Catch some Hay fever online
A selection of talks from the University of Cambridge’s series at this year’s Hay Festival, which ended on Sunday, are now available online.
People can ‘beat’ guilt detection tests by suppressing incriminating memories
Brain scans that claim to be able to determine whether a criminal is guilty of a crime can be fooled, new research reveals.
Beachcombing for early humans in Africa
From the earliest modern humans to the present day, our species has evolved dramatically in both biological and behavioural terms. What forces prompted these momentous changes?
Our ambiguous world of words
Ambiguity in language poses the greatest challenge when it comes to training a computer to understand the written word. Now, new research aims to help computers find meaning.
Welsh Twitter: capturing language change in real time
A database of Welsh tweets is being used to identify the characteristics of an evolving language.
MRC and Wellcome Trust invest £24m in Cambridge obesity institute
The Medical Research Council (MRC) and Wellcome Trust are to invest £24m into obesity research led by the Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science (IMS). The IMS, based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, will investigate the causes and health consequences of obesity and develop new approaches to prevent and treat metabolic diseases, such as diabetes.
New drug could protect from tissue damage following heart attack
Scientists led by the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council (MRC) have developed a new drug that could help reduce the tissue damage that occurs following a heart attack, stroke or major surgery.
The drama of armour at the Fitzwilliam Museum
A knight on horseback in full armour will be the star attraction at a family-friendly event tomorrow (Wednesday, 29 May) at Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum, which boasts one of the country’s top collections of armoury.
Workers’ strikes and Facebook likes
Research on Egypt is looking at how to read revolution and grass roots opposition through social media.
Her Majesty the Queen opens the new MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
The new building for the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen last week (Thursday).
Scientists identify molecular trigger for Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease – when the fundamental structure of a protein molecule changes to cause a chain reaction that leads to the death of neurons in the brain.
Captain Cook’s Maori paddles: an artefact of encounter
Maori paddles presented to Captain Cook’s crew on their first voyage of discovery capture the spirit of a first encounter between two cultures.
Shortlist announced for Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize
Allison Pearson, bestselling novelist, newspaper columnist and commentator, and Dr Chloe Preedy, Cambridge University Lecturer in Renaissance Literature and Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, will award this year's Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize.
The un-Limited Edition
Emerging new digital editions at Cambridge are effecting a sea-change in the nature of the scholarly edition, radicalising access to vital source materials and opening up new possibilities for research.
Academic honour for Professor Dame Ann Dowling
Professor Dame Ann Dowling, Head of the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Imperial College, London.
Institute for Manufacturing hosts 2013 Design Management conference
Following the success of the first Cambridge Academic Design Management Conference (CADMC) in 2011, the 2013 conference will be held on 4 and 5 September at the University Department of Engineering's Institute for Manufacturing in Cambridge.
Experts advocate stronger measures to protect trees and other plants
As the fungus responsible for ash dieback continues to devastate ash tree populations throughout the UK and other threats to the countryside continue to emerge, experts convened by Defra are advocating stronger measures to protect the UK’s trees and plants.
Views of the landscape
In a talk on Monday (20 May 2013) Dr Simon Nightingale will explore how painterly interpretations of the countryside were embedded into the literature of agricultural improvement in a way that might surprise modern readers.
What is English?
English speakers who are 18 or under use the word ‘like’ in conversation over five times as often as speakers who are over 70; ‘because’ is the most misspelled English word globally; the word ‘love’ is said and written over six times more frequently than the word ‘hate’. We know all of this because of a multibillion-word database called the Cambridge English Corpus.
Lily Cole brings new social network to Cambridge students
Model, actress and King’s College alumna Lily Cole is in Cambridge this week to present to Cambridge students a new “gift economy” social networking concept.
The artificial pancreas that keeps tabs on sugar
Development of a sophisticated artificial pancreas holds potential to transform the lives of patients with Type 1 diabetes.
Scientists explore the inner workings of the teenage brain
Despite adolescence being a high-risk time for developing major psychiatric and drug dependence disorders, very little is known about the teenage brain. A novel research project jointly led by scientists from the University of Cambridge and UCL (University College London) aims to shed light on what happens to the brain as young people mature as part of a £5.4 million project funded by the…
Creativity that counts: research investigates collaboration and copyright law
In a digital world, literature, art and music are often the result of collaborative efforts. But who owns what, and can copyright law cope? New research aims to find out.
Gates Cambridge Trust announces new Provost
Leading neuroscientist Professor Barry Everitt has been appointed the next Provost (CEO) of Gates Cambridge – one of the world’s most prestigious scholarship programmes.
Graphene joins the race to redefine the ampere
A new joint innovation by the University of Cambridge and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s National Measurement Institute, could pave the way for redefining the ampere in terms of fundamental constants of physics.