NEW: Oxford researchers found average height among British children has risen over 20 years - but the increase is linked to rising childhood obesity and widening inequality, not better health. Find out more from @oxprimarycare.bsky.social ⬇️

SST-CCW's Dr Rob Johnson analyses the strategic implications of the US–Israeli airstrikes on Iran, assessing the risks of regional escalation alongside the potential for longer-term shifts in Gulf security and global energy stability.

Happy St David's Day! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

'This is the real scandal [the lack of funding] – and one that necessarily affects many thousands of churches. Reverend Canon Professor William Whyte reacts to Reform UK's announcement that it would ‘end the incendiary practice of converting churches into mosques or any other places of worship’ ⬇️

NEW: Oxford researchers, with partners in China, have identified the master regulator that helps plants balance root and shoot growth when nutrients are scarce. The breakthrough could ultimately improve global crop yields while reducing dependence on synthetic fertilisers.

SOLVED: Oxford Earth Sciences researchers have resolved a decades-long debate over the Moon’s early magnetic field. A new study shows the Moon likely had both strong and weak magnetic phases 3.5 - 4 billion years ago, meaning both sides were partly right. Read more ⬇️

Research suggests up to 40% of our political trust may be shaped by early experiences - not just current events. What does that mean for a generation growing up in a low-trust era? Read more from Edmund Kelly at @politicsoxford.bsky.social ⬇️

The Home Office has released new statistics on immigration to the UK. But what do these new figures tell us beyond the data? Dr Peter William Walsh, Senior Research at @migobs.bsky.social – an initiative based at COMPAS – shares his three key takeaways.

New Migration Observatory analysis of today’s Home Office data shows: - Initial backlog nearly halved - 125,000 to 64,000 - Appeals backlog doubled - almost 70,000 - 101,000 asylum claims in 2025 - Grant rate fell to 42% (down from 47% in 2024) - 41,000 small boat arrivals More insights ⬇️

'Research now shows that, for people who are overweight, losing weight can improve both the severity of psoriasis and overall quality of life.' Read more from the @oxprimarycare.bsky.social's Sarah Morrow ⬇️

'Ukrainians still unequivocally reject political or territorial concessions, at any cost, to end the war.' Dr Marnie Howlett, from the @politicsoxford.bsky.social and @osgaoxford.bsky.social, reflects on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ⬇️

NEW: Oxford researchers have found that higher temperatures can shift the sex ratio at birth. Temperatures above 20°C are consistently linked to fewer boys being born across multiple regions - with implications for population health and gender balance. Read more from @sociologyoxford.bsky.social ⬇️

Oxford-led research finds COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy - especially with a booster - significantly reduces the risk of preeclampsia, a serious and potentially life-threatening complication. Find out more ⬇️

'This album is not a negation of Brontë’s novel, but a productive, imaginative, beautiful haunting.' Dr Lillian Hingley analyses Charli XCX’s Wuthering Heights album ⬇️

'It’s not as simple as deploying renewables, and we do need to worry about the grid, local capacity, energy storage and intermittency.' Oxford Net Zero's Dr Stuart Jenkins assesses whether new North Sea oil and gas strengthens the UK’s energy security and economy ⬇️

'We found that species along east-west coastlines were more likely to go extinct than those with easier movement north-south.' 500 million years of fossil data reveal how coastline ‘escape routes’ can determine who survives climate change. Read more ⬇️

NEW: A simple digital treatment involving gameplay has been shown to dramatically reduce intrusive trauma memories within one month. Six months on, some participants were symptom-free. Find out more ⬇️

'Ancient microbes may contain potentially harmful antibiotic resistance genes that warrant careful global monitoring.' Five-thousand-year-old microbes reveal nature’s antibiotic arms race, and hold clues to both the threat of drug resistance and the cure. Find out more ⬇️

Why were eclipses once considered politically dangerous? Find out more from @magdalenoxford.bsky.social and the Faculty of History’s Dr Michelle Pfeffer ⬇️

NEW: An international team of researchers led by Oxford University and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have demonstrated that hospital analysers can be used to identify fake liquid medical products. Find out more ⬇️

Today is Ash Wednesday - marking the start of Lent ✝️ For many, this season is a time of reflection, prayer and service in the weeks leading up to Easter. We wish a meaningful Lent to all who are observing.

