Search results (175)
« Back to NewsOxford 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.
Oxford Flight Group reveals how hawks control flight and landing to prioritise safety
30 June 2022
Biology Engineering Research Zoology
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 Samuel Sheppard, to join Ineos Oxford Institute to further interdisciplinary research on antimicrobial resistance
29 June 2022
Antimicrobial resistance Biology Research Zoology
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.
Researchers develop world's first ultra-fast photonic computing processor, using polarisation
16 June 2022
Computer science Functional materials Innovation and Enterprise Materials science Research
The innovative technique, developed in the Department of Materials, uses multiple polarisation channels to carry out parallel processing – enhancing computing density by several orders over conventional electronic chips.
Wytham Woods badgers studied to complete first complete genome of the European badger
14 June 2022
Biology Climate Research Zoology
The study carried out by researchers from Oxford's Department of Zoology and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, as part of the Darwen Tree of Life project, will shed new light on badger biology, disease and responses to climate change.
Gravity-defying spike waves rewrite the rule book
8 June 2022
Researchers studying wave breaking have found that axisymmetric ‘spike waves’ can far exceed limits that were previously thought to dictate the maximum height of ocean waves.
Common drug-resistant superbug develops fast resistance to 'last resort' antibiotic
8 June 2022
Antimicrobial resistance Biology Research
A study published today in Cell Reports reveals how populations of a bacterium called Pseudomonas respond to being treated with Colistin, a 'last resort' antibiotic for patients who have developed multi-drug resistant infections.
Researchers show dynamic soaring isn’t just for albatrosses
1 June 2022
A new study shows how small seabirds have mastered the art of working smarter not harder when soaring at sea.
Scientists explain why Uranus and Neptune are different colours
31 May 2022
New research led by Professor Patrick Irwin in the Department of Physics suggests that a layer of haze that exists on both planets is behind the different hues of blue.
Strange neutron star discovered in stellar graveyard
30 May 2022
An international team of scientists, including Professor Rob Fender, Dr Ian Heywood and Dr Jakob van den Eijnden from the University of Oxford, have discovered a strange radio emitting neutron star, which rotates extremely slowly, completing one rotation every 76 seconds.
University launches new cross-sector sustainable energy transition hub with energy crisis forum
27 May 2022
Business and Industry Climate Engineering Functional materials Innovation and Enterprise Materials science Research Sustainability & the environment
On Thursday 26 May, the University’s brand new £3.25m Zero-carbon Energy Research Oxford (ZERO) Institute and Energy Systems Accelerator pilot (Mini-TESA), led from MPLS Division, opened their doors to showcase the range and depth of ambition in Oxford to drive forward the energy systems transition for the UK and globally.
Sale of donkey skins linked to trade in illegal wildlife products
9 May 2022
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research Zoology
Newly published research from WildCRU in the Department of Zoology, in collaboration with the Saïd Business School, raises important concerns about whether the trade in donkey skins is being used as a cover for smuggling elephant tusks, pangolin scales and other illegal wildlife products.
Wytham Woods’ Great Tit study celebrates 75 years and reveals how spring has advanced a calendar month in that time
27 April 2022
On 27 April 1947, the first Great Tit egg of the year was counted in the University of Oxford's 'living laboratory' at Wytham Woods. It was to be the start of a deep and on-going relationship between the bird population and generations of researchers.
Sapphire fibre developed by Oxford engineering researchers could enable cleaner energy and air travel
22 April 2022
Business and Industry Climate Engineering Innovation and Enterprise Research Sustainability & the environment
As part of an EPSRC-funded cross-sector collaboration involving Rolls-Royce, researchers in the Department of Engineering Science have developed a sapphire fibre sensor that can tolerate extreme temperatures and has the potential to enable significant efficiency and emissions reduction improvements in aerospace and power generation.
Oxford biologists reveal how baby elephants keep pace with the herd from birth
21 April 2022
Using GPS tracking data, researchers from the University of Oxford have revealed that the progress of elephant herds moving in search of food and water does not have to slow down to accommodate new mothers and their calves.
Oxford zoologists assess the University's impacts on biodiversity and how to mitigate them
20 April 2022
Biology Research Sustainability & the environment Zoology
Researchers from Oxford's Department of Biology and the University of Kent have carried out the first quantitative assessment of both the environmental impact of a large organisation and feasible options for mitigation, to inform work towards net-gain biodiversity for the University of Oxford by 2035.
Oxford joins UK consortium to build auto-calibrated quantum control system
12 April 2022
Engineering Innovation and Enterprise Materials science Quantum Research
Funded by Innovate UK, the £6.8M project will apply machine learning techniques to find fast, automated, and scalable ways to calibrate quantum computers. The aim is to build a system capable of controlling hundreds of qubits simultaneously across different types of quantum hardware.
New W boson measurement deviates from the Standard Model
8 April 2022
An international collaboration of scientists has performed the most precise measurement of the W boson yet – asking questions of the Standard Model of Particle Physics.
Nature prefers symmetry and simplicity
31 March 2022
Research recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Oxford-led scientists suggests that Mother Nature plays favourites and that she believes in the elegance of simplicity.