The Open University

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OU receives grant to unite experts to protect the Moon through sustainable governance

23 March 2026

A new project, led by Dr Alessandra Marino of the OU, has received a grant with a value of £1.245m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to trial an integrated governance approach to protect the Moon and its sites of interest. MoonRISE: Re‑Imagining Space Environments brings together a range of scholars from different disciplines to […]

Group in London for finale of MEL Programme

“Inspiring” evening celebrates diverse leadership programme with graduates

18 March 2026

The Open University honoured its cohort of graduates from its pioneering Minority Ethnic Leadership (MEL) Programme at a special event in London last week. The programme was the first-of-its-kind, aiming to support a new generation of diverse leaders, with a bespoke course and opportunities for peer learning and mentoring. Students, senior leaders, mentors and guests […]

Inside the Rage Machine: How social media algorithms are rewiring our world

16 March 2026

A new OU / BBC programme, Inside the Rage Machine begins Monday 16th March at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Marianna Spring, the BBC’s Social Media Investigations Correspondent, uncovers the inside story of how social media algorithms designed to connect us have been helping to tear us apart. Insider testimony and whistleblower documents expose […]

Foraged mushrooms and sea beet featured in British meals in the 16th century. Why not today?

9 March 2026

Wild garlic, oyster mushrooms and sea beet were once regularly gathered and eaten as part of meals across the UK, says Emmanuel Junior Zuza, Visiting Assistant Professor in Environmental Sciences at The Open University. Today, some people have concerns about eating food growing in the woods or hedgerows, but are keen to discuss why – […]

The Middle East conflict has swiftly exposed economic vulnerability in the region

9 March 2026

At the end of 2025, the Gulf states received high praise for their economic resilience. According to reports by the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, the region was stable, modern and reliable, says Emilie Rutledge, Senior Lecturer in Economics at The Open University. Now the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) […]

Ancient Palestine – Statement from The Open University

4 March 2026

There have been suggestions that The Open University has decided to stop using the term ‘Ancient Palestine’ in all its teaching materials. This is not the case. Academic colleagues remain free to use the term ‘Ancient Palestine’. Decisions about the use of terminology are matters of academic judgement, made by individual academics and teaching teams in line with disciplinary conventions and their professional expertise. That position has been clearly communicated across the University. Previous correspondence with an […]

The JANUS camera on the JUICE spacecraft observes a cosmic visitor on its way to Jupiter

3 March 2026

Space researchers from the Open University Atmospheric Research and Surface Exploration group, led by Prof. Manish Patel, and the Centre for Electronic Imaging, have helped image an interstellar visitor to our Solar System. The European Space Agency JUICE mission to Jupiter carries the JANUS camera, which uses UK-built Teledyne e2v detectors provided by The Open […]

Forensics: The Real CSI returns for a new series

26 February 2026

A new OU/BBC series, Forensics: The Real CSI (Series 5 and 6) begins Sunday 1 March at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. The edge of a fingerprint. A single hair. A drop of blood. These tiny margins are the difference between success and failure for police forensics investigators. The series re-joins West Midlands […]

AI Confidential: New OU / BBC Series Investigates the Human Impact of the AI Revolution

23 February 2026

A new OU / BBC series, AI Confidential with Hannah Fry begins Monday 23 February at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Presented by Professor Hannah Fry, the series explores some of the most shocking, surprising, and revealing stories emerging from the global AI revolution. Across the series, Hannah investigates what happens when powerful new […]

AI sheds new light on dinosaur footprints

20 February 2026

A new publication introduces a transformative AI approach to studying dinosaur footprints, offering researchers (and enthusiasts!) an objective way to classify tracks and investigate the conditions in which dinosaurs lived. The paper, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), discussed how using an unsupervised neural network, the team — including Dr Gregor Hartmann of […]

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