'Disrupting supply chains only works if partner states are willing and able to investigate, prosecute and seize.' @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social's David Leone Suber analyses the new UK-China border security agreement ⬇️

新年快乐，马年吉祥 Wishing all who are celebrating a happy and prosperous #LunarNewYear. Here’s to a year of energy, progress and new beginnings. #ChineseNewYear | #YearOfTheHorse 🐎

Students at New College celebrating Halfway Hall last week 🎓 Halfway Hall marks the moment students reach the halfway point of their Oxford degrees - a chance to pause, reflect and celebrate how far they’ve come. 📷 | New College, University of Oxford

Frances Hand from @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social reflects on the campaign by TV star Louise Thompson to appoint a UK Maternity Commissioner and what this could mean for the thousands of women who give birth in the NHS every year. Find out more⬇️

A proposal in Duke Humfrey’s Library - one unforgettable moment in a room built for history 💕 📷 Instagram | @bodleian.ox.ac.uk Weddings and Weddings By Nicola and Glen (Photos taken November, 2025)

'Long-term resilience means accepting how coasts really behave and being practical about where to defend, where to adapt and where it may be wiser to step back and let the shoreline reshape itself.'

Celebrating some of the brilliant women in our team and the trailblazers who inspire them this International Day of Women and Girls in Science 👩‍🔬✨ Scroll through below ⬇️⬇️ #WomenInScience #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience

A rainy day in Oxford 🌧️ 📷 Instagram | Lucies_Oxford_Camera (January, 2026)

‘Many of today’s most transformative technologies rest on mathematical ideas that once seemed abstract or esoteric.’ Why maths is pivotal for all AI technologies, and how future leadership will depend on investing in numerical disciplines. Find out more⬇️

Alumna Kelsey Doerksen's TEDx talk on how to be an ethical consumer of AI resonates for International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The talk explores the exploitative labour conditions underpinning data labelling & the risks of bias & misrepresentation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V2U...

NEW: Oxford study warns of risks in AI chatbots giving medical advice The study found that LLMs present risks to people seeking medical advice due to their tendency to provide inaccurate and inconsistent information. Found out more⬇️

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting roughly 50 million people around the world. Researchers at Oxford are looking at how epilepsy can be prevented, diagnosed and treated ⬇️ #InternationalEpilepsyDay

Mystery solved: A new study involving researchers from Oxford’s Department of Earth Sciences has identified widespread flooding as the cause of the collapse of an ancient Chinese civilisation. Find out more ⬇️

The Sheldonian Series returned for Hilary term with a lively discussion on ‘The Power of Activism’ - exploring democracy, ethics and the limits of protest. An engaged audience at the Sheldonian Theatre debated activism’s impact, from legitimacy and feminism to geopolitics and Palestine. More info⬇️

A stunning view of Oxford at night 😍 📷 Instagram | DrTSuleymanov

AI can accelerate scientific discovery, but only if we maintain rigor through open data, simplicity, and human understanding. Don't delegate ethics. Read this article in full via @ox.ac.uk  https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/ #AI #science #research #physics #astrophysics

NEW: Study shows some Argentinian penguins are experiencing high levels of predation from pumas recolonising their historical territory - but what is the risk on long-term penguin population survival? Find out more ⬇️

NEW: Oxford study has revealed that the people of Deep Mani, one of the remotest regions of mainland Greece, represent one of the most genetically distinctive populations in Europe. Many lineages can be traced back to the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman period of Greece. Find out more ⬇️

NEW: Oxford University will co-lead one of three new UK-Japan quantum technology projects, announced during the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Japan. The projects are backed by £4.5m from EPSRC and £5.2m from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) ⬇️

From Minitel to the modern web to AI, sexual exploitation has followed every new network. Why online regulation keeps lagging behind ⬇️ https://theconversation.com/regulating-sexual-content-online-has-always-been-a-challenge-how-we-got-here-274149

Early morning view outside St John's College ✨ 📷 Instagram | Spiralling_Oxford (January, 2025)

‘We have a world-leading research base...but we’re about to throw it away.’ @oxfordphysics.bsky.social's Prof Chris Lintott responds to plans to cut University funding for astronomy and physics ⬇️

'The decisions we take now will influence the data we create for future generations of scientists.' Dr Heloise Stevance, from @oxfordphysics.bsky.social, discusses the ethics of delegating scientific decision-making to computers ⬇️

'The success must be measured in both the abundance and diversity of species and the well-being of people, not in the number of new policies.' Dr Hollie Booth, from @biology.ox.ac.uk, explains why trade bans on sharks won’t reduce the threat of overfishing ⬇️

A gorgeous sunset over Oxford 🌅 📷 Instagram | UmairAtOxford (January, 2026)

Twelve Oxford academics have been named inaugural Fellows of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences, joining the UK’s leading mathematicians to tackle major national challenges ⬇️

Yesterday brought rainbows to Oxford 🌈 📷 | Patricia Wimmer (Hertford College), Tara Hathaway (Queens College), Berilboz (Green Templeton) and Lydia (Pembroke College)

NEW: An Oxford study finds that if the UK food industry had met the government’s 2024 voluntary salt targets, thousands of heart problems could have been prevented – saving the NHS millions, without anyone changing what they eat. Find out more ⬇️

NEW: Oxford University has been named Europe’s top university by QS Europe University Rankings. We came top in academic reputation, employer reputation, international research network and employment outcomes. Find out more ⬇️