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Biology
What does my family want to know about coronavirus?
Coronavirus has been hitting the headlines since late 2019, and is now at the forefront of many people’s minds. We have a lot of questions, and it can be difficult to find answers. In this episode of the Big Questions podcast, Emily is asking her family what *they* would like to know about coronavirus, and Prof Christl Donnelly (an expert in...
Why do diets fail?
It's a new year (and a new decade!) and many of us will be looking to turn over a new leaf when it comes to diet and lifestyle. But - as anyone who's tried one will know - diets are VERY difficult to stick to. In this episode of the Big Questions podcast, we ask Professor Heidi de Wet from the University of Oxford's Department of Physiology,...
Mechanobiology: the stress of life
We often think of our bodies in terms of cells and genes, but we shouldn’t forget that they’re also complex mechanical structures. From an Achilles tendon – that can carry half the weight of a Mini – to our constantly pulsing blood vessels, they’re feats of meticulous engineering. Scientists at the University of Oxford are showing how research...
Marie-Claire Koschowitz
I’m an evolutionary biologist and work mostly with big reptiles, like crocs, birds and dinosaurs. I’m one of those annoying people who always knew what they wanted to be, even in kindergarden I’d excitedly peep out “Dinosaur Scientist!”. I went on to do a biology undergrad in Germany, at the University of Göttingen, with a thesis focus on the...
Simon Hiscock
Prof Simon Hiscock is Director of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, and a Professor of Botany in the Department of Plant Sciences.
His research focuses on using genetics and genomics to explore the fundamental processes underlying plant reproduction and evolution. He is currently working on the Senecio (ragworts,...
Qihua Ling
I have been interested in plants since I was little. And later I heard that there is a place called Kew Gardens in England, where a huge collection of plants from all over the world can be found. Since then, I had always dreamed of visiting Kew Gardens, and enjoying her beauty for all four seasons. And that dream finally came true luckily...
Protecting elephants, protecting humans
How do we find ways for people and wildlife to co-exist? Elephants pose a particular problem as their large size means they need to roam over large areas to find food, water and refuge.
The Mali elephants might provide some clues.
Where are all the Mangarahara cichlid hiding?
In the early 2000s, Brian Zimmerman and his team at London Zoo received a donation from a private fish-breeder of some Mangarahara cichlids. At the time, scientists hadn’t yet officially described the species. Not much was known about it, other than its provenance, the Mangarahara river in Madagascar. Little did the team know that within a...
Mark S Thompson
I studied Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, where my inspirational tutor at Magdalen College, Brian Bellhouse, encouraged me to seek engineering applications in medicine. I completed a PhD in hip replacement biomechanics at the University of London, co-supervised and given extensive theatre experience by a surgeon, and won an EC...
Tingting Zhu
Dr. Tingting Zhu is a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow and Member of Faculty within the Department of Engineering Science, Oxford. She is an Associate Research Fellow of St. Hilda's College and a Stipendiary Lecturer at Mansfield College.
