The Open University

Mordor mystery: scientists solve puzzle of the strange, dark north pole on Pluto’s moon Charon

16 September 2016

Had Pluto itself not proved to be so spectacular when NASA’s New Horizons probe flew past last year, there can be no doubt that its large moon Charon would have won more admirers. The remarkable moon has a mysterious dark-red stain over its north pole, called “Mordor Macula” by the New Horizons team – where […]

Silhouettes of Business People. Image credit: Thinkstock

Social mobility must focus on adult learners too, says OU Vice-Chancellor

15 September 2016

Social mobility is certainly the hot potato where the May Government is concerned. But is the new Prime Minister really looking in the right places? asks OU Vice-Chancellor Peter Horrocks. Theresa May’s aspirations for education policy – her recent announcements on more grammar schools and allowing universities to support state schools – show a boldness that […]

Scotland and the Battle for Britain

9 September 2016

Former BBC political editor Andrew Marr, born in Glasgow, presents Scotland and the Battle for Britain, a two-part documentary exploring Scotland’s political transformation during the historic events of recent years. Produced in partnership with The Open University, the programmes look at the impact of the Scottish referendum on independence, the success of the SNP in last […]

Apple and Ireland are betting on ‘Nation Inc’ and a world of shareholder citizens

6 September 2016

When the European Union decided to fine Apple €13.5 billion for tax evasion in Ireland last week, it didn’t take long for the Irish government to join with Apple to announce it would appeal the ruling. The alignment between the tech giant and a nation state shows how governments can be held to ransom by […]

Ceres asteroid may have an ‘ice volcano’ and other signs of water, NASA mission reveals

2 September 2016

The arrival of NASA’s Dawn mission at the huge asteroid “1 Ceres” in early 2015 has turned out to have been well worth waiting for. This dwarf planet is the largest body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and was the first to be discovered. But, until recently, we have only had information […]

BBC Inside Science features OU academic on water on Mars

1 September 2016

The quest to discover whether life exists, or has existed, on the Planet Mars has been one of the driving forces of space science research for decades. In a special interview with BBC Inside Science, co-produced by The Open University, Senior Lecturer at The Open University, Dr Matthew Balme, introduces us to his collaborative research, which has […]

An artist impression oF the surface of the Planet Mars four billion years ago

Mars had climate similar to Earth, concludes OU research

30 August 2016

It has been an amazing week for the world of Astronomy. With the discovery of an Earth-sized planet orbiting our nearest stellar neighbour within a zone that could support life, we are again forced to question whether we are alone. Now, a team of scientists from The Open University and several other UK and US institutes […]

How a ‘weather bomb’ shook the Earth – and why that’s not an earthquake

26 August 2016

The Earth beneath your feet is “humming” all the time. Typically these vibrations are too faint and low-frequency for your ears to hear. But they can be detected by seismometers, the instruments designed to study the generally more powerful vibrations that emanate from earthquakes. Now researchers have used an array of seismometers in Japan to […]

Artist's impression of the planet orbiting Proxima Centauri

OU astronomer helps to discover an Earth-like planet

25 August 2016

An international team of astronomers has detected a planet orbiting our nearest star, Proxima Centauri. The research, which has been published in Nature to a global audience, suggests the planet is at just the right distance from Proxima Centauri for liquid water to exist on its surface and has the potential to support life. Only […]

Illustration of training swimmers in a swimming pool

‘Super-human’ athletes are at risk from the post-Olympic blues – here’s why

23 August 2016

As nations all over the world welcome their Olympic athletes home, many of us will take a moment to reflect on the whirlwind of psychological pressure, physical strain, elation and disappointment, which they have just experienced. But whether they’re revelling in the glory of hard-won medals, or recovering from heartbreaking defeats, Olympic athletes won’t have […]

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