Opinion: Can we save the algae biofuel industry?
10 May 2016Christian Ridley (Department of Plant Sciences) discusses why algae biofuel has failed to deliver, and what could be done to save this promising technology.
Study provides clues to why some breast cancers are hard to beat
10 May 2016Scientists have unearthed crucial new genetic information about how breast cancer develops and the genetic changes which can be linked to survival, according to a study published in Nature Communications today.
Joanna Hogg becomes Cambridge's first Filmmaker in Residence
10 May 2016Leading contemporary director and screenwriter Joanna Hogg is to become the first Filmmaker in Residence at the University of Cambridge, where she is to present a series of talks and screenings this month.
First global map of flow within the Earth’s mantle finds the surface is moving up and down “like a yo-yo”
09 May 2016Researchers have compiled the first global set of observations of flow within the Earth’s mantle – the layer between the crust and the core – and found that it is moving much faster than has been predicted.
Opinion: There’s a reason why Africa’s migratory songbirds sing out of season
09 May 2016Claire Spottiswoode (Department of Zoology) and Marjorie Sorensen (Goethe University Frankfurt am Main) discuss why several species of migratory songbirds sing a great deal in Africa when their breeding grounds are thousands of kilometres away.
Sir James Dyson opens invention powerhouse at the University of Cambridge
09 May 2016Engineering hub focuses on advances including smart infrastructure, electric vehicles and efficient internal combustion systems
Walking and cycling good for health even in cities with higher levels of air pollution
05 May 2016The health benefits of walking and cycling outweigh the negative effects on health of air pollution, even in cities with high levels of air pollution, according to a study led by researchers from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) and Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge. This new evidence strengthens the case for supporting cycling even in polluted cities – an effort that in turn can help reduce vehicle emissions.
Scientists develop human embryos beyond implantation stage for first time
04 May 2016A new technique that allows embryos to develop in vitro beyond the implantation stage (when the embryo would normally implant into the womb) has been developed by scientists at the University of Cambridge allowing them to analyse for the first time key stages of human embryo development up to 13 days after fertilisation. The technique could open up new avenues of research aimed at helping improve the chances of success of IVF.
Nan Shepherd celebrated: the Scottish writer who knew mountains
04 May 2016The writer Nan Shepherd (1893-1981), who was quietly acclaimed in her lifetime, is the face of a new Royal Bank of Scotland bank note. One of Shepherd’s staunchest supporters is Robert Macfarlane (Faculty of English), who wrote the introduction to her book about the Cairngorms.
Opinion: Inside Big Ben: why the world’s most famous clock will soon lose its bong
04 May 2016Hugh Hunt (Department of Engineering) discusses the mechanism that makes Big Ben chime, and why it needs repairing.
