'The Best Story in the World' retold for modern classrooms
Unique versions of some of the oldest stories in Europe have been retold for modern classrooms and released for free by the Cambridge Schools Classics Project.
Cambridge students launch development initiative in Dar es Salaam
A pioneering initiative in the slums of Dar es Salaam aims to transform student volunteering, by kick-starting locally-run initiatives in healthcare, education, public sanitation, and enterprise.
Microscopic rowing – without a cox
New research shows that the whip-like appendages on many types of cells are able to synchronise their movements solely through interactions with the fluid that surrounds them.
Urbanisation of rural Africa associated with increased risk of heart disease and diabetes
The increasing urbanisation of rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa could lead to an explosion in incidences of heart disease and diabetes, according to a new study carried out in Uganda which found that even small changes towards more urban lifestyles was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Building ‘invisible’ materials with light
A new technique which uses light like a needle to thread long chains of particles could help bring sci-fi concepts such as cloaking devices one step closer to reality.
Graphene and related materials promise cheap, flexible printed cameras
Dr Felice Torrisi, Cambridge University Lecturer in Graphene Technology, has been awarded a Young International Researchers' Fellowship from the National Science Foundation of China to look at how graphene and two-dimensional materials could enable printed and flexible eyes.
Highest-precision measurement of water in planet outside the solar system
The discovery of water vapour in the atmospheres of three exoplanets includes the most precise measurement of any chemical in a planet outside the solar system, and has major implications for planet formation and the search for water on Earth-like habitable exoplanets in future.
Age of puberty in girls influenced by 'imprinted' genes
The age at which girls reach sexual maturity is influenced by ‘imprinted’ genes, a small sub-set of genes whose activity differs depending on which parent passes on that gene, according to new research published in the journal Nature.
Art, science and social responsibility in 1960s Britain
The relationships between art, science and society in the 1960s will be examined by Kettle’s Yard this Saturday.
Jesus College and Wesley House in major development agreement in central Cambridge
Cambridge University's Jesus College and Wesley House, the Methodist theological college on Jesus Lane, have exchanged contracts on a major property transaction - the largest in Jesus College's history since its foundation in 1496.
Cambridge diagnostic tool offers on-the-spot HIV testing
A new transformative point-of-care diagnostic which gives instant results for the detection of genetic material from the HIV virus is being rolled out across Africa.
Zero-tolerance approach to MRSA 'unachievable', study suggests
Analysis of a supposed outbreak of MRSA in a Cambridge hospital raises questions about whether the superbug can be completely eradicated, despite a national policy of zero-tolerance.
High-quality traffic-free routes encourage more walking and cycling
New study finds overall physical activity is increased by proximity to traffic-free routes.
Study tracks the breakup of Arctic summer sea ice
As sea ice begins to melt back toward its late September minimum, it is being watched as never before. Scientists have put sensors on and under ice in the Beaufort Sea for an unprecedented campaign to monitor the summer melt.
Olympic level experiments look into the aerodynamics of cycling
What can the rise and fall of heart rate tell you about your fitness? Just how important is rolling resistance to track cyclists? Can the Velodrome be turned into a wind tunnel? These are questions 4th year undergraduates at Cambridge University have tackled this year with projects put forward by British Cycling.
Women’s professional self-identity impacts on childcare balance, but not men’s
Research shows that a mother’s self-identity impacts on the amount of time her partner spends on childcare – with strong professional identity in women creating a more equal childcare balance in a couple. A father’s self-identity, however, has no bearing on a mother’s time with children.
How people power saved Bloomsbury from destruction
The story of how ‘one of the last villages in London’ was saved from demolition to make way for the British Library is the subject of new research and an exhibition which opened in Bloomsbury this week
Careers Service and graduates excel in employability report
University of Cambridge graduates have excelled in the latest employability figures.
Prehistoric ‘bookkeeping’ continued long after invention of writing
An ancient token-based recording system from before the dawn of history was rendered obsolete by the birth of writing, according to popular wisdom. But now, latest excavations show that, in fact, these clay tokens were integral to administrative functions right across the Assyrian empire – millennia after this system was believed to have vanished.
One in three cases of Alzheimer’s worldwide potentially preventable, new estimate suggests
A third of Alzheimer’s disease cases worldwide can be attributed to risk facts that can be potentially modified, such as lack of education and physical inactivity, according to NIHR-funded research published in The Lancet Neurology today.
Animal, vegetable, mineral: the making of Buddhist texts
The wide-ranging objects on display at Buddha’s Word, an exhibition at Cambridge University’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, show how Tibetan book makers used the resources around them to produce manuscripts conveying the messages of a faith in which texts themselves are sacred objects.
Brain activity in sex addiction mirrors that of drug addiction
Pornography triggers brain activity in people with compulsive sexual behaviour – known commonly as sex addiction – similar to that triggered by drugs in the brains of drug addicts, according to a University of Cambridge study published in the journal PLOS ONE. However, the researchers caution that this does not necessarily mean that pornography itself is addictive.
Topping out for West Cambridge building
Progress on the new home for Cambridge University's Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB) has been celebrated with a traditional topping-out ceremony.
Thought-provoking debates on contested identities lead Cambridge Festival of Ideas 2014
Cyberbullying, climate conspiracies, gender politics and how to teach history are just a few of the important and contentious topics covered in this year’s Cambridge Festival of Ideas.
Mitrokhin’s KGB archive opens to public
KGB files from the famous Mitrokhin Archive – described by the FBI as ‘the most complete and extensive intelligence ever received from any source’ – are open to the public for the first time.