the UK alone.

“Our genome is adapted to eating the wild foods we ate during our species’ evolution” according to Crawford. So, before you chow down on your plate of chips or bowl of cornflakes, consider the effects these foods will have on your brain. Perhaps a meal containing more aquatic plants or fish will help you finish your assignment, so you can get to the pub sooner!

Reducing Honeybee Stress in the Winter

Rosie Bibby on 23 December 2023

The art of beekeeping dates back to the Egyptians, where they kept honeybee colonies in pottery. It has evolved far from this through revolutionary science and innovation. However, new research suggests there is a common misconception about colonies and their hives that could be putting them at risk.

Image from a temple dated 2400BC evidencing beekeeping (ancient-origins.net)

The misconception is that honeybees (Apis mellifera), huddle together in the hive when under cold temperatures to insulate the colony. In light of this, hives have been built with walls only 19mm thick compared to tree hollows, where natural nests are formed, that can be as thick as 150mm. Previous research found manufactured hives to have up to seven times more heat loss than those found in nature.

New findings from University of Leeds PhD student Derek Mitchell, propose that the bees are being subjected to thermal stress due to the poor insulation of manufactured hives. This evidence comes from studies on the clustering behaviour of bees and observing how heat interacts within the hive. The huddle of bees consists of an inner layer, called the cluster core, and the outer layer, known as the cluster mantle.

Using his background in mechanical engineering, Mr Mitchell discovered that the cluster mantle is acting more like a heat sink than an insulation mechanism. As “the cluster mantle does not meet any (of) the four insulation criteria identified and meets all three heat sink criteria”. This is because, as the bees on the outside of the cluster become cold, they migrate towards the centre and the warmth of the bees that can still produce heat. Consequently, thermal conductivity increases, leading to heat loss as heat moves out from the center of the huddle outwards. There is a complex relationship between the colony and thermo-fluids including heat, radiation, air and water vapour; this needs to be better understood to enable the proper care for domestic honeybees.

Therefore, it was concluded that the clustering behaviour is not a clever insulation mechanism from the colony but a survival reaction to the extreme cold. Mitchell described that “clustering is not a wrapping of a thick blanket to keep warm – but more like a desperate struggle to crowd closer to the fire or otherwise die”. Other survival techniques in bees include eating their own young. Behaviour such as this would want to be avoided as it can damage the colony and reduce the honey yield for the beekeeper. The inadequacy of man-made hives has lead to this behaviour amongst domesticated bees, therefore, efforts need to be made to increase the insulation efficiency of manufactured hives.

Image of hives in a cold landscape (Scott Hall)

This research aims to contribute towards the debate on the ethical treatment of honeybees. With Mitchell aspiring to “raise awareness of the welfare issues and to help educate beekeepers about the complex interaction of the colony enclosure and thermo-fluids”.  When buying honey, you can make more ethical choices based on how the honey has been produced.

Removing honey from the hive on a regular basis can lead to bee population decline. This anthropogenic focused, profit driven method of beekeeping is damaging to honeybees. When buying honey, smaller scale, bee focused companies are recommended for a more ethical choice. A bee centred approach includes more natural and balanced beekeeping which isn’t as stressful on the population.

There is an issue with certifying UK honey as ‘organic’ because it is uncertain whether the bees are visiting only organically grown flowers. Locally sourced honey can be a better choice if you are willing to contact the beekeeper about their practices. The website ‘Ethical Consumer’ contains a list of ethically approved honey brands that can help you make bee-friendly choices if you wish to include honey in your diet. The research paper entitled ‘Honeybee cluster – not insulation but stressful heat sink’ can be found online here.

“Triple Star” Discovery Could Revolutionise Understanding of Stellar Evolution

Zoe Parker on 23 December 2023

Although star formation may be seen as trivial for stars like our sun, some types are more elusive than others. Massive Be type stars are one such example often found in binary systems, where two stars obit each other. “The best point of reference for that is if you’ve watched Star Wars, there are planets where they have two Suns” explains Johnathan Dodd, PhD student and collaborator on the research. However, not much is known about their formation.

A recent discovery was made by Professor René Oudmaijer, PhD student Johnathan Dodd along with PhD student Isaac Radley from the University of Leeds’ School of Physics and Astronomy and two former Leeds academics Dr Miguel Vioque of the ALMA Observatory in Chile and Dr Abigail Frost at the European Southern Observatory in Chile. It suggests that these stars may also exist in triplet systems (where there are three stars orbiting each other), as well as double. This may help to reveal the long-awaited mystery of their formation since their identification via their emission lines in 1866 by Angelo Secchi.

The “triple star” discovery by Professor Oudmaijer and his team was made by using European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite and could cause ripples of excitement in the astrophysics community. It may also aid our understanding of neutron stars, gravitational waves, and black holes.

