News

Comets didn’t seed life on Earth after all, new study suggests Sarah CollinsWed, 10/28/2026 - 10:00 The theory that comets delivered the molecular building blocks for life on Earth is a long-standing one, since comets are known to carry many of these molecules. However, a new study challenges this idea. The researchers, led by the Univers

Brazil's presidential elections linked to decades of fluctuating environmental destruction – study Fred LewseyThu, 10/22/2026 - 14:05 A University of Cambridge-led analysis of maps made from satellite imagery covering over three decades and seven presidents shows how the winner of Brazil’s national elections since 1990 directly affected t

Good growth: Innovate Cambridge Summit 2026 Sarah FellThu, 10/22/2026 - 09:56 New analysis from Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), published ahead of the Summit, showed the average equity raised per deal across both life sciences and deep tech has increased five-fold in the last decade, with Cambridge-based early-stage companies having r

Women scientists almost entirely omitted from exam boards’ compulsory learning material for UK schools Stephen BevanThu, 10/22/2026 - 07:04 The study, which analysed the UK’s six main exam boards’ specifications across science subjects, found that out of 86 scientists mentioned at Key Stage 4 (KS4), which covers GCSE and equivalent, just

White paper sets out blueprint for keeping innovation in the UK Sarah FellWed, 10/21/2026 - 10:36 In Should I stay or should I go? A Pragmatic Path to Keeping UK Innovation at Home, Pascal Levensohn (founder of Levensohn Venture Partners LLC, Executive Chairman of Dolby Family Ventures, Chair of the Cambridge Innovation Hub Global Advisor

Winter sea ice loss may be underestimated, according to ancient clues from a warmer Arctic Sarah CollinsFri, 10/16/2026 - 10:00 The results, reported in the journal Nature Geoscience, could have implications for future winter conditions in the UK and across Europe. The retreat of Arctic sea ice in the summer months has been widely reporte

Children and young people broadly support health data research – but want safeguards Craig BrierleyThu, 10/15/2026 - 19:00 The team reviewed the existing evidence, bringing together studies that capture the views of more than 4,700 children and young people and almost 1,500 parents and carers on the use of large health datasets – ‘big dat

Cambridge and AstraZeneca extend programme to support PhD students Sarah FellWed, 10/14/2026 - 12:25 For more than a decade, the University of Cambridge and AstraZeneca have worked together at the heart of Europe’s leading life sciences cluster. They combine the strengths of a world-leading research university and a global biopharmaceuti

Females with autoimmune diseases ‘less likely to be believed’ than males and face longer diagnostic delays Craig BrierleyMon, 10/12/2026 - 23:30 In an international study published today in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, researchers analysed the reported diagnostic experiences of 6,607 people with autoimmune diseases. The research, led b

Cambridge researchers awarded ARIA funding Sarah CollinsFri, 10/09/2026 - 14:44 The funding is part of ARIA’s Universal Fabricators Programme, a three-year, £50 million programme that will support 11 different research teams. The programme’s central bet is that proteins can act as a ‘universal fabricator’.Professor Ronan Daly, from Cambr

Rise of collagen-eating microbes may help explain gaps in the fossil record Sarah CollinsThu, 10/08/2026 - 16:00 The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, say that the reason may lie in the evolution of microscopic organisms capable of breaking down collagen, a structural protein found in animal tissue. The fossil record of ani

Genetic analysis of the world's oldest land animal reveals secret of living 194 years Jacqueline GargetWed, 10/07/2026 - 19:00 In a study published today in the journal Science Advances, scientists have pinpointed 287 unique gene variants in this remarkably old giant tortoise that reduce the usual effects of ageing. These control key pro

Countdown starts to The Boat Race 2027 Hilary FletcherThu, 10/01/2026 - 15:28 This season has added significance as 2027 is the centenary of the Women’s Race. To mark the anniversary, two new trophies will be awarded to the victorious men’s and women’s crews. As well as this, the order of the races on Sunday 11 April 2027 will be reversed

Vice-Chancellor's annual address: 'the case for change'Anonymous (not verified)Thu, 10/01/2026 - 14:29 Full speech transcript:Good morning. A very warm welcome to the new academic year and special congratulations to the proctors for this year, newly elected.I spent quite a while deciding on my topic for this year’s address. As I imagined standing here before you in my cassock, gown and

Edinburgh writer and Birmingham student win 21st BBC Short Story Awards with Cambridge University Jessica KeatingWed, 09/30/2026 - 11:35 The awards were announced on Tuesday 29 September at a ceremony at BBC Broadcasting House and broadcast live on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row. The National Short Story Award 2026Cherise Saywell won the BBC Nat

AI tool for mapping smallholder crops proves itself in Senegal Anonymous (not verified)Tue, 09/29/2026 - 08:00 A new analysis of Senegalese croplands using an artificial intelligence developed at the University of Cambridge shows how technological benefits enjoyed by industrial agriculture could be brought to smallholder farms in Senegal

Cambridge Mind and Brain Institute launches to address challenges facing our brain health Abby MunsonFri, 09/25/2026 - 10:42 The Cambridge Mind and Brain Institute brings together researchers from across the University to work alongside patients, carers, practitioners, policymakers and innovators to help understand and support individuals

Successful woodland expansion in Scotland’s Cairngorms revealed in aerial maps Jacqueline GargetThu, 09/24/2026 - 05:01 A University of Cambridge-led team has used aerial surveys across a huge swathe of the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland to create detailed 3D maps that show the beginnings of large-scale recovery of native woodland.

Cambridge researchers named Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering Anonymous (not verified)Thu, 09/24/2026 - 02:00 Professor Clemens Kominski, Professor of Chemical Physics and Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology; and Professor Duncan McFarlane, Professor of Industrial Information Engineering in the Insti

Sex differences in attention are present at birth, study finds Anonymous (not verified)Mon, 09/21/2026 - 10:00 The findings suggest that some psychological differences between males and females (such the development of social skills) may be influenced by both prenatal biology as well as later experience.The study, published today in Biolo