Features
The Future of Plastic Pollution
When they first become widespread in the 1950s, plastics were heralded as a miracle material which can be used for almost everything. From life-saving medical devices to the clothes you’re wearing now, plastic has become integrated into every aspect of our daily lives. It’s hard to imagine a world without it. Images of so-called wildlife…
Fantastic Mr Fox – a sequel?
What can USSR genetic experiments tell us about the self-domestication of urban foxes? My first encounter with a city fox involved hushed tones, tip-toed movements, and wide-eyed awe. Twenty years on, I spot foxes slinking around street corners, hopping over fences, and engaging in ‘who will blink first’ contests. Whilst city foxes possess a wild…
Bees: Master Manipulators of Plants
Admired both for their honey and complex societies, theologians and naturalists throughout the ages have looked to bees for inspiration. Every generation has found a virtue in the bee. Religious scholars praised bees for their tireless industry and the precision of the hexagonal cells used to build their hives, a gift from the divine. Darwin…
The Science Behind Racism: A Psychological Approach
The reactions of many across the world to the recent atrocities in America have been varied. However, one common theme has been a greater desire for education, in the knowledge that understanding is the opposite of bigotry. The #BlackLivesMatter movement has sought to expose the extent of racism; it is a problem that is manifested…
Crowdless—an Oxford student’s start-up at the forefront of COVID-19 fight
The Oxford Foundry was established in 2017 by the University’s Said Business School as a space for developing a new generation of business ventures. The Foundry provides a springboard platform for start-up businesses founded by members of the University, with dedicated office space in central Oxford and support for early-stage ventures which show promise. One…
Coronavirus-imposed monasticism: Does Coronavirus make us more Religious?
From that pre-social-distancing era, one might recall surveys that ask about occupation, gender, and perhaps “Are you religious?”. So you quickly jot down your responses, but hesitate on the last question. Perhaps you enjoy religious celebrations a few times a year, so you tick “Yes”, and get back to emptying your wallet on Steam. But…
A new way of working: why we should consider flexible working post-COVID-19, for the sake of the environment
Climate change poses a serious long-term threat to our planet and lives. It is often quoted that reducing travel and switching to a more plant-based diet are the two factors one can change in their personal life to have the greatest reduction in their carbon footprint, benefitting the environment. We have all faced changes to…
How will coronavirus impact the environment?
The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating. By the time it is over, millions of people will have lost loved ones and the economic repercussions are inevitably going to be huge. But recently, the state of the environment has also been brought up in discussion. How has the climate been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, and what…
The lasting benefits of the travel ban
On the 23rd March, the UK was put into lockdown due to the ever-growing threat of Covid-19. The lockdown has now been eased, with schools reopening, workers returning to their jobs and members of the public being allowed to meet within the two-meter guidelines. However, when imposed, the travel ban greatly impacted our daily lives,…
Public trust in science: sink or swim?
At the time of writing, a search for Covid-19 in the medical publications database PubMed returns over 16,000 papers. There has been an exponential increase in scientific study of the novel coronavirus, and its associated disease Covid-19, since the start of the outbreak. And with it, a surge in appearance of scientists on our television…