Monday, May 12, 2025
Blog Page 47

Oxford researchers uncover 450-million-year-old species preserved in fool’s gold

Harrison Peter Swinhoe
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Oxford researchers uncover 450-million-year-old species preserved in fool’s gold

A team of Oxford researchers led by Associate Professor Dr. Luke Parry uncovered a 450-million-year-old arthropod from a fossil preserved in fool’s gold. This discovery is significant as it helps settle an ongoing debate among palaeontologists about the development of appendages at the front of arthropods’ heads.

An arthropod is an animal with no internal skeleton and the fossil is a distant relative of spiders and scorpions. The fossil, named Lomankus edgecombei and originally discovered in New York,  provides strong support for the hypothesis that the appendages found on the heads of ancient megacheirans did evolve into appendages found on modern arthropods. It also reveals that megacheirans, a group of arthropods, lived much longer than previously thought.

Dr. Parry told Cherwell he initially chose to do a three-dimensional CT scan of the fossil, housed in Yale’s Peabody Museum, because he believed the iron pyrite – also known as fool’s gold – preservation would yield exceptional scan results. Only after analysing the data did he realise the fossil was a new species: “It’s very similar in form to a Cambrian animal called Leanchoilia, but it’s rather fearsome-looking three claws weren’t present in earlier fossils, suggesting the appendage likely served a different function.”

Emphasising the rarity of a 3D fossil, Parry told Cherwell that the majority of fossils from the Cambrian and Ordovician periods (around 540-440 million years ago) are flattened during fossilisation. The soft, shrimp-like Lomankus would normally decay within days, but it survived thanks to a unique combination of conditions where “everything was just right”.

Parry notes that further research could involve making 3D models to study how the appendages would have functioned and is “sure there are lots of new discoveries to come” from this discovery.

Beehives are key to resolving human-elephant conflicts, Oxford researchers found

Leyi Pan
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Beehives are key to resolving human-elephant conflicts, Oxford researchers found

Building beehive fences is highly effective in preventing elephants from approaching small-scale farms, an Oxford University study found. The nine-year study was conducted in collaboration with the charity Save the Elephants (STE), the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). It offers a new nature-based solution to protect both livelihoods and wildlife.

In 2007, people began building fences made of a series of live beehives strung together between posts. The elephants’ natural fear of being stung keeps them away, while the fences also benefit farmers by providing pollination services and generating income through honey and wax production. To date, over 14,000 beehives have been hung as elephant deterrents in 97 sites across Africa and Asia.

Kenya is facing rapid human population growth, with a 82.2% increase between 2000 and 2024, which has led to the shrinking of elephant habitats as human settlements and infrastructure expand. Finding sustainable ways for people and elephants to coexist is becoming an urgent challenge. 

Dr Lucy King, who led the study, explained the complexities of the issue in her recent TED talk: “It’s a massive challenge. I mean, how do you keep seven-ton pachyderms, that often come in groups of ten or twelve, out of these very small rural farms when you’re dealing with people who are living on the very edge of poverty? They don’t have big budgets. How do you resolve this issue?”

While beehive fences are very effective at reducing up to 86.3% of elephant raids when the crops in the farms are at their most attractive, King also warned against future risks: “Our results also warn that increased habitat disturbance or more frequent droughts could reduce the effectiveness of this nature-based coexistence method.”

Director of the WRTI, Dr Patrick Omondi, emphasised the importance of continued research and funding for sustainable solutions: “Kenya is facing increasing challenges with human-elephant conflict, and solutions like beehive fences empower communities to manage their own farm protection. We need more research and support for nature-based solutions to help our communities live better alongside wildlife.”

Looking forward, King is hoping to develop more options for humans and elephants to coexist. She said that they are trying to “get farmers, and women in particular, to think differently about what they’re planting inside their farms”. They are looking at planting crops that elephants don’t particularly want to eat, like chillies, ginger, Moringa, sunflowers. 

The town, the gown, and… the tourists

Roy Shinar Cohen
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The town, the gown, and… the tourists

Having lived in Oxford for just over a year, I would guess I have marched past hundreds of thousands of tourists. As anyone living in Oxford knows, it is rare to find a day on which the city centre is not full of them. From Magdalen Bridge to the train station and from Christ Church Meadow to the Ashmolean, the pavement is packed with families and groups that constantly stop in the most inconvenient places. And don’t get me started about the Rad Cam.

