News & articles

Teenage girl, smoking a cigarette, sitting in front of a graffiti-covered wall

Research into how growing up in disadvantaged areas affects children

An OU academic has received funding to take part in research which looks at how children are affected by growing up in what are considered, disadvantaged areas.

5th August 2022

Earth in the foreground and the sun in the background, with space debris floating around

Scientists calculate the risk of someone being killed by space junk

The chance of someone being killed by space junk falling from the sky may seem ridiculously tiny. After all, nobody has yet died from such an accident, though there have been instances of injury and damage to property. But given that we are launching an increasing number of satellites, rockets and probes into space, do we need to start taking the risk more seriously?

26th July 2022

Woman wearing glasses, sitting at a table with a piece of paper in her hand and a calculator and coffee cup on the table

Being in a couple can leave women with less savings - here's how to make nest eggs more equal

Growing job insecurity, financial market volatility and rising prices have created an extremely uncertain environment for UK savers.

22nd July 2022

image of a blonde-haired woman with a blue, yellow and white scarf round her shoulders

Double honours give OU academic a seat at the European research table

EDEN Digital Learning Europe has honoured Professor Denise Whitelock with a lifetime fellowship in recognition of her more than twenty-five-year contribution to the research, design and evaluation of online and computer-based learning in higher education.

20th July 2022

View of Earth from the surface of the Moon

OU receives £750k to develop pioneering research centre

The Open University is to receive £750k to develop the Wolfson Analytical Centre, a world-class research facility with an initial focus on planetary, environmental and space sciences.

19th July 2022

Policeman standing outside no 10 Downing Street house

Conservative leadership election: why tax cuts are an economic gamble

Always keen to be identified as the party of low taxation, the Conservatives won the 2019 general election on a promise not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance. So last year’s national insurance increase was bound to rankle, even though it could feasibly be blamed on the huge costs of COVID.

18th July 2022