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Nature & Environment
Climate change and the importance of COP26
Learn about climate change from different disciplinary perspectives and how that knowledge and experience may explain and inform the outcomes of COP26.
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Society, Politics & Law
The sharing economy
How sharing and caring is the sharing economy? Petr Jehlička takes a critical look at the booming sector and traces its hidden connections and contradictions.
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level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
The search for water on Mars
The possibility of water on Mars has captured human imagination for over a century. In this free course, The Search for Water on Mars, find out more about how scientists have found evidence for water in the red planet’s past and present, and what this might mean for the possibility of life beyond Earth.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Revealing the surface of an asteroid using robotic telescopes
How can studying asteroids allow us to have a better understanding of the formation of our solar system? Samuel Jackson, PhD student in The School of Physical Sciences digs into the research...
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level 3: advanced icon
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Science, Maths & Technology
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in STEM
This free course, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in STEM, provides a toolkit for conducting Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). SoTL involves educators using their disciplinary knowledge to investigate a question about learning and teaching, gather evidence in a ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Astrobiology from the ground up
Ann Grand, Lecturer in Astrobiology Education, interviews Shonil Bhagwat, Professor of Environment and Development, on the intersections between his work on environment and international development and astrobiology.
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Health, Sports & Psychology
How can you exercise safely in the heat?
A hot week lays ahead but do you have to abandon your keep-fit routines when the mercury gets so high? Not if you're careful, say Hannah Moir and Chris Howe.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Ice Cold In Alex
Robert Llewellyn and Dr Jonathan Hare take on Hollywood Science, testing the science that filmgoers take for granted. Here they look at whether the science in Ice Cold In Alex makes sense
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Digital & Computing
60 Second Adventures in Artificial Intelligence
How does Artificial Intelligence (AI) work? How is AI used in science? All is explained these short animations narrated by David Mitchell.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Where does outer space begin?
We don't really know where space begins, as Dave Rothery explains
Science, Maths & Technology
Where does outer space begin?
Can a balloon carry you up to outer space? Does it count as being in space if you go up and down without orbiting the Earth? How high up to you have to be before you could orbit the Earth?
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Science, Maths & Technology
OpenLearn choices for students studying Contemporary topics in science
Welcome to the Contemporary topics in science OpenLearn choice page. The options here make up the independent learning element of this course and allow you to tailor your study to suit your interests.