Unlocking nature’s quantum engineering for efficient solar energy
Quantum scale photosynthesis in biological systems which inhabit extreme environments could hold the key to new designs for solar energy and nanoscale devices.
New Year recognition for Cambridge people
Three Cambridge academics have been named in the New Year Honours list.
World-leading cancer expert to head-up Cambridge Institute
The University of Cambridge and Cancer Research UK have appointed Professor Simon Tavaré to be the next director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute.
Can your phone double up as your life-coach?
Researchers are developing a smartphone platform that enables careful monitoring of lifestyle to pinpoint and help avert triggers for stress and negative emotion.
Lethal weapon: bacteria’s high-risk suicide strategy
New research shows how some bacterial cells keep a ‘suicide complex’ ready to hand at all times.
Cambridge researchers support the WHO
A newly designated Collaborating Centre at the University of Cambridge will support the World Health Organization (WHO) in detecting and responding to major epidemic- and pandemic-prone diseases.
Changing our material future, layer by layer
Researchers are aiming to develop a new class of materials with remarkable properties using one atom-thick substances such as graphene and other two dimensional crystals in a new collaborative project. The proposal, which will involve researchers from the Universities of Manchester, Cambridge and Lancaster, has been awarded 13.4 million Euros (around £11m) to form a “Synergy Group” by the…
Eco Race team launch their 2013 solar-powered vehicle
Cambridge University Eco Racing team (CUER) has been forced to design a radical new solar car in its attempt to win the World Solar Challenge, a 3,000 km race across Australia.
Ten Commandments go digital
Cambridge University Library is to release digital versions of some of the most significant religious manuscripts in the world - following on from last year’s release of Isaac Newton’s manuscripts and notebooks.
New study sheds light on how Salmonella spreads in the body
Findings of Cambridge scientists, published n the journal PLoS Pathogens, show a new mechanism used by bacteria to spread in the body with the potential to identify targets to prevent the dissemination of the infection process.
The Mathematics of Extreme Climatic Events
Hurricanes. Floods. Ash dieback. Not to mention earthquakes, tsunami and bird flu. Hardly a day goes past without a natural hazard hitting the media. But why do the scientists sometimes get it wrong? And why can it be so hard to understand what they are saying to us? Will there be an earthquake or won’t there?
Top conservation issues to look out for in 2013
A UK-led team of researchers has identified 15 issues that could affect the diversity of life on Earth in 2013. They include using synthetic DNA to genetically modify organisms, soaring demand for coconut water, and competition for land to grow plants for fish farming.
The dance of quantum tornadoes
A quantum fluid trapped on top of a semiconductor chip can be used to measure movements to astonishing precision.
The centre will not hold: what happens when empires collide and collapse
Scholars from more than ten institutions will gather in Cambridge this week to share research that shines a light on what happens when empires come to an end.
Your chance to meet the stars
Experience a free night of stargazing in Cambridge to coincide with the BBC’s “Stargazing Live” when it returns to our screens in January.
New centre for doctoral training
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's (ESPRC) £250m initiative to create 44 Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) across the UK is to fund an additional centre at Cambridge University's Department of Engineering. Three key areas in the Department have been successful in being awarded funding through the EPSRC's Centres for Doctoral Training: nanotechnology, photonics and now…
Dr Julian Allwood to lead national research centre
Dr Julian Allwood, of the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering, has been appointed director of one of five new energy research centres announced by the Government.
The vanishing voices of Nepal, Africa – and New York
A Cambridge academic devoted to the documentation of endangered languages has returned to a remote Nepali village to hand over a two-volume dictionary and grammar – the first ever written record of Thangmi – as part of a new three-part series on the world’s vanishing voices.
New patient-friendly way to make stem cells for fight against heart disease
Scientists have discovered a patient-friendly and efficient way to make stem cells out of blood, increasing the hope that scientists could one day use stem cells made from patients’ own cells to treat cardiovascular disease. Their research has been published in the journal Stem Cells: Translational Medicine.
Mastering public policy
A new Master’s Programme in Public Policy, launched by the University of Cambridge, will equip policy makers of tomorrow with the tools to make informed and effective decisions.
Cambridge welcomes Royal visitors
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine yesterday (Weds) made their first visit to the city since Her Majesty The Queen bestowed the titles on them eighteen months ago.
All the world’s a stage to Cambridge entrepreneur
A new online talent show platform has been launched by a Cambridge graduate in the hope of confirming Shakespeare’s idea that ‘All the world’s a stage’.
Low-mass planets make good neighbours for debris discs
Astronomers using the Herschel Space Observatory have detected massive debris discs around two nearby stars hosting low-mass planets. The discovery suggests that debris discs may survive more easily in planetary systems without high-mass planets.
Humanity’s last invention and our uncertain future
A philosopher, a scientist and a software engineer have come together to propose a new centre at Cambridge to address developments in human technologies that might pose “extinction-level” risks to our species, from biotechnology to artificial intelligence.
University to help uncover grass roots history
Archaeologists and historians from the University of Cambridge are to provide expert help as villagers and communities dig up the past, sometimes literally, as part of a £4.5m project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.