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What's under Lapland?
We know it as the home of Father Christmas, but why is Lapland of interest to geologists?
In this festive episode of the Big Questions podcast we ask Anna Bidgood from the University of Oxford's Department of Earth Sciences "What's under Lapland?". Join us as we find out why the minerals found in the region are important, and what it's...
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...
Powering the world: can solar energy tackle climate change? -- Prof Henry Snaith (Co-Director of...
Renewable energy is a strong component in the race to mitigate climate change, and solar power is a particularly cheap and viable green energy option. Considering current technologies, cost, markets and infrastructure, Professor Henry Snaith, Co-Director of the Programme on Solar Energy: Organic Photovoltaics, and Professor Malcolm McCulloch,...
Using your science to reveal how much rain fell on the dinosaurs
During the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 million years ago), the world was very different! It was hotter, with more rainfall, and dinosaurs would have roamed the lush wetlands and forests that existed in the UK. Understanding these past warm worlds can help us...
How do you fight malaria in the back of a van?
Just one mosquito bite is enough to infect someone with malaria. Tackling this serious – sometimes fatal – subtropical disease is a key priority for the World Health Organisation; but how can we move forward in the fight against it? Specifically, how could a small team of researchers, taking to the roads in a custom-built ‘Landrover Lab’, help...
How are we using energy in lockdown?
Things have changed a lot over the past few months – including, for many of us, our daily routine. But how has this impacted our energy usage? In this week’s episode of the Big Questions podcast, we chat to Dr Philipp Grünewald from Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute about his ‘JoyMeter’ survey, which has given a fascinating insight into...
Mathematics and Science lectures from the Department of Continuing Education
Can machines be inventive enough to create their own language? How is mathematics linked to the real physical world? Discover these and other questions through fascinating lectures by Marcus du Sautoy and other scientists and mathematicians. Click the link below!
Tom Hart
My research centres around how to monitor penguins and other marine predators in difficult environments such as Antarctica. Many of the most important environments on the planet are too data deficient to understand the changes occurring there, and the implications for global change, which in turn stalls effective management. I spend a lot of...
Our mysterious ocean floor
Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface, yet only 15% of the ocean floor has been mapped in detail. Much remains unknown, including the location of potentially hundreds of thousands of seamounts, which can be hazardous to navigation. Scientists at the University of Oxford are working with others to compile the most comprehensive...
Using your science to understand volcanic eruptions
Volcanoes are present across the Earth, from the barren wastes of Antarctica to densely populated regions in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and are both spectacular and deadly. But what makes a volcano erupt, and how deadly might that eruption be? By creating a mini-...