New sunlight trapping technology could revolutionise industrial decarbonisation
Olivia Allen reports on an exciting new sunlight trapping device using the simple quartz stone, which may reduce the need for fossil fuels.
geology
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Fishing Through Geological Time
By Matthew Sutton This article was originally published in The Oxford Scientist Michaelmas Term 2021 edition, Change. Earth’s oceans are an immense and foreboding place. They occupy 71% of the surface area of the planet and have a total volume exceeding 1.3 billion cubic kilometres. Occupying every corner of every part of this gargantuan biome…
The T. rex may have been three species, but geologists are not happy
A new study headed by palaeontological artist Gregory Paul proposes that the legendary Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) may not be just one species—rather, it may be three different ones altogether. Isabelle Goddard investigates the finding and describes its impact on her field.
Imaginative new method identifies world’s first animal
Dickinsonia was a giant of the Ediacaran era – growing up to 1.4m in length at a time when most life on Earth was confined to the microscopic. Further to this, the “pancake-like” entity achieved this 17 million years before Cambrian explosion, the notorious event 541 million years ago when most life on Earth started…
Hidden Depths—The Science Behind the Broad Street Sinkhole
“The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep well.” – so reads one of the many literary quotes shared by Oxford’s…
Roman Concrete: To go forward is to look back
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but their concrete can withstand the ages: around 2 millennia to be precise. There are many intriguing stories of ancient materials with fascinating properties but long-forgotten methods of production, like Damascus steel, the supposed chromium plated blades of the terracotta army, and Roman concrete. However, more light has been shed…