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.
Astronomers find first evidence of changing conditions on a super Earth
Astronomers have detected wildly changing temperatures on a super Earth – the first time any atmospheric variability has been observed on a rocky planet outside the solar system – and believe it could be due to huge amounts of volcanic activity, further adding to the mystery of what had been nicknamed the ‘diamond planet’.
Fungus enhances crop roots and could be a future 'bio-fertilizer'
“Ancient relationship” between fungi and plant roots creates genetic expression that leads to more root growth. Common fungus could one day be used as ‘bio-fertiliser’, replacing mined phosphate which is now depleted to the point of impending fertiliser crisis.
New gold standard established for open and reproducible research
Cambridge computer scientists have established a new gold standard for open research, in order to make scientific results more robust and reliable.
Replacing one sugary drink per day could cut risk of type 2 diabetes
Drinking water or unsweetened tea or coffee in place of one sugary drink per day can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to research published in the journal Diabetologia.
World first for artificial pancreas team
The first natural birth to a mother with diabetes who has been fitted with an artificial pancreas took place this week. The device has been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge.
Students launch world's largest e-commerce platform for single stranded DNA molecules
Students from the University of Cambridge have set up the world’s largest e-commerce platform for single stranded DNA which they believe have enormous potential for contributing to therapeutic treatments.
Waterloo: the first draft of history
A letter written from the body-strewn battlefield at Waterloo, an invasion map of the UK, and a book from Napoleon’s personal library in exile will go on display in Cambridge during one of the first major Waterloo exhibitions of the bicentenary commemorations.
Enjoy Summer at the Museums 2015
Pack more into your holidays this summer and join museums in Cambridge and beyond for some family fun and adventure.
Using the internet to boost participation in clinical trials
The success of a clinical trial hinges on its ability to recruit enough patients. Dr Frank Waldron-Lynch from the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research explains how the use of the internet to directly contact patients with type 1 diabetes greatly accelerated the recruitment leading to the early completion of his team’s study of a potential new treatment for type 1 diabetes.
Nepal shows its vulnerability after devastating earthquake
Following the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal this weekend, Simon Redfern, Professor in Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge, explains in The Conversation how a combination of factors has come together with fatal consequences.
Upside down and inside out
Researchers have captured the first 3D video of a living algal embryo turning itself inside out, from a sphere to a mushroom shape and back again. The results could help unravel the mechanical processes at work during a similar process in animals, which has been called the “most important time in your life."
Have a seat – and drink a ‘Pint of Science’
Two researchers from Cambridge University's Department of Engineering will hold talks during Cambridge’s Pint of Science event in pubs across the city next month.
Researchers explore eye-gaze tracking
New techniques for eye-gaze tracking could change the way we interact with computers.
Link between proteins points to possibilities for future Alzheimer’s treatments
Researchers have identified how proteins that play a key role in Alzheimer’s disease are linked in a pathway that controls its progression, and that drugs targeting this pathway may be a potential new way of treating the disease.
World's most comprehensive Rupert Brooke collection announced by King's College
On the centenary of the death of Rupert Brooke today, King’s College announces the acquisition of a major collection of materials relating to one of the nation’s best-loved poets. The collection will join the existing Rupert Brooke archive at King’s to make the world’s leading resource.
New centre for biodiversity conservation named after Sir David Attenborough
An iconic building in the centre of Cambridge has been named the David Attenborough Building, in honour of Sir David’s pioneering work in bringing the wonders of our natural world to our screens.
Listen to your heart: why your brain may give away how well you know yourself
“Listen to your heart,” sang Swedish pop group Roxette in the late Eighties. But not everyone is able to tune into their heartbeat, according to an international team of researchers – and half of us under- or over-estimate our ability.
Herakles – a hero for all ages
An exhibition that reimagines Greek hero Herakles as a 19th century colonist in New Zealand opens at Cambridge University's Museum of Classical Archaeology today (April 17).
Landmark event for £26 million building named after physicist James Clerk Maxwell
Pioneering “blue skies” research is a step closer to having a home after a topping out ceremony was held at a centrepiece building on the West Cambridge site.
Distance running may be an evolutionary ‘signal’ for desirable male genes
New research shows that males with higher ‘reproductive potential’ are better distance runners. This may have been used by females as a reliable signal of high male genetic quality during our hunter-gatherer past, as good runners are more likely to have other traits of good hunters and providers, such as intelligence and generosity.