article icon
Nature & Environment
How has Teddy Kinyanjui taken plastic out of reforestation?
Planting trees seems to be a good thing, ecologically. But... what if the saplings come wrapped in plastic bags? Kenyan Teddy Kinyanjui has come up with an elegant solution to take the plastic out of the forest.
article icon
Science, Maths & Technology
How much electronic waste do we generate as a species?
Old computers, knackered telly sets and phones that are so last year: How much of this discarded stuff is piling up?
article icon
History & The Arts
What is a Sardinian dig telling us about female mobility of the Phoenicians?
DNA and archaology are coming together to reveal how multicultural a great Empire was.
article icon
Society, Politics & Law
Mashing up the Union Jack
Can Gil Doron’s intriguing proposals to remix different heritages in a national flag aid processes of cultural syncretism?
article icon
Digital & Computing
Spectre and Meltdown: What do you need to know about the chip security flaws?
The discovery of a security problem with chips in desktops, laptops, phones and tablets is a major headache for IT security, says Siraj Ahmed Shaikh.
article icon
Nature & Environment
Can eating seaweed and algae keep the world fed?
As the planet has ever-more mouths to feed, could increasing the consumption of seaweed and algae be the answer?
article icon
History & The Arts
Under the covers: The emerging critical sleep studies
Jennifer J* Moos responds to Michael Greaney's thoughts on how the science of sleep is portrayed in modern literature.
article icon
Education & Development
Interdisciplinarity: A collection
Bringing together the best of interdisciplinary resources from across OpenLearn – could an "Open" qualification be right for you?
article icon
Science, Maths & Technology
What does clay tell us about the possibility of life on Mars?
Dave Rotherey explains the implications of new research into the clay surface of Mars.
video icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Why has Donald Trump set his sights on the Moon?
The President has instructed NASA to build a camp on the Moon. It might be a better idea than trying to get straight to Mars, as this New Scientist short, sharp, science video explains.
video icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Hans Rosling: How to compare countries using statistics
Statistician magician, the late Hans Rosling shows you how to collate and animate the data of different countries in these short videos that depict our changing world.
article icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Laser cutting
Mainly used for precision cutting of materials with a low melting point. A finely focused laser beam locally heats the surface of the workpiece, vaporising and melting away material. Residue material is removed by induced vapor pressure, or by gas jets (gas-assisted laser cutting).