Epigenetic discovery suggests DNA modifications more diverse than previously thought
The world of epigenetics – where molecular ‘switches’ attached to DNA turn genes on and off – has just got bigger with the discovery by a team of scientists from the University of Cambridge of a new type of epigenetic modification.
Stem cells likely to be safe for use in regenerative medicine, study confirms
Cambridge researchers have found the strongest evidence to date that human pluripotent stem cells – cells that can give rise to all tissues of the body – will develop normally once transplanted into an embryo. The findings, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, could have important implications for regenerative medicine.
New smartphone-based system could accelerate development of driverless cars
Two technologies which use deep learning techniques to help machines to see and recognise their location and surroundings could be used for the development of driverless cars and autonomous robotics – and can be used on a regular camera or smartphone.
How real is the science in 'Star Wars'?
The anticipation is over: The Force Awakens is with us. To a self-confessed geek like Karen Yu from Cambridge University's Institute for Manufacturing, this is like all of her Christmases coming at once. It also raises some very important questions: what is the Force, how do you make a lightsaber – and does the new film finally put to rest the ghost of The Phantom Menace?
Opinion: Large Hadron Collider sees tantalising hints of a new particle
Harry Cliff of the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, discusses the potential discovery of a new particle at the Large Hadron Collider and its implications for particle physics.
King’s College Chapel: an architectural masterpiece and the man who told its story
Five hundred years ago the masons working on one of the world’s most famous buildings completed the stonework of a chapel conceived some 70 years earlier. For several decades, King’s College Chapel had stood partially built in the heart of Cambridge. The story of the chapel is told in riveting detail by John Saltmarsh, who died in 1974 before completing his magnum opus.
Low cost, safe and accurate test could help diagnose rare childhood cancers
A non-invasive, low cost blood test that could help doctors diagnose some types of malignant childhood tumour has been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Health NHS Foundation Trust.
One of Bill Gates' six best books this year is by engineers at Cambridge
Bill Gates includes Sustainable Materials - with both eyes open by Cambridge academics Julian Allwood, Jonathan Cullen and colleagues in his six best books this year.
Researchers devise the periodic table of proteins
Researchers have devised a periodic table of protein complexes, making it easier to visualise, understand and predict how proteins combine to drive biological processes.
Feeding food waste to pigs could save vast swathes of threatened forest and savannah
New research suggests that feeding our food waste, or swill, to pigs (currently banned under EU law) could save 1.8 million hectares of global agricultural land – an area roughly half the size of Germany, including hundreds of thousands of acres of South America’s biodiverse forests and savannahs – and provide a use for the 100 million tonnes of food wasted in the EU each year.
New understanding of how shape and form develop in nature
Researchers have identified a new mechanism that drives the development of form and structure, through the observation of artificial materials that shape-shift through a wide variety of forms which are as complex as those seen in nature.
'Unprecedented' storms and floods are more common than we think
The recent ‘unprecedented’ flooding in north-west England might be more common than currently believed, a group of scientists has warned.
Vitamin D could repair nerve damage in multiple sclerosis, study suggests
A protein activated by vitamin D could be involved in repairing damage to myelin in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The study, published in the Journal of Cell Biology, offers significant evidence that vitamin D could be a possible treatment for MS in the future.
Record gift from estate of sound pioneer Ray Dolby
The University of Cambridge has announced the gift of £34.9 million ($52.6 million) from the estate of Ray Dolby, founder of Dolby Laboratories and its world-renowned Dolby Noise Reduction, Dolby Surround, and successor audio signal processing technologies, which have revolutionised the audio quality of music, motion pictures, and television worldwide.
Cambridge University launches new centre to study AI and the future of humanity
The University of Cambridge is launching a new research centre, thanks to a £10 million grant from the Leverhulme Trust, to explore the opportunities and challenges to humanity from the development of artificial intelligence.
Churchill Papers added to UNESCO’s list of the world’s greatest cultural treasures
Winston Churchill’s vast archive – including his wartime speeches, letters to Stalin and three US Presidents – has been added to UNESCO’s International Memory of the World Register.
Funding boost for infrastructure research at Cambridge
Research at the University of Cambridge to support the UK’s infrastructure and cities has received further backing in the form of two major funding initiatives.
Small but mighty: the manufacturing challenges of nanotechnology
Head of NanoManufacturing at Cambridge University Department of Engineering’s Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), Dr Michaël de Volder, explains why manufacturing carbon nanotubes is so difficult – and so important.
How to escape a black hole
An international team of astrophysicists, including researchers from the University of Cambridge, has observed a new way for gas to escape the gravitational pull of a supermassive black hole.
Heads up: Cambridge holographic technology adopted by Jaguar Land Rover
A ‘head-up’ display for passenger vehicles developed at Cambridge, the first to incorporate holographic techniques, has been incorporated into Jaguar Land Rover vehicles.
Moonlighting molecules: finding new uses for old enzymes
A collaboration between the University of Cambridge and MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, has led researchers to identify a potentially significant new application for a well-known human enzyme, which may have implications for treating respiratory diseases such as asthma.
£75 million investment for University's Cavendish Laboratory
The Government announced a £75 million investment in the University of Cambridge Cavendish Laboratory as part of yesterday's Spending Review. This will be matched with a further £75 million from the University to transform the Cavendish, helping maintain Britain’s position at the forefront of physical sciences research.
Stored fat fights against the body’s attempts to lose weight
The fatter we are, the more our body appears to produce a protein that inhibits our ability to burn fat, suggests new research published in the journal Nature Communications. The findings may have implications for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic diseases.
GSK/Cambridge Strategic Partnership aims to develop next wave of ‘game-changing’ medicines
GSK, the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have announced their Strategic Partnership, with the long-term ambition to jointly deliver new medicine to patients in the next five to 10 years.
Play matters! New centre will examine role of playfulness in learning
The University of Cambridge and the LEGO Foundation have launched a new research centre and professorship.