Mend the gap: solving the UK’s productivity puzzle
When it comes to the output, education and wellbeing of the Great British workforce, our towns, cities and regions exist on a dramatically unequal footing. A new, wide-ranging research network hopes to find answers to a decades-old problem – the UK’s productivity gap.
Ely’s new cathedral (of books) opens for business
Visitors to Ely may spot a new landmark on the city’s horizon aside from its famous 1,000-year-old cathedral – a vast, new state-of-the-art storage facility for millions of books belonging to Cambridge University Library and other university collections.
The stresses and strains of work and unemployment
A stressful workplace can damage your health. But so too can being out of work. Cambridge researchers are trying to understand why both situations can be detrimental to our health and wellbeing – and help employers and government provide solutions.
University of Cambridge raises £600 million in pioneering bonds issue
The University of Cambridge announces that it has priced £600m of bonds.
Researchers help drive down freight emissions
Cambridge researchers, working with leading supermarket chain, Waitrose, have developed a more aerodynamic trailer design for articulated vehicles – cutting fuel consumption and pollution by around 7%.
DNA enzyme shuffles cell membranes a thousand times faster than its natural counterpart
A new synthetic enzyme, crafted from DNA rather than protein, ‘flips’ lipid molecules within the cell membrane, triggering a signal pathway that could be harnessed to induce cell death in cancer cells.
Cambridge and Nokia Bell Labs establish new research centre
The long-sought dream of wearable and mobile devices that will interpret, replicate and influence people’s emotions and perceptions will soon be a reality thanks to a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and Nokia Bell Labs.
University of Cambridge honorary degrees 2018
Among yesterday's (Wednesday's) eight new honorary doctors was 99-year-old classicist and epigrapher Joyce Reynolds, believed to be the oldest recipient of the University of Cambridge’s highest honour.
New 3D imaging analysis technique could lead to improved arthritis treatment
An algorithm to monitor the joints of patients with arthritis, which could change the way that the severity of the condition is assessed, has been developed by a team of engineers, physicians and radiologists led by the University of Cambridge.
How emotions shape our work life
Jochen Menges, an expert in organisational behaviour, thinks that emotions matter profoundly for employee performance and behaviour. His studies bring nuance to our understanding of how employees wish to feel at work.
Study identifies key challenges when communicating potential policies
A team of Cambridge researchers sets out to define a new science for policy communications, with ambitions of finding the “Goldilocks zone” between too much and not enough information when informing both legislators and the public on complex issues.
‘Photographing Tutankhamun’ exhibition reveals historical context behind pioneering images
Iconic photography taken during the decade-long excavation of King Tutankhamun’s tomb has gone on display at Cambridge University’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA).
Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
The UK’s first quantum network was launched yesterday (Weds) in Cambridge, enabling ‘unhackable’ communications, made secure by the laws of physics, between three sites around the city.
Mother’s attitude towards baby during pregnancy may have implications for child’s development
Mothers who ‘connect’ with their baby during pregnancy are more likely to interact in a more positive way with their infant after it is born, according to a study carried out at the University of Cambridge. Interaction is important for helping infants learn and develop.
Genome-editing tool could increase cancer risk in cells, say researchers
More research needs to be done to understand whether CRISPR-Cas9 – molecular ‘scissors’ that make gene editing a possibility – may inadvertently increase cancer risk in cells, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Karolinska Institutet.
Unilever Young Entrepreneurs Awards 2018 now open for entries
Entries are now open for the Unilever Young Entrepreneurs Awards, supporting and celebrating inspirational young people from all over the world who have initiatives, products or services that tackle the planet’s biggest sustainability challenges.
‘Carbon bubble’ coming that could wipe trillions from the global economy – study
Macroeconomic simulations show rates of technological change in energy efficiency and renewable power are likely to cause a sudden drop in demand for fossil fuels, potentially sparking a global financial crisis. Experts call for a “carefully managed” shift to low-carbon investments and policies to deflate this “carbon bubble”.
Graphene paves the way to faster high-speed communications
Researchers have created a technology that could lead to new devices for faster, more reliable ultra-broad bandwidth transfers, and demonstrated how electrical fields boost the non-linear optical effects of graphene.
Multiple metals – and possible signs of water – found in unique exoplanet
An international team of researchers has identified ‘fingerprints’ of multiple metals in one of the least dense exoplanets ever found.
Cambridge and LMU announce plans for strategic partnership
Two of Europe’s leading research universities yesterday (May 29) announced the first step towards plans for a unique ‘strategic partnership’ – underlining the vital and ongoing relationship between British universities and their peer institutions across the EU in a post-Brexit landscape.
Plastic crystals hold key to record-breaking energy transport
Scientists from the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol have found a way to create plastic semiconductor nanostructures that absorb light and transport its energy 20 times further than has been previously observed, paving the way for more flexible and more efficient solar cells and photodetectors.
Ditching the car may reduce your risk of dying from heart disease and stroke
Is it time to ditch the car and find a more active way of getting to work? It could save your life, say Oliver Mytton and Jenna Panter from the MRC Epidemiology Unit, writing for The Conversation.
Antony Gormley exhibition opens at Kettle’s Yard
Renowned sculptor Antony Gormley has become the first solo artist to exhibit in the new galleries of Kettle’s Yard with the opening of SUBJECT.
Engineering future scientists
Children are often asked: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ It’s a difficult question to answer. And if a child has not been exposed to a broad range of career opportunities, their choice of responses may be limited.
The menace of monolingualism
Cambridge University Professor Wendy Ayres-Bennett will speak at the Hay Festival about her research into the health and social benefits of multilingualism.