Predators might not be dazzled by stripes
New research using computer games suggests that stripes might not offer the ‘motion dazzle’ protection thought to have evolved in animals such as Zebra and consequently inspired ship camouflage during both World Wars.
Alan Turing Institute up and running
National institute for the development and use of advanced mathematics, computer science, algorithms and ‘Big Data’ has announced its first director, and will start research activities in the autumn.
Impact Studies: A suspension revolution in Formula I Motorsport
A Cambridge academic equipped with no more than a pencil and paper invented a completely new suspension component which led to a unique story featuring code names, Formula 1 victories and claims of industrial espionage.
Monoclonal antibodies: the invisible allies that changed the face of medicine
Forty years ago, two researchers at the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge developed a new technology that was to win the Nobel Prize – and is now found in six out of ten of the world’s bestselling drugs. Dr Lara Marks from Cambridge University's Department of History and Philosophy of Science discusses the importance of ‘monoclonal antibodies’.
Earliest evidence of reproduction in a complex organism
A new study of 565 million-year-old fossils has identified how some of the first complex organisms on Earth – possibly some of the first animals to exist – reproduced, revealing the origins of our modern marine environment.
Play’s the thing
Children’s play is under threat from increased urbanisation, perceptions of risk and educational pressures. The first research centre of its kind aims to understand the role played by play in how a child develops.
‘Brain training’ app may improve memory and daily functioning in schizophrenia
A ‘brain training’ iPad game developed and tested by researchers at the University of Cambridge may improve the memory of patients with schizophrenia, helping them in their daily lives at work and living independently, according to research just published.
The 'Magna Carta' of scientific maps goes on display 200 years after first publication
One of the most important maps of the UK ever made – described as the ‘Magna Carta of geology’ – is now on permanent public display in Cambridge after being restored to its former glory.
PhD student wins prestigious Google Fellowship
Cambridge University Department of Engineering PhD student Thang Bui has been awarded one of 15 prestigious Google European Doctoral Fellowships for his research into speech technology.
'Jolly Old Beast' - a dinosaur song revived after 160 years
On New Year’s Eve 1853 a group of entrepreneurs dined inside the mould of a giant model iguanodon and, it is reported, sang a rousing song in praise of dinosaurs. The chorus runs: 'The jolly old beast/Is not deceased/There’s life in him again! ROAR.'
Film shows how ants use ‘combs’ and ‘brushes’ to keep their antennae clean
Using unique mechanical experiments and close-up video, Cambridge researchers have shown how ants use microscopic ‘combs’ and ‘brushes’ to keep their antennae clean, which could have applications for developing cleaners for nanotechnology.
Innovative new consortium is formed to develop and study early stage drugs
A new Consortium will act as a ‘match-making’ service between pharmaceutical companies and Cambridge researchers, with the aim of developing and studying precision medicines for some of the most globally devastating diseases.
Mitochondrial disease expert to lead Department of Clinical Neurosciences
Professor Patrick Chinnery, an expert in diseases that affect mitochondria – the ‘batteries’ that power our cells – has been appointed as Professor of Neurology and Head of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge. He will take up his appointment on 1 October.
Musical tastes offer a window into how you think
Do you like your jazz to be Norah Jones or Ornette Coleman, your classical music to be Bach or Stravinsky, or your rock to be Coldplay or Slayer? The answer could give an insight into the way you think, say researchers from the University of Cambridge.
Get free yoga lessons and help scientists
Are you curious about yoga but never got round to trying it? Or maybe you gave it a go once but want to start again? Take part in the one of the largest psychological experiments on the effects hot yoga has on emotional wellbeing, and get rewarded with six weeks of free ‘hot yoga’ lessons! Cambridge: where scientific endeavour meets free stuff.
Oracle bones and unseen beauty: wonders of priceless Chinese collection now online
A banknote from 1380 that threatens decapitation, a set of 17th-century prints so delicate they had never been opened, and 3000-year-old ‘oracle bones’ are now freely available for the world to view on the Cambridge Digital Library.
Astronomers witness assembly of galaxies in the early Universe for the first time
An international team of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge have detected the most distant clouds of star-forming gas yet found in normal galaxies in the early Universe – less than one billion years after the Big Bang.
Regular consumption of sugary drinks associated with type 2 diabetes
Sugar sweetened drinks may give rise to nearly two million diabetes cases over ten years in the US and 80,000 in the UK, estimates a study published in the BMJ.
‘Pill on a string’ could help spot early signs of cancer of the gullet
A ‘pill on a string’ developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge could help doctors detect oesophageal cancer – cancer of the gullet – at an early stage, helping them overcome the problem of wide variation between biopsies, suggests research published in the journal Nature Genetics.
Gaia satellite and amateur astronomers spot one in a billion star
The Gaia satellite has discovered a unique binary system where one star is ‘eating’ the other, but neither star has any hydrogen, the most common element in the Universe. The system could be an important tool for understanding how binary stars might explode at the end of their lives.
The British Academy welcomes new Fellows for 2015
Seven Cambridge academics have been elected to the fellowship of the British Academy in recognition of their outstanding research.
‘Contrarian Director’ will help fight board rubber-stamping, says winning paper
Public companies should appoint a ‘Contrarian Director’ – inspired by the ‘Devil’s Advocate’ – to challenge board decisions and suggest alternatives, according to new Cambridge research.
Antidepressants and pain killers: should we be worried?
New research has identified an increased risk of brain haemorrhage from the combined use of antidepressant medicines and medicines such as ibuprofen. Should we be worried? Dr Rupert Payne from the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research looks at the evidence.
Cambridge and French research consortium mark a year of collaborative projects
A year of collaborative projects involving Cambridge and a consortium of Paris-based universities proves the potential of international partnerships.
Health costs of ageing will shoot up without technological innovation, argues think tank
Opportunity Knocks, a report published today by the International Longevity Centre – UK (ILC-UK), in conjunction with the Institute of Engineering and Technology and the University of Cambridge’s Engineering Design Centre, warns that without technological innovation over the next decade, health and care cost could be higher than currently projected by the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR).