Institute delighted as Princess Anne becomes patron
The Princess Royal has become the patron of a science institution following her visit meeting students, patients and NHS staff.
The Quadram Institute at the Norwich Research Park made the announcement on Thursday.
Opened in 2018-19, the institute combines a regional endoscopy centre and training academy, with a clinical research facility and state of the art bioscience laboratories to research gut health, microbiology and food.
Prof Daniel Figeys, Quadram Institute director and chief executive officer, said the new patron had been an "inspiring and active champion for science over many years".
"We are deeply honoured that the Princess Royal will support our institute with her patronage," he said.
In December, Princess Anne toured the research institution where she spoke with more than 60 members of staff and students who were working to address challenges in human health, food and disease.
The institute is a partnership between Quadram Institute Bioscience, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the University of East Anglia and the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Lady Dannatt MBE, the lord lieutenant of Norfolk, said the patronage confirmed Norwich and Norfolk's "growing reputation for scientific innovation and excellence on the world stage".
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Princess Anne officially opens £146m town bridge
Quadram Institute

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Forbes
28 minutes ago
- Forbes
The Internet Is Wrong About The World's ‘Fastest' Snake — A Biologist Explains
Ask Google what the fastest snake in the world is and you'll likely get an answer that looks something like this: The sidewinder rattlesnake is generally considered the fastest snake in the world, reaching speeds of up to 18 mph. The black mamba and the eastern brown snake are also very fast, reaching speeds of 12 mph. This is incorrect, for a reason I'll explain in a minute. Ask ChatGPT the same thing and you'll get a better answer, but still not the correct one: The fastest snake in the world is the black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis). Key Facts: While many snakes are excellent at striking quickly, the black mamba holds the record for sustained land speed. Neither of these answers are correct. But, if I were to put my money on the black mamba or the sidewinder in a hypothetical snake race, I'd wager on the black mamba. Simply put, the kinematics of sidewinding motion are not optimized for speed, as explained in a recent paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Biomechanical research clocks the sidewinder topping out at around 2.2 mph on the ground. Thus, the average person at a normal walking pace would have no issue steering clear of this venomous species. The black mamba is considerably faster, but still would be no match for the world's fastest snake – or, fastest group of snakes, I should say – which rely on a completely different method of locomotion: gliding. There are five species of gliding snakes in the world, all belonging to the genus Chrysopelea. Here's an overview of each. The paradise flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) is a master of aerial locomotion. Native to Southeast Asia, this snake can launch itself from treetops and flatten its body into a wing-like shape, allowing it to 'fly' through the air for distances of up to 100 feet or more. While its ground speed isn't particularly impressive, what makes this snake remarkable is its ability to move faster through the air than any snake can on the ground. Its gliding motion can reach speeds up to 25 mph depending on launch height and body size, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. In addition to flattening its body, the snake enhances its gliding performance by performing lateral undulations in midair, a behavior often described as 'swimming through the air.' The golden flying snake (Chrysopelea ornata) is another skilled glider, though slightly less proficient than its close relative, the paradise flying snake. Found across much of southern Asia, the golden flying snake shares similar flying mechanics: it flattens its ribs and forms a concave shape to create lift. It's often seen leaping from the treetops in search of prey or to escape predators. Studies show it's capable of adjusting its trajectory mid-flight, allowing for agile, controlled movement that rivals the ability of other gliding animals such as gliding squirrels and lizards. In one of the first experimental studies on Chrysopelea gliding, researchers observed a golden flying snake launch from a 135-foot (41-meter) tower, execute a 180-degree turn, and land back on the same structure. The banded flying snake (Chrysopelea pelias) is another forest-dwelling species found across Southeast Asia, from southern Thailand to Java and eastward to Borneo. Like its relatives, it displays remarkable aerial agility, though its gliding performance remains relatively understudied. It typically measures under 3 feet (1 meter) in length. As with all Chrysopelea species, it is a mildly venomous colubrid, using rear fangs to deliver venom that poses little threat to humans – unlike front-fanged species such as the aforementioned black mamba or sidewinder rattlesnake, whose venom is far more potent. Endemic to Sulawesi and the Molucca Islands of Indonesia, the Moluccan flying snake (Chrysopelea rhodopleuron) is one of the lesser-studied members of its genus. However, its anatomy suggests it shares the same gliding adaptations, and anecdotal field reports indicate it is also an adept aerial traveler. Like its relatives, it is likely an active, arboreal, daytime hunter of lizards and other small vertebrates – capable of gliding through the air in pursuit of prey or to evade predators at speeds that would be impossible to achieve on the ground. Evolutionarily, it is one of the oldest members of the genus, with genetic estimates suggesting it diverged from its relatives around 20 million years ago. The Sri Lankan flying snake (Chrysopelea taprobanica) is found only in Sri Lanka and southern India, where it overlaps with its more widespread relative, the golden flying snake. Described in 1943, it is the most recently recognized member of the genus, and little is known about it beyond its distribution. To date, its gliding abilities remain unstudied. Are you an animal lover who owns a pet, perhaps even a pet snake (the non-flying kind)? Take the science-backed Pet Personality Test to know how well you know your little friend.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Urgent call for south London blood donors amid 'slump' after bank holidays
