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Simon Redfern

Professor in Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge

I study the properties of materials in Earth, from biominerals in seas shells to the nature of Earth's inner core. I use neutron and synchrotron light sources to study these properties at the atomic scale, and link the results to phenomena at the global scale.

As a British Science Association Media Fellow this year I have been reporting for BBC Science, follow my experiences at redfernsimon.wordpress.com

My PhD was carried out at Cambridge University Department of Earth Sciences. After finishing I took up at Lectureship joint in the Departments of Geology and Chemistry at the University of Manchester. In 1994 I returned to Cambridge where I am now Professor, as well as a Fellow of Jesus College. I have published more than 200 academic research papers in the peer reviewed literature, and guided more than 20 students to their PhDs.

I blog general Earth Sciences for a wide audience at www.geopoem.com

Briferendum Series

What Brexit means for UK science: a view from the coalface

Jun 26, 2016 19:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science Economy

Science, and geoscience in particular, is an international activity that benefits from cooperation and collaboration. The Brexit vote is a wake up call, not just for the UK but more widely, and it underlines how so many...

Economy

Canadian Dollar Slides as Fed Rate Hike Bets Boost US Dollar

The Canadian dollar weakened on Friday and was on track for its sharpest weekly decline in more than two months, as a stronger U.S. dollar overshadowed surprisingly robust Canadian economic growth. The loonie traded near...

Bessent Defends US Yen Intervention Over Treasury Market Risks

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has defended Washingtons decision to support the Japanese yen in late July, arguing that severe currency volatility could threaten global financial stability and ultimately push U.S....

US Dollar Hits Two-Week High After Hawkish Fed Speech

The U.S. dollar climbed to a near two-week high on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivered a hawkish message at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, strengthening expectations for a September...

Oil Prices Slip as Venezuela Supply Prospects Weigh on Market

Oil prices edged lower on Friday as traders assessed reports that the United States was nearing a deal for long-term access to Venezuelan crude reserves, potentially opening the door to billions of dollars in investment...

Gold Prices Tumble 3% After Hawkish Fed Speech Boosts Dollar

Gold prices fell sharply on Friday as the U.S. dollar strengthened following Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warshs hawkish Jackson Hole speech, prompting traders to increase bets on a September interest rate hike. Spot gold...

Politics

Nepal Declines Foreign Rescue Aid After Deadly Flash Flood

Nepal has said it does not currently require foreign search-and-rescue assistance following a devastating flash flood that killed nearly 500 people and left hundreds of foreign nationals missing. The disaster struck...

Norway’s King Harald Dies at 89, Haakon VIII Takes Throne

Norways King Harald has died at the age of 89 after more than three decades on the throne, ending a reign marked by modernization, national unity and enduring public support. The Norwegian royal palace said Harald died...

Israeli Airstrike Kills Hamas Operative, Two Others in West Bank

An Israeli airstrike killed a Hamas operative and two other people in the occupied West Bank on Friday, marking a relatively rare use of deadly air power in the territory amid heightened Israeli-Palestinian violence. The...

Iran Condemns New US Sanctions as Hormuz Standoff Deepens

Iran condemned a fresh U.S. economic pressure campaign on Friday, calling the measures state terrorism as Tehran faces soaring inflation, mounting financial strain and continued tensions over the Strait of Hormuz six...

Tennessee Plans to Rename Nashville Airport After Dolly Parton

Tennessee officials plan to rename Nashville International Airport in honor of country music legend Dolly Parton, who died earlier this week at age 80 in Nashville. The proposed name change follows a social media campaign...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Pinterest Stock Falls as CFO Julia Brau Donnelly Resigns

Pinterest Inc. (NYSE: PINS) shares fell sharply in after-hours trading on Friday after the social media company announced the resignation of Chief Financial Officer Julia Brau Donnelly, prompting investor attention on the...

PayPal Shares Sink as $50 Billion Takeover Bid Collapses

PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ: PYPL) shares plunged in extended trading after a consortium led by private equity firm Advent International and payments giant Stripe reportedly ended its pursuit of the digital payments company....

Nvidia Pauses AI Cloud Financing Deals Amid Antitrust Concerns

Nvidia has temporarily halted some deals tied to a recently introduced financing program for artificial intelligence cloud companies, amid internal concerns that the arrangement could attract greater antitrust scrutiny,...

Google Changes EU Spam Policy Amid Antitrust Scrutiny

Google has revised its spam policy in Europe after concerns from European Union regulators raised the possibility of a significant antitrust fine for Alphabet, the search giants parent company. The company said Friday that...

U.S. Probes Apex Logistics Over Nvidia AI Chip Shipments to China

The U.S. government is investigating Singapore-based Apex Logistics over allegations that the freight company helped transport Nvidia AI chips and computer systems to China despite U.S. export restrictions, Bloomberg...