My relationship with the millions of tourists who visit Oxford every year is, however, more complicated than simple annoyance. In most cases, my feelings towards them depend on how my day is going, the weather, upcoming deadlines, and the latest news updates I read. When everything is bad, I curse the day the Oxford train station was built. I hurry past tourists standing by the Narnia door or near Baliol with quiet scorn. However, when the sky is blue and I have just done something very Oxford-y, the tourists don’t seem so bad. Suddenly, their mysterious looks and not-so-smooth picture-taking remind me of how lucky I am to study here. 

To be honest, both sides of my relationship with tourists have some aspects I am embarrassed to admit. For instance, unless I am super late, I am usually pretty happy to feel like a local in a town people come from all over to see. I imagine this is how true Parisians or New Yorkers must feel when I am the tourist crowding their cities. Even worse, in my heart of hearts, I am happy to study somewhere people admire and idealise. Unlike the gift-shop industry or some colleges (ehm, Christ Church), this fame does not improve my everyday life substantially. Every once in a while, though, it is nice to ride the coattails of Oxford’s fame and be asked about my studies and experience.

It may further be true that my relationship with tourists is tainted by the lack of unique interest my college attracts and from living right outside the city centre. I cannot imagine studying at a college that accepts tourists; it would feel too intrusive. My predicament, then, of living slightly outside the tourists’ zone of interest, may bias my view in their favour. 

If I am completely honest, there is also one other thing that really makes me tolerate them. Seven years ago, I was also a tourist in Oxford. At 16, during a visit to London with friends, we took a day trip from London to see the famous University of Oxford and the beautiful city that surrounds it. At the time, I did not imagine ever calling these streets my home, the library my office, and Cherwell my hobby. For several hours, we walked around, rode bikes, miserably failed at punting, and enjoyed the beautiful parks. It was a great day that did not feel consequential. I most certainly did not buy Oxford merch or “know” I would study here one day. In fact, only several years later, when I started thinking of studying at university, did Oxford return to the front of my mind. Yet that is the point of being a tourist here. You take a quick train from London and arrive in a new, old world. A world of beautiful sandstone buildings, myths and stories, brilliant people, and a distant thought echoing, “Would I be accepted were I to try?”.

So, unless I am very late to a tutorial, I try to remember this feeling. To think of the experience of seeing Oxford for the first time and committing, if only for a day, to the magic of this place. When the sky is blue (or the news especially pleasant), I offer to take a couple’s picture with the Rad Cam. And most of the time, I try to just walk past and not be too bothered.

Oxford University and Brasenose College review water safety guidelines following drowning

Selina Chen
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Oxford University and Brasenose College review water safety guidelines following drowning

CW: Death.

Following a student’s drowning after celebrating his exams last Trinity Term, Oxford University is reviewing and updating its guidelines on water hazards. Brasenose College, where the student attended, is also working on increasing safety information.

A University spokesperson told Cherwell: “The University has for several years highlighted the importance of celebrating responsibly after examinations. However, following this tragic incident, we have put in place a wider review of student safety guidance. We will work with students to identify safety and health risks that they could encounter while at university and update our risk assessment, monitoring processes and guidance as necessary.”

This follows an email sent to all students in Week 0 with a link to the University’s personal safety webpage that details water hazards. The guidelines state: “Don’t dive or jump straight into open water – this can cause potentially fatal cold water shock even on the warmest day”. 

Brasenose is also raising awareness of risks associated with water. A college spokesperson told Cherwell: “We liaised with the student lifesaving club and distributed materials prepared by the society in consultation with the Royal Life Saving Society that highlights the RLSS national ‘Don’t Drink and Drown’ campaign, as well as safety information regarding Oxford-specific hazards such as flooded towpaths, weirs, and locks. We encouraged other colleges to share these materials with their students.”

The college also liaised with the University and other colleges about alerting students to the dangers of water especially around Oxford. The spokesperson continued: “[We’re] reviewing guidance on post-examination celebrations with a view to emphasising safety as well as sustainability.”

Cherwell does not report on specific deaths unless requested by family or close friends.

Jesus students protest ‘draconian’ JCR closure following candle accident

Roy Shinar Cohen
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Jesus students protest ‘draconian’ JCR closure following candle accident

Members of the Jesus College JCR are protesting the college’s decision to temporarily shut the JCR as punishment after a student caused a small fire. Numerous students have emailed the college’s Director of Accommodation, Catering, and Conferences (DACC) to express discontent over the decision. Students also posted a sign on the DACC office door stating “the office will remain closed until a proper DACC can be found”.

