British Academy elects Cambridge researchers to Fellowship

They are among 86 distinguished scholars to be elected to the fellowship in recognition of their work in fields ranging from medieval history to international relations.The Cambridge academics made Fellows of the Academy this year are: Professor Elisabeth van Houts (History Faculty; Emmanuel College) Professor Tim Harper (History Faculty; Magdalene…

Soft, stretchy ‘jelly batteries’ inspired by electric eels

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, took their inspiration from electric eels, which stun their prey with modified muscle cells called electrocytes.Like electrocytes, the jelly-like materials developed by the Cambridge researchers have a layered structure, like sticky Lego, that makes them capable of delivering an electric current.   The…

‘Diabetes distress’ increases risk of mental health problems among young people living with type 1 diabetes

The findings highlight the urgent need for monitoring and support for the mental health of young people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.According to the charity JDRF, there are 8.7 million people living with type 1 diabetes around the world, including over 400,000 people in the UK. It is a chronic,…

Ultra-processed food makes up almost two-thirds of calorie intake of UK adolescents

The study found that UPF consumption was highest among adolescents from deprived backgrounds, those of white ethnicity, and younger adolescents.UPFs are food items that are manufactured from industrial substances and contain additives such as preservatives, sweeteners, colourings, flavourings, and emulsifiers. UPFs vary greatly, but tend to indicate poor dietary quality,…

AI Chatbots have shown they have an ‘empathy gap’ that children are likely to miss

When not designed with children’s needs in mind, Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have an “empathy gap” that puts young users at particular risk of distress or harm, according to a study.The research, by a University of Cambridge academic, Dr Nomisha Kurian, urges developers and policy actors to make “child-safe AI”…

Artificial intelligence outperforms clinical tests at predicting progress of Alzheimer’s disease

The team say this new approach could reduce the need for invasive and costly diagnostic tests while improving treatment outcomes early when interventions such as lifestyle changes or new medicines may have a chance to work best.Dementia poses a significant global healthcare challenge, affecting over 55 million people worldwide at…

AI able to identify drug-resistant typhoid-like infection from microscopy images in matter of hours

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing global health issue that means many infections are becoming difficult to treat, with fewer treatment options available. It even raises the spectre of some infections becoming untreatable in the near future.One of the challenges facing healthcare workers is the ability to distinguish rapidly between organisms…

Scientists map how deadly bacteria evolved to become epidemic

P. aeruginosa is responsible for over 500,000 deaths per year around the world, of which over 300,000 are associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). People with conditions such as COPD (smoking-related lung damage), cystic fibrosis (CF), and non-CF bronchiectasis, are particularly susceptible.How P. aeruginosa evolved from an environmental organism into a…

Cutting-edge genomic test can improve care of children with cancer

The study, published today in Nature Medicine, is the first time that the impact of using whole genome sequencing in current NHS practice has been assessed. It was led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Wellcome Sanger Institute and Great Ormond Street Hospital.The team…

Cambridge spin-out’s sportscar prototype takes ultra-fast charging out of the lab and onto the road

In addition to ultra-fast charging times, the batteries developed by Nyobolt – which was spun out of Professor Dame Clare Grey’s lab in the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry in 2019 – do not suffer from the degradation issues associated with lithium-ion batteries.Tests of the first running Nyobolt EV prototype…

Largest ever genetic study of age of puberty in girls shows links with weight gain

In the largest study of its kind to date, an international team led by researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, studied the DNA of around 800,000 women from Europe, North America, China, Japan, and Korea.Published today in Nature Genetics, the researchers found more than…

No evidence that England’s new ‘biodiversity boost’ planning policy will help birds or butterflies

From 2024, the UK’s Environment Act requires planning applications to demonstrate an overall biodiversity net gain of at least 10% as calculated using a new statutory biodiversity metric.The researchers trialled the metric by using it to calculate the biodiversity value of 24 sites across England. These sites have all been…

Simon Baron-Cohen wins MRC Millennium Medal for transformative research into autism and neurodiversity

Sir Simon Baron-Cohen is a Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and Fellow at Trinity College. He is Director of the Autism Research Centre, which he set up in 1997. He has published over 750 peer reviewed scientific articles and has made contributions…

Echion Technologies secures £29 million to help commercialise its sustainable battery technology

Echion, a Cambridge University spinout headquartered just outside the city, has invented and patented a niobium-based anode material, XNO®, for use with re-chargeable lithium-ion batteries. The material enables the lithium-ion batteries to safely charge in less than ten minutes, last for more than 10,000 cycles and not lose power in…

Discovery of ‘new rules of the immune system’ could improve treatment of inflammatory diseases, say scientists.

