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Category: Science, maths, computing and technology
Famous astrophysicist passes but his equation for alien intelligence is more important than ever
David Rothery is a Professor of Planetary Geosciences at The Open University and here he talks about the passing of American astrophysicist Frank Drake and the legacy he left the universe. First published in The Conversation. How many intelligent civilisations should there be in our galaxy right now? In 1961, the US astrophysicist Frank […]
Journey through our breath-taking, icy world in BBC/OU series, Frozen Planet II
Legendary nature historian, Sir David Attenborough, narrates the highly anticipated Frozen Planet II in a stunning new series co-produced by the BBC and The Open University (OU). Following on from Frozen Planet released in 2011, the series began on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 8.00pm on Sunday 11th September. We’re invited to observe life […]
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OU academic supports capture of JWST’s first ever direct image of a distant world
For the first time an international group of researchers, including Dr Mariangela Bonavita of the OU, have used NASA’s JWST to take a direct image of a planet outside our solar system, released by NASA today. The image of the planet, as seen through four different light filters, shows how JWST’s powerful infrared gaze can […]
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OU academics support NASA JWST research into first confirmed detection of carbon dioxide outside our solar system
After years of preparation and anticipation, researchers, including experts from the OU, have announced the first clear evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a distant star. The findings came from the NASA/ESA/CSA observatory JWST, which captured astonishingly detailed evidence through the atmosphere of a hot gas giant, WASP-39 b, 700 […]
Explore the natural beauty of Britain and Ireland in new BBC / OU programme, Wild Isles
The Open University (OU) and BBC have announced the upcoming release of a new natural history series, Wild Isles, presented by Sir David Attenborough, and informed by the expertise of OU academics Dr Philip Wheeler and Dr Miranda Dyson. The series has been created in partnership with the RSPB and WWF (UK) and has been […]
Asteroids from the outer Solar System may have brought the building blocks of life to Earth
A new study has provided important new clues as to how the inner Solar System, including Earth, acquired its water and organic-rich components – the essential building blocks for all life. The Kochi Team supported by researchers at The Open University (OU) and UCLA, USA and led by Motoo Ito of JAMSTEC, have undertaken a […]
Three reasons concrete doesn’t live up to its environmental claims
Dr Alice Moncaster, is a Senior Lecturer in general engineering at The Open University and here she gives her take on why concrete isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be in terms of the environment. Up to 8% of all global anthropogenic human-made emissions are due to just one material, cement. And our use […]
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OU PhD student helps to unearth Jurassic marine world in farmer’s field
The discovery of an incredible prehistoric site containing the remains of animals that lived in a tropical sea has been made by chance in a farmer’s field in Gloucestershire. Contained within hardened limestone concretions in clay, the three-dimensionally preserved remains of ancient marine reptiles, fish, squids, rare insects roughly 183-million-year-old have been revealed for the […]
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OU receives grant to develop pioneering analytical centre
The OU is to receive £750k to develop the Wolfson Analytical Centre, a world-class research facility with an initial focus on planetary, environmental and space sciences. The first project ‘The Environmental Boundaries of Life’, will bring together academic expertise to ask one of our most fundamental questions: are life and habitable environments unique to Earth? […]
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Nasa considers sending swimming robots to habitable ‘ocean worlds’ of the Solar System
David Rothery, The Open University Nasa has recently announced US$600,000 (£495,000) in funding for a study into the feasibility of sending swarms of miniature swimming robots (known as independent micro-swimmers) to explore oceans beneath the icy shells of our Solar System’s many “ocean worlds”. But don’t imagine metal humanoids swimming frog-like underwater. They will probably […]
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