11 July 2024
\n \n \n \nLions in a Uganda park make a perilous journey across a 1.5km stretch of water: WildCRU collaboration suggests the drive is to find mates.
\n \n\n \n \n28 June 2024
\n \n \n \nThe Nature-based Solutions Conference, hosted by Oxford University 18-20 June, blended scientific rigour with ceremonial and cultural richness.
\n \n\n \n \n6 June 2024
\n \n \n \n'Have you heard anything about nature as a political priority in the upcoming UK general election? We haven\u2019t. And as biodiversity researchers, that troubles us.' Professor Dame EJ Milner-Gulland, Department of Biology writes in The Conversation.
\n \n\n \n \n3 May 2024
\n \n \n \nScientists at the Ineos Oxford Institute (IOI) have found a new potential combination therapy to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by targeting two key bacterial enzymes involved in resistance. The findings have been published in the journal Engineering.
\n \n\n \n \n26 April 2024
\n \n \n \nMPLS researchers have contributed to a first-of-its kind review on the success of a wide range of conservation actions.
\n \n\n \n \n22 April 2024
\n \n \n \nEach year, Earth Day acts as a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability, encouraging us to come together and take action for the planet. For the 2024 Earth Day, taking place today, the theme is \u2018Planet vs Plastics.\u2019 Oxford University researchers comment on the global plastic waste crisis, and the opportunities and challenges in moving to a sustainable plastics economy.
\n \n\n \n \n17 April 2024
\n \n \n \nThe 17th April is international bat appreciation day and a new study has highlighted how these secretive mammals can be valuable allies for farmers, by feeding on important agricultural pests. The findings demonstrate that encouraging bat species can be a win-win for both conservation efforts and local farmers.
\n \n\n \n \n4 April 2024
\n \n \n \nA new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford has found that birds that are more social are more likely to use novel sources of food. The findings have been published in iScience.
\n \n\n \n \n26 March 2024
\n \n \n \nNew research from the Universities of Oxford and Exeter has revealed that plant species recommended as \u2018pollinator friendly\u2019 in Europe begin flowering up to a month too late in the spring to effectively contribute to wild bee conservation.
\n \n\n \n \n12 March 2024
\n \n \n \nDespite being scattered across more than a million square kilometres, new research has revealed that remote coral reefs across the Seychelles are closely related. A network of ocean currents scatter significant numbers of larvae between these distant islands, acting as a \u2018coral superhighway.\u2019
\n \n\n \n \n7 March 2024
\n \n \n \nNew research led by the University of Oxford has found that rubisco \u2013 the enzyme that fuels all life on Earth \u2013 is not stuck in an evolutionary rut after all; it is improving all the time \u2013 just very, very slowly. These insights could potentially open up new routes to strengthen food security.
\n \n\n \n \n4 March 2024
\n \n \n \nEllen Baker from the Department of Biology writes about the important role played by solitary bees and the need to ensure the right flower foods are available to them.
\n \n\n \n \n21 February 2024
\n \n \n \nA new study led by the University of Oxford has found that a high proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the general population lead to persistent infections lasting a month or more. The findings have been published today in the journal Nature.
\n \n\n \n \n15 February 2024
\n \n \n \nNatalie Duffus and Sophus zu Ermgassen from the Department of Biology discuss how England\u2019s new environmental policy, biodiversity net gain, will work in practice.
\n \n\n \n \n15 February 2024
\n \n \n \nDan Challender, Research Fellow in Conservation Science and Policy in the Department of Biology, writes about a landmark meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, supporting the conservation and sustainable use of migratory species.
\n \n\n \n \n14 February 2024
\n \n \n \nKrish Sanghvi, Irem Sepil and Regina Vega-Trejo from the Department of Biology discuss how understanding ageing of sperm in other animals could give new insights into our own fertility.
\n \n\n \n \n2 February 2024
\n \n \n \nA decade-long study led by the University of Oxford has revealed new insights into the mechanisms that enable animals to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The results have been published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
\n \n\n \n \n16 January 2024
\n \n \n \nResearchers at the Department of Biology have developed a new test to assess how dangerous robotic lawnmowers are to hedgehogs. They hope this will lead to a certification scheme that will allow consumers to choose \u2018hedgehog-friendly\u2019 mowers to help protect these lovable mammals.
\n \n\n \n \n18 December 2023
\n \n \n \nAn international team of scientists led by geneticists and disease biologists from the University of Oxford and LMU Munich have used ancient DNA to trace the evolution of Marek's Disease Virus (MDV). This global pathogen causes fatal infections in unvaccinated chickens and costs the poultry industry over $1 billion per year.
\n \n\n \n \n15 December 2023
\n \n \n \nA new study led by the University of Oxford has demonstrated that diverse communities of resident bacteria can protect the human gut from disease-causing microorganisms. The researchers found that protective communities block the growth of harmful pathogens by consuming nutrients that the pathogen needs.
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