The Open University

The key to language is universal psychology, not universal grammar

24 August 2020

Dr Paul Ibbotson, lecturer in Developmental Psychology at The Open University explains how psychology shapes our language. What makes language special is part of what makes us special, so understanding what language is made of and how we learn it brings us closer to our human nature. Is language special because it runs on its […]

Modern plant diversity hotspot traced to mountain ranges 30 million years old

6 August 2020

An international team, including researchers from The Open University, has discovered that highly diverse plant life found in China can be traced back to the formation of ancient mountain ranges. In a new study, published in Science, researchers examined the plant life in China’s Hengduan Mountains, the Himalaya Mountains, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Using DNA […]

OU takes home gold at the 2020 BAFTA TV Awards

4 August 2020

Blue Planet Live, a co-production between The Open University (OU) and the BBC, took home gold at the first virtual British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA). Up against stiff competition, including Glastonbury 2019 and last year’s televised election results, the marine life series triumphed and received the award for Best Live Event. Blue Planet Live, a […]

Mars 2020: the hunt for life on the red planet is about to get serious

30 July 2020

Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary Sciences at The Open University, discusses the latest missions to Mars in the hope for more answers about if there has been, or is, life on the red planet. Next spring is going to be a busy time for Mars. In close succession, three spacecraft will arrive at the planet, […]

Five top tips for managing your personal finances during coronavirus

30 July 2020

Jonquil Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Economics and Personal Finance at The Open University, offers advice on how to manage your money through the coronavirus pandemic. When it comes to money, coronavirus has split the nation. Financial stress dominates for many of the 9.5 million employees on furlough, potentially facing unemployment as the scheme unwinds, and […]

OU launches bursaries for 50 new BAME students

29 July 2020

The Open University is offering ‘Open Futures Bursaries’ to support new OU students who identify as being from a Black, Asian, or other minority ethnic (BAME) background. Fifty bursaries of £1,000 are available to eligible new students for the academic year 2020/21, to be used towards study costs or other living expenses. Applications are open […]

I’ve been talking to conspiracy theorists for 20 years – here are my six rules of engagement

22 July 2020

Jovan Byford, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The Open University discusses the rules he uses for talking about conspiracy theories. With prospects of a COVID-19 vaccine looking up, attention is also turning to the problem of anti-vax ideas. According to a recent survey, one in six Britons would refuse a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes […]

Euclid space telescope’s camera a step closer to imaging galaxies

9 July 2020

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid mission to study more than a billion galaxies is a step closer to launch as its two instruments are now built and fully tested, including a massive optical digital camera delivered by an international consortium. Once Euclid is launched from French Guiana in 2022, the VIS instrument will be […]

International scientists discover a pair of dancing planets

2 July 2020

An international team of scientists, including Professor Carole Haswell and Dr Ulrich Kolb of The Open University (OU), have discovered two, giant planets interacting near each other, in a gravitational dance. The planets, detected by the Wide Area Search for Planets (WASP) project, feel each other’s gravity and, as a result, speed up and slow […]

Super-Earth planets detected orbiting nearby star

26 June 2020

A system of super-Earth planets – possibly rocky worlds, but larger than Earth – has been detected orbiting the nearby star Gliese 887. An international team of astronomers, including Professor Carole Haswell and Dr John Barnes of The Open University, made the discovery as part of Red Dots, a project to detect terrestrial planets close […]

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