Last week, students lit and extinguished candles for a Diwali event and then left the candles in the JCR. An unidentified student described as “a random fresher” then lit one of the candles, causing a small fire that triggered the fire alarm. Days later, the DACC announced that the JCR would be closed until Saturday morning. 

Members of the JCR including the JCR president met with Jesus Principal Sir Nigel Shadbolt today to discuss the shutdown and improving channels of communication between JCR members and the college. 

Enforcers locked the JCR’s main entrance but failed to lock its back door, a student told Cherwell.

The DACC wrote to JCR members: “We cannot impress on you firmly enough the catastrophic consequences of fire taking hold of the building. The College goes to great lengths to ensure that you live and study in a safe environment; however, we rely on students to also play their part and use facilities responsibly. The behaviour which led to the incident has fallen well below that which we should be able to expect.”

In response Jesus students circulated a template email, and asked JCR members to contact the DACC. 

The template letter included a list of activities that closure of the JCR would prevent, including: “microwave… halal meals”, “watch the football in a non-pub environment”, “use the vending machine”, “use a gender neutral toilet”, and “read student journalism”.

The full template reads: “I believe that the entire JCR being closed due to the behaviour of a few students is extreme and neglects the many uses which that room has. I personally use the JCR to [insert a list of activities]. I fail to see how these uses for the JCR are related to rule-breaking candle-lighting behaviour. I know that we as students have a degree of collective responsibility, but do not think that this closure is an appropriate course of action to remind us of this responsibility.”

The organiser continued: “If [the DACC] gets 100 emails I trust she will see where we as students stand on this issue.”

According to a Jesus student-run Instagram, a sign has been posted on the DACC’s office door: “The office will remain closed until a proper DACC can be found. Please contact the student body for any further information x [sic].”

A Jesus student told Cherwell: “When you punish 400 uninvolved students for the one-time actions of a single random fresher in their first month of university, I wouldn’t underestimate the willingness of Oxford students to allocate every ounce of their intellect, connections, and spite to prosecuting such a weird, draconian crackdown – they’ll drop everything and do more than they’ve ever done for their degree.”

Two students involved with the Diwali event were each fined £100, while the “random fresher” who started the fire has yet to be identified. 

A Jesus spokesperson told Cherwell: “Jesus College takes the health and safety of all College members seriously, and this course of action was not taken lightly by the College Officers. However, a fire of any size could lead to serious personal harm and significant damage to College buildings. The temporary closure of the JCR was activated to ensure all junior members understand the importance of the College’s responsibility, and their personal responsibility, towards the continued safety of all College members while on site.”

Zumba and cinematographic innovation: The Oxford Chancellor statements you didn’t expect

Poppy Littler-Jennings
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Zumba and cinematographic innovation: The Oxford Chancellor statements you didn’t expect


As the election for Oxford University’s chancellorship closes its first round, all but five candidates will be eliminated. Here’s some highlights of candidate statements, from detailed A-Levels results to intimate knowledge of “bowels”, written by people from all walks of life – including a first-year undergraduate from “The Other Place”.

Certain candidates seemed to want to underline their fitness prowess and how this pertains to the role. Tanya Tajik argued: “I even teach Zumba. Zumba is something, that not only keeps your body active but your mond as well. This will again help me manage responsibilities of a Chancellor”. Dominic Grieve stressed a similar sentiment: “At 68 and still scuba diving and mountain walking, I am confident that I have the energy to do this”. 

Aside from reassuring the Convocation about various Zumba and scuba diving expertise, other candidates extended the scope of extracurricular activities even further, with Nirpal Singh Paul Bhangal drawing attention to his cinematographic skills. He included a link to the trailer to his independent film Oxford University – The Untold Story, a big-screen production that he claims led to Chancellor Chris Patten describing him “as a true innovator”. “What we achieved in ten months, would have taken Oxford several years,” he claims. 

Amongst this array of statements in which policy messages are specified and greatest strengths are highlighted, some candidates chose an alternative tactic: earnestly imploring the Convocation for the position. Benjamin Ivatts thought it necessary to clarify some essential facts about himself: “I got an A and 2 Bs in my A-levels and was never able to go to Oxford which I regard as the greatest university in the world…My cousin went to Oxford…Also my brother lives in Oxford.” With that he requests: “Come on guys make Benjamin Arthur Edgar Ivatts go viral to realise my dream to become chancellor. Vote Benjamin Arthur Edgar Ivatts!”

