Release Date 09 December 2016

Here is Friday's round up of media coverage for the University of Reading.

Aleppo siege: Professor Rosa Freedman appeared on Al Jazeera to comment on the worrying current situation in the Syrian city which has been taken back by government forces

Parkinson's research: Dr Patrick Lewis spoke on BBC Radio 4 (16 mins 30 secs) Inside Science about the link between gut microbes and Parkinson's disease

'Juggernaut' HE bill: The University's new Chancellor Lord William Waldegrave was quoted by Times Higher Education in its report on a new government bill that has been criticised for threatening to override university autonomy. Find out more about our new Chancellor here

Disco to beat dementia: Research showing that strobe lights can help keep your brain healthy was commented upon by Dr Mark Dallas in The Sun. Dr Dallas was also quoted by Guernsey Press and The Irish Times, among others

Bird flu: Professor Ian Jones explained to BBC Radio Berkshire (1 hr 8 mins 24 secs) how threatening a new strain of bird flu could be, after chicken owners were warned to keep their chickens indoors for 30 days

Financial statements: GetReading reported on the surplus generated by the University in 2015/16, which will contribute towards capital investments in developments for staff and students. See the full financial statements report here

Prehistoric footprints: Doctoral research student Kristen Barr explained how footprints in the bed of the River Severn were discovered, and have been monitored by the University, in this South Wales Argus report

Climate scientists strike back: Dr Ed Hawkins from Reading's Meteorology department was one scientist to respond to reports the planet's average land temperature has dropped in recent months, in this Orlando Sentinel article

Rainfall patterns: Dr Ed Hawkins was also quoted in a Met Office article on climate change affecting rainfall, picked up by Wired Gov

Other coverage:

• Professor Glenn Gibson, head of microbial sciences at Reading, gave his top tips on how not to get ill during the holidays in TheDailyMeal.com - by keeping our gut healthy
• Professor Stephen Nortcliff appeared on BBC Four's Deep, down & Dirty: The Science of Soil (31 mins 38 secs) on Thursday night
• Professor Chris Collins was quoted in a ForeignAffairs.co.nz piece looking at potential chemicals in products like teethers for babies
• YouThurrock.com ran a story on three students accepted onto the University of Reading Scholars programme for 2016/17