Principal Investigator Professor Oudmaijer said “there’s a revolution going on in physics at the moment around gravitational waves. We have only been observing these gravitational waves for a few years now, and these have been found to be due to merging black holes.”  

“We know that these enigmatic objects – black holes and neutron stars – exist, but we don’t know much about the stars that would become them. Our findings provide a clue to understanding these gravitational wave sources.” 

He added that “over the last decade or so, astronomers have found that binarity is an incredibly important element in stellar evolution. We are now moving more towards the idea it is even more complex than that and that triple stars need to be considered.” 

“Indeed,” Oudmaijer said, “triples have become the new binaries”.

Video Credit: ESO/L. Calçada eso.org/public/archives/videos/hd_and_apple/eso2204b.m4v (Artist’s animation of what the system could look like)
New research using data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope and Very Large Telescope Interferometer has revealed that HR 6819, previously believed to be a triple system with a black hole, is in fact a system of two stars with no black hole. The scientists, a KU Leuven-ESO team, believe they have observed this binary system in a brief moment after one of the stars sucked the atmosphere off its companion, a phenomenon often referred to as “stellar vampirism”. This animation shows what the system might look like; it’s composed of an oblate star with a disc around it (a Be “vampire” star; foreground) and B-type star that has been stripped of its atmosphere (background).

Their research involved looking for further away secondary stars within various data sets to build a picture that at larger separations the number of companions stars is comparable between Herbig Be and B type stars.

“We observed the way the stars move across the night sky, over longer periods like 10 years, and shorter periods of around six months. If a star moves in a straight line, we know there’s just one star, but if there is more than one, we will see a slight wobble or, in the best case, a spiral.” Mr Dodd explained.

The two types of stars they were most interested in are B and Be; the former displays hydrogen emission lines and the latter are main sequence non-supergiant stars that have Balmer series emission lines.

“We applied this across the two groups of stars that we are looking at – the B stars and the Be stars – and what we found, confusingly, is that at first it looks like the Be stars have a lower rate of companions than the B stars. This is interesting because we’d expect them to have a higher rate” Mr Dodd added.

In a large proportion of the sample analysed had the inference that a third body was influencing the system, resulting in the Be star having a reduced distance from its companion. This causes mass transfer from the two stars as the Be star ‘sucks’ matter from the other. It’s been dubbed a “vampire” Be star and this behaviour forms the characteristic disc around the Be star.

Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser/S.E. de Mink (Artist’s impression of a vampire star and its victim | ESO)
Artist’s impression of a vampire star (left) stealing material from its victim: New research using data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope has revealed that the hottest and brightest stars, which are known as O stars, are often found in close pairs. Many of such binaries will at some point transfer mass from one star to another, a kind of stellar vampirism depicted in this artist’s impression.

A reason as to why the companion is hard to spot could be due to them being obscured by the disc and reduced so much by the Be star making them very small and faint.

Professor Oudmaijer said “the fact that we do not see them might be because they are now too faint to be detected.”

This breakthrough has opened up another area of exciting research.

Their paper entitled “Gaia uncovers difference in B and Be star binarity at small scales: evidence for mass transfer causing the Be phenomenon” was published on the 21st November and can be found here.

Mother arrested on suspicion of murder after death of baby in Woodhouse Moor

Josh Elgin on 21 December 2023

A mother has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a baby died yesterday evening in Woodhouse Moor in Hyde Park.

Police arrived at the park at 5:44pm after the mother had called the emergency services.

The five-month-old girl was taken to hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead a short time later.

In a statement, a spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said:

“At 5.44pm yesterday a woman contacted police reporting a baby in a serious condition in an area of Woodhouse Moor park at the junction of Clarendon Road and Moorland Road in Leeds.  

“The woman, who is the child’s mother, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.  

“A scene was put in place for forensic examination and detectives from West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are leading the investigation.  

“Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle said: “The death of a child in these circumstances is clearly a very tragic incident and we are carrying out enquiries to get a complete picture of what has occurred.  

“We would like to hear from anyone who was in the park around this time and who witnessed anything or who has any information that could assist the investigation.”  

“Anyone with information is asked to contact the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team quoting reference 13230701073 or online at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat“

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Behind the scenes at COP28: Leeds student reflects on experience as delegate at climate talks

Josh Elgin on 19 December 2023

World leaders have reached a new agreement to tackle climate change in Dubai. COP28, the 28th annual United Nations (UN) climate meeting, brought nations from around the world together to figure out how to deal with the effects of climate change.

The event, which this year was hosted by United Arab Emirates (UAE), took place over two weeks, concluding on December 13.

The University of Leeds, which was an official observer of the event, sent nine delegates including – for the first time – an undergraduate student. 

Vaibhav Pramode Nair, who is only 20-years-old, studies Sustainability and Environmental Management at the School of Earth and Environment and was given rare access to the event. He tells The Gryphon why he went and what he saw at the largest climate summit in the world.

