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News from The Open University

Research sheds new light on Moon rock formation solving major puzzle in lunar geology

Research sheds new light on Moon rock formation solving major puzzle in lunar geology

New research has cracked a vital process in the creation of a unique rock type from the Moon. The discovery explains its signature composition and very presence on the lunar surface at all, unravelling a mystery which has long eluded scientists. The study, published today in Nature Geoscience, reveals a key step in the origins of these […]

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Full moon against a dark black night sky

OU research finds the Moon’s crust is richer in water than previously thought

Dr Tara Hayden of The Open University (OU) has published research identifying, for the first time, the mineral apatite in a sample of early lunar crust, allowing for new insights into the water composition of the Moon. The research, published today in Nature Astronomy, offers exciting new evidence that the Moon’s early crust contained more […]

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Blue space background with stars

The Open University provides update following the launch of Peregrine lunar lander

Shortly after launch, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander experienced a failure in the propulsion system, causing a critical loss of propellent. Astrobotic announced due to the failure, Peregrine will not achieve a soft lunar landing for this mission. Efforts by the Astrobotic team have recovered the spacecraft and allowed Peregrine to remain operationally stable collecting data about […]

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Young people took up smoking during the pandemic – how tobacco has been used for stress relief for more than a century

Young people took up smoking during the pandemic – how tobacco has been used for stress relief for more than a century

Through his research interest in the smoking habits of people in war-time Britain, Dr Michael Reeve, a Lecturer in Modern British History, shows us how social disruption and stress, over time, has drawn people towards tobacco. In the UK and much of the west, smoking rates have consistently declined since the turn of the millennium. […]

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Andrew Malkinson talks of ‘lifesaver’ study for OU degree while wrongly jailed

Andrew Malkinson talks of ‘lifesaver’ study for OU degree while wrongly jailed

Former Open University student Andrew Malkinson said studying for an Open degree while wrongly jailed for rape for 17 years was a ‘lifesaver’. During his guest-editor slot on the Radio 4 flagship news programme, where he recently interviewed his OU tutor Dr David Giddings, he said the maths and physics modules of his course were […]

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Lady Killers is back for a third series

Lady Killers is back for a third series

Lady Killers – one of the top ten most popular BBC Podcast series of 2022 – is back for a third time and integral to the show is The Open University’s Rosalind Crone working alongside popular history presenter Lucy Worsley. The half hour OU/BBC co production is due to air on 10 January on BBC […]

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#JeSuisCharlie was one of the most viral hashtags in history – here’s why it wouldn’t happen today

Emma Connolly, PhD Candidate, Politics and International Studies at The Open University writes for The Conversation about how #JeSuisCharlie was one of the most viral hashtags in history and why it wouldn’t happen today: It will be nine years on January 7 since a shooting at French weekly satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo killed 12 and […]

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Lift-off planned for historic mission to the Moon

Lift-off planned for historic mission to the Moon

Peregrine Mission One will begin its journey from Florida to the Moon no earlier than January 8, 2024, on a historic mission that will pave the way for future exploration and long-term human presence in space. Onboard will be the Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), which was developed in partnership between The Open University […]

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Five things I wish I’d known for my first OU assignment

Five things I wish I’d known for my first OU assignment

Although the OU’s method of teaching is very different to the norm – with online tutorials, forums and remotely accessed science kit – there is still the very normal element of completing assignments and assessments. But it can be daunting to be facing your first TMA (assignment), so second-year student Sarah (who’s also an OU […]

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