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Climate change makes droughts more frequent and intense, threatening the food we grow and eat every day. Luckily, plants have invisible allies under the soil – tiny fungi called mycorrhizae that help them survive in tough times.
We know that microplastics have found their way into our food chain. Understanding the sources of microplastics, their journey to our plates, and what we can do to reduce the risks is essential for tackling this pressing issue.
What harm can microplastics cause to human health and can they get into our food? Joanna Jesionkowska, a research student at The Open University, looks into this here.
Carbon isotopes found in deep water fossils offer an insight into deep ocean circulation says PhD student, Andrew McIntyre.
Meadows are not just about wildflowers, they’re also about hay as an agricultural crop. But they don’t make it like they used to. PhD student, Vicky Bowskill, explains how researching seasonal changes in the nutritional content of hay can help conserve the UK's precious species-rich floodplain meadows.
Within the comfort of my office and a computer model, Andreas Wernecke explains his research at The Open University.
How can fossil fish teeth allow us to understand past deep ocean circulation? PhD student, Sophie Alexander, explains...
Less than 10% of the ∼1500 active subaerial volcanoes around the world are monitored with appropriate frequency says PhD student, Nikola Rogic.
Researching the Indian summer monsoon can allow us to develop a better understanding of our changing climate says PhD student, Katrina Nilsson-Kerr.
What happens when DNA becomes damaged? One OU PhD student explains how studying interstrand crosslinks in fruit flies has exploited similar human disorders.
How can we make sure drugs get to where they are needed in the body? Open University PhD student Conor McQuaid explains one way in which scientists can target the delivery of drugs.
Many modern therapeutics, such as those used to treat anaemia and breast cancer, are proteins - but the protein doesn't solely determine how the body responds to the drug. Here's an explainer about what the sugars do:
Once used for decoration in the ancient world, discover why gold particles are now considered treasure in the world of medicine...
Ever heard of CRISPR/Cas9? OU research student, Sonia Azeggagh, explains the impact of this genome editing technology on biology and medicine:
Why would scientists want to alter the DNA of organisms or cells? One OU Ph.D. student explains all you need to know about genome editing...
With so many researchers all over the world producing information, is there a way for other scientists to look at large sets of results and use them to make new discoveries?
What's the Blood Brain Barrier and how does studying this help us to find out more about diseases associated with ageing such as Alzheimer’s? OU research student, Eduardo Frias-Anaya explains:
How does sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm affect shift workers' cognition? Emily Breese, a postgraduate student at The OU, explains the importance of her research on this:
By understanding the ways in which minerals combine to form rocks like the way words link to form sentences, we can start to unravel the secrets of the earth.