University of Cambridge alumnus awarded 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics

Hinton (King’s 1967) and Hopfield were awarded the prize “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.” Hinton, who is known as the ‘Godfather of AI’ is Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. He is the 122nd member of the University…

Ultra-powered MRI scans show damage to brain’s ‘control centre’ is behind long-lasting Covid-19 symptoms

Using ultra-high-resolution scanners that can see the living brain in fine detail, researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford were able to observe the damaging effects Covid-19 can have on the brain.The study team scanned the brains of 30 people who had been admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19…

First map of every neuron in an adult fly brain complete

This landmark achievement has been conducted by the FlyWire Consortium, a large international collaboration including researchers from the University of Cambridge, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, Princeton University, and the University of Vermont. It is published today in two papers in the journal Nature.The diagram of all…

G7 representatives meet in Cambridge to discuss semiconductors

Representatives of the Semiconductors Point of Contact Group from the G7 group of nations met in Cambridge today. The meeting was held at ARM, which designs over 95% of the processors in the world. Representatives from the University of Cambridge, as well as representatives from local semiconductor companies, participated in…

Previously unknown Neolithic society in Morocco discovered

Archaeological fieldwork in Morocco has discovered the earliest, previously unknown 3400–2900 BC farming society from a poorly understood period of north-west African prehistory. This is the earliest and largest agricultural complex yet found in Africa beyond the Nile.This study, published in the journal Antiquity, reveals for the first time the…

‘Extinct’ snails found breeding in French Polynesia

A global conservation effort to reintroduce a tiny snail to the wild is celebrating a momentous milestone: for the first time in 40 years, conservationists have found born-in-the-wild adult Partula tohiveana – meaning the precious molluscs have successfully established themselves in French Polynesia.This year Cambridge’s Dr Justin Gerlach helped restore…

Palestinian education ‘under attack’, leaving a generation close to losing hope, study warns

The ongoing war in Gaza will set children and young people’s education back by up to five years and risks creating a lost generation of permanently traumatised Palestinian youth, a new study warns.The report, by a team of academics working in partnership with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency…

Energy inefficiency and inability to downsize pose even bigger threat to low-income pensioners than loss of Winter Fuel Payments, study suggests

The study, published in Energy Research & Social Science, was completed shortly before the Winter Fuel Payment vote was taken, by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft).The researchers raise particular concerns about the impact of the policy on pensioners with annual incomes of…

Monoclonal antibodies offer hope for tackling antimicrobial resistance

A team lead by researchers at the University of Cambridge has developed a monoclonal antibody drug, using a technique involving genetically engineered mice, that may help prevent infection from Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacteria associated with hospital-acquired infections, which is particularly common in Asia.A. baumannii bacteria can cause life-threatening respiratory illness…

Flowers compete for pollinators with adjustable ‘paint by numbers’ petal design

The study, by researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Sainsbury Laboratory, also found that bees prefer larger bullseyes over small ones, and fly 25% faster between artificial flower discs with larger bullseyes – potentially boosting efficiency for both bees and blossoms.Using the hibiscus plant as a model, the researchers selected…

Flowers use adjustable ‘paint by numbers’ petal designs to attract pollinators

The study, by researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Sainsbury Laboratory also found that bees prefer larger bullseyes over smaller ones and fly 25% faster between artificial flower discs with larger bullseyes – potentially boosting efficiency for both bees and blossoms. Patterns on the flowers of plants guide insects, like bees,…

Scientists and astronomers join forces in fight against cancer

The technology from Cancer Grand Challenges team IMAXT uses advanced spatial biology techniques to analyse tumours, some of which are based on technology originally developed to map the Milky Way and discover new planets. Now, other scientists will be able to access these technologies to create detailed tumour maps that…

Cancer researchers and astronomers join forces in fight against disease

The technology from Cancer Grand Challenges team IMAXT uses advanced spatial biology techniques to analyse tumours, some of which are based on technology originally developed to map the Milky Way and discover new planets. Now, other scientists will be able to access these technologies to create detailed tumour maps that…

Personal carbon footprint of the rich is vastly underestimated by rich and poor alike, study finds

An international group of researchers, led by the Copenhagen Business School, the University of Basel and the University of Cambridge, surveyed 4,000 people from Denmark, India, Nigeria and the United States about inequality in personal carbon footprints – the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by a person’s activities –…

New study aims to catch cancer earlier than ever before

Currently cancer is usually diagnosed when tumours are already developed requiring, often significant, treatment to remove them and prevent further growth. However, a research team at the University of Cambridge will receive over £1.5m from Cancer Research UK over the next six years to investigate how the immune system evolves, targets and…

UK organisations release statistics for use of animals in research in 2023

The statistics for the University of Cambridge are available on the website as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and openness around the use of animals in research.This coincides with the publication of the Home Office’s report on the statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain in 2023. The…

Early career researchers win major European funding

Of 3,500 proposals reviewed by the ERC, only 14% were selected for funding – Cambridge has the highest number of grants of any UK institution.ERC Starting Grants – totalling nearly €780 million – support cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, from life sciences and physics to social sciences and…

Children switch to walking and cycling to school after introduction of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone

Car travel contributes to air pollution, a major cause of heart and lung diseases including asthma attacks. Beyond this, it limits children's opportunities for physical activity, hindering their development and mental health, and increasing their risk of obesity and chronic illnesses.Despite UK guidelines recommending a daily average of 60 minutes…

