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International collaboration sheds light on the mechanism of magnetic sensing in birds
Chemistry Research
23 June 2021
A collaboration of biologists, chemists and physicists from the Universities of Oxford (UK) and Oldenburg (Germany) have been accumulating evidence that the magnetic sense in night migratory birds, such as the European robin, is based on a specific light‐sensitive protein in the eye.
Global Jet Watch: discovery of jets in classical novae
Physics Research Space
11 June 2021
Scientists at the University of Oxford have discovered that classical nova explosions are accompanied by the ejection of jets of oppositely-directed hot gas and plasma, and that this persists for years following the nova eruption. Previously, such jets had only been encountered emanating from very different systems such as black holes or newly collapsing stars.
Green light for European Space Agency mission to Venus
Physics Research Space
10 June 2021
Oxford University scientists will play a leading role in a new mission to study the geology and atmosphere of Venus, our neighbouring planet, helping determine whether it was once habitable – and why Earth became the only known planet that can sustain life.
Subatomic particle seen changing to antiparticle and back for the first time
Physics Research
8 June 2021
Physicists have proved that a subatomic particle can switch into its antiparticle alter-ego and back again. An extraordinarily precise measurement made by Oxford researchers using the LHCb experiment at CERN has provided the first evidence that charm mesons can change into their antiparticle and back again.
Science Blog: The wet market sources of Covid-19: bats and pangolins have an alibi
COVID-19 Research Zoology
8 June 2021
By David Macdonald, Department of Zoology. The finger of blame has been pointed at wildlife trade in the wet markets of Wuhan, Hubei, China, where this Covid-19 outbreak seems to have originated. But could bats and pangolins really be responsible?
COVID-19 lockdowns significantly reduced transmission of invasive bacterial diseases
COVID-19 Medical science Research Zoology
3 June 2021
A new international study involving University of Oxford researchers has conclusively demonstrated that national lockdowns and public health campaigns introduced at the start of the pandemic have reduced the transmission of bacteria that cause respiratory infections.
SARS-CoV-2 naming system given open platform to harness international scientific collaboration
COVID-19 Research Zoology
26 May 2021
Researchers at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh have announced the formalisation of the Pango Network, an international team of experts to oversee the identification and naming of different lineages of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Floating ocean plastic can get a boost to its wave-induced transport because of its size
Engineering Research Sustainability & the environment
26 May 2021
Plastic pollution and other ocean debris are a complex global environmental problem. Every year, ten million tonnes of plastic are estimated to be mismanaged, resulting in entry into the ocean, of which half will float initially. Yet, only 0.3 million tonnes of plastic can be found floating on the surface of the ocean. Where has the rest of the plastic gone?
Oxford plant scientists discover how to alter colour and ripening rates of tomatoes
Food security & biodiversity Plant sciences Research
19 May 2021
The overall process of fruit ripening in tomato (including colour changes and softening) can be changed –speeded up or slowed down – by modifying the expression of a single protein located in subcellular organelles called the plastids. This offers a novel opportunity for crop improvement.
Major academic-industry collaboration to tackle global challenges in sustainability
Chemistry Climate Energy Research Sustainability & the environment
14 May 2021
The University of Oxford joins a major new collaboration with academia and industry to use sustainable chemical technologies to accelerate the UK’s transition to net zero carbon emissions.
UK–Canada collaboration uses geology to help astronomers find habitable planets
Earth sciences Physics Research Space
14 May 2021
To date, astronomers have identified more than 4,000 confirmed exoplanets but only a fraction have the potential to sustain life. Now, new research is using the geology of early planet formation to help identify those that may be capable of supporting life.
Natural climate change solutions highly effective long term
Climate Food security & biodiversity Physics Research Zoology
13 May 2021
Nature-based solutions (NbS) can contribute to the fight against climate change up to the end of our century, according to new Oxford research in Nature. The analysis suggests that, to limit global temperature rise, we must slash emissions and increase NbS investment to protect, manage and restore ecosystems and land for the future.
From The Conversation: Seaspiracy: how to make fishing more sustainable by tackling bycatch
Food security & biodiversity Research The Conversation Zoology
12 May 2021
Hollie Booth from the Department of Zoology and colleague William Arlidge from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries write about new research proposing that commercial fishing companies and seafood consumers should pay compensation for the environmental impacts of fisheries.
New simplified tropical forest assessment tool is highly effective at estimating forest condition
Food security & biodiversity Research Zoology
12 May 2021
New collaborative research, led by the University of Oxford and published today in Ecological Solutions and Evidence, shows that a simple tropical forest assessment tool can robustly estimate forest condition, demonstrating high levels of agreement with detailed scientific data sets of biodiversity, forest structure and ecosystem functioning.
From The Conversation: Nocturnal dinosaurs: Night vision and superb hearing in a small theropod suggest it was a moonlight predator
Earth sciences Research
7 May 2021
Roger Benson, Professor of Palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences, and colleagues Lars Schmitz at Scripps College and Jonah Choiniere at the University of the Witwatersrand write about their new research into nocturnal dinosaurs.
Science Blog: Heatstroke: why the hotter the clock, the more accurate its timekeeping
Materials science Research
7 May 2021
Dr Natalia Ares from the Department of Materials writes about a new study published in Physical Review X, in which for the first time she and colleagues have measured the entropy generated by a minimal clock.
Pea plants make smart investment decisions that could help inform sustainable agriculture
Plant sciences Research
4 May 2021
Researchers in the Department of Plant Sciences have shown that pea plants are able to make smart investment decisions when it comes to interactions with their symbiotic bacterial partners. Better understanding of how plants manage these interactions could help with the move towards sustainable agriculture.
Science Blog: New water-based approach to manufacturing semiconductors
Materials science Research
4 May 2021
With the increasing demand for high-tech devices such as smart phones, wearable watches and portable health monitoring devices, the semiconductor manufacturing industry faces a big challenge of fabricating these devices in a sustainable and cost-effective way.
Nature must be a partner, not just a provider of services
Research Zoology
4 May 2021
Nature based Solutions (NbS) could support transformative change in environmental sustainability - to address major societal challenges, including the climate crisis - according to a new paper from Oxford researchers.
Rapid evolution and host immunity drive the rise and fall of antibiotic resistance during acute infection
Medical science Research Zoology
29 April 2021
Antibiotic resistance poses a serious threat to human health, but how resistance emerges during infections remains poorly understood.