Nov 27, 2024
Evolutionarily speaking, it makes sense to have a lot of children. At the very least, we might expect a population to replace itself, with each couple having an average of two children. However, this evolutionary logic is not mirrored by current data: birth rates are falling in the UK, with many people choosing...
Nov 13, 2024
Chances are, you didn't notice the week-long wind drought that the UK experienced towards the end of 2023. However, this period of low wind speeds, combined with a cold snap, drove up our energy prices - something that may have caught your attention. So, what exactly do we know about wind droughts, and how can we apply...
Oct 30, 2024
Welcome back to the new series of the Oxford Sparks Big Questions Podcast! We are here to answer weird and wonderful questions about our world, with the help of science. And we’re starting with a very big question! How do you sequence the genomes of 70,000 species?
Dr Liam Crowley, from the Department of Biology,...
Jul 17, 2024
Summer is here, and with heatwaves forecast, how do we keep our homes cool without relying on air conditioning?
In the UK, soaring summer temperatures can be brief but powerful. So, what can we do? Nicole Miranda, from the Department of Engineering, shares practical, energy-efficient and eco-friendly strategies to...
Jul 3, 2024
Scientists are returning to the moon, but when they get there, what time is it?
Dr Carly Howett from the Department of Physics explains the basics: what time is, and how we found a globalised way of understanding time zones so we can meet for a 3pm coffee or international video call, and everyone is in the right place...