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Category: Science, maths, computing and technology

Cancer: how one type of RNA could be the future of treatment

Cancer: how one type of RNA could be the future of treatment

Written by Francesco Crea, Senior Lecturer in Cancer Genetics and Azuma Kalu, PhD Research Student at The Open University. Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. So, in order to treat or cure almost any disease or condition – including cancer – you first need to have a fundamental understanding of cell […]

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Artificial reefs could restore sea urchin populations and coral reefs

Artificial reefs could restore sea urchin populations and coral reefs

Locally sourced breeze blocks placed on the sea floor could increase depleted sea urchin populations and support the growth of healthy coral reefs, a new study suggests. Researchers, led by The Open University (OU) and Operation Wallacea (OpWall), have found that strategically placed artificial reefs in the sea could be used to stimulate population recovery […]

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A Year to Change the World: Q&A with OU Professor Neil Edwards

A Year to Change the World: Q&A with OU Professor Neil Edwards

The final episode of the three-part series, Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World, airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One. The documentary is co-produced by The Open University and BBC. In this episode Greta looks at how COVID-19 has posed a challenge for tackling the climate crisis. She meets with German Chancellor Angela […]

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Scientists discover new biomarker behind aggressive form of prostate cancer

Scientists discover new biomarker behind aggressive form of prostate cancer

An international group of geneticists have discovered a new molecule that drives the spread of the most aggressive form of prostate cancer. This breakthrough signals new hope for sufferers of the deadly disease. In the UK, more than 48,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year – it is the most common cancer found […]

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Mars: how Ingenuity helicopter made the first flight on another planet

Mars: how Ingenuity helicopter made the first flight on another planet

Written by Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University Imagine that you are flying a model helicopter or a drone. You are there with the auto controls. You switch them on. The rotors start to turn, gradually increasing their spin. You watch, then push the control for lift. Your helicopter rises, hovers, […]

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Funding award supports OU partnership to protect climate and restore floodplain meadows

Funding award supports OU partnership to protect climate and restore floodplain meadows

The OU’s Floodplain Meadows Partnership has won a substantial grant from Ecover to help restore and protect 50 hectares of floodplain meadows along the banks of the River Thames in Oxfordshire. The team, which includes scientists from the OU and partners; Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust and Long Mead Local Wildlife Site, will work […]

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Ice, sand and the spiders from Mars in the laboratory

Ice, sand and the spiders from Mars in the laboratory

Open University researchers have recreated the formation of spider-like patterns on Mars in their laboratory, which provides the first physical evidence that these features can be formed by a unique process unlike anything seen on Earth. In a paper published in Nature Scientific Reports, led by OU Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dr Lauren McKeown, the team […]

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tropical storm

Changes in global rainfall in the past give future climate change insight

New research from The Open University has revealed global tropical rainfall changes that took place during past climatic periods, which can help in understanding processes for the impact of future climate change. The study by an international research team, made up of researchers from The Open University (OU), the British Geological Survey and Brown University, […]

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Telescope in space

OU receives slice of £1m Government funding to enhance space technology

The Open University (OU) is leading on one of five UK space projects awarded over £1 million by the Government as part of its efforts to boost international innovation. The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) International is the first fund dedicated to supporting the UK space sector through collaborations with international partners, designed to contribute […]

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BBC/OU Co-Pro unveils the undiscovered life in sewage

BBC/OU Co-Pro unveils the undiscovered life in sewage

A fascinating look into the world of sewage and how scientists are searching for ways to upcycle human waste comes to our television screens this week. The Secret Science of Sewage a BBC/Open University co-production, explores the biology, chemistry, and history of feces – looking inside the tanks of one of the UK’s largest and […]

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