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A comet, cancer and the space in between
Space, it’s very out there. The exploration of the stars, galaxies and moons is all very exciting but it can seem a bit removed from our everyday lives. Things are different at The Open University, where space exploration is not done in isolation. Take the Rosetta Mission: This ground-breaking mission involved the OU creating the Ptolemy […]
Why alcohol makes you feel warm – and other strange effects it has on the brain
Alcohol: why do we drink it? People have been consuming alcohol for at least 10,000 years. And when drinking water was rather risky, alcohol seemed a much safer bet. Amaldus of Villanova, a 14th-century monk, even wrote that alcohol “prolongs life, clears away ill humors, revives the heart and maintains youth”. Today people will give […]
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Try before you buy: new entry route to university qualifications unveiled
Major UK universities, including Leeds and The Open University, are set to offer a new route into higher education – enabling learners to earn credits towards qualifications like degrees, MBA or professional accreditation via massive open online courses (MOOCs). In a European first, learners will be able to take a series of short courses on […]
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Does air pollution increase the risk of stillbirth?
New research suggests pregnant women exposed to air pollution – like car emissions or industrial waste fumes – could face an increased risk of stillbirth. But an Open University statistics expert says that’s not necessarily the case. “I don’t think these new findings should be a serious cause for concern for individual pregnant women – if […]
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Britain for sale? OU academics contribute to foreign ownership debate
Do ‘clever financing arrangements’ benefit UK citizens or the private sector? Two OU academics comment on a new report which looks at pros and cons of foreign investment in the UK. Dr Michael Pryke and Professor John Allen have contributed to a Smith Institute report, ‘Britain for Sale?’, released on 23rd May, which examines the […]
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Solar storms could solve longstanding paradox of how life on Earth arose
It was only a matter of 700 million years or so after Earth formed and its surface cooled and solidified that life began to flourish on Earth. All studies suggest that life requires water – and we know from rocks on Earth that the climate in this distant past was sufficiently warm for liquid water […]
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What does the UN want to achieve from the first World Humanitarian Summit?
In 2016, nearly one in five of the 7.4 billion people on our planet live in fragile situations. This represents the highest level of suffering since World War II – and numbers are set to increase as conflict, violent extremism and natural disasters continue to cause massive global disruption. In response to the escalating crisis […]
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Advance preview: Scientific telescope aims to be a blockbuster
The world’s astronomers – including scientists from the OU – are creating a telescope which they hope will uncover the mysteries of space. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will be the world’s largest digital camera and is expected to capture the biggest and best images from the universe for all to see. The OU is among a […]
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‘It’s crucial’: 6 reasons why you should embrace learning at work
Combining the ability to learn and work has been a positive – and in some cases life-changing – experience for many Open University students. We asked these OU graduates to explain why ‘learning while earning’ has worked for them… 1) You already have the perfect study space – your office! Rob Clark graduated with a MSc in […]
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Who Really Rules Us? Programme ponders the EU question
Presenter Jeremy Paxman will take TV viewers on a journey to the heart of the European Union in a one-off hour-long programme co-produced by BBC and The Open University. Called Paxman in Brussels: Who Really Rules Us? it will ask, quite simply: Have we handed over the power to rule the UK to Europe? And if […]
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