The Open University

Artemis is a new body suit for period pain – here’s why it’s named after a Greek goddess

9 February 2023

Helen King, Professor Emerita of Classical Studies at The Open University, shares her knowledge of the Greek goddess Artemis whose name has been adopted by the makers of the latest garment used to ease period pain. A new body suit to control period pain is in the pipeline – and it’s called Artemis. Named after […]

Research discovers ‘forbidden’ ring of Solar System dwarf planet

8 February 2023

An international team of astronomers, including Open University (OU) researchers, has discovered a ring around the distant dwarf planet Quaoar – a ring that should not exist. This questions our understanding of collision processes leading to the formation of planetary bodies, as reported in the 9 February 2023 issue of Nature. Quaoar is an icy […]

‘It was my route into nursing – no boat required’

6 February 2023

Kerry Black, 30, is one of the first Nursing Associates to qualify through a partnership with The Open University and the Isle of Wight NHS Trust. Kerry shares how an apprenticeship has allowed her to pursue her NHS career dreams without having to leave her island home. “I started off at the GP surgery 10 […]

‘There weren’t many women in the industry – I wanted to make a change’

6 February 2023

After leaving school, Phoebe, 21, chose to fast-track her IT career by starting a digital apprenticeship with The Open University while working at technology company RDT. Phoebe’s journey began with an interest in video gaming. Having completed A-Levels in maths, economics and history, she knew that a role in IT was the route she wanted […]

Looking back on three years of Brexit

3 February 2023

It’s three years since Brexit so we asked professor of foreign policy and international relations Jamie Gaskarth to look back to see what has been achieved. Before Brexit, Britain was in a uniquely favourable position in global terms. Its closest ally, the United States, was the most powerful military actor in the world. Britain was […]

OU research student Lois in the lab at Milton Keynes

Meet the OU researcher using sunlight to create clean water

2 February 2023

When Lois Damptey left her home in Ghana to study for a PhD with The Open University, she had one clear goal: for her research to help save lives. Now in the final year of her doctorate, Lois, 30, is exploring how solar energy can be used to create a low-cost water filtration system. The […]

Ukraine: why supply of US and German tanks echoes cold war

26 January 2023

Dr David Grummitt is an Open University staff tutor in history and a military historian. Here he talks about Germany’s latest decision to allow its Leopard 2 tanks to be exported to Ukraine and what it could mean. The decision that Germany and the US will allow the export of M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 […]

Remarkable ancient find of an extinct language goes on public display

26 January 2023

A 2,500-year-old stone slab found in Italy and inscribed in the ancient, extinct Etruscan language is now on show to the public for the first time. But you’ll have to venture to the Fondazione Luigi Rovati museum in Milan to see The Vicchio Stele, as it is called, which was discovered in 2015 by a […]

Latest Webb telescope results uncover dark, icy beginnings of life’s building blocks

23 January 2023

The discovery of diverse ices in the darkest, coldest regions of a molecular cloud ever measured has been announced by an international team of astronomers – including from the OU – using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. This result, published today in Nature allows astronomers to examine the simple icy molecules and open a […]

“Can’t talk. It’s not safe, I’m driving”

20 January 2023

New research led by the OU aims to improve road safety by challenging the perception that hands-free phone use by drivers is ‘safe’. Latest government figures show that by the close of 2021, 20 people were killed and 616 injured in collisions in Great Britain where mobile phone use was recorded as a contributory factor. […]

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