Humans introduce bias into all research (scientific, economic, political, geographical…). This Curious Minds digest aims to help you develop a critical eye when analysing data and research studies - when reading articles around your subject, it is important to hone your ability to critically appraise and challenge assumptions in research, especially if approaching university interviews. The digest will pose a range of interview-style questions and suggest tasks to get you thinking about bias in research, as well as recommend a number of further reading resources.

The infamous mind-brain (or mind-body) conundrum has stimulated debate amongst philosophers, scientists and psychologists since Aristotle in 350BC. A number of questions arise - Is the mind a product of the brain? What other animals have ‘minds?’ How might we define a mind? How can a mind be produced from a brain, but only from some brains and not others? Whether you are interested in pursuing Philosophy, Psychology/ Neuroscience, Biology, this article offers some of our top suggestions for exploration, particularly useful for those with approaching university/ Oxbridge interviews.

Unlock the secrets to crafting compelling scientific essays with our comprehensive guide for school students. From structuring your argument to mastering scientific writing style, discover essential tips for success in academia. Perfect for students navigating the intricacies of scientific writing, our blog offers invaluable insights to elevate your essays to the next level.

Explore the fascinating details of cardiac development and functioning and different ways in which these can go wrong with Oxford Medic, Rhea. Unfortunately, in our modern society, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death and is associated with many co-morbidities including obesity and hypertension. Rhea will lead you through some of the scientific principles currently being translated to patient-centred, clinical practice, as well as some of the latest clinical evidence on some of the drugs used for treatment, to highlight the ever-advancing nature of medicine and provide inspiration for the future.

Once imagined only by the most speculative science-fiction writers, the idea of ‘mind control’ using technology has been around in popular culture at least since the beginnings of the Cold War, where paranoia surrounding control of people by governments was at an all-time high. The mainstream view was that controlling people’s actions and thoughts was much too far-fetched to become a reality in the near future. This perception, though, may be starting to change as scientists in recent years have made pioneering advances into fields such as optogenetics, a technique which allows precise control of how neurons fire by using flashes of light from a laser – all very space-age!

Human beings seek the thrills of life. We enjoy pushing our bodies to the limit, conquering challenges, exposing ourselves to potential danger. Rollercoasters? We love the adrenaline rush. Mountain climbing is one such challenge. Find out what happens to the body as mountaineers ascend to the heavens, why athletes train at high altitude and some of the ground-breaking work in Medicine on cells and oxygen availability.

Explore the branches of Parkinson’s disease research, offering an exciting example of the emerging, ever-advancing nature of medical sciences. Rhea reflects on how the molecular and anatomical principles of a disease can be practically investigated in various animals models, and results translated to a clinical scenario, to improve clinical outcomes.

Can people act cruelly without actually being cruel❓Can someone perform evil acts, without evil intentions, because they are following orders❓From Nazi war criminals to the extreme abuse of guards of prison patients in Zimbardo’s infamous Stanford Prison Experiment (1971), explore the theory of the ‘banality of evil’ with psychologist, Chloe.

As the processing power of computers is increasing, novel techniques such as machine learning are used to make more and more accurate predictions in various fields of science, including drug research. Find out how machine learning has become a promising tool in future pharmaceutical industry, with the potential to create safer and more diverse drugs to treat diseases that are still considered untreatable.

“I always thought I wanted to be a barrister. Then I realised that actually I was only interested in criminal law. Then I realised I wasn’t interested in law at all… I was interested in criminals. Rather than defending or prosecuting those who commit crime, I wanted to know why they committed the crime in the first place. This was a subtle distinction, but it is an important one that has shaped my career prospects. I wanted to learn about the psychology informing people’s actions, as opposed to the law restricting them.”

Joy is an engineer enrolled on the unique Innovation Design Program, the product of a partnership between Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. Working on design and creative engineering within an often futurist context, Joy is tasked with imagining our future on a daily basis: what will XYZ be like 10-20 years from now, and how can we find opportunities in the present so that we can reach that vision? From designing and programming censorship goggles with Google Object Detection, to building a tangible interaction game exploring the experience of street harassment, find out how Joy became involved in the world of invention at the nexus between the arts and sciences.

Interested in mastering mathematics? Adam completed the four year Master of Mathematics MMATH degree course at St Catherine`s College, Oxford, graduating with a high first (average of 79), and is now a PhD candidate in pure maths at the University of York. Follow his mathematical journey to discover the independent endeavours that prepared him for success, how he learnt to think and verbalise mathematically and the ways in which his current research interacts with real world phenomena.

Why have symmetry principles been central to the activity and results of physics for the past century? Is our future symmetric? What does that mean? Gain a deeper appreciation of physics beyond the A-level syllabus and prepare for university level symmetry arguments with theoretical physicist, Sanjay, PhD researcher in particle and string theory.

The ability to acquire new information and retain it over time is a crucial skill for daily function, and a range of processes of memory facilitate this. Understanding memory processes can be applied to training memory and developing skills, such as in the case of ‘memorists’ such as Rajan Mahadevan. How can it be possible to earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1981 for reciting the first 31,811 digits of pi?

Cancer is a highly prevalent, multifaceted and unique disease that kills one in five individuals. Find out about the onset, characteristics and treatment of Cancer with an Oxford Medic. Could genome sequencing give rise to new treatments? Is the dream of a single ‘cure’ a practical one in combatting the destructive disease?

Social neuroscience is the study of the role of biological systems in implementing social behaviour. Specific brain areas have been found to be specialised and particularly responsive during social interactions, and not activated in non-social conditions. Find out about the ‘social brain’ and how understanding, empathy and altruism can all be explained by neuroscience.

Did you know that you have ten times more bacterial cells in your body than human cells? Find out about the ever-increasing roles for our bacteria or ‘microbiota’ that are being discovered and the latest Medical treatments that make use of them.