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Category: Arts and social sciences

Why did Tutankhamun have a dagger made from a meteorite?

Why did Tutankhamun have a dagger made from a meteorite?

Scientists have long speculated that the ancient Egyptians used metal from meteorites to make iron objects. Now an analysis of a dagger found in Tutankhamun’s tomb has given us strong evidence that this was the case – and that the Egyptians knew the iron had come from the sky. But why did they use such […]

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Will our Smart Cities be people friendly?

Will our Smart Cities be people friendly?

Smart Cities – including Milton Keynes – look to a future which is more sustainable and economically-sound. But does that future involve us all? That question is the focus of research just announced at The Open University. A team of researchers, led by the OU, has been awarded £750,000 to study the impact and engagement of Smart Cities, […]

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Is signing an online petition really volunteering?

Is signing an online petition really volunteering?

Every year, more than 21m people volunteer in the UK at least once a year – contributing an estimated £23.9 billion to the economy annually. Since 1984, volunteers and volunteering have been celebrated during an annual volunteers’ week, with award ceremonies and recruitment events being run up and down the country. This year, the campaign […]

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Refugee camp

What does the UN want to achieve from the first World Humanitarian Summit?

In 2016, nearly one in five of the 7.4 billion people on our planet live in fragile situations. This represents the highest level of suffering since World War II – and numbers are set to increase as conflict, violent extremism and natural disasters continue to cause massive global disruption. In response to the escalating crisis […]

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Legal aid cuts prevent the police from being held accountable for their actions

Legal aid cuts prevent the police from being held accountable for their actions

Who holds the police to account for their actions? Is it just institutions, such as the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the elected police and crime commissioners, and the forces’ disciplinary procedures? Something that’s often forgotten is the essential role played by lawyers as they try to obtain justice for the individuals who have been wronged […]

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OU research reveals smartphone hazards for refugees en route to Europe

OU research reveals smartphone hazards for refugees en route to Europe

The lives of refugees travelling from war-torn Syria and Iraq to Europe are made more perilous due to a deficit of vital news, Open University research has found. What they need is timely, relevant and reliable information and news, the report learned. The research also found that the smartphones carried by refugees pose both a […]

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Homeless man

Homelessness in our towns and cities: policing disorder?

Dr Daniel McCulloch, an Open University lecturer in criminology and social policy, on the complexities of policing homelessness – looking after the welfare of rough sleepers while trying to move them away from prime city spaces…   Rough sleepers and the police often come into contact on our streets. Policing homeless populations is a complex […]

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Prof Parvati Raghuram

OU geographer earns Royal Geographical Society honour

A top award from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) has been given to The Open University’s Professor of Geography and Migration, Parvati Raghuram in recognition of her “outstanding contribution to geography”. She is among just 21 people worldwide named in their annual awards. Award recognises migration and globalisation research Professor Raghuram has been awarded the Society’s […]

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Voting. Image credit: Thinkstock

Podcast: UK election results summary

The OU’s Dr Richard Heffernan, Interim Head of Politics and International Studies, caught up with OU News over the phone following results of yesterday’s (May 6th) UK elections. In this short podcast, he talks about local elections, the Scottish Parliament result and poll predictions…

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Woman reading a book

Self-improvement through reading: gospel or a tall tale?

The idea that reading contributes to our self-improvement is so embedded in our culture that we rarely stop to consider it. Edmund King, a Research Associate at The Open University (OU) and one of the lead academics on the Reading Experience Database (RED), examines the experience of readers over a period of a century and asks whether […]

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