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University of Oxford researchers have contributed to the first successful extraction of ancient DNA from a 2,900 year-old clay brick. The analysis, published today in Nature Scientific Reports , provides a fascinating insight into the diversity of plant species cultivated at that time and place, and could open the way to similar studies on clay material from different sites and time periods.

Researchers at Oxford University's Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences have developed a new tool to predict people's risks of getting oesophageal cancer in the next ten years. Researchers in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford have today unveiled a ground-breaking tool that could revolutionise the early detection of oesophageal cancer - the long tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach.

While 21  century water companies struggle to maintain clean, fresh supplies, new research today from an international team led by Oxford geoarchaeologist Dr Güel Sürmelihindi , reveals that, some 2,000 years ago, Roman water engineers were keeping up a regular programme of managing and maintaining the ancient water systems.

Containment measures introduced to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 resulted in a sustained reduction in the transmission of certain bacteria that cause diseases such as meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia, according to a new study published in The Lancet Digital Health by the Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance (IRIS) Consortium.

Several glass structures of molecules are suspended in the air: the molecules have a central atom, with four connected ones radiating outwards. Image credit: Shutterstock. For the first time, Oxford chemists have generated fluorochemicals - critical for many industries - without the use of hazardous hydrogen fluoride gas.

Routine brain scanning in people experiencing psychosis could help to identify underlying physical conditions that are causing their symptoms, according to a new study. Researchers led by Dr Graham Blackman and Professor Philip McGuire at the University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry reviewed the results of over 1,600 patients with a first episode of psychosis who had undergone an MRI brain scan.

A new study has revealed that two-fifths of species likely threatened by the international wildlife trade are not covered by the global agreement that regulates it. This includes 370 species that are Critically Endangered or Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Overexploitation is a major threat to vulnerable animal and plant species, and one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss.

Why do some people take part in genetic studies while others do not? The answer may lie within our genetic makeup. According to a ground-breaking study by Oxford's  Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science  and  Big Data Institute , people who participate in genetic studies are genetically more likely to do so, leaving detectable 'footprints' in genetics data.

Researchers running the University of Oxford-led Com-COV3 study have reported the results of a study assessing the immune response and side effect profile of 'mixed' two-dose COVID-19 vaccine schedules in adolescents aged 12 to 16 years - administering either a full or a one-third (fractional) dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or a full dose of the Novavax vaccine at least eight weeks after a first full dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Poor air quality affects mental health in many ways, according to a new review of evidence published in the British Journal of Psychiatry . Led by Professor Kam Bhui at the University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry , researchers in the UKRI-funded BioAirNet programme, analysed existing studies looking at the effects of both indoor and outdoor air pollution across the life course, from birth and pregnancy, to adolescence and adulthood.

Artistic illustration showing rod-shaped Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria inside the alveoli air sacs of the lungs. Credit: Shutterstock. A research study led by the University of Oxford provides a transformational new insight into how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emerges in patients with bacterial infections.

Sea urchin, Asthenosoma varium, entangled with fishing line while camouflaging itself with a plastic bag at 130 m depth in the Philippines. Image credit: Luiz Rocha © California Academy of Sciences. In the most comprehensive survey to date, researchers have revealed the scale of plastic pollution on coral reefs, even at great depths.

A study led by the University of Oxford has brought us one step closer to solving a mystery that has puzzled naturalists since Charles Darwin: when did animals first appear in the history of Earth? The results have been published today in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution . Animals* first occur in the fossil record around 574 million years ago.

A study conducted by researchers at Oxford Population Health has found that women who are diagnosed with early stage breast cancer today are 66% less likely to die from the disease within five years of diagnosis than they were 20 years ago. It is published in The BMJ . Previous studies have shown that the risk of death after being diagnosed with early invasive breast cancer has decreased over the past few decades.

Alcohol consumption increases the risks of over 60 diseases in Chinese men, including many diseases not previously linked to alcohol, according to a new study by researchers from Oxford Population Health and Peking University, published in Nature Medicine . Alcohol consumption is estimated to be responsible for about 3 million deaths worldwide each year, and it is increasing in many lowand middle-income countries such as China.

Significantly improved electric vehicle (EV) batteries could be a step closer thanks to a new study led by University of Oxford researchers, published today in Nature . Using advanced imaging techniques, this revealed mechanisms which cause lithium metal solid-state batteries (Li-SSBs) to fail. If these can be overcome, solid-state batteries using lithium metal anodes could deliver a step-change improvement in EV battery range, safety and performance, and help advance electrically powered aviation.

An NHS trial of a new blood test for more than 50 types of cancer correctly revealed two out of every three cancers in more than 5,000 people who had visited their GP with suspected symptoms, in England or Wales. The test also correctly identified the original site of cancer in 85% of those cases. The SYMPLIFY study is the first large-scale evaluation of a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test in individuals who presented to their GP for diagnostic follow-up for suspected cancer.

A new cohort study has provided compelling evidence that quitting smoking can lead to improved mental health outcomes among people with and without mental health disorders, alleviating concerns raised by both clinicians and smokers. Published in JAMA Network Open , the findings revealed that smoking abstinence between weeks nine and 24 was associated with significant improvements in anxiety and depression scores.

Researchers from the universities of Oxford and Nottingham have found that despite substantial disruption to primary care services, the safety of GP prescribing in England was largely unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The study, published in BMJ Medicine , is the most comprehensive assessment of medication safety during the Covid-19 pandemic in England, covering 95% of the population.

A new population-based study of 22 million people shows that autoimmune disorders now affect about one in ten individuals. The work, published in The Lancet , also highlights important socioeconomic, seasonal, and regional differences for several autoimmune disorders and provides new clues on possible causes behind these diseases.