Candidate Francisc Vladovici Poplauschi, a first-year undergraduate history student at Cambridge according to LinkedIn, also had concerns about some of his competition: “Who cares about the big names? They’re all old anyway, they will probably pop off soon and I’ll be back here anyway so let’s skip ahead and elect me”.

Abrar ul Hassan Shapoo chose to be concise, clearly valuing quality over quantity, the entirety of his statement reading: “If I got selected I will work with honesty and welfare of the university and development of students and university”.   

Maxim Parr-Reid celebrated his own experiences at the University as an undergraduate student, but mentions in detail that “achieving a Distinction in Prelims and owning a scholar’s gun [sic] is still, several years later, one of my fondest memories of Oxford”. Either “scholar’s gun” is an extremely obscure term within the Oxford vernacular, or he is merely evidencing the comedy of misprints.  

Azeem Farooqi, a self-professed doctor, professes that he “intimately understand[s] the bowels of this nation”, a claim that may cause the reader to feel slightly squeamish in light of his occupation.

The Union needs to return to its senses

Arun Lewis
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The Union needs to return to its senses

The Union has never been far from controversy, and this year is no change. Last term, questions emerged over the power of electoral officials. The returning officer and deputies (‘RO world’) had enormous independence, opening the door for malpractice. They removed then-President-Elect Ebrahim Osman-Mowafy in a trial tarred by racism. Briefly, the Union united – its committees declared RO world ‘institutionally racist’ and both presidential candidates ran on a platform of rules reform.

Unity didn’t last. Rule changes to weaken RO world sparked upset through a lack of transparency in their implementation. Restored, Osman-Mowafy pushed the changes through in half an hour of procedural wrangling, winning a vote of bored non-member freshers who didn’t understand the changes. (The Union says that “procedural requirements and mechanisms were strictly followed”, no procedural objections were raised during the vote, and that the reforms were made accessible two weeks in advance.) There are now two sets of rules and two elected ROs. Electoral officials have been removed and Social Events Officer Shermar Pryce was fired after accusing Osman-Mowafy of overreach and tolerating racism among his own friends.

In pursuit of laudable aims, the President split the Union. Factional disputes distract from Union business, delaying the No-Confidence Debate by over an hour. Constitutional minutiae can be important to those involved, but the infamy and length of this fracas astounds. The Union’s draw is its events and facilities, not students politicking for positions with no appreciable power. That the Union is known for its internecine bickering rather than its opportunities blemishes its record.

There must be reconciliation between groups who share a common ideal – a diverse and reformed Union – without such divisiveness. Greater transparency and a gradual approach to reforms would do much for confidence.

I think highly of many on the Union committees, but strife serves no-one; few want to join a society that looks inward. The institution isn’t meant to be the story. The sooner factional divides move from the headlines, the better for everyone.

The Union state that the committee member was not removed due to disagreeing with the President, but for inappropriate behaviour. The motion for the member’s removal were brought forwards by members of committee, rather than the President.

Final five named in Oxford Chancellor race

Emily Henson
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Final five named in Oxford Chancellor race

Five candidates have progressed to the final round of the chancellor election: Lady Elish Angiolini, Rt Hon Dominic Grieve, Lord William Hague, Lord Peter Mandelson and Baroness Jan Royall. 

This comes after over 23,000 members of the Convocation voted on 38 candidates. The second and final round of voting will take place in sixth week of this term. 

Lady Elish Angiolini, who has held the position of Principal at St Hugh’s College since 2012, is Solicitor General and Lord Advocate of Scotland. In an interview with Cherwell, Angiolini expressed her belief that: “The University is here to facilitate debate, freedom of speech, and thought, and that will include politics as well.” She, however, emphasised her belief that the Chancellor should remain a ceremonial, advisory role. 

Dominic Grieve served as Shadow Home Secretary from 2008 to 2009 and Attorney General for England and Wales from 2010 to 2014. Grieve was commissioned to review the governance structure of Christ Church College. Grieve, speaking to Cherwell, advocated for a more centralised system of University donations, rather than to individual colleges.

