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Contours that kill: New study shows geometry influences prey capture in carnivorous pitcher plants
Biology Maths
11 September 2023
Researchers at the University of Oxford’s Botanic Garden and the Mathematical Institute have shown that the shape, size, and geometry of carnivorous pitcher plants determines the type of prey they trap. The results have been published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
From The Conversation: China makes developers pay compensation for their ecological impacts – here’s how this unique scheme works
Biology Food security & biodiversity The Conversation
10 September 2023
Professor EJ Milner-Gulland and other researchers from the Department of Biology/Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science explore how the ecological compensation system in China works.
From The Conversation: Solar panel technology is set to be turbo-charged – but first, a few big roadblocks have to be cleared
Energy Materials science The Conversation
10 September 2023
Dr Matthew Wright (Department of Materials) and Bruno Vicari Stefani (CSIRO) discuss “tandem solar cells”, the new generation in solar technology, and the need for design that does not involve reliance on scarce materials such as indium.
Oxford University welcomes UK associate membership of Horizon Europe
Funding
7 September 2023
Today (7 September 2023) the UK and the EU have successfully reached an agreement allowing the UK to re-join the EU’s £85bn science research programme Horizon Europe as an associate member.
Four MPLS academics awarded European Research Council Starting Grants to launch their ideas
Award Funding MPLS
5 September 2023
ERC Starting Grants are part of the Horizon Europe programme and support early-career researchers who demonstrate great promise. Projects span all disciplines of research, from medicine and physics, to social sciences and humanities. All four awarded to Oxford University this year have been made to MPLS researchers.
The race to save the world’s most trafficked wild species
Biology Food security & biodiversity
1 September 2023
A feature article on the work of Dr Tin (Henry) Hung (Department of Biology) to save Dalbergia, the rosewood tree, which is severely threatened across all countries in its distribution range.
New ‘droplet battery’ could pave the way for miniature bio-integrated devices
Chemistry Innovation and Enterprise Research
31 August 2023
University of Oxford researchers have made a significant step towards realising miniature bio-integrated devices, capable of directly stimulating cells. The work has been published in the journal Nature.
Oxford scientists honoured with four Royal Society Awards
Award
30 August 2023
Of the 25 awards for 2022-23, announced today, four honour Oxford University researchers for their outstanding contributions to science and medicine, and three have been awarded to MPLS academics.
From The Conversation: Are big cats prowling the UK? What science tells us
Biology The Conversation
29 August 2023
Dr Egil Dröge, researcher in the Department of Biology, is sceptical of rumours that big cats are on the loose in Britain.
Researchers extract ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, revealing a time capsule of plant life
Biology Research
22 August 2023
University of Oxford researchers have contributed to the first successful extraction of ancient DNA from a 2,900 year-old clay brick. The analysis provides a fascinating insight into the diversity of plant species cultivated at that time and place, and could open the way to similar studies.
Oxford University-built instrument ready to map water on the Moon
Physics Space
17 August 2023
A thermal imaging camera built by the Department of Physics will form an integral part of NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission, scheduled to launch in 2024. This aims to map the distribution of the different forms of water on the surface of the Moon to better understand the lunar water cycle and inform future human missions.
New Earth Sciences study shows how the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is playing an active role in opening the Atlantic
Earth sciences Research
15 August 2023
Plate divergence at Mid Ocean Ridges where new tectonic plates are formed is generally thought to be a passive process dominated by the gravitational pull of subducting plates. However, this new study shows that at some diverging locations this process is likely to be less passive than originally thought.
No evidence for magnetic field effects on fly behaviour
Biology Chemistry Research
9 August 2023
A team including Oxford chemists has shown that influential reports of magnetic field effects on Drosophila (fruit fly) behaviour cannot be reproduced. Drosophila have been widely used as a model organism for studying the mechanism of the magnetic compass sense of migratory songbirds.
From The Conversation: One of 2023’s most extreme heatwaves is happening in the middle of winter
Climate Physics The Conversation
8 August 2023
Matthew Patterson, Postdoctoral Research Assistant in in Atmospheric Physics, discusses the recent extreme heatwave in the Chilean Andes.
Nanopore technology achieves breakthrough in protein variant detection
Chemistry Research
8 August 2023
A team of scientists led by the University of Oxford have achieved a significant breakthrough in detecting modifications on protein structures. The method, published in Nature Nanotechnology, employs innovative nanopore technology to identify structural variations at the single-molecule level, even deep within long protein chains.
From The Conversation: How swarming animals can help humans and AI make better decisions
Biology Maths The Conversation
3 August 2023
Samuel Johhnson, DPhil student in Mathematical Biology in the Mathematical Institute, discusses how research from mathematicians, biologists and social scientists is helping us understand swarming and harness its power.
Engineering scholarship scheme backed by Formula 1 extended for three more years
Engineering Funding
1 August 2023
The University of Oxford will continue to offer Formula 1 Engineering Scholarships to talented undergraduate students from under-represented backgrounds until 2025. The successful scholarship programme sees Formula 1 support two students each year for the duration of their degrees.
Revolutionary new method of analysis boosts UK life sciences sector
Chemistry
31 July 2023
Oxford scientists Professor Philipp Kukura, Professor Justin Benesch, Dr Gavin Young, and Daniel Cole have pioneered a new technique known as mass photometry (MP). MP is a revolutionary new method of analysing molecules. It enables the accurate mass measurement of single molecules in solution, in their native state and without the need for labels. This approach opens up new possibilities for bio analytics and research into the functions of biomolecules, with new applications in the world of gene and cell therapy.
Researchers successfully train a machine learning model in outer space for the first time
Computer science Physics Space
28 July 2023
For the first time, researchers have trained a machine learning model in outer space, on board a satellite. This achievement could enable real-time monitoring and decision making for a range of applications, from disaster management to deforestation.
Science Together celebrates a second successful year of community-led research collaborations
Public Engagement
26 July 2023
Last week, the University of Oxford’s historic Divinity School hosted a special evening event to celebrate the seven new community-led research collaborations formed over the last 12 months through the Science Together engagement programme.