Oxford Sparks

Oxford Sparks Oxford Sparks is the place to find out about fascinating science and technology from the University of Oxford. https://linktr.ee/OxfordSparks

Oxford Sparks is the place to find and explore fascinating science and technology research from the University of Oxford. We bring you regular videos and podcasts, and you can browse our website for all sorts of interesting resources and events.

‘Wrong’ sounds so negative. But, in science, we get things wrong sometimes. And that is totally fine. In fact, gathering...
15/05/2026

‘Wrong’ sounds so negative. But, in science, we get things wrong sometimes. And that is totally fine. In fact, gathering new evidence that supports a new hypothesis is a fundamental part of the scientific method 👩🏽‍🔬 🔭 🧪
📸 Images: 3: NASA/JPL; 4: c OUImages/PAD; 5: Caron et al., 2013, Royal Society via National Geographic; 7/8: c OUImages/John Cairns; 9: NASA/JPL/STScI Hubble Deep Field Team.
hypothesis

👋 If you’re new here, welcome to Oxford Sparks ✨! We’re so glad you’re here ☺️ We’re here to share the exciting scientif...
01/05/2026

👋 If you’re new here, welcome to Oxford Sparks ✨! We’re so glad you’re here ☺️ We’re here to share the exciting scientific research taking place and introduce you to some of the amazing people behind it 👨🏽‍🔬 👩‍🔬 🧪 Whether you think of yourself as a huge ‘science fan’ or you never really felt science was for you, we’re here for YOU. Science is just about having curiosity about the world around you.
📸 Photos: 1/3: F. Suttle; 2/8: c OUImages/John Cairns; 4/5/7/11: c OUImages/PAD; 6: R. Key; 9: c OUImages/Jill Walker; 10: c OUImages/Estates Services

22/04/2026

📽️ Phytoplankton: the lungs of the Earth 🌍
Take a peek at life aboard the RSS James Cook 🚢 with ocean scientist Arianwen Herbert (), whose current research focuses on phytoplankton. It’s Earth Day, so what better time to find out about some of the carbon-fixing heroes of the oceans 🌊, which cover 71% of our home planet?

20/03/2026

"As we scroll, somewhat aimlessly, through our social media feeds, it seems reasonable to think that we are in the grips of a very modern obsession..."

Whatever the situation - an election, sporting event, even a global pandemic - you need only open an app to hear other people's opinions, or view a related meme.

However, as cultural historian Dr Kate Watson explains, we are certainly not the first generation to enjoy social commentary through images with satirical remarks. Introducing, the caricatures of Georgian Britain.

Find out about Dr Watson's Inspiring Oxford summer school course, 'Macaronis, Molls and the Mob: Georgian Britain's Satirical Revolution': https://lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/courses/macaronis-molls-and-the-mob-georgian-englands-satirical-revolution?code=O25I601IOR

With thanks to Sanders of Oxford. Antique Prints & Maps.

Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford University of Oxford

11/03/2026

🎙️ How do you convert CO2 to rock?

We speak to Dr Shurui Miao, an experimental chemist who aims to decouple technological advancement from the impacts of increased carbon emissions, by finding a way to safely store carbon underground. As he explains, by finding a way to convert CO2 from the atmosphere into minerals, we could store carbon securely and sustainably into the future, and ultimately begin to mitigate the effects of climate change.

🎧 Listen here: https://www.oxfordsparks.ox.ac.uk/podcasts/how-do-you-convert-co2-to-rock/



Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford St John's College, Oxford University of Oxford

04/03/2026

📽️ VIDEO: Meteorites: the magnetic key to the early Solar System ☄️

How can we begin to understand events that happened billions of years ago, like the birth of our Solar System? Fortunately, for planetary scientists like Dr Hannah Sanderson, there are clues...if you know where to look. Hannah explains that the magnetic fields recorded in meteorites can tell us a lot about their parent bodies, helping us to understand how Earth - and its neighbours - formed 🧲.

University of Oxford

25/02/2026

🎙️ What was Einstein doing in Oxford?

If you've had the chance to visit Oxford's History of Science Museum, you may have seen Einstein's famous blackboard, used during a lecture on 16th May 1931. But what was Einstein doing in Oxford, and how did he spend his time there? We chat to Dr JC Niala, Head of Research, Teaching and Collections at the museum, to find out more about the man (and musician!) behind the genius.

🎧 https://pod.fo/e/396e43

JC Niala University of Oxford University of Oxford Physics

19/02/2026

📢 We need your votes! We're really excited to announce that our film has been shortlisted for the Audience Award at the ! Science Film Fest! Please pop along to https://www.unav.edu/web/labmecrazy/proyecciones-online and cast your vote - we'd be so grateful for your support! 🙏

Watch the full film here: https://bit.ly/RHRNClimateJustice

University of Oxford Physics University of Oxford Faculty of Law, University of Oxford Oxford School of Geography and the Environment St Cross College, Oxford Right Here Right Now - Climate Bonavero Institute of Human Rights Met Office

11/02/2026

🎙️ PODCAST: Where do baby penguins come from?

For this year's Valentine's Day episode, we are getting up close and personal with those most beloved of birds - penguins. Giving us an insight into the love lives of our feathered friends are penguinologists (yes, that's a real word) Dr Ignacio Juarez Martinez and Dr Fiona Suttle from the University of Oxford, who have spent multiple field seasons in Antarctica monitoring penguin breeding behaviour. We hear how penguin breeding patterns appear to be shifting with changing temperatures, and how you can get involved in their research.

Listen here: https://pod.fo/e/38d8ea

Head to Penguin Watch to start counting penguins! https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/penguintom79/penguin-watch

Oxford Brookes University

30/01/2026

📽️ Life in the Field: Exploring the Seafloor

Hydrothermal systems, where water is heated by magma beneath the Earth's crust, are much like the little sisters of volcanoes - smaller and quieter, but clamouring away for attention in the background...

In this video, Sofia Della Sala from the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Oxford explains why they are very deserving of our attention, and takes us behind-the-scenes on her first PhD fieldwork expedition, just off the coast of Santorini... 🛳️

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