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« Back to NewsOxford’s Animal Vibration Lab showcased at Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
1 July 2025
Department of Biology research on animal seismic senses will be featured at the Royal Society’s annual free celebration of world-leading science. The Summer Science Exhibition runs from 1-6 July 2025 at the Royal Society in London.
Oxford scientists in King’s Birthday Honours 2025
14 June 2025
The King's Birthday Honours 2025 Lists have been published, marking the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the UK, including members of the MPLS Division and wider University.
Study finds dehorning rhinos drastically reduces poaching
6 June 2025
Department of Biology researchers have contributed to an international study which found that dehorning rhinos resulted in a drastic reduction in poaching of these endangered animals. The findings have been published this week in the journal Science.
New ARIA award aims to deliver a revolution in sustainable agriculture
3 June 2025
Researchers in the Department of Biology and Wild Bioscience Ltd are to receive backing of a £6.7 million grant from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) to pioneer a new synthetic biology approach which promises to improve yields in potato and wheat.
The Royal Society elects five scientists from the MPLS Division as Fellows
20 May 2025
Seven academics from the University of Oxford, including five from the Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences Division (MPLS) have been elected as Royal Society Fellows.
Oxford welcomes new Schmidt AI in Science Fellows
29 April 2025
Ten new Fellows have joined the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship programme at the University of Oxford. Now entering its third year, the programme is helping to accelerate the next scientific revolution by applying artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to research across the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematical sciences.
Paying fishers to release endangered catches can aid conservation but only if done right
24 April 2025
The study, led by the Department of Biology and published in Science Advances, is the world’s first randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of an incentive-based marine conservation programme conclusively.
From The Conversation: If we must bring back extinct species, let’s focus on the giant herbivores
16 April 2025
An impressive feat for Colossal Biosciences would be re-engineering large animals to provide lost ecological functions writes Professor Tim Coulson in The Conversation.
Linnean Medal 2025 awarded to wildlife biologist Professor David Macdonald
9 April 2025
Professor David Macdonald, who founded the Department of Biology’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), has been awarded the Linnean Medal for long-standing and significant contributions to natural sciences.
How elephants plan journeys: New study reveals energy-saving strategies
28 March 2025
A new study has revealed that African elephants have an extraordinary ability to meet their colossal food requirements as efficiently as possible.
The changing chorus: movements and memories influence birdsong evolution
10 March 2025
New research from the Department of Biology has provided fresh insights into how bird songs evolve over time, revealing a significant role for population dynamics in shaping song diversity and change. The findings – based on an analysis of over 100,000 bird songs – have been published today in Current Biology.
New study highlights ways to future-proof cocoa production
17 February 2025
A new research study led by researchers in the Department of Biology demonstrates that sustainable agricultural practices that both protect pollinator populations and mitigate climate risks could help secure – and even improve – global cocoa yields.
From The Conversation: The global plant trade is spreading invasive species to Europe
29 January 2025
Amy Hinsley, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Biology, and Silviu Petrovan, Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, investigate the risks involved in the increasing trade in trees, cut flowers, pot plants, bulbs and foliage.
Study shows plants are more likely to be ‘eavesdroppers’ than altruists when tapping into underground networks
28 January 2025
Instead of using their communication networks to transmit warning signals, the Department of Biology led findings suggest it is more likely that plants ‘eavesdrop’ on their neighbours.
In The Conversation: Lynx in Scotland – why illegal attempts to reintroduce lost species are surprisingly common
16 January 2025
For more than 500 years, no lynx had roamed the British countryside. That changed with the recent release of four of these large cats in the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland.
Logged tropical forests are still valuable for biodiversity, study finds
13 January 2025
A research team led by the University of Oxford has carried out the most comprehensive assessment to date of how logging and conversion to oil palm plantations affect tropical forest ecosystems.
Botanists name beautiful new species of ‘lipstick vine’ from the Philippine rainforest
16 December 2024
Scientists have announced the discovery of a species of lipstick vine completely new to science, from the depths of the Philippine rainforest.
New project aims to transform how wildlife trade is monitored and managed
9 December 2024
The University of Oxford will play a leading role in a new project to develop indicators to measure progress towards globally agreed conservation targets, backed by $1.9 million funding from The Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Chimpanzees perform the same complex behaviours that have brought humans success
6 December 2024
A new study led by the University of Oxford suggests that the fundamental abilities underlying human language and technological culture may have evolved before humans and apes diverged millions of years ago.
New study reveals the explosive secret of the squirting cucumber
26 November 2024
A team led by the University of Oxford has solved a mystery that has intrigued scientists for centuries: how does the squirting cucumber squirt? The findings were achieved through a combination of experiments, high-speed videography, image analysis, and advanced mathematical modelling.