New Atlas

Biology Audio available

New Oxford-developed tool reads the life histories of cancer cells

Michael Irving February 12, 2019

Tumors are made up of many different types of cancer cells, and we can’t always clear them all out. Now Oxford researchers have developed a way to track the genetic “life histories” of thousands of individual cancer cells at once, which may lead to more effective and personalized cancer treatments.

Oxford researchers have developed a new technique that can track the "life histories" of cancer cells

Physics

Dark matter and dark energy may really be one "dark fluid" with negative mass

Michael Irving December 5, 2018

An astrophysicist from Oxford has put forward a new theory that suggests that dark matter and dark energy are actually part of the same phenomenon: a “dark fluid” with negative mass that fills the universe.

A new theory suggests that the universe is filled with a dark fluid that has negative ...

Medical Audio available

Experimental cancer drug repurposed to prevent Parkinson’s

Michael Irving December 2, 2018

As promising as a drug candidate may be, not all of them end up performing as hoped – but they can still find use. Researchers at Oxford University have managed to give second life to an experimental cancer drug known as tasquinimod, which has now shown promise in preventing Parkinson’s.

An experimental cancer drug has found new life as a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease

Biology Audio available

Oxford scientists lay out blueprint for universal flu vaccine

Michael Irving September 23, 2018

Every year, the world enters an arms race with the flu. Creating a universal flu vaccine would give us the upper hand for the foreseeable future, and a new study from Oxford has identified a way to make that possible.

Scientists at Oxford have used mathematical models to get a better understanding of the evolutionary dynamics ...

Science Audio available

Prehistoric mummy shows embalming took place 1,500 years before the Pharaohs

Michael Irving August 15, 2018

Mummification is usually associated with the age of Pharaohs, but it didn't spring up overnight. Now an international team has found further evidence that deliberate mummification was taking place a millennium and a half earlier and across a much wider area of Egypt than previously believed.

Chemical analysis of a mummy has now revealed that the mummification process was being performed 1,500 ...

VR

VR therapist helps patients overcome fear of heights in Oxford study

Rich Haridy July 12, 2018

A new study has used a VR-based treatment to help people overcome a fear of heights. The treatment is the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of a completely automated therapy guided by a computer-generated virtual therapist that responds to the patient's voice.

This is the first treatment that removes the need for a real-life therapist to guide a ...

Biology

Oxford scientists see sparks fly in decision-making brains

Michael Irving May 1, 2018

From the time we choose whether to hit the snooze button or get up, we make countless decisions every day, but just how the brain manages this mundane task is still shrouded in mystery. Now, researchers at Oxford University have observed in detail the mechanism that lets fruit flies make decisions.

Oxford scientists have observed the electrical signals running through fruit fly brains while they gather evidence ...

Biology

Oxford scientists cancel "genetic catalyst" that helps bacteria evolve drug resistance

Michael Irving April 24, 2018

Humanity might not go out with a bang, but a sniffle – at least if the terrifyingly-plausible “superbug” scenario comes to pass. But now, researchers at Oxford University have discovered a “genetic catalyst” that lets the bugs develop resistance – and they might be able to switch it off.

Researchers have found a way to counter the evolutionary catalyst that lets bacteria become resistant to ...

Science

Here lies Santa Claus? Researchers zero in on bones of St Nick

Rich Haridy December 5, 2017

A new radiocarbon dating study by Oxford University researchers on a bone attributed to St Nicholas has been dated to around the 4th century CE bringing us closer to uncovering the authentic remains of the original Santa Claus.

Dating on a bone attributed to St Nicholas, the inspiration for Santa Claus, has been found ...

Medical

Study shows dolphins develop Alzheimer's – and that's bad news for extending human lifespan

Michael Irving October 23, 2017

Oxford researchers studying the brains of dolphins have found clear signs of Alzheimer’s disease, marking the first time the illness has been detected in a wild. Interestingly the discovery may dash the hopes that an extreme calorie-restricted diet can extend our lifespans.

The telltale signs of Alzheimer's have been detected in the brains of wild dolphins for the ...