From star formation and early embryo development to the study of memories and disease; these scientists together have contributed greatly to our understanding of the world. All have been recently elected as Fellows of the Royal Society – one of the UK’s most prestigious scientific organisations.
On 12 March, Professor Martin Johnson will discuss his work studying human reproduction. His current interests focus on our historical, legal and ethical approaches to fertility technologies, including IVF and the recently approved mitochondrial donation technique. He will appear alongside Professor Julian Parkhill, a specialist in the genes of disease-causing organisms. His most recent findings have helped in the fight against superbugs, including MRSA. He has also studied the causes of tuberculosis, typhoid, leprosy and meningitis, examining what allows these organisms to cause illness and how they are spread between people.
When asked about his work, Professor Parkhill said: “By studying the genomes of pathogenic bacteria, we have learnt some really interesting things about how bacteria evolve – how they become pathogens, and how they adapt to different hosts. In itself, this isn’t going to change anyone’s life. However, by generating and releasing genome data to the broader scientific community we have enabled and accelerated research into new drugs and new vaccines that can be used to treat these diseases.
"More recently, we have worked with local hospitals to show how genomics can be used clinically to track disease outbreaks and to identify which antibiotics particular infections are resistant to. This will be extremely important, as the remaining antibiotics we have need to be more carefully targeted.
“Tackling antibiotic resistance must be a top priority. We have a limited supply of new antibiotics at present, and resistance is rising to the antibiotics we currently use. We are realistically facing the prospect of not being able to treat routine bacterial infections, which is frightening.”
The event will also feature Dr Karalyn Patterson, a neuroscientist who has dedicated her life to studying how our brains process language and form memories. She has contributed greatly to our understanding of the effects of severe brain damage and the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss.
Rounding out the first night line-up is radio astronomer, Professor Richard Hills, who investigates infrared and radio waves to understand the mysterious phenomena known as quasars and the processes that lead to the birth of stars. Until 2012, he was project leader for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), one of the largest and most sensitive radio telescope experiments ever constructed, which has added to our understanding of both planet formation and the structure of comets.
The second set of Cambridge Stars will appear on the evening of 19 March and will be exploring the microscopic details of our world. Professor Paul Midgley, Director of the Cambridge Electron Microscope Facility, will explore the limits of our ability to photograph the very tiniest structures with electron microscopy. His discovery of several new microscopy techniques has given new clarity to our study of living cells and has allowed us to understand and engineer materials at the atomic scale.
Professor Randy Read is also fascinated by the atomic detail of living systems. His research is helping to develop new treatments for debilitating genetic diseases, including Krabbe disease and Hunter syndrome, both of which include slow neurodegeneration and typically lead to premature death. Professor Read has added to our understanding of the hormonal cycles in the human body that affect, amongst other things, our appetite and sleep patterns.
Talking about his research, Professor Read said: “Probably the most important contribution from my group has been to develop new methods that make it easier to determine the 3D structures of protein molecules, and to provide easy-to-use software for others to apply these methods. More often than not, if you read an article in the newspaper illustrated by a 3D picture of a protein, our software will have been involved at some point in that research.”
The final star appearing at the Cambridge Science Festival 2015 is Professor David Ron. His research has examined how cells respond to stress. In particular, Professor Ron studies the manufacturing of proteins in our bodies and the diseases that occur when this goes wrong. His most prominent discoveries have added to our understanding of hormonal and neurodegenerative disorders.
Commenting on the future of scientific research, he said: “If we collectively want to get rich quickly, we should not bother too much with things that seem to be of practical importance; instead we should emphasise original, imaginative and impractical research.”
The Cambridge Stars are just some of the world-leading scientists appearing as part of the two-week Cambridge Science Festival, which will include more than 275 other events in and around Cambridge on 9-22 March.
Other Festival events featuring big names in and around science, include:
10 March - Andrew Chamblin Memorial Lecture: colour, new dimensions and the geometry of physics. Starring Nobel Prize winner, Frank Wilczek, one of the leading theoretical physicists of our time. He has worked on a wide range of topics, ranging across particle physics, astrophysics and condensed matter physics.
13 March – Climate engineering: who can we trust? Despite strong scientific consensus, climate change is still a contentious issue. With so much riding on urgent progress in preventing climate change, a panel of outstanding researchers will ask; who can we trust?
17 March – Preventing the rise of antibiotic resistance? An all-star cast of scientists discuss what will happen if antibiotic drugs lose their effect and bacterial infections become untreatable again.
22 March – Hands-off my health records: why sharing your health data matters. A panel discussion featuring leading figures in medical research. Your chance to hear why sharing your health data matters, ask questions and get to the heart of the data sharing debate.
22 March – Infectious knowledge: science in popular culture. Featuring actor Steve McGann from ‘Call the Midwife’ examining how knowledge is an infectious thing with the power to transform our species, and even save us from our own destruction.
For further information about the Cambridge Science Festival or to browse the full range of events, please visit: www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk
Introducing the ‘stars’ of Cambridge Science
10 March 2015
The Cambridge Science Festival, which started yesterday and runs for two weeks, celebrates world-leading science. As part of the Festival, seven leading scientists, the Cambridge Stars, will be discussing their glittering careers and latest research breakthroughs across two events, on 12 and 19 March.