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.
Earth scientists reveal ancient salamander hidden inside mystery rock for 50 years
15 July 2022
Earth sciences Research The Conversation Zoology
A collaboration between Earth Sciences palaeobiologists from the University of Oxford and University College London has shed new light on one of the earliest-known salamanders, from a rock first discovered in the 1970s.
Elephant genes could hold the key to avoiding cancers
15 July 2022
Biology Medical science Physical sciences underpinning health Research Zoology
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.
MPLS staff recognised at 2022 Vice-Chancellor’s Environmental Sustainability Awards
14 July 2022
Award Biology Chemistry Climate MPLS Sustainability & the environment Women in science Zoology
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.
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.
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 Darwin Tree of Life project, will shed new light on badger biology, disease and responses to climate change.
Nobel prize-winning Oxford biologist Niko Tinbergen honoured with Blue Plaque
9 June 2022
The late Professor of Animal Behaviour, Niko Tinbergen, has been honoured with the plaque for his founding contributions to the field of ethology - the study of animal behaviour - which is now a recognised area of biological study.
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.
Professor Kathy Willis appointed as a peer in the House of Lords
17 May 2022
The House of Lords has appointed Professor Kathy Willis as a new non-party-political peer, after being recommended by the independent House of Lords Commission. She joins the crossbenches, comprising independent peers who provide deep, wide-ranging expertise to the House.
Seven MPLS researchers elected to the Royal Society
10 May 2022
Award Biology Chemistry Earth sciences Maths Physics Zoology
In all, eight scientists from the University of Oxford have joined the Royal Society as Fellows. All but one are from departments in MPLS Division.
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.
Three MPLS researchers secure multi-million pound European Research Council grants
26 April 2022
Biology Funding Maths Physics Zoology
Four ‘excellent research leaders’ at Oxford, three of them from MPLS Division, have today been awarded major European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants to fund boundary-pushing research projects in Biology, Linguistics, Mathematics and Physics.
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.
From the Conversation: Biodiversity: why new rules to ensure nature benefits from building projects could fail
24 March 2022
Biology Food security & biodiversity The Conversation Zoology
EJ Milner-Gulland, Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity, and colleagues from the University of Kent write about “biodiversity net gain” – a measure applying to most new developments in England which is intended to ensure nature is left better off overall than before the project began.
Oxford fast-paced research programme for environmental solutions wins £10 million official backing
15 February 2022
Interdisciplinary teams in The Agile Initiative aim to deliver rapid answers to the most pressing environmental policy questions, using cutting edge research.
Reed warblers migrating from Africa use the Earth's magnetic field to find their nests
1 February 2022
Data collected from more than 17,500 birds revealed that migrating warblers can return to a local nesting site from thousands of miles away using a single geomagnetic coordinate.
Oxford researchers discover unexpected deep diving in albatross
20 January 2022
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research Zoology
Data collected by the team revealed that 50% of the birds studied were capable of diving over twice the depth previously thought, with implications for conservation efforts of this endangered species.
Plastic Drawdown tool to help Maldives slash plastic waste by 85 percent, study reveals
19 January 2022
Biology Research Sustainability & the environment Zoology
A new study published in the journal Global Environmental Change reveals a new policy tool developed by an international team, including scientists at Oxford University, which could slash plastic waste.