How do you find a theoretical particle?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
How do you detect a particle that emits no light - in other words, something invisible? This is the intriguing challenge faced by scientists hunting for 'dark matter'. In our series finale, we talk to Elizabeth Bloomfield from Oxford's Department of Physics about dark matter, how we know it exists, and why her research is taking her deep beneath a mountain in Italy in the quest to find it.
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Is there a better way to screen blood?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
What's the best gift you can give? To the millions of people whose lives have been saved by complete strangers, the answer would be simple: blood. But what exactly happens when blood has been donated, and how do we know it is safe? We chat to Dr Richard Mayne from Oxford's Experimental Medicine Division about genomics, Next-Generation Sequencing, blood screening (...and Star Trek). Could you be a blood-donating hero? Blood stocks are currently critically low, with the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) group in urgent need of new donors. Click here, and you'll be on your way to saving...
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How does Ozempic actually work?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
Whether you've been served an advert for it, or just heard about it in the media, it's likely that 'Ozempic' isn't a totally unfamiliar word. Now often associated with weight-loss, Ozempic is actually the brand name for a drug used to treat diabetes. So what exactly is it, how does it work, and is it safe? We chat to diabetes and endocrinology (hormone) expert Dr Annie de Bray to find out.
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Why does a stranger's phone noise annoy me?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
We've all been there...you're on the train, maybe tired after a long day, and all you can hear is one side of a fellow passenger's not-too-interesting phone conversation. Or worse, their choice of music, made tinny and monotonous by the awkward angle of their phone speaker. It's irritating, sure, but for some people it goes beyond mild annoyance, into the realms of anger and panic. For these people - who suffer from a condition called 'misophonia' - phone noise, or sounds such as chewing or breathing, are a real problem. We chat to Dr Jane Gregory, a researcher at Oxford's Department of...
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What's the origin of water on Earth?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
With more than 70% of its surface covered in water, Earth is rightly known as the "blue planet". But where did this water - so essential to life - originate? While some theories suggest that hydrogen was delivered to Earth from space via asteroids, new research indicates that the building blocks for water may have been present on our planet all along. We chat to Tom Barrett from Oxford's Department of Earth Sciences to find out more.
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How can robots investigate underwater volcanoes?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
What do you do when the subject of your research lies deep beneath the waves? Send down an underwater robot, of course! We chat to volcanologist Sofia Della Sala about her recent fieldwork expedition to Santorini, where she used a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, to search for hydrothermal vents in the Aegean Sea. These vents - which are like hot springs on the sea floor - could provide vital insight into the volcanic and tectonic activity in the region.
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What is it like to be on Countdown?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
"I still don't believe it happened..." What's it like to face the most famous clock on television? We chat to Oxford mathematician Dr Tom Crawford - best known as the creator of the award-winning 'Tom Rocks Maths' outreach programme - about what it was like to step into Rachel Riley's shoes on Countdown. What's the best tactic for tackling the numbers round? How did he prepare? Did he really only have 30 seconds to find a solution? Tom gives us a glimpse behind-the-scenes of this British institution.
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What happens after a dementia diagnosis?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
One in two people will be affected by dementia in their lifetime - whether that is as a patient, or somebody caring for a loved one. But what happens after a dementia diagnosis? Is there a clear pathway ahead? We chat to Jasmine Blane, a DPhil researcher at the Oxford Brain Health Clinic, about the work she is doing to help support patients in the midst of a dementia diagnosis, and into the future.
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Is it OK to laugh at Tourette's?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
In popular culture, Tourette's syndrome is wrongly associated solely with outbursts of swearing in the context of lazy jokes. But in reality, the condition is far more complex than this stereotype suggests. When people without Tourette’s jokingly blame their lack of self-control on the condition, it spreads misinformation and invalidates those who actually live with it. Despite this, comedy - when created by those who experience stigma - can sometimes help challenge stereotypes and shift public perceptions. We chat with Dr Melina Malli from the Oxford Institute of...
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What is a dinosaur highway?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions
If you were hunting for some fossilised dinosaur footprints, where would you go? To a remote part of North or South America, perhaps? A deserted wilderness for sure... But how about Oxfordshire? We chat to Dr Duncan Murdock from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History about an incredible discovery made right on our doorstep. Photo © Dr Emma Nicholls / Oxford University Museum of Natural History
info_outlineYou might have seen them in a hotel. You might have read about them in the news. Maybe you’ve seen them star in social media videos filmed on the London underground. But should we really be worried about bed bugs?
The little critters evolved from feeding on bats and birds to humans thousands of years ago and were part of society for hundreds of years. But with the invention of synthetic pesticides, bed bug populations declined significantly after the Second World War. However, as pesticide resistance grows and the world becomes increasingly connected, bed bugs are making a resurgence.
Entomologist Liam Crowley, from the Department of Biology, tells us what to look out for and how to keep them at bay in our latest podcast. But don’t worry, they’re not as common as you might think!