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News from The Open University

Mystery mounds reveal the history of water on Mars: study discovers erosion the size of the UK

Mystery mounds reveal the history of water on Mars: study discovers erosion the size of the UK

A team led by a researcher at London’s Natural History Museum and The Open University (OU), Dr Joe McNeil, have published a study into the history of water on Mars’ surface, how the surface evolved, and its potential to support life. The experts used high-resolution images and compositional data captured by orbiters to understand the […]

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New treasures emerge from Pompeii in an OU/BBC TV programme

New treasures emerge from Pompeii in an OU/BBC TV programme

For the second time Open University academics have been working with programme makers for the BBC on the latest exciting finds in Pompeii: The New Dig, House of Treasures. The broadcast is due to air on Monday 20 January at 9pm on BBC Two and iPlayer. It will show the results of an archaeological excavation […]

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Woman with long-dark-brown hair standing in front of an OU banner in her graduation robes

‘Studying with the OU has broadened my horizons’

Fallon, 38, achieved a BSc (Honours) Mathematics and Statistics from The Open University (OU) whilst studying from her home in Malta. Gaining a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree has always been her dream and she hopes to inspire other women to join the industry. “I’ve loved the science subjects since I was young, […]

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Five poetry books to inspire your winter wanderings

Five poetry books to inspire your winter wanderings

Whether you love poetry or are new to it, dip into the collections suggested by Dr Wanda O’Connor, Lecturer and Staff Tutor in Creative Writing at The Open University. These books can help us explore the way we live and respond to nature, enhancing our walks and rest stops along the way. As poet Philip […]

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An OU/BBC Radio series examines how the UK’s major issues could be rethought

An OU/BBC Radio series examines how the UK’s major issues could be rethought

A new Open University/BBC radio series called Rethink examines the emerging issues in society, economics, technology and politics in relation to the UK’s standing in the world. Simon Usherwood, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the OU, is a consultant to the programme makers who show how we might approach those issues differently. The […]

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New series of Inside Health

New series of Inside Health

A new fourteen-part OU/BBC radio series of Inside Health starts today, Tuesday 14 January, and runs weekly on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. The series airs at 9.30am each week and will explore a wide variety of health-related topics to bring clarity to conflicting health advice and separate fact from fiction There will be […]

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The Bottom Line, artwork. Copyright BBC

New series of The Bottom Line begins

The popular OU/BBC radio series The Bottom Line, bringing a weekly look at business, money tips and strategy, takes to the airwaves for a new nine-part series on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds at 12:04pm from Thursday 9 January. Each week presenter and OU Honorary Graduate Evan Davis hosts the lively business discussion show. […]

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BepiColombo swings by Mercury for the final time

BepiColombo swings by Mercury for the final time

On 8 January 2025, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission flew past Mercury for the sixth time, successfully completing the final ‘gravity assist manoeuvre’ needed to steer it into orbit around the planet in late 2026. As with BepiColombo’s previous flybys, the spacecraft’s monitoring cameras (M-CAMs) did not disappoint. “Wonderful to see” David Rothery (Professor of Planetary Geosciences) […]

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Expand the mind this New Year with free learning from OpenLearn

Expand the mind this New Year with free learning from OpenLearn

Those looking for a New Year’s resolution to expand the mind and create a fresh challenge can dive into OpenLearn – The Open University’s free educational platform – which has the answer. Whatever the interest, OpenLearn is likely to have a short free course on the subject and they’re not all the traditional academic subjects […]

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BBC radio show shines a light on society’s deep thinkers

BBC radio show shines a light on society’s deep thinkers

Academics from wide-ranging disciplines at The Open University are involved in the new BBC Radio 4 series Human Intelligence that examines the intellectual characters and methods of significant thinkers. The programme airs today, Monday, 6 January at 1.45pm, when we hear novelist and science presenter Naomi Alderman dissecting the minds of outstanding thinkers from the […]

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