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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The flu virus is a crafty foe, constantly adapting to our best weapons. But now a universal flu vaccine has been cleared for widespread human trials in the UK, which should be much more effective at destroying different forms of the virus.
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Is our entire universe just a computer simulation? Theoretical physicists believe they’ve found proof that our universe is far too complex to be captured in any simulation. According to the researchers, the hypothesis is done in by gravitational anomalies, tiny “twists” in the fabric of spacetime.
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Humans will probably be long gone by the time our Sun dies, but at least one lifeform will likely still be alive: the unkillable tardigrade. According to a study from Harvard and Oxford, it’ll take the death of the Sun to kill the species, which bodes well for the resilience of life as a whole.
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Back in 2003, the fossilized remains of a supposedly aquatic prehistoric lizard known as Eusaurosphargis dalsassoi were discovered in Italy. Now, however, thanks to a marvellously-complete skeleton found in the Alps of eastern Switzerland, that's no longer thought to be the case.
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Lip-reading is an inexact science, with motoring mouths making it hard to attribute sounds to each individual movement. Computer scientists at Oxford University have teamed up with Google's DeepMind to develop artificial intelligence that might give the hearing impaired a helping hand.
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The American brown recluse spider is already known for being one of the most venomous arachnids on the planet. It turns out, however, that the spider also has very strong silk. Scientists have recently discovered the secret of that strength, and believe that it could have practical applications.
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