Busting brain myths
04 May 2016Neuroscientist Dr Hannah Critchlow is heading back to Hay Festival to take part in the Cambridge Series after being named one of the stars of the Festival last year.
Genetic variant may help explain why Labradors are prone to obesity
03 May 2016A genetic variation associated with obesity and appetite in Labrador retrievers – the UK and US’s favourite dog breed – has been identified by scientists at the University of Cambridge. The finding may explain why Labrador retrievers are more likely to become obese than dogs of other breeds.
Algae use their ‘tails’ to gallop and trot like quadrupeds
03 May 2016Species of single-celled algae use whip-like appendages called flagella to coordinate their movements and achieve a remarkable diversity of swimming gaits.
Scientists double number of known genetic risk factors for endometrial cancer
03 May 2016An international collaboration of researchers has identified five new gene regions that increase a woman’s risk of developing endometrial cancer, one of the most common cancers to affect women, taking the number of known gene regions associated with the disease to nine.
Three potentially habitable worlds found around nearby ultracool dwarf star
02 May 2016Three Earth-sized planets have been discovered orbiting a dim and cool star, and may be the best place to search for life beyond the Solar System.
California’s sudden oak death epidemic now ‘unstoppable’ and new epidemics must be managed earlier
02 May 2016New research shows the sudden oak death epidemic in California cannot now be stopped, but that its tremendous ecological and economic impacts could have been greatly reduced if control had been started earlier. The research also identifies new strategies to enhance control of future epidemics, including identifying where and how to fell trees, as “there will be a next time”.
Little ANTs: researchers build the world’s tiniest engine
02 May 2016Researchers have built a nano-engine that could form the basis for future applications in nano-robotics, including robots small enough to enter living cells.
The adventures of Sir Kenelm Digby: 17th-century pirate, philosopher and foodie
30 April 2016A dark shadow lay over his family name when, aged 24, Sir Kenelm Digby raised a fleet to sail against the enemy French in the multicultural world of the Mediterranean. In his new book, Joe Moshenska (Faculty of English) looks at the intellectual, political and culinary life of a man driven by a thirst for knowledge.
Understanding gravity - from Newton to Hawking
29 April 2016The most important publication in the history of science – Isaac Newton’s own annotated copy of Principia Mathematica – and other seminal works by Copernicus, Einstein and Stephen Hawking, feature in a new film, released today, celebrating 600 years of Cambridge University Library.
Media fuelling rising hostility towards Muslims in Britain
28 April 2016Mainstream media reporting about Muslim communities is contributing to an atmosphere of rising hostility towards Muslims in Britain, according to a University of Cambridge/ESRC Roundtable held at the House of Lords.