High cholesterol levels at a young age significant risk factor for atherosclerosis

The research also suggests that people who are taking lipid-lowering drugs such as statins to lower their cholesterol levels should remain on them, even if their cholesterol levels have fallen, as stopping treatment could increase their risk of atherosclerosis.Atherosclerosis is one of the major causes of heart and circulatory disease.…

Study reveals ‘patchy and inconsistent’ end-of-life care

These are among the conclusions of Time to Care: findings from a nationally representative survey of experiences at the end of life in England and Wales, a new report funded by end-of-life charity Marie Curie and produced by King’s College London’s Cicely Saunders Institute, Hull York Medical School at University…

Anti-inflammatory drug could reduce future heart attack risk

A cancer drug that unlocks the anti-inflammatory power of the immune system could help to reduce the risk of future heart attacks, according to research part-funded by the British Heart Foundation. By repurposing an existing drug, researchers hope it could soon become part of routine treatment for patients after a…

One term of empathy training measurably improved classroom behaviour

An analysis of a short programme teaching empathy in schools has found it had a positive impact on students’ behaviour and increased their emotional literacy within 10 weeks.The findings come from an evaluation of the “Empathy Programme”: a term-long course developed by the UK-based Empathy Studios. The research was conducted…

Mother’s gut microbiome during pregnancy shapes baby’s brain development

Researchers have compared the development of the fetal brain in mice whose mothers had no bacteria in their gut, to those whose mothers were given Bifidobacterium breve orally during pregnancy, but had no other bacteria in their gut.Nutrient transport to the brain increased in fetuses of mothers given Bifidobacterium breve,…

Red and processed meat consumption associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk

The findings are published today in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.Global meat production has increased rapidly in recent decades and meat consumption exceeds dietary guidelines in many countries.  Earlier research indicated that higher intakes of processed meat and unprocessed red meat are associated with an elevated risk of type 2…

Arcadia awards over £10 million for two major archaeology projects

The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Department of Archaeology and University of Cambridge Development & Alumni Relations are pleased to announce that the Arcadia charitable foundation has awarded grants totalling £10.3 million to continue the work of the Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments (MAEASaM) project and the Mapping…

Arcadia awards over £10 million for 2 major archaeology projects

The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Department of Archaeology and University of Cambridge Development and Alumni Relations are pleased to announce that the Arcadia charitable foundation has awarded grants totalling £10.3 million to continue the work of the Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments (MAEASaM) project and the Mapping…

One in four patients in vegetative or minimally conscious state able to perform cognitive tasks, study finds

Severe brain injury can leave individuals unable to respond to commands physically, but in some cases they are still able to activate areas of the brain that would ordinarily play a role in movement. This phenomenon is known as ‘cognitive motor dissociation’.To determine what proportion of patients in so-called ‘disorders…

Historic fires trapped in Antarctic ice yield key information for climate models

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey tracked fire activity over the past 150 years by measuring carbon monoxide trapped in Antarctic ice. This gas is released, along with smoke and particulates, by wildfires, cooking and communal fires.The findings, reported in the Proceedings of the National…

‘Far from clear’ new Alzheimer’s drugs will make a difference at a population level, say researchers

Writing in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, the team from Cambridge Public Health argue that substantial challenges including the risk-benefit ratio, limited eligibility and high cost of roll-out will limit any benefits of these treatments.Alzheimer’s disease is often quoted as causing 70% of the 55 million…

A new way of thinking about the economy could help protect the Amazon, and help its people thrive

A group of conservationists from Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, the US and the UK say that current conservation and development efforts will never sustain or scale without systemic changes in how economies are designed.Despite extensive destruction of the Amazon in the name of economic development, Amazonian communities have seen little…

Astronomers uncover risks to planets that could host life

The discovery suggests that the intense UV radiation from these flares could significantly impact whether planets around red dwarf stars can be habitable.“Few stars have been thought to generate enough UV radiation through flares to impact planet habitability. Our findings show that many more stars may have this capability,” said…

The rise, fall and revival of research on human development

Analysing the past sheds light on the present resurgence of research on human development. That’s the lesson of a new study by Professor Nick Hopwood, from the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, that is published in the Journal of the History of Biology. The paper discusses the flourishing…

Scientists discover entirely new wood type that could be highly efficient at carbon storage

Scientists from the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University and Jagiellonian University, Poland made the discovery while undertaking an evolutionary survey of the microscopic structure of wood from some of the world’s most iconic trees and shrubs. They found that Tulip Trees, which are related to magnolias and can grow over 100 feet tall, have a unique type of…

Five hubs launched to ensure UK benefits from quantum future

The hub, called Q-BIOMED, is one of five quantum research hubs announced today by Peter Kyle MP, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, supported by £160 million in funding.The hub will exploit advances in quantum sensors capable of detecting cells and molecules, potentially orders of magnitude more…

Cambridge and SAS launch partnership in AI and advanced analytics to accelerate innovation in the healthcare sector

The SAS Advanced Analytics Hub will embed SAS experts and its AI platform capabilities into the University, enabling targeted collaboration with leading researchers and early-stage entrepreneurs.Based on the Cambridge West campus, the Hub will have capacity to recruit and support several high-quality, high-impact academic research projects and promising early-stage startups…