Lord William Hague was the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001. He also held the position of Foreign Secretary as MP for Richmond from 2010 to 2014 during the coalition government. Hague told Cherwell he is prepared for a “decade of change”, alongside expressing his fears over the reliance on international funding. 

Lord Peter Mandelson, who announced his candidacy exclusively to Cherwell, held positions including Director of Communications for the Labour Party, Secretary of State for Trade, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and European Commissioner. Mandelson defined himself to Cherwell as a “global Chancellor” with a love for the University. 

Baroness Jan Royall is the current Principal of Somerville College. She has previously served as an MP, a member of the House of Lords, and Leader of the House of Lords. Royall spoke to Cherwell, about her focus on breaking down barriers to higher education, especially finances: “I think the University, everybody in this University, or the advocates for the University, need to be making arguments in favour of a better deal for students, in a way, I completely accept that.”

Prominent Indian business family sponsors new Somerville building

Zach Burgess
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Prominent Indian business family sponsors new Somerville building

A building donated by Indian company, Tata Group, and named after philanthropist Ratan Tata – who passed away earlier this month – will be constructed in Somerville College in 2025. Tata was one of the most prolific philanthropists in India but has previously faced accusations of paying off militants, withholding information from the police, and corporate mismanagement. However, all allegations were dismissed.

The Ratan Tata Building will house the Oxford-India Centre for Sustainable Development. When planning began in 2012, the centre was called the Indira Gandhi Centre after Somerville alumna and former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. In 2016, two years after Gandhi’s Congress Party fell from power, the project was renamed to the Oxford-India Centre. The building was endowed with a grant of £3 million from the Indian Government and £5.5 million from Somerville and Oxford University, with a remaining figure of around £10 million sought from donations. Somerville found their principle benefactor, Tata Group, this month.

Tata was known for his philanthropic activity. In 1984, he donated to supporting victims of anti-Sikh riots, allowing them to rebuild their lives. He also gave money to to medical research, enabling neuroscience research and stem cell therapy. His donations to higher education include gifting $50 million each to his alma maters Cornell University and Harvard University.

However, Tata was associated with the Tata Tapes scandal of 1997: Its subsidiary company Tata Tea was publicly accused of paying off militants to protect tea plantations in Assam and of obstructing justice, when they allegedly withheld from the police the whereabouts of a wanted employee. There was no conclusive proof of any wrongdoing, and no police action was taken.

Furthermore, Tata met controversy over his ousting of Cyrus Mistry – his handpicked corporate successor. The removal came after the relationship between the two men collapsed, and Mistry consequently sued Tata for corporate mismanagement. The case went to the Indian Supreme Court, which ultimately dismissed allegations against Tata in 2021.

The Tata Group has had a presence in the UK for a long time. Notably, the Group owns Tetley Tea, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Steel, which has made national headlines when they cut jobs at steel plants in Port Talbot.

Somerville’s building is not the first project Oxford has worked on with the Tata Group. Its subsidiary Tata Consulting Services was contracted to administer last year’s admissions tests that experience technical errors. The English Language Admissions Test (ELAT) and Geography Admissions Test (GAT) both had to be scrapped – they’ve yet to be reinstated – and all takers of the Maths Aptitude Test (MAT) were given the chance to re-sit.Cherwell has contacted the Tata Group for a reply.

Tuition fees to rise to £9,535 in England next year

Cherwell News and Investigations Section Editors
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Tuition fees to rise to £9,535 in England next year

Tuition fees are set to go up to £9,535 for home students starting from next year, marking the first increase in eight years, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said in a statement. This will apply to students in England – fees in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are to be determined by the devolved governments. The monthly loan repayments are not set to increase as a result of these changes, and will continue to correspond to increases in salary.

The rise constitutes a 3.1% rise in maximum tuition fees. At the same time, higher maintenance loans will be available for certain students from autumn 2025, constituting a rise by around 3.1% in England next year. This will provide students with up to £414 more per year. according to the statement.

Home student fees have been capped at £9,250 since 2017. Over summer, Whitehall sources told The Times that officials were drafting plans that would see tuition fees rise to £10,500 over the course of five years, rather than the currently announced £9,535, and that maintenance grants would be restored for lower-income students. This follows calls from advocacy group Universities UK, of which Oxford University is a member, for increased tuition fees as institutions struggle with finances, partially due to declining enrolment of international students who pay over £30,000 a year.

The Labour Party, under Keir Starmer, initially included scrapping tuition fees in its pledges during his 2020 leadership campaign.

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