University of Oxford

"Have you got balls?" asks a leaflet at Oxford University. "If you have, how does that make you feel?"

Read more: Christina Patterson: Let the men eat cake (and have a chat) | In this article: Chocolate cake, Oxford University, London, and Bob Ainsworth

"The strength of the game is that it takes results from many people," said Dr Chris Lintott from Oxford University, one of the members of the Galaxy Zoo team.

Read more: 'Galaxy game' helps astronomers spot galactic pile-ups | In this article: Galaxy Zoo, Chris Lintott, Oxford University, George Mason University, and BBC News

"Visitors to the Galaxy Zoo Mergers site use what's rather like a giant slot machine, with a real image of a galactic merger in the center and eight randomly selected simulated merger images filling the other eight 'slots' around it," said Dr. Chris Lintott of Oxford University's Department of Physics, galaxyzoo.org team member. "By randomly cycling through the millions of simulated possibilities and selecting only the very best matches, they are helping to build up a profile of what kind of factors are necessary to create the galaxies we see in the Universe around us - and, hopefully, having fun too,"

Read more: Now, web users can play 'cosmic slot machine' to study colliding galaxies | In this article: Oxford University, George Mason University, Hubble Space Telescope, Galaxy Zoo, Washington, and UK

Vernon Bogdanor, professor of government at Oxford University, said: "When the Queen came to the throne, about a third of the population thought that the monarchy had been ordained by God.

Read more: Heir and the spare: royal brothers plot future | In this article: Prince William, Prince Harry, RAF, The Prince of Wales, Oxford University, Australia, Venus, and Jupiter

"If an IPO's the only thing, then sure. But if there is some other way then that would be great too. Maybe some other new way will emerge." he said at the Oxford University event.

Read more: Twitter may go to market; no interest in selling | In this article: Insight Venture Partners, Revenue, Oxford University, T. Rowe Price, Oxford, England, and Reuters

"These volunteers that participate are not just users," says Dr. Chris Lintott of Oxford University, the project lead for the Galaxy Zoo project. "They're doing science. They're doing the analysis we don't have time for, because there could never be enough professional astronomers to do the job properly."

Read more: 'Cosmic slot machine' Web site allows citizen scientists to analyze galaxy collisions | In this article: Galaxy Zoo, Oxford University, George Mason University, Hubble Space Telescope, Chris Lintott, Oxford, Virginia, and UK

"If you identify the neurons that control appetite, you have a drug target; if you identify the neurons that regulate fear, you have a drug target," said Gero Miesenbock, a professor at the University of Oxford who did pioneering work on fruit flies. Mice and flies may seem a far cry from people, but the idea is that understanding these basic functions in other organisms might give scientists new ideas about how the human brain works, and where to focus in people when designing a drug or other therapy. "There's a very fertile intermediate ground here,"

Read more: Shedding light on how the brain works | In this article: Rhesus Macaque, Light therapy, Parkinson's disease, Stanford University, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine

"She has never lied in print, private conversations or sign language about her time at Oxford University," he said.

Read more: Speaker's wife accused of lying about Oxford degree | In this article: Oxford, Labour, Allegation, Oxford University, Keble College, British Airways, and House of Commons

"Nine years ago, it was unimaginable for an Afghan, especially an Afghan woman of my economic background, to think about studying in an institution such as Oxford University," she said. "I hope my education in Oxford will enable me to sustain and expand that hope and belief in a better future for more young Afghan women and men. I hope that belief, accompanied with the realisation of education and a better life, can ultimately bring an end to the war and destruction."

Read more: Shaharzad Akbar is first Afghan woman to study at Oxford University | In this article: Oxford University, Taliban, Oxford, Afghanistan, Kandahar Airport, and UK

"The whole thing has descended into farce," said Christopher Bickerton, an expert on European politics at Oxford University. "It's made the European Union seem more of a joke than a reality."

Read more: EU's angst over choosing a president hasn't helped its image | In this article: European Union, Tony Blair, Herman Van Rompuy, Europe, Brussels, Belgium, HobNob, Absent-minded professor, and Oxford University