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?
The overall process of fruit ripening in tomato (including colour changes and softening) can be changed \u2013speeded up or slowed down \u2013 by modifying the expression of a single protein located in subcellular organelles called the plastids. This offers a novel opportunity for crop improvement.
This is a new post, which will work in support of the priorities in the University Strategic Plan 2018-2023 and the Knowledge Exchange Strategy, around innovation and entrepreneurship.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
A recent article published in the journal Nature Geoscience has highlighted the shocking under-representation of students from ethnic minority backgrounds in the Geosciences. Ben Fernando writes about a new paper that lays out steps to address this diversity crisis and make the discipline more equitable.
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.
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 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.
A key type of zooplankton\u2019s inability to adapt to climate change could have adverse implications for marine food chains across the world if a severe global warming event were to occur, researchers at Oxford University have found.
Four Oxford academics have received major European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants to fund a range of boundary-pushing research projects in the areas of science and criminology.
Dr Ellie Bath, Department of Zoology, writes about research to test whether age, mating history, and feeding status shape an important, but understudied, post-mating response \u2013 increased female-female aggression.
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