News

Robert Macfarlane to challenge humanity’s ‘superiority complex’ in BBC Reith Lectures Tom Almeroth-W…Wed, 09/09/2026 - 14:30 Making the announcement on 9th September, the BBC said: “At a time of ecological crisis, extreme weather events and a rapidly heating climate, Robert Macfarlane’s Reith Lectures will examine what is in his view one

One of the oldest known 3D animal fossils found in Norwegian sheep field Sarah CollinsWed, 09/09/2026 - 01:00 The fossil dates from around 560 million years ago, during the Ediacaran Period, when complex forms of life first appeared on Earth. The fossil, known as Charnia, looks more like a fern than anything we would recognise as an anima

University of Cambridge launches independent review following the death of Professor Jason Arday Anonymous (not verified)Fri, 09/04/2026 - 13:45 The review will comprise two parts: Part One, to be led by Nazir Afzal OBE, will examine the University’s support of Professor Arday; Part Two will comprise a broader review of institutional proc

Cancer cells release antioxidants to prevent immune cells from destroying them Craig BrierleyThu, 09/03/2026 - 19:00 Now, scientists have discovered that certain immune cells depend on these very molecules to activate and destroