The Open University

Rising water vapour holds clues to possibility of past life on Mars

10 February 2021

An international team of researchers have observed the transport of water vapour high up into the atmosphere of the Red Planet, providing another clue in answering the mystery of when Mars might have been habitable for life. New findings from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) […]

OU/BBC forensic science series The Real CSI returns

9 February 2021

Forensic scientists play a crucial role bringing criminals to justice and now the programme that gives viewers unique access to their work is back for a second series. Forensics: The Real CSI is co-produced by The Open University and the BBC and the series continues with Episode 4 Fatal Weapon Unknown on Tuesday 6th July […]

New facial profile genes discovered

5 February 2021

An international research team, including academics from The Open University, have discovered new genes that determine the shape of a person’s facial profile. Researchers identified 32 gene regions that affect our facial features such as the nose, lip, jaw, and brow shape. Nine of these were gene regions never known before, while the other 23 […]

Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week OU poll finds more employers now backing work-based learning

4 February 2021

A report commissioned by The Open University and The 5% Club has found that nearly three quarters (70%) of employers held the belief that apprenticeships and work-based learning would be vital to their organisations’ recovery from COVID disruption, compared to just half (50%) of business who were asked in August 2020. The Open University commissioned […]

Voices of children and young people aged 3-12 expressed during pandemic

1 February 2021

The Open University’s Children’s Research Centre (OUCRC) and psychologist-led, Children Heard project have collaborated to analyse survey responses from 240 children aged between 3-12 (48 early years and 192 primary school age participants) on their thoughts, feelings and experiences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. The report demonstrates how children have varying experiences of the […]

Five ways the OU’s new chatbot can support disabled students

29 January 2021

The process of disclosing a disability can be a time-consuming, stressful process, which the OU is aiming to improve with a chatbot to support both its students and staff. The OU’s chatbot, produced through the ADMINS Project, has been developed by educational experts, staff and students to improve disability disclosure processes for people with disabilities. […]

One step closer to building habitats on the Moon

27 January 2021

A team of lunar scientists from The Open University (OU) and the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) are making advances in building permanent structures on the Moon’s surface. OU researchers Dr Sungwoo Lim, Professor Mahesh Anand, Dr James Bowen, Dr Giulia Degli Alessandrini, Vibha Levin Prabhu and Aidan Crowley, a researcher from the EAC, investigated the […]

Man sitting on a bench with his two daughters

‘The OU was there when life seemed impossible’

26 January 2021

Richard Dicks began studying with The Open University as a way to cope when his daughter Ella was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Though life seemed impossible at times, Richard says being able to study gave him something positive to focus on and that he found strength in Ella’s determination to keep smiling despite the […]

Analyst by day and student by night, Abiola shares his story with Gemma Cairney

22 January 2021

An inspiring data analyst from Greenwich, South East London, is the latest guest on a brand-new podcast series starting this month, hosted by broadcaster Gemma Cairney. Life … On Our Terms is an eight-episode podcast series from The Open University (OU) discussing a range of topics about life and the routes to success taken by […]

OU-funded research to tackle social isolation in hospice settings

12 January 2021

It’s no secret that Covid-19 is having a devastating impact on the lives of patients in care homes and hospices. The threat of the virus has forced providers to keep patients isolated from loved ones for their own safety, but this has led to a decline in mental health, an increase in anxiety and even […]

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