“Quantum technologies” utilize the unique phenomena of quantum superposition and entanglement to encode and process information, with potentially profound benefits to a wide range of information technologies from communications to sensing and computing. However, a major challenge in developing these technologies is that the quantum phenomena are very fragile, and only a handful of physical…
Centuries-Old Population Movements Revealed in Fine-Scale Genetic Map of the Iberian Peninsula
New Studies Reveal Deep History of Archaic Humans in Southern Siberia
Oxford University scientists have played a key role in new research identifying the earliest evidence of some of the first known humans—Denisovans and Neanderthals, in Southern Siberia. Professor Tom Higham and his team at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit at the University of Oxford worked in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team from the UK, Russia,…
A Century and Half of Reconstructed Ocean Warming Offers Clues for the Future
Half-Billion-Year-Old Fossils Offer New Clues to How Life Exploded on the Sea Floor
Stephen Pates, a researcher from Oxford University’s Department of Zoology, has uncovered secrets from the ancient oceans. With Dr. Rudy Lerosey-Aubril from New England University (Australia), he meticulously re-examined fossil material collected over 25 years ago from the mountains of Utah, USA. The research, published in a new study in Nature Communications, reveals further evidence…
Major Fossil Study Sheds New Light on Emergence of Early Animal Life 540 Million Years Ago
All the major groups of animals appear in the fossil record for the first time around 540-500 million years ago—an event known as the Cambrian Explosion—but new research from the University of Oxford in collaboration with the University of Lausanne suggests that for most animals this ‘explosion’ was in fact a more gradual process. The…
Scientists Identify Genetic Catalysts that Speed Up Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
Smart Sensors Alert to Crime, Terrorism with Color Changes
Crime, terrorism prevention, environmental monitoring, reusable electronics, medical diagnostics, and food safety are just a few of the far-reaching areas where a new chemical sensor could revolutionize progress. Engineers at the University of Oxford have used material compounds, known as Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), to develop technology that senses and responds to light and chemicals.…
The Volatile Processes That Shaped the Earth
Oxford University scientists have shed new light on how the Earth was first formed. Based on observations of newly-forming stars, scientists know that the solar system began as a disc of dust and gas surrounding the centrally-growing sun. The gas condensed to solids which accumulated into larger rocky bodies like asteroids and mini-planets. Over a…
Urgent Emission Reductions Needed to Achieve 1.5 Degrees Celsius Warming Limit
A New Method For The 3D Printing Of Living Tissues
Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed a new method to 3D-print laboratory- grown cells to form living structures. The approach could revolutionise regenerative medicine, enabling the production of complex tissues and cartilage that would potentially support, repair or augment diseased and damaged areas of the body. In research published in the journal Scientific Reports,…
Unknown Virus Discovered in ‘Throwaway’ DNA
Rare, Exceptionally Preserved Fossil Reveals Lifestyle of Ancient Armor-Plated Reptile
An exceptionally-preserved fossil from the Alps in eastern Switzerland has revealed the best look so far at an armoured reptile from the Middle Triassic named Eusaurosphargis dalsassoi. The fossil is extremely rare in that it contains the animal’s complete skeleton, giving an Anglo-Swiss research team a very clear idea of its detailed anatomy and probable…
New Approach Predicts Threats to Rainforests
With rain forests at risk the world over, a new collaboration is equipping conservationists with the tools to predict and plan for future forest loss. A new study by scientists from the Universities of Oxford, Montana and the US Forest Service highlights novel approaches to tackling deforestation. The team focused their research on Borneo, an…
Deadly Spider’s Unique Spinning Technique Could Inspire Tougher Materials
Brown recluse spiders use a unique micro looping technique to make their threads stronger than that of any other spider, a newly published UK-US collaboration has discovered. One of the most feared and venomous arachnids in the world, the American brown recluse spider has long been known for its signature necro-toxic venom, as well as…
M40 Alliance Forms to Accelerate Arthritis Therapy
Key Evolutionary Catalyst for Antibiotic Resistance Identified
75th Anniversary of First Penicillin Treatment Commemorated
Microscopic ‘Nanobottles’ Offer Blueprint for Enhanced Biological Imaging
A pan-European team of researchers involving the University of Oxford has developed a new technique to provide cellular ‘blueprints’ that could help scientists interpret the results of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping. XRF imaging is used for a wide range of elemental analyses and has a number of medicine-based potential applications, including tracking and understanding diseases…
Record Breaking Logic Gate ‘Another Important Milestone’ for Quantum Computer Development
Rapid Bacterial Infection Test Reduces Antibiotic Use
Research Targets Number One Killer of Under-5s
Monkeys in Brazil ‘Have Used Stone Tools for Hundreds of Years at Least’
New archaeological evidence suggests that Brazilian capuchins have been using stone tools to crack open cashew nuts for at least 700 years. Researchers say, to date, they have found the earliest archaeological examples of monkey tool use outside of Africa. In their paper, published in Current Biology, they suggest it raises questions about the origins and…