earth science

Topic description and stories

Chasing the volcano

01 Jul 2016

In 2014, Cambridge researchers monitored a series of seismic shocks which preceded Iceland’s biggest volcanic eruption in 200 years. The dramatic...

http://www.42evolution.org/ is a new website created by a team of scientists at Cambridge and featuring contributions from a host of leading academics., Credit: www.42evolution.org

Evolution website sets out to tackle great scientific unknowns

18 Nov 2015

Ever wondered if a fly can ride a bicycle, or whether you could survive only on water? A new website on evolution, created by Cambridge scientists...

The Magna Carta of scientific maps

01 Aug 2015

One of the most important maps of the UK ever made – described as the ‘Magna Carta of geology’ – is to go on permanent public display in Cambridge...

A T-rex called Clare settles into her new home outside the Sedgwick Museum, Credit: University of Cambridge

Rightmove: a T-rex called Clare finds a perfect home

30 Jan 2015

Cambridge gained a new landmark when Clare, a sculpture of a T-rex, was unveiled at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences earlier today.

Fossil Hallucigenia sparsa from the Burgess Shale

Misunderstood worm-like fossil finds its place in the Tree of Life

17 Aug 2014

One of the most bizarre-looking fossils ever found - a worm-like creature with legs, spikes and a head difficult to distinguish from its tail – has...

Metabolism may have started in our early oceans before the origin of life

25 Apr 2014

The chemical reactions behind metabolism – the processes that occur within all living organisms in order to sustain life – may have formed...

Casts of fossils such as this beautiful Fractofusus specimen from Newfoundland are on display

A snapshot of life 560 million years ago

10 Mar 2014

A new display at the Sedgwick Museum focuses on the latest research into a group of fossils that might be the earliest examples of animals ever found...

Completely enrolled specimen of the olenellid Mummaspis muralensis from the early Cambrian Mural Formation (Jasper National Park, Alberta). This represents the oldest direct evidence of enrolment in the fossil record of polymerid trilobites

Early rollers: scientists pinpoint very first ‘enrolling’ animal

25 Sep 2013

New fossil find reveals that trilobites were able to roll themselves up defensively far earlier than was originally thought

Chenjiangocaris kunmingensis arthropod from the early Cambrian Xiaoshioba biota and a reconstruction

Feeding limbs and nervous system of one of Earth’s earliest animals discovered

27 Feb 2013

Unique fossils literally ‘lift the lid’ on ancient creature’s head to expose one of the earliest examples of food manipulating limbs in evolutionary...