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Category: Science, maths, computing and technology

Can the laws of physics disprove God?

Can the laws of physics disprove God?

Monica Grady, professor of planetary and space sciences at The Open University,  discusses how the laws of physics might disprove God, as part of The Conversation’s ‘Life’s Big Questions’ series. I still believed in God (I am now an atheist) when I heard the following question at a seminar, first posed by Einstein, and was […]

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

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

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) […]

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New facial profile genes discovered

New facial profile genes discovered

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 […]

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Mars: how scientists prevent Earth’s microbes from contaminating other planets

Mars: how scientists prevent Earth’s microbes from contaminating other planets

There are two planned Mars landings in 2021. First, Nasa’s Perseverance rover is due to land on the planet later this month. Then China’s Tianwen rover will follow in May. Both missions intend to search the planet for signs of life.  Dr Thomas Cheney, Lecturer in  Space Governance at The Open University, explains more. But […]

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One step closer to building habitats on the Moon

One step closer to building habitats on the Moon

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 […]

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Gemma Cairney

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

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 […]

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Professor Mark Brandon in Antarctica

OU academic named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours

Mark Brandon, Professor of Polar Oceanography, at The Open University has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year 2021 Honours for services to Polar Science. Mark has been at The Open University for 20 years and has been Professor of Polar Oceanography since 2018. He is also the Associate Dean of Enterprise and […]

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Game your way into a new cyber career

Game your way into a new cyber career

Most would agree that cyber security is no child’s play, but an Open University (OU) course is keen to borrow the latest gaming techniques to teach adults new skills in the field. OU tech experts have developed a new, FREE course teaching the basics of cyber security to beginners using game-based assessments, making the subject […]

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A Perfect Planet: far reaching series set to air in New Year

A Perfect Planet: far reaching series set to air in New Year

Can we really live in a perfect world? A Perfect Planet is a new, five-part natural history series co-produced by The Open University and the BBC, which explains why the Earth is just right for life, so long as we look after it. The series, set to air from Sunday 3 January 2021 at 8pm […]

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Millions of electric cars will need charging in future – but how?

Millions of electric cars will need charging in future – but how?

Miguel Valdez, Lecturer in Technology and Innovation Management, Matthew Cook, Professor Innovation and Stephen Potter, Professor of Transport Strategy at The Open University discuss the future of electric cars in the UK and explains their research into wireless charging for cars. One consequence of Brexit is that Britain will desperately need a modernising industrial strategy. […]

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