The Big Dating Game
When is a rare disease not a rare disease? The answer: when big data gets involved. An ambitious new research project aims to show patients that they are not alone.
Virus evolution and human behaviour shape global patterns of flu movement
The global movement patterns of all four seasonal influenza viruses are illustrated in research just published in the journal Nature, providing a detailed account of country-to-country virus spread over the last decade and revealing unexpected differences in circulation patterns between viruses.
Life in the snow forests: 100-year-old photographs displayed for the first time
Indigenous people from the snow forests of Inner Mongolia and Siberia have been reunited with century-old photographs of their family and communities as part of a research project and exhibition at the University of Cambridge.
Novel Thoughts: what Cambridge scientists read
Literature and science may seem like opposite ends of the spectrum, but reading can have an impact on even the most scientific of brains. A new film series reveals the reading habits of eight Cambridge scientists and peeks inside the covers of the books that have played a major role in their lives.
Pocket science – putting current research into consumers’ hands
Images from Cambridge University's Department of Engineering photography competition feature on an innovative new website called Uprosa.
Trinity Hall Boathouse reopens after refurbishment
The Trinity Hall boathouse will be officially reopened on 13th June after extensive refurbishment.
Let’s get statted
With more information than ever at our fingertips, statisticians are vital to innumerable fields and industries. Welcome to the world of the datarati, where humans and machines team up to crunch the numbers.
Scientists release Ebola sequencing data to global research community online
A team of scientists, part of the international effort to curb further spread of the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone, has released its first dataset of the virus’ genetic structure online. The dataset will allow the global scientific community to monitor the pathogen’s evolution in real-time and conduct research that can lead to more effective strategies against further outbreaks.
Bad air day? Low-cost pollution detectors tackle air quality
Pollution causes 30,000 people a year in the UK to die early, yet most of us are unaware of the degree to which we are exposed to it. Low-cost pollution detectors could provide the answer.
A is for Albatross
The Cambridge University Animal Alphabet series celebrates Cambridge's connections with animals through literature, art, science and society. Here, A is for Albatross – in sketches retrieved from Antarctica, research into migratory patterns, and Coleridge’s famous ballad.
New index of children’s ‘school readiness’ highlights importance of family support
The importance of family support on a child’s ‘school readiness’ is highlighted in a study published this month in the British Journal of Educational Psychology. Researchers developed and piloted a new index that might provide a simple and stress-free alternative to the government’s proposed baseline assessments for four-year-olds starting school.
Discovery shows what the solar system looked like as a ‘toddler’
Astronomers have discovered a disc of planetary debris surrounding a young sun-like star that shares remarkable similarities with the Kuiper Belt that lies beyond Neptune, and may aid in understanding how our solar system developed.
Festival of Ideas 2015 promises to ‘question everything’
Debates on censorship and free speech, war and the survival of the human race, and a number of experimental, performance-based events aimed at questioning our perceptions of the world head a packed programme at the Cambridge Festival of Ideas this autumn.
Human rights in the United Kingdom: where now?
Prior to the 2015 general election, the Conservative Party undertook in its manifesto to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 and to enact a British Bill of Rights. In the latest Law in Focus video from the University of Cambridge, Dr Mark Elliott addresses three key questions raised by these proposals.
‘Pain sensing’ gene discovery could help in development of new methods of pain relief
A gene essential to the production of pain-sensing neurons in humans has been identified by an international team of researchers co-led by the University of Cambridge. The discovery, reported in the journal Nature Genetics, could have implications for the development of new methods of pain relief.
Body’s ‘serial killers’ captured on film destroying cancer cells
A dramatic video has captured the behaviour of cytotoxic T cells – the body’s ‘serial killers’ – as they hunt down and eliminate cancer cells before moving on to their next target.
That’s entertainment: what – and how – will we be watching in 2020?
Take unlimited creativity, add multiple platforms, throw in faster and smarter tech and you’ve got the ingredients for the biggest entertainment industry shake-up since the introduction of sound.
Early detection and treatment of type 2 diabetes may reduce heart disease and mortality
Screening to identify type 2 diabetes followed by early treatment could result in substantial health benefits, according to new research just published in Diabetes Care that combined large scale clinical observations and innovative computer modelling.
Seasonal immunity: Activity of thousands of genes differs from winter to summer
Our immune systems vary with the seasons, according to a study led by the University of Cambridge that could help explain why certain conditions such as heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis are aggravated in winter whilst people tend to be healthier in the summer.
The Academy of Medical Sciences announces new Fellows for 2015
The Academy of Medical Sciences has announced the election of its new Fellows, including five Cambridge University academics.
The Royal Society announces election of new Fellows 2015
The Royal Society has announced the election of its new Fellows, including four Cambridge University academics, who join an eminent list of scientists, engineers and technologists from the UK and the Commonwealth.
Clues contained in 500 million-year-old brain point to the origin of heads in early animals
The discovery of a 500 million-year-old fossilised brain has helped identify a point of crucial transformation in early animals, and answered some of the questions about how heads first evolved.
Fish born in larger groups develop more social skills and a different brain structure
New research on a highly social fish shows that those reared in larger social groups from the earliest stage of life develop increased social skills and a brain shape, or ‘neuroplasticity’, which lingers into the later life of the fish.
Forests could play a vital role in efforts to end global hunger
A new report underlines the crucial role that forests play in food security and poverty reduction, with one billion people worldwide dependent on forests and trees for balanced diets and sustainable incomes.
Blood markers could help predict outcome of infant heart surgery
New research suggests it may be possible to predict an infant’s progress following surgery for congenital heart disease by analysing a number of important small molecules in the blood.