Clinical research at University of Cambridge receives major funding boost
A partnership led by the Medical Research Council (MRC) has awarded the University of Cambridge £25 million to provide cutting-edge equipment and infrastructure for its clinical research, from imaging single disease cells through to improved targeting of treatments for patients.
Testing time for stem cells
DefiniGEN is one of the first commercial opportunities to arise from Cambridge’s expertise in stem cell research. This article looks at some of the fundamental research that enables it to supply liver and pancreatic cells for drug screening.
And now, the volcano forecast
Scientists are using volcanic gases to understand how volcanoes work, and as the basis of a hazard-warning forecast system.
Scientists take step towards drug to treat norovirus stomach bug
An experimental drug currently being trialled for influenza and Ebola viruses could have a new target: norovirus, often known as the winter vomiting virus. A team of researchers at the University of Cambridge has shown that the drug, favipiravir, is effective at reducing – and in some cases eliminating – norovirus infection in mice.
Study of dad’s as well as mum’s roles in child development calls for soon-to-be new parents
The University of Cambridge’s pioneering Centre for Family Research is launching NewFAMS (the ‘New Fathers and Mothers Study’): the first psychological study to look at how both fathers and mothers influence the development of a child’s self-control or ‘executive functions’ – the key cognitive processes that help us control our thoughts and behaviour.
Chimpanzees have favourite ‘tool set’ for hunting staple food of army ants
West African chimpanzees will search far and wide to find Alchornea hirtella, a spindly shrub whose straight shoots provide the ideal tools to hunt aggressive army ants in an ingenious fashion, new research shows.
Scientists ‘must not become complacent’ when assessing pandemic threat from flu viruses
Influenza pandemics arise when a new virus strain – against which humans have yet to develop widespread immunity – spreads in the human population. There have been five such pandemics in the past 100 years, the worst of which – the 1918 Spanish Flu – cost 50 million lives worldwide
“Trust me, I’m a banker”
“I’ll pay you, you know, 50,000 dollars, 100,000 dollars… whatever you want… I’m a man of my word.”
Taking a shot at Parkinson’s
Professor Roger Barker has a dream: by the time he retires in 15 years, he would like to see stem cell transplants for Parkinson’s disease available on the NHS.
Britain on brink of freshwater species ‘invasion’ from south east Europe
Five of the most high-risk freshwater invaders from the Ponto-Caspian region around Turkey and Ukraine are now in Britain - including the quagga mussel, confirmed just two weeks ago on 1 October in the Wraysbury River near Heathrow airport.
Spin with a new twist
Scientists have successfully demonstrated a new way to control the “spin” of an electron – the natural intrinsic angular momentum of electrons which could underpin faster computing in the future. The technique counterintuitively makes use of the ever-changing magnetic field of the electron’s environment - one of the main obstacles to traditional methods of spin control.
Understanding the bushmeat market: why do people risk infection from bat meat?
Ebola, as with many emerging infections, is likely to have arisen due to man’s interaction with wild animals – most likely the practice of hunting and eating wild meat known as ‘bushmeat’.
Hybrid materials could smash the solar efficiency ceiling
A new method for transferring energy from organic to inorganic semiconductors could boost the efficiency of widely used inorganic solar cells.
Price gap between more and less healthy foods grows
Novel use of UK national data finds a growing gap between the prices of more and less healthy foods between 2002 and 2012. Healthy foods in 2012 were three times more expensive per calorie than less healthy foods.
Adapt and survive: how conservation and animal psychology can work together
Researchers are calling for animal cognition experts and conservationists to come together to help animals adapt their behaviour to changing environmental issues and aid their own preservation.
Out of the red and into the blue: making the LED revolution cost-effective
This week, the Nobel Prize for Physics 2014 has been awarded to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura for their invention of a new energy-efficient and environment-friendly light source – the blue light-emitting diode (LED). University of Cambridge researchers are building on their work to produce more cost-effective gallium nitride LEDs that can have widespread use in homes and offices…
Luck and lava
A team of researchers from Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences has recently returned from Iceland where, thanks to a bit of luck, they have gathered the most extensive dataset ever from a volcanic eruption, which will likely yield considerable new insights into how molten rock moves underground, and whether or not it erupts
BBSRC awards Cambridge £15 million to support next generation of scientists
The University of Cambridge is to receive £15 million over five years from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to support the training and development of 150 PhD students. Students will be trained in world-class bioscience that will help boost the economy and build on UK strengths in areas such as agriculture, food, industrial biotechnology, bioenergy and health.
German teaching resource goes live
A major new facility to support the teaching and learning of German in UK schools has been launched by the Department of German and Dutch at the University of Cambridge.
Salt marsh plants key to reducing coastal erosion and flooding
The effectiveness of salt marshes – wetlands which are flooded and drained by tides – in protecting coastal areas in times of severe weather has been quantified in a study by researchers from the University of Cambridge.
Online resource supports the work of biodiversity conservation organisations
A free online resource, launched yesterday (Weds), will help conservation organisations share expertise and tools, aiding them in addressing some of the planet’s most challenging conservation issues.
Stem cells: master builders, drug testers, immortal elements
Professors Austin Smith and Robin Franklin discuss how Cambridge scientists are helping to provide a stream of new knowledge about how our bodies are made and maintained, and how stem cells can fulfil the promise of being one of medical research’s great hopes.
Website helps maths and physics school students work it out
School physics students and their teachers can now tackle an interactive library of problems designed to develop their physics and maths problem-solving skills, thanks to isaacphysics.org, the latest strand of the Rutherford School Physics Partnership.
Global issues addressed through collaboration
The challenges our planet is faced with require innovative approaches. To increase the impact of publicly funded research, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has joined forces with the University of Cambridge to create an Innovation Centre that focuses on climate change and challenging environments.
Greenland Ice Sheet more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought
A new study finds that the Greenland Ice Sheet, which covers 1.7 million square kilometres and contains enough ice to raise sea levels worldwide by seven metres, is less stable and more sensitive to climate change than previously thought.