Major boost for Oxford University’s battery research

The Faraday Institution remains steadfast in its commitment to identify and invest in battery research initiatives that hold the greatest potential for making significant societal, environmental, and commercial contributions. This announcement signals the completion of our latest round of project refocusing, enabling us to allocate even more effort towards those areas of research that offer maximum potential in delivering transformative impact. Professor Pam Thomas, CEO, Faraday Institution. The Faraday Institution…

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When it comes to starting a family, timing is everything

The review, conducted jointly with researchers from Oxford University, the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, and the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton, included seven randomised controlled trials involving 2,464 women or couples who had been trying to conceive. Each month there is a narrow window for successful conception due to the limited lifespan of the sperm and egg, which begins from around five days before ovulation (egg release) and lasts…

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Professor Walker on the Morocco earthquake disaster

Professor Richard Walker (Department of Earth Sciences) describes the background to the devastating 8 September 2023 Morocco earthquake, which has a  current death toll of nearly 2,500 lives. Professor Richard Walker. Image credit: Dr Claudia Bertoni. Parts of the Atlas mountains and the city of Marrakech were strongly shaken and damaged by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake late Friday evening. We have seen images of the widespread destruction, the damage to…

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New ‘droplet battery’ could pave the way for miniature bio-integrated devices

Small bio-integrated devices that can interact with and stimulate cells could have important therapeutic applications, including the delivery of targeted drug therapies and the acceleration of wound healing. However, such devices all need a power source to operate. To date, there has been no efficient means to provide power at the microscale level. To address this, researchers from the University of Oxford’s Department of Chemistry have developed a miniature power…

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What did the Romans do for us? Aqueducts and the art of Roman water management

According to the research, published in Science Advances, ancient water management traces are captured in the limescale deposits which built up on the walls and floor of the ancient Roman aqueduct of Divona (Cahors, France). Ancient water management traces are captured in the limescale deposits which built up on the walls and floor of the ancient Roman aqueduct of Divona The evidence shows that these deposits were regularly and partially removed during…

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Multi-billion-dollar risk to economic activity from climate extremes affecting ports: Oxford report

More than $122 billion of economic activity - $81 billion in international trade - is at risk from the impact of extreme climate events, according to new research today [20 July] from Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute. According to the paper in Nature Climate Change, systemic impacts – those risks faced due to knock-on effects within global shipping, trade and supply chains network - will hit ports and economies around the…

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