Emerging Frontiers

How do we continue to push the boundaries of science to further our understanding of the universe? How do we prepare for the threats and opportunities presented by the speed of technological change in the 21st Century?

How do we better protect human health from toxic chemicals?

Academics at the PrecisionTox research group are developing new toxicology methods that avoid the pitfalls involved in current toxicology practices.

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How has the law been pushed aside in the age of AI?

Artificial intelligence and automation are responsible for a growing number of decisions by pubic authorities, yet the current ‘AI ethics’ discourse removes these new technologies from legal accountability.

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How is technology accelerating the discovery of new dinosaur species?

For all of the innovation and advances in technology, the field of palaeontology is still rooted in traditional methods of discovery - be that rummaging through museum collections or through field work. Imaging technologies, however, are helping researchers analyse and interpret specimens, revolutionising the field.

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How will quantum sensors transform all our lives?

Quantum sensors are providing qualitatively new data about our world, which can be turned into valuable information, underpinning advances in everything from autonomous transport, navigation and brain imaging to the Internet of Things.

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Revealing the secrets of our solar neighbourhood

Much like the stars observed in the TESS, NASA’s new exoplanet and stellar astrophysics mission, the future for the field of asteroseismology has never looked so bright, building on the discoveries from Kepler to open up unique insights into stellar systems in our own cosmological back yard.

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Will gravity sensors unlock economic and social benefits by mapping what we can't see?

From construction works, water pipes and electricity cables, to natural resource management and irrigation, ground conditions impact everything from railways and housing to agriculture. Quantum gravity sensors, developed by physicists and civil engineers at the University of Birmingham, promise to illuminate the underworld, with far-reaching economic and social benefits.

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Stopping outbreaks becoming epidemics

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa was the deadliest occurrence of the disease since its discovery in 1976. Since the first confirmed case was recorded 23 March 2014, over 11,000 people died as the result of the virus. How did Birmingham researchers place genomic sequencing at the heart of the outbreak response?


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