Despite the courses in Oxford being quite specialised, the sheer concentration of deep-tech talent in the form of DPhil candidates and advanced research institutes make for an abundant setting of science research.
It’s so easy to dabble in the different aspects. While everyone looks in awe at AI, here are some other areas of science that you can delve into – obviously, this is just a teaser. Go make friends in the biosciences department and open your eyes to the marvels of modern technology.
Longevity
When we talk about longevity, it’s not just about extending lifespan—it’s about enhancing the quality of life as we age. Imagine reaching the twilight years and still feeling vibrant and healthy, rather than dealing with the steady decline that so often accompanies ageing.
At Oxford, the Oxford Society of Ageing and Longevity (OSAL) is at the forefront of this research. It’s the place to be if you want to delve into the science behind staying younger for longer. Whether it’s through studying genetic factors or exploring groundbreaking technologies, OSAL is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
Plasma replacement
The replacement of plasma from younger rodents to older rodents appears to have reversed ageing in the older rodents. This has given hope for people who want to see the same in humans – a simple transfusion to reverse ageing.
Making it a lifestyle
Bryan Johnson is the most famous proponent of longevity, as someone who has actively shared his blueprint for longevity. I first heard of him from a webinar he gave with the OSAL.
This is an incredibly frontier part of science, though a fascinating one. While the name longevity conjures up images of rich old folks trying to fend off death, I think the potential beneficiaries will be everyone who wants a better quality of life when ageing.
Space Exploration
Oxford is the cradle of UK’s deep tech startups. It stands to reason that Oxford startups should be involved in this nascent space industry. Startups tend to thrive where barriers to entry are lowered. Dot Com boom occurred when coding languages made speaking to a computer easier to understand in human syntax compared to using binary. Space has now been made cheaper with the innovations of SpaceX lowering the cost of launches compared to NASA.
Asteroid Mining
In the 1800s, European traders risked everything to bring back spices from Asia that were worth their weight in gold—things we now buy casually from supermarket shelves. Fast forward to today, and we find ourselves in a similar situation with rare earth minerals. They are essential for modern technology, but scarce and politically contested here on Earth.
We need rare earths, lithium and even hydrogen for manufacturing and other industrial practices. Yet we are running out of these globally. Where sources exist, the supply chains are fraught with suspicion owing to geopolitics. Yet, these resources are in abundance outside our atmosphere. Asteroids that measure hundreds of miles wide are valued in quintillions (a billion billions) of dollars due to their metal content. Of course, the valuation is hyperbole for an article but the exaggerated figure does not weaken the significant resource abundance outer space presents.
Manufacturing in low-gravity
It’s surprisingly difficult to create a low-gravity environment on Earth. It could make commercial sense to instead base factories in orbit, where low-gravity is already a feature. Some crystals used in drugs are of higher quality when free from the influence of gravity. 3D bioprinting can also remove the constraints of requiring support from thick bio-inks, hence focusing only on the production of the necessary bio-material.
Oxford is a melting pot of innovation set within castles thousands of years old, and the future of science and technology is being written here every day in libraries both grand and stuffy. Regardless of what degree you read, Oxford has a place for you to engage with the brightest minds and boldest ideas in the innovations that will drive the next few decades.
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