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Welcome
to the Blog
Whether you're after advice on what to take in the field, a quick review of a science related book, my personal rant about life in the solar system, or where to find the best study spots in Oxford it's all here somewhere...
Colours: Do we really all see them the same?
Given this is not related to geology or the Earth sciences and not my usual type of content I'm asking you to bear with me for a...
May 43 min read
The Fermi Paradox: Is there life out there?
Have you ever wondered if Star Trek is right—that there is life somewhere out there in the universe? And not just life, but intelligent...
Mar 25 min read
Bode's Rule, Exoplanets, and an Un-clockwork Solar System?
After it catching my eye while perusing the shelves of the departmental library, I have recently finished reading Destiny or Chance...
Feb 25 min read
Orbital by Samantha Harvey: My Thoughts
Winner of the 2024 booker prize - Orbital by Samantha Harvey has been all over my tiktok, on my newsfeed, in the window of the local...
Jan 196 min read
The Silurian Hypothesis: Was there civilisation before us?
A photo of the Silurians from Doctor Who (Credits to the BBC Website) The Silurian Hypothesis is a thought experiment that was proposed...
Jan 126 min read
The Earth's Eternal Flames
Eternal flames, flames that burn for an indefinite amount of time, have been the source of wonder, myth, and legends around the world for...
Nov 3, 20248 min read
The Auroras: Borealis, Australis, and STEVE.
On the evening of the 7th October the skies of the British North lit up with the spectacular sight of the aurora borealis. A geomagnetic...
Oct 20, 20243 min read
Why are Sunsets Red? The Optics of the Sky
When looking over my lectures notes from our climate dynamics course whilst revising last year, I came across a small section that starts...
Sep 29, 20244 min read
The Carrington Event: A Solar Storm
It's a normal evening in Thursday in September 1859, you're sitting in your living room and suddenly the sky outside lights up an eerie...
Sep 15, 20245 min read
Earth Science Myth Busting
When looking through my lecture notes from last term I came across many things: some very complicated equations, some parts when I had...
Feb 18, 20245 min read
Hydrogen: Fuel of the Future?
A couple weeks ago helped organise a panel event on behalf of the Oxford Scientist magazine along with the Oxford Climate Society...
Feb 4, 20246 min read
The Origins of Life...
Studying Earth Science is not exclusively studying rocks and, as anyone who has been around here before knows, the rocks are not actually...
Jan 21, 20243 min read
The Breakthrough Initiatives: Looking into the Universe
With the announcement, this October, of Oxford being the new international headquarters for the Breakthrough Listen Project, I thought I...
Jan 7, 20245 min read
Once-a-week Quarry, Sheldon, Derbyshire
Doing some renovations on our family home, my mum was set with the task of choosing a stone for the counter tops in our kitchen. Having...
Aug 28, 20233 min read
Lobanov-Rostovsky Lecture in Planetary Geology 2023: 'Robotic Exploration of our Solar System'
The Lobanov-Rotovsky lecture is annually hosted by the Oxford Department of Earth Sciences in the Oxford University Museum of Natural...
Jul 9, 20233 min read
Stone Pillars at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) is a really rather wonderful place. Situated on Parks road about a 3 minute walk...
Jun 15, 20236 min read
Deep Sea Mining: Will it do more harm than good?
One of the biggest challenges facing today’s society is the transition to a low carbon economy. Technologies such as electric cars, solar...
May 7, 20236 min read
Mass Extinctions: Timings, Causes and Have Humans Triggered a New One?
An extinction occurs when the last member of a species dies. Background extinction refers to the fact that species are constantly going...
Apr 9, 20234 min read
Icebergs A81 and A76a: What are they and why are they causing concern?
It has been all over the news in the past week that iceberg A76a, an iceberg the size of Greater London, has been drifting closer to...
Mar 25, 20234 min read
Emirates Mars Mission: How the UAE is establishing itself as a major space power.
When you think of the major space powers, nations such as the USA, Russia and China spring to mind. No one would have thought that the...
Mar 5, 20233 min read
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