Southern African Large Telescope gears up for exoplanet hunting with Heriot-Watt Astrocomb

Southern African Large Telescope gears up for exoplanet hunting with Heriot-Watt Astrocomb

Heriot-Watt University is helping the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) embark on finding new planets outside of our solar system. The SALT team has installed a Heriot-Watt-designed laser frequency comb (LFC), also known as an astrocomb. The astrocomb will help astronomers explore distant planetary systems by complementing SALT’s high-resolution spectrograph,…

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Heriot-Watt scientists to join expedition investigating 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami

Two scientists from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh have won coveted spots on an international research cruise to investigate the causes of the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. Dr Amy Gough and Dr Uisdean Nicholson, both sedimentologists, will join the International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition (IODP) 405 in…

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Heriot-Watt laser technology will boost new net-zero manufacturing hub

Heriot-Watt scientists are part of a £13 million project funded by the UKRI Engineering Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to advance sustainable manufacturing.  Heriot-Watt’s Ultrafast Optics Group will receive £1 million through the new Future Advanced Metrology Hub for Sustainable Manufacturing, led by the University of Huddersfield.  The hub will…

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Breakthrough could bring stars and planets into focus

Astronomers have gazed at the stars for centuries, but a breakthrough from physicists at Heriot-Watt University and the University of Cambridge could transform their view of starlight, and what it tells us about the universe. The Heriot-Watt and Cambridge scientists developed a powerful new tool to help astronomers find the…

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Swallowable sensors could pinpoint gut movement problems for patients

Scientists have developed an ingestible capsule dotted with sensors that can detect pressure in a patient’s guts and detect points of failure. The ingestible system will give colorectal medical teams an unprecedented understanding of the movement of a patient’s digestive tract, or lack thereof. Instead of simply taking images of…

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Fingerprinting gin could help improve flavours and detect fakes

Chemists at Heriot-Watt have trialled a new technique that takes a chemical fingerprint of gin in just seconds. Dr Ruaraidh McIntosh, Dr Dave Ellis and PhD student Kacper Krakowiak from Heriot-Watt worked with Professor Dušan Uhrín from the University of Edinburgh on the project. The team says their technique could…

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Extinct Great Auk helps scientists with seabirds’ daily calorie calculations

The Great Auk, a flightless seabird found in the North Atlantic, was hunted to extinction in 1884. But now the bird is helping scientists calculate how many calories each species of seabird needs at different times of year. It comes as half of UK seabirds are in decline, and much…

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Innovations to support people, purpose and planet unveiled at global university company creation competition

More than 500 innovators from across four continents have unveiled solutions to tackle a range of global challenges including crop disease management, sustainable shopping and healthcare. The international university competition, organised by Heriot-Watt University, trains and inspires new student and academic-led companies across sectors with 13 winners receiving a share…

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