NHS Blood and Transplant is asking South Londoners to help fill a donation shortfall caused by recent bank holidays. There are hundreds of appointments available at Brixton Donor Centre, with 1,000 slots needing to be filled each week to meet demand. The high number of bank holidays, combined with the start of the half-term break, has increased pressure on blood stocks. The NHS is particularly keen to see new and lapsed donors return. Brixton Donor Centre welcomes life-saving donors to South London (Image: NHS) Gerry Gogarty, director of blood supply at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "The need for blood never stops. "We are extremely grateful to everyone who has donated so far this year, but we must act now to avoid falling behind. "To avoid facing a 'spring slump' in donations, we urgently need donors to book an appointment today – and help us fill appointments over the weeks ahead. "If you can't find an appointment straightaway, please book further ahead or keep checking back to help fill last-minute availability or cancellations. "Each donation has the power to save up to three lives." There is a particular need for donors of black heritage to meet the growing need for blood to treat sickle cell, the country's fastest-growing inherited blood disorder, which predominantly affects black communities. Black heritage donors are 10 times more likely than the white population to have the specific Ro blood type used to treat sickle cell patients. Around 1,300 black donors a month are needed to provide life-saving transfusions to sickle cell patients, as well as for use in emergencies, childbirth, during surgery, cancer treatments, and other medical conditions. Brixton Donor Centre, which opened in December 2024, has had 7 per cent of all donations with the in-demand Ro subtype, compared with 2 per cent nationally. South Londoners with O negative, O positive and A positive blood types are also being encouraged to donate, as these blood groups are in high demand. Brixton Blood Donor Centre manager Rexford Osei-Bonsu said: "I'm immensely proud of the thousands of people who have given blood in Brixton, but the holidays have meant that we need more people to come forward. "Giving blood is easy and painless and takes about an hour of your time to make a life-saving difference." Appointments can be made by calling 0300 123 2323 or visiting "We have the capacity to deliver more than 1,000 appointments a week and are happy to work round your availability, whether that's on your way to work, during your lunch break or as you head home."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scientists introduce scalable method to efficiently squeeze hydrogen from seawater
Scientists have introduced a new method that can efficiently squeeze hydrogen from seawater. Developed by researchers at the University of Sharjah, the method offers a clean way to get hydrogen directly from seawater without the need for desalination. The method can be effective for arid coastal microenvironment-engineered, multi-layered electrode resists the corrosion and performance degradation typically caused by chloride ions in traditional seawater electrolysis. In their experiment, researchers successfully extracted hydrogen without removing the mineral salts found in seawater or adding any chemicals. Published in the journal Small, the study utilizes the strategic integration of carbonate (CO₃2⁻) Lewis base sites anchored on a Cobalt layered double hydroxides (Co LDH) embedded within a NiBOx nanostructure supported by a Ni(OH)₂/NF research team revealed that incorporating boron into the Ni-OOH matrix forms a protective metaborate film, preventing metal dissolution and non-conductive oxide formation, thereby enhancing current collector corrosion resistance in saline seawater conditions."We developed a novel, multi-layered electrode that can extract hydrogen directly from seawater efficiently and sustainably. Traditional methods face a host of problems, mainly corrosion and performance degradation caused by chloride ions in seawater," said Dr. Tanveer Ul Haq, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Sharjah and the study's lead author. The custom-built electrode overcomes multiple challenges by creating a protective and reactive microenvironment that boosts performance while resisting researchers' new advanced anode design achieves an industrially viable current density of 1.0 A cm⁻2 at 1.65 V under standard conditions, marking a significant step toward scalable, desalination-free hydrogen production directly from seawater."The CO₃2⁻ Lewis base covalently functionalized on Co-active sites, establishes a dynamic interaction that continuously splits water molecules while sequestering H⁺ ions, generating a localized acidic microenvironment," said researchers in the study."This acidification enhances OER kinetics and protects against chloride attack and precipitate formation, addressing key stability and efficiency barriers in direct seawater electrolysis." By eliminating the need for freshwater and energy-intensive desalination, the technology could enable solar-powered hydrogen farms in arid coastal areas such as those in the UAE, where seawater and sunlight are plentiful but freshwater is scarce. If scaled up properly, the system could make it easier to produce large quantities of 'green hydrogen', produced through electrolysis with using renewable energy, reported Engineering & Technology. Yousef Haik, Professor of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at the University of Sharjah and the study's corresponding author, stated that the new system generates hydrogen at industrially relevant rates—1 ampere per square centimeter—with low energy input. This could revolutionize how we think about hydrogen production in coastal regions, especially in arid countries like the UAE, where freshwater is limited but sunlight and seawater are abundant. The technology's strength lies in the electrode's advanced, multilayered structure, which not only withstands harsh seawater conditions but thrives in them, reported SciTechDaily.