science wire

Art 08 Feb 11 The ethics of spying and the morality of the financial crisis are among research topics a £1.9m endowment will allow Oxford University's theological experts to pursue.

Policy 07 Feb 11 The first of a new series of annual lectures to recognise Sir David Butler of Nuffield College, Oxford, will take place tonight.

Science Cath Harris | 04 Feb 11 Online stargazers have reported 90 potential new planets to Oxford University's planet seekers' website.

The first babies have now been born in the UK using a new technique pioneered at Oxford University to select the best embryos for IVF.

Science | Technology 04 Feb 10 A new way of splitting layered materials, similar to graphite, into sheets of material just one atom thick could lead to revolutionary new electronic and energy storage technologies.

Health 03 Feb 11 A new study being led by Oxford University could ultimately help women balance having children and developing their careers.

Policy 01 Feb 11 'What constitutes "quality" in the education and care of children from birth up to the age of five?' is the question being tackled by Oxford researchers.

Art 25 Jan 11 The Renaissance sculpted tomb-monument of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, was altered when being moved from Thetford to Framlingham in the mid-16th Century.

Technology 25 Jan 11 It has been announced that Laing O'Rourke and the University of Oxford are to establish a new centre for engineering focusing on interdisciplinary research relevant to the construction industry.

Science 24 Jan 11 Laing O'Rourke and the University of Oxford are to establish a new centre for engineering focusing on interdisciplinary research relevant to the construction industry, it was announced on Monday 24 January.

Policy 24 Jan 11 The Oxford Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art and Culture, based in Oxford University's School of Archaeology, has received its first major research award since its launch in October last year.

Science Pete Wilton | 21 Jan 11 Did you know that the humble robin uses quantum physics? Researchers have been investigating the mechanism which enables birds to detect the Earth's magnetic field to help them navigate over vast distances. This ability, known as magnetoreception, has been linked to chemical reactions inside birds' eyes.

Science 20 Jan 11 Scientists from Oxford University have made a significant step towards an ultrafast quantum computer by successfully generating 10 billion bits of quantum entanglement in silicon for the first time - entanglement is the key ingredient that promises to make quantum computers far more powerful than conventional computing devices.

Health 19 Jan 11 People who eat more fruit and vegetables have a lower risk of dying from the most common form of heart disease, an Oxford University-led study has found. However, the researchers point out in the European Heart Journal that a higher fruit and vegetable intake occurs among people with other healthy eating habits and lifestyles, and that these factors could also be associated with the lower risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease.

Science | Health Pete Wilton | 19 Jan 11 Seeing the interaction between antibiotics and the bugs they are designed to attack in three dimensions could help combat drug-resistant bacteria.

Art 18 Jan 11 A study has tested whether aid to tackle disease and improve healthcare actually translates into a better health system for the countries that receive it.

Science 14 Jan 11 A non-superconducting material has been transformed into a superconductor using light, Oxford University researchers report.

Policy 12 Jan 11 A study suggests the government should introduce a variable state pension age to acknowledge the wide variations in life expectancy across the UK.

Science Cath Harris | 11 Jan 11 The malaria parasite emerges and develops in synch with the bodyclock of its human host. A study by scientists at Oxford and Edinburgh universities, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B and covered by BBC News online and The Scientist , has shown that the parasite suffers significant penalties if it doesn't match its own bodyclock to the day-night pattern of its host.

Technology Cath Harris | 06 Jan 11 An innovative Oxford company has developed new solar cell technology that is manufactured from cheap, abundant, non-toxic and non-corrosive materials and can be scaled to any volume.

Arts 05 Jan 11 An Oxford University chapel choir has entered the fray that is the music industry by setting up its own record label called Novum - believed to be the world's first record label run by a University choir.

Arts 04 Jan 11 The study of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire has been boosted by the opening of a new research hub at Oxford University.

Health 27 Dec 10 Greater food availability and less exercise made the average man in the year 2000 over a stone heavier than he was in 1986, Oxford University research has shown.

Technology 22 Dec 10 Hugs and kisses exchanged under the mistletoe are among the human interactions which can now be automatically recognised by computers from video footage, thanks to new research.

Science 20 Dec 10 The public are being asked to help Oxford University astronomers find planets orbiting other stars which may have been 'lost' in the data from over 100,000 stars. NASA's Kepler space observatory has been staring at the same patch of sky for 18 months sending back thousands of images of stars.

A new exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science explores the world of early Islamic scientific instrument makers as they sought a delicate balance between function and beauty.

Policy 10 Dec 10 In post-apartheid South Africa health inequalities still persist with the richest provinces, where the largest concentrations of white people live, receiving more government funded healthcare than the poorest provinces, according to a new study.

Economic pressures and digital technology are undermining the role of the foreign correspondent, according to a new Oxford University study.

Arts 09 Dec 10 The Ashmolean Museum has received an early Christmas present, after acquiring a Tudor hoard of 210 English gold angels and half-angel coins.