The Open University

Uncanny valley: why we find human-like robots and dolls so creepy

10 November 2015

The “uncanny valley” is a characteristic dip in emotional response that happens when we encounter an entity that is almost, but not quite, human. It was first hypothesised in 1970 by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori who identified that as robots became more human-like, people would find them to be more acceptable and appealing than their […]

OU highlights skills gap to business leaders

9 November 2015

The Open University has been out in force at this year’s Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference. The annual event in London is a gathering of business leaders from across Great Britain, and the OU was in attendance to highlight the benefits of developing skills through lifelong and part-time learning to delegates, and to promote […]

Journalist Sir Harold Evans honoured by The Open University

7 November 2015

Sir Harold Evans, one of the most significant journalists of recent times, has been presented with an honorary doctorate from The Open University. He was at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on Friday 6 November to receive his award of Doctor of the University for exceptional contribution to education and culture, and was conferred alongside more than […]

Photo of girl writing in a book in a home study

Should home education be more tightly regulated?

3 November 2015

Sunday can be a hectic evening for many families. A time to organise packed lunches, iron uniforms and polish school shoes. But for a sizeable minority such pressures do not apply. In July 2014, there were 27,292 five to 16-year-olds in England who were home educated, according to statistics compiled from local authority records by […]

Street lamps and stone pavement at night. Image credit: Thinkstock

Acid bath murderers and poison: why dark tourism is important

3 November 2015

People love all things spooky and gory. I was reminded of the truth of this when I visited the Museum of London’s new exhibition The Crime Museum Uncovered. It was a tantalising prospect, promising “never-before-seen objects from the Metropolitan Police’s Crime Museum” on display “for the first time ever”. This Crime Museum was established in […]

A praying mantis feasts on a katydid in the Madagascan jungle. Image credit: Silverback Films

The Hunt is on: brand new footage revealed as predator tracks prey

29 October 2015

Predators are often perceived as being ferocious, successful hunters but the truth is, most hunts fail. A new landmark BBC natural history series uncovers dramatic and never-seen-before footage of predators and the difficulties they face in catching their prey. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, The Hunt, produced in partnership with The Open University, travels the […]

Research investigates conversations with the dead in Stoke

26 October 2015

The lid is lifted on an ordinary Midlands town to reveal its Spiritualist past as part of an OU research project. Spirited Stoke is a two-year research investigation considering the origins of Spirituality in the city of Stoke on Trent. Spiritualism has been part of Stoke-on-Trent’s history since at least the 1870s and one church […]

Is processed meat safe to eat? OU academic reflects on stats

26 October 2015

Processed meat has been reclassified to sit alongside substances like asbestos and cigarettes. Does this mark the end of the ‘Full English’, or is there more to it? The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) have reclassified processed meat to Group 1, alongside other products that are “carcinogenic to humans”. Professor […]

Alan Cumming, Alison Elliot, Karen McCluskey and Heather Reid

Actor Alan Cumming becomes a ‘doctor of the universe’

25 October 2015

“I’m about to become a doctor of the universe” proclaimed actor Alan Cumming just before being awarded an honorary doctorate by The Open University for exceptional contributions to education and culture. At rehearsal for the @OUScotland #OU_Ceremonies ! I’m about to become a doctor of the universe! Oops, university! pic.twitter.com/0adsEaEgBS — Alan Cumming (@Alancumming) October […]

Businessman reading a financial report. Image credit: Thinkstock

OU responds to calls for £500m funding to be redirected from universities

21 October 2015

Leading political think-tank Policy Exchange has published a report calling on BIS to redirect £500m from universities grant funding into Further Education to boost higher level professional and technical education. The report, Higher, Further, Faster, More, says that, while UK universities are some of the best in the world, they are sitting on significant financial reserves and […]

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