‘Missing’ sea sponges discovered
05 Jun 2024The discovery, published in Nature, opens a new window on early animal evolution.
News from the Department of Earth Sciences.
Ten Cambridge scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society 2024
16 May 2024Ten outstanding Cambridge researchers have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences and the oldest science academy in continuous existence.
Earth’s earliest forest revealed in Somerset fossils
07 Mar 2024The oldest fossilised forest known on Earth – dating from 390 million years ago – has been found in the high sandstone cliffs along the Devon and Somerset coast of South West England.
Ice cores provide first documentation of rapid Antarctic ice loss in the past
08 Feb 2024Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey have uncovered the first direct evidence that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet shrunk suddenly and dramatically at the end of the Last Ice Age, around 8,000 years ago.
Ancient seafloor vents spewed tiny, life-giving minerals into Earth’s early oceans
02 Feb 2024Researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Western Australia have uncovered the importance of hydrothermal vents, similar to underwater geysers, in supplying minerals that may have been a key ingredient in the emergence of early life.
Mysterious missing component in the clouds of Venus revealed
09 Jan 2024Researchers may have identified the missing component in the chemistry of the Venusian clouds that would explain their colour and 'splotchiness' in the UV range, solving a longstanding mystery.
Moving a capital city: learning from when the earth moves
14 Nov 2023Indonesia plans to build a new capital city from scratch. Protecting the new city from the effects of earthquakes will be crucial. Here's how researchers are helping.
Explore life in the Universe with new postgraduate programme
18 Sep 2023A new postgraduate programme will train researchers to understand life's origins, search for habitable planets and consider the most profound question of all: are we alone?
Roadside hedges can reduce harmful ultrafine particle pollution around schools
13 Sep 2023A new study led by Cambridge University confirms that planting hedges between roadsides and school playgrounds can dramatically reduce children’s exposure to traffic-related particle pollution.
Scottish rocks to play a key role in Mars space mission
28 Jul 2023Ancient rocks from the Isle of Rum in northwest Scotland are playing an important role in an international space mission to discover more about Mars.