This overturns the traditional thinking that regulatory T cells exist as multiple specialist populations that are restricted to specific parts of the body. The finding has implications for the treatment of many different diseases – because almost all diseases and injuries trigger the body’s immune system.Current anti-inflammatory drugs treat the…

Video analysis of Iceland 2010 eruption could improve volcanic ash forecasts for aviation safety

When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, it ejected roughly 250 million tonnes of volcanic ash into the atmosphere: much of which was blown over Europe and into flight paths. With planes grounded, millions of air passengers were left stranded.Forecasts of how ash will spread in the aftermath of an explosive eruption…

What’s going on in our brains when we plan?

In pausing to think before making an important decision, we may imagine the potential outcomes of different choices we could make. While this ‘mental simulation’ is central to how we plan and make decisions in everyday life, how the brain works to accomplish this is not well understood. An international team…

Electrified charcoal ‘sponge’ can soak up CO2 directly from the air

Researchers from the University of Cambridge used a method similar to charging a battery to instead charge activated charcoal, which is often used in household water filters.By charging the charcoal ‘sponge’ with ions that form reversible bonds with CO2, the researchers found the charged material could successfully capture CO2 directly…

Genetics study points to potential treatments for restless leg syndrome

Restless leg syndrome can cause an unpleasant crawling sensation in the legs and an overwhelming urge to move them. Some people experience the symptoms only occasionally, while others get symptoms every day. Symptoms are usually worse in the evening or at night-time and can severely impair sleep.Despite the condition being…

Imperceptible sensors made from ‘electronic spider silk’ can be printed directly on human skin

The method, developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge, takes its inspiration from spider silk, which can conform and stick to a range of surfaces. These ‘spider silks’ also incorporate bioelectronics, so that different sensing capabilities can be added to the ‘web’.The fibres, at least 50 times smaller than…

Earth’s earliest sea creatures drove evolution by stirring the water

A study involving the University of Cambridge has used virtual recreations of the earliest animal ecosystems, known as marine animal forests, to demonstrate the part they played in the evolution of our planet.Using state-of-the-art computer simulations of fossils from the Ediacaran time period - approximately 565 million years ago -…

Webb detects most distant black hole merger to date

Astronomers have found supermassive black holes with masses of millions to billions times that of the Sun in most massive galaxies in the local Universe, including in our Milky Way galaxy. These black holes have likely had a major impact on the evolution of the galaxies they reside in. However,…

Nine Cambridge scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society 2024

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering and medicine.The Society’s fundamental purpose, as it has been since its foundation in 1660, is to recognise, promote and support excellence in science and to encourage the development…

Ten Cambridge scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society 2024

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering and medicine.The Society’s fundamental purpose, as it has been since its foundation in 1660, is to recognise, promote and support excellence in science and to encourage the development…

2023 was the hottest summer in two thousand years

Although 2023 has been reported as the hottest year on record, the instrumental evidence only reaches back as far as 1850 at best, and most records are limited to certain regions.Now, by using past climate information from annually resolved tree rings over two millennia, scientists from the University of Cambridge…

Over 20,000 people join search for new dementia treatments

Using the resource, scientists have already been able to show for the first time that two important bodily mechanisms – inflammation and metabolism – play a role in the decline in brain function as we age.By 2050, approximately 139 million people are expected to be living with dementia worldwide. In…

Baby born deaf can hear after breakthrough gene therapy

Opal Sandy from Oxfordshire is the first patient treated in a global gene therapy trial, which shows 'mind-blowing' results. She is the first British patient in the world and the youngest child to receive this type of treatment.Opal was born completely deaf because of a rare genetic condition, auditory neuropathy,…

Call for safeguards to prevent unwanted ‘hauntings’ by AI chatbots of dead loved ones

Artificial intelligence that allows users to hold text and voice conversations with lost loved ones runs the risk of causing psychological harm and even digitally 'haunting' those left behind without design safety standards, according to University of Cambridge researchers. ‘Deadbots’ or ‘Griefbots’ are AI chatbots that simulate the language patterns and…

‘Wraparound’ implants represent new approach to treating spinal cord injuries

A team of engineers, neuroscientists and surgeons from the University of Cambridge developed the devices and used them to record the nerve signals going back and forth between the brain and the spinal cord. Unlike current approaches, the Cambridge devices can record 360-degree information, giving a complete picture of spinal…