science wire

An Oxford University academic is leading a project to study coroners' reports of accidental deaths in Tudor England.

Science Pete Wilton | 02 Jun 11 Erasing data, rather like cleaning a house, should be hard, hot work.

Five exceptional medical researchers at Oxford University have been given significant funding to pursue their research goals, the Wellcome Trust has announced. That means a quarter of the Trust's Senior Investigator Awards have gone to researchers based at Oxford - the largest number of any institution.

Science | Space Pete Wilton | 23 May 11 It may be our home but just how special is the Milk Way? That's the question a team including Oxford University scientists have been looking to answer using simulations of our galaxy and our neighbours, the Magellanic Clouds. Their findings , reported in a paper in The Astrophysical Journal could help in the hunt for dark matter.

An Oxford University study says if current trends continue, women will probably have to wait until 2050 before men are doing an equal share of the household chores and childcare. According to the paper published in the latest issue of the journal Sociology , 'substantial and persistent obstacles' remain.

Science | Space Pete Wilton | 20 May 11 Daredevils regularly bail out at high altitude to skydive through Earth's atmosphere but what would it be like to skydive on Saturn? Would you jump in summer into an atmosphere shrouded in a yellow-ochre haze, aim for winter when the planet is tinged blue, or maybe leap into the shadow of those famous rings? These thoughts were prompted by new research from an international team led by Oxford University scientists into a powerful storm on Saturn first spotted in December 2010.

A cheap and reliable diagnostic test for a rare form of cancer has been developed by researchers at the University of Oxford. The test involves screening tumour samples for a particular molecular fingerprint unique to this type of cancer. Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) is a disorder which causes the development of benign but often painful tumours in the skin and, in females, in the uterus.

Professor Sir Richard Peto's outstanding career in medical research has been recognised by the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the BMJ Group at a ceremony in London last night, following a vote by the British Medical Journal 's readers.

Four leading medical researchers at Oxford University have been elected Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Professors Paul Bolam, Frances Platt, Andrew King and Doug Altman are among 40 new Fellows announced today by the Academy. The honour recognises outstanding contributions to the advancement of medical science, innovative application of scientific knowledge or conspicuous service to healthcare.

Researchers at Oxford University are to study 'neuromarketing', a relatively new field of consumer and market research, which uses brain imaging and measurement technology to study the neural processes underlying an individual's choice.

Science Cath Harris | 06 May 11 Darren Mann likes nothing better than getting his hands dirty. He's at his happiest in the field with magnifying glass and notebook, delving into a fresh pile of poo.

Health Jonathan Wood | 28 Apr 11 The two thousand, seven hundred and eighty-fourth baby has been vaccinated today in South Africa as part of a clinical trial of a new vaccine against tuberculosis.

An Oxford University team has discovered a language spoken by only three people and is now in a race against time to document the language for posterity - after recent tragic flooding on the island where the language is spoken killed many of its inhabitants.

Science Pete Wilton | 20 Apr 11 This July an expedition will set out for the central highlands of Indonesian Borneo to sample the biodiversity of uncharted areas, track ape populations and find out how remote communities interact with their environment.

Oxford University has taken its groundbreaking Great War Archive into Europe, after forming an alliance with the German National Library and Europe's digital archive Europeana to digitise more family papers and memorabilia from the First World War. The Great War Archive brought together 6,500 images of items submitted to Oxford University by members of the public in 2008.

Science | Technology Pete Wilton | 14 Apr 11 Technology using catalysts which make hydrogen from formic acid could eventually replace lithium batteries and power a host of mobile devices. Edman Tsang of Oxford University's Department of Chemistry and colleagues are developing new catalysts which can produce hydrogen at room temperature without the need for solvents or additives.

Art 14 Apr 11 It is seen by many as an unofficial British national anthem - but an Oxford University academic believes she has discovered that Rule Britannia was heavily influenced by Greek literature.

It is seen by many as an unofficial British national anthem - but an Oxford University academic believes she has discovered that Rule Britannia was heavily influenced by Greek literature.

About one in ten cancers in men and one in 33 cancers in women in Western Europe is caused by alcohol, a European study has calculated. That amounts to at least 13,000 cases of cancer a year in the UK, according to the report published in the British Medical Journal - around 9,000 in men and 4,000 in women.

New Oxford University research shows that membership of the British National Party (BNP) is higher where whites and non-whites live in segregated areas.

Science | Schools Cath Harris | 06 Apr 11 Forensic science, fossil dating and volcanic eruptions were among the topics investigated by more than 400 secondary school students at this year's Oxford University Science Roadshow.