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.
Feeding seven billion
With the world’s population already estimated to be over seven billion and rising fast, the challenge of how to produce enough food has never been more pressing. Three public debates will give people the chance to hear from and question politicians, researchers and journalists on the issues at stake.
First randomised controlled trial to show spinal cord regeneration in dogs
Researchers have shown it is possible to restore co-ordinated limb movement in dogs with severe spinal cord injury (SCI).
Professor Hermione Lee to lecture on Brotherly Biography: Leslie Stephen and Life-Writing
Hermione Lee, the distinguished biographer and literary scholar who is currently the President of Wolfson College, Oxford will give the 2012 Leslie Stephen Lecture in the Senate-House at 5.30pm on Monday, 19 November.
Awareness could eliminate inequalities in cancer diagnoses
Each year 5,600 patients are diagnosed with cancer at a late stage because of inequalities. A new study underlines the importance of awareness campaigns.
Supersymmetry squeezed as LHC spots ultra rare particle decay
Cambridge scientists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, near Geneva, have spotted one of the rarest particle decays ever seen in nature.
Final letters mark centenary of Scott’s last march
A new collection of the last letters of Captain Scott and the Pole Party has been released to mark the centenary of the discovery of their bodies in 1912. The book brings together the final thoughts of Scott and his companions in a single volume for the first time.
Fast-tracking dementia diagnosis
The amount of time it takes to diagnose dementia could be reduced from the current 18 months to just three months, thanks in part to technology originally developed at the University of Cambridge.
Combustion study wins award
A team including experts from Cambridge University's Department of Engineering has been awarded the Sugden Prize by The Combustion Institute for the most significant UK contribution to Combustion Research last year.
The future of flying
Aircraft that work together to solve complicated mathematical problems and airports with more flexibly used runways could be the future of flying, according to studies by Cambridge University's Department of Engineering and its industrial and academic partners.
Viruses evolve mechanism to prevent bacteria from committing suicide
Viruses are capable of outmanoeuvring the ability of bacteria to commit 'suicide', new research shows.
New Centre explores sustainable road freight transport
A new Centre for Sustainable Road Freight Transport has been established, with a total of £5.8 million funding for the first five years.
Body, soul and gold: quests for perfection in English alchemy
From the elixirs of legend to transmutation of base metals into gold, medieval medical practice and social mobility were steeped in alchemy.
Quantum kisses change the colour of nothing
New insights from research suggest ways to measure the world at the scale of single atoms and molecules.
Expanding the heart and lungs of medicine
Fundraising is underway for a joint Cambridge University and Papworth Hospital Heart and Lung Research Institute – to sit alongside the anticipated new Papworth Hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus – enabling a major expansion of cardiorespiratory research in Cambridge.
Eight pianos, nine musicians, four cameras and one dog
For two weeks, the ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ event inspired choirs, ballerinas, pianists and poets to tickle the ivories at fifteen piano hotspots in parks and streets across Cambridge.
New MS drug proves effective where others have failed
Alemtuzumab, a drug previously used to treat a type of leukaemia, shown to help people with early multiple sclerosis who relapsed on previous drugs as well as patients who had not yet been treated.
World-renowned astrophysicist to join Cavendish Laboratory
One of Europe’s top experts on exoplanets, planets located beyond the Solar System, will be joining Cambridge University’s Department of Physics. The world-leading astrophysicist Professor Didier Queloz has been appointed to the post of Professor of Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory.
The role of stem cells in developing new drugs
The Cambridge team which developed a method to generate liver cells from skin cells has formed a new company to supply stem cell products to the drug discovery and regenerative medicine sectors.
From lab bench to backbench
A Cambridge academic has swapped her lab coat for legislation by pairing up with Department of Energy and Climate Change Civil Servant Chris Wickins for a week in Westminster and Whitehall, as part of a unique scheme run by the Royal Society – the UK’s national academy of science
Encounter Mozart with latest Humanitas Professor
The renowned pianist, conductor and musicologist, Robert Levin, arrives in Cambridge this week, where he will give a series of lectures and recitals that take us behind the scenes of performing Mozart.
How risky is your breakfast?
Understanding how the numbers add up in relation to risk can help us deal with our own uncertainty, as David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge, explains.
Trade-offs highlighted at UN conference on biodiversity
Prioritising social and economic objectives alongside environmental concerns is crucial in forest management, says Cambridge researcher at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.