News and research

A still from an animation showing a coronavirus spreading over a dna strand

Last updated: 06 October 2026
Reading time: 1 minute

Tracing viral evolution through DNA

Some of the most intriguing fossils in Earth’s history are impossible to see by eye. Buried in our genome, tens of thousands of ‘viral relics’ chart an evolutionary arms race almost as old as life itself – and could offer insights that inform new treatments and help us prepare for future pandemics.

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Latest news and research

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A composite image of Professor Bill Finlayson in front of a wall of drawers, there is an image of an archaeological site in the desert and a person taking photographs

Last updated: 09 October 2026

From satellite images to shared heritage protection

History and archaeology
Humanities
Global cultures and religion

Cartoon film strip showing the stages of penicillin biosynthesis across the frames

Last updated: 09 October 2026
Reading time: 5 minutes

Ingenious ‘molecular movie’ finally reveals how penicillin is made

Elements, cells, molecules and atoms
Global health, medicine and disease
Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences
Medicines, treatment and drug discovery
Research

Child reading outside next to a locked door

Last updated: 09 October 2026
Reading time: 3 minutes

Nearly half of young children in developing countries are undernourished, multidimensionally poor, or both

Social Sciences
Global development
Global health and health policy
Education
Policy
Politics, governments and elections

3D reconstruction of Airyscan super-resolution image of MG cocultured with DANs under fibril-seeded conditions, showing the presence of pSyn+ puncta and MAP2+ puncta in CD68+ MG.

Last updated: 08 October 2026
Reading time: 4 minutes

Brain immune cells protect neurons in Parkinson’s disease by “nibbling” harmful material

Research
Medical Sciences
Neuroscience

Centuries of knowledge informing the discoveries of the future

3D animation of a bust of Venus, with glitches projected onto it

Humanity in an age of global change

Just over a quarter of the way into the 21st century, the world is in an era of profound global transition. Oxford’s humanities research and education explore how people make sense of, and respond to, this age of global change.

The sun rises in the distance over a landscape of green fields and trees

Climate and the environment

Rising global temperatures are driving changes in sea level and contributing to extreme weather conditions, causing catastrophic impacts on human life and a decline in the planet’s biodiversity. Find out more about how Oxford is addressing the climate crisis.

A doctor wearing blue gloves tests a patient using encephalography

Pulse

Pulse explores the themes shaping our world through compelling research stories and the people behind them, connecting centuries of knowledge with the discoveries of the future.