The Open University

Uncovering the mysteries of the human brain in new OU / BBC programme

29 September 2025

A new two-part OU / BBC series, Secrets of the Brain, begins today (29 September) at 9pm on BBC Two and available to watch on catch up through BBC iPlayer. Join renowned theoretical physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili on an epic journey through 600 million years of evolution to uncover how the human brain, the most […]

OU spaceflight lab hosts Cranfield University MSc student

26 September 2025

OU space researchers have recently finished hosting Cranfield University MSc Astronautics & Space Engineering students undertaking a 4-month full-time Individual Research Projects (IRPs). The HyperVelocity Impact (HVI) and Space and Planetary Environments (SPE) Laboratories (supervised by Dr. Zoe Emerland) have facilitated projects for two students using a variety of extreme environment testing facilities. The first […]

OU Researchers Begin New Collaboration with the MIT Kavli Institute

22 September 2025

The Open University (OU) scientists from the Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI) have started a new research project with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Kavli Institute (MKI) for Astrophysics and Space Research to support them in the evaluation of a new detector technology developed at the OU. During the project, members of the CEI […]

OU study sheds light on future of Milton Keynes’ ancient woodlands

3 September 2025

New research from The Open University (OU), recently published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence, has revealed how ancient woodlands in Milton Keynes are responding to the pressures of being surrounded by a growing city. The study was led by a team of OU researchers from the university’s STEM faculty: Holly Woo, Sarah Davies, Kadmiel Maseyk, […]

Radio series Rare Earth returns for series 6

22 August 2025

Today at midday (22 August) the OU/BBC radio series, Rare Earth, returns with a sixth series with environmental journalist Tom Heap and physicist Helen Czerski on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Rare Earth is a weekly podcast and radio show which digs into the biggest issues facing our planet. Each week, hosts Tom and Helen tackle a major topic […]

‘OU study opened the door to a whole new career,’ says trainee detective, John

12 August 2025

When surf school owner John, 47, challenged himself with a return to education, he had two clear goals – to study a captivating subject, while unlocking new career opportunities. John never imagined that his Open University (OU) degree would set him on course to become a Detective Constable in his home county. As a new […]

Explore the beauty of flowers in A Pressing Matter

12 August 2025

Watch tonight’s episode of The One Show to see the first in a series of short films co-produced by The Open University (OU) and BBC, with this episode exploring the art and science of pressed flowers. A Pressing Matter airs on Tuesday 12th August at 7pm on BBC One and will be available to watch […]

Scientists simulate the Solar System’s ‘ice volcanoes’ in OU’s Milton Keynes lab

24 July 2025

A team of international scientists, including researchers from the Atmospheric Research and Space Exploration group at The Open University (OU), have recreated the extreme conditions found on icy moons in deep space and revealed the unstable behaviour of water. In the near-zero pressure environment of space, water reacts very differently from how it does on […]

Why the UK’s butterflies are booming in 2025

17 July 2025

Biodiversity is in rapid decline, across the UK and globally, says Willow Neal, Postgraduate Researcher in Conservation Ecology at The Open University. Butterflies are excellent for helping us understand these changes. Where butterfly communities are rich and diverse, so too is the ecosystem. But the opposite is also true: if butterfly numbers are low and […]

OU leads the way to future high-resolution orbital imaging of Mars

15 July 2025

The Open University Atmospheric Research and Space Exploration group, led by Professor Manish Patel, has been awarded a €500k grant from the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the Phase A study for a high-resolution imager for Mars, launching in 2032. The High-Resolution Imager for Mars Exploration (HiRIME) instrument is an orbiting telescope around Mars, […]

OU News

Category: Science, maths, computing and technology