How did you get to attend the conference?

I built relationships within the University of Leeds Priestley Centre for Climate Futures and out of curiosity expressed my interest in wanting to help. I then spoke to the School of Politics and International Studies and told them I live in UAE anyway.

So I pitched the idea and there was a back and forth with emails and we established what I wanted to do at COP28 and met in the middle in terms of what the Priestley Centre was looking for. 

Participants onstage during the Closing Plenary at the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 at Expo City Dubai on December 13, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by COP28 / Anthony Fleyhan)

Why did you want to go? What priorities did you have going in?

I had lots of things I wanted to focus on! It was a big privilege to be the first undergraduate ever from the University of Leeds to attend. 

I am a big advocate for soil and part of a global movement called Save Soil so my number one priority was to go and engage with soil policy and ensure soil was on the cover text. 

My second priority was youth engagement. How do we get young people from Leeds specifically on board with the COP process and understand there’s a formal way to impact positive climate action? Civil society – campaign groups like Just Stop Oil and Greenpeace – is one part of it but I think students tend to think that’s the only way to impact climate action. There’s a huge demand to bring about climate action but little knowledge there’s a formal way to sit at the negotiation tables and speak to bring about change. So I wanted to go to COP and bring back that experience to the community in Leeds.

My third priority was on following the advancements in terms of the finance front. A big question going into the conference was how do we ensure that climate action is adequately financed and countries pay up?

Can you conceptualise the conference for me, what does it actually look like inside? The University of Leeds is an official observer, what access does that status give you?

At COP there are two zones. The green zone is open to the public and is usually free to enter. In this zone companies set up stalls showcasing their sustainability initiatives. It’s like a trade fare. 

The blue zone is where the real stuff happens. It’s where all the delegates, ministers and heads of state gather for negotiations. We had access to the blue zone, and whilst there are a few sessions that are exclusive to heads of state or environment ministers, we could get into most rooms and observe most meetings. 

EXPO City Dubai is huge! It’s 15,000 daily steps easy without trying too hard.

What did the University of Leeds delegates do whilst you were there?

The University of Leeds mostly sends scientists and researchers who have their own priorities and will follow the negotiations and speak at some events. 

We had nine people go as part of an in-person delegation and another 15 attending online. We didn’t have a stand but each of us had our own issues that we focused on and charted our own schedule. For me, it was youth empowerment and soil so I attended relevant negotiations and events for these topics.

Going in there was some scepticism about the United Arab Emirates hosting the event. It’s a nation that is very dependent on the riches of carbon. Can you give me an idea of the national debate going on within the country at the moment? Is climate action a serious priority or are there still, understandably, concerns about the potential economic impact of changing the status quo?

Post-COP28, if you ask most people around the world, this conference has been a success. Initially, when we entered we thought it would be a finance COP about how we can mobilise finance to support climate initiatives but that was barely seen in the end.

It instead became a fossil fuel COP and the cover text sends a clear message about the desire to move on from fossil fuels. There were also other key outcomes such as the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture which put food high on the climate agenda.

Within the UAE there is a celebratory mood. The feeling is that COP28 has created a positive momentum, with the UAE presidency pulling off a successful event and putting out a cover text that is implementable, though of course there is a lot of work to be done and there are sceptics. 

I would say that Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber (the COP28 president) has silenced his critics because he has come out with a pretty concrete outcome.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 at Expo City Dubai on December 1, 2023 / Photograph: COP28

In the text agreement the word ‘soil’ was not mentioned. What are your thoughts about that? 

Soil is seen as a victim of climate change when it should be seen as a solution and an adaptation of climate change. When we talk about climate, we don’t think of soil, which is the largest terrestrial carbon sink on the planet.

I hope at COP29 we see the declaration taking up the issue of soil seriously. Whilst it’s not on the cover text, I am really happy about the sheer volume of people gravitating towards food systems and agriculture. Never before at a COP has this topic been covered in such depth so I am really glad to see that. 

When you come back to Leeds what is the next step?

We just had a post-conference delegation meeting and spoke about our key takeaways. We will all be writing individual reports about our experience, what we can do better and what the COP29 delegation should be looking out for. I will also be going forward and engaging with young people in Leeds on the COP process. We have some exciting initiatives coming up on how students can engage in the formal process of COP and get their voices heard. 

The United Kingdom hosted COP26 two years ago and was at the forefront of tackling the climate crisis. However, with Rishi Sunak delaying and cancelling green policies such as the ban on petrol and diesel cars do you think the UK is still a global leader? 

I saw first-hand the work that the UK is doing and the work British universities are doing and it is simply phenomenal. The current government might not be up to speed with climate action but it doesn’t give me a reason for discontent because of what I saw at COP28. All the British universities and the UK delegation itself held multiple bilaterals and were very active in negotiations.