News — Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division

A Large blue butterfly feeding from a flower

Twelve new UK sites created or restored for globally endangered Large blue butterfly

25 August 2022

The sites are being restored to flower-rich meadows suitable for Large blue butterflies. Professor Jeremy Thomas of the Department of Biology, and Chair of the Joint Committee for the Re-establishment of the Large Blue Butterfly, spearheaded the successful reintroduction in the UK.

An Omega Seamaster 2 submersible being launched during an expedition by Nekton to the Seychelles in 2019, which was the first systematic survey below scuba depth in the region.

Oxford University to support deep-sea expedition to the Maldives

25 August 2022

Oxford University researchers are playing a key role in the first systematic survey of ocean life in the Maldives, from the surface to 1000 metres deep. This will enable the Maldivian Government to develop conservation and sustainable development policies, so that the oceans continue to protect and provide for the Maldivian people.

A Swainson's Hawk hunting among the Mexican free-tailed bats swarm

Study reveals how hunting hawks home in on prey inside a chaotic swarm

23 August 2022

A new study led by Oxford University researchers has demonstrated how hunting hawks solve the problem of intercepting a single bat within a dense swarm. The findings increase our understanding of how predators select and track a single target among thousands of potential prey.

A Balinese fishmonger selling fish in the morning market on the beach

How to finance marine conservation without harming local communities

15 August 2022

Hollie Booth from the Department of Biology discusses whether international marine tourists might be prepared to pay towards community-based shark conservation, in an article first published on the Conversation.

Artist's illustration of COVID-19 Delta variant close-up (source: Shutterstock)

Biologists use genome tracing to reveal how COVID-19 Delta variant spread

12 August 2022

An international team, co-led by Professor Oliver Pybus and Associate Professor Moritz Kraemer from Oxford's Department of Biology, has used genome tracing to show how the Delta variant of COVID-19 expanded out of India and became the dominant variant in the UK in 2021

Trophy hunting: why a UK import ban threatens wildlife conservation

11 August 2022

Amy Dickman, Professor of Wildlife Conservation in the Department of Biology, puts the case that trophy hunting import bans risk increasing threats to wildlife and undermining local rights and livelihoods, in an article first published on the Conversation.

Aerial street view of the city of Dhaka, where the IOI carried out some of its research into antimicrobial resistant bacteria in newborn children from low- and middle-income countries

Antimicrobial resistant bacteria found in newborn children from low- and middle-income countries

8 August 2022

Researchers at the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance (IOI) and the Department of Biology have revealed links between the presence of bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics in mothers and their newborn babies, drawing on data from seven low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South Asia.

Department of Biology launches at the University of Oxford

1 August 2022

Today the Department of Zoology and Department of Plant Sciences officially merge to become the new Department of Biology. This is a significant moment for the University, as two departments with histories of landmark academic breakthroughs and forward-thinking teaching combine to create a new department with interdisciplinary, collaborative opportunities.

Two red deer standing and looking towards the camera, on a grassy clifftop on the Isle of Rum, Scotland

Credit: Greg Albery

Ageing red deer become less social as they grow older

21 July 2022

A new social network analysis of female wild red deer on the Isle of Rum in Scotland, carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh, reveals that ageing deer tend to adopt a life of solitude in their advancing years.

Elephant genes could hold the key to avoiding cancers

15 July 2022

Oxford biologists are part of an international team that has been modelling the cancer-suppressing p53 gene to identify how 20 different molecules unique to elephants are activated for increased sensitivity and response against carcinogenic conditions – with implications for cancer treatments in humans.

Abstract image of blurred colourful lights against a green, natural sunrise background

MPLS staff recognised at 2022 Vice-Chancellor’s Environmental Sustainability Awards

14 July 2022

Members of MPLS departments were amongst those recognised at the University's seventh Environmental Sustainability Awards today, hosted by Vice Chancellor, Dame Professor Louise Richardson.

Oxford zoologists find rare wild ancestors of feral pigeons living on British and Irish islands

1 July 2022

DNA testing reveals that rock doves, the wild ancestors of the common domestic and feral pigeons, now extinct in many parts of the world, are still living on islands in Scotland and Ireland.

A Harris hawk braking in mid-air before perching

Oxford Flight Group reveals how hawks control flight and landing to prioritise safety

30 June 2022

Oxford biomechanics researchers have been using computer simulations and Hollywood-style motion capture to reveal how Harris hawks optimise their landing manoeuvres for an accurate descent.

Professor Sam Sheppard in lab coat, holding up a petri-dish, in a laboratory

Professor Samuel Sheppard, to join Ineos Oxford Institute to further interdisciplinary research on antimicrobial resistance

29 June 2022

Professor Sheppard will join the Department of Biology and the IOI in September 2022, with the aim of using fundamental evolutionary and ecological theory to address consequential questions in pathogen emergence and spread.

Pool with waterfall in a woodland clearing

Nathalie Seddon: Expose ‘greenwashing’ but do not ignore nature-based solutions to climate change

24 June 2022

Nature-based solutions must not be forgotten in the drive to stabilise the climate. But care must be taken to ensure they are not hijacked or misused to ‘greenwash’ emissions, insists Oxford biodiversity expert Professor Nathalie Seddon in a landmark article for the journal Science.

Photo of a badger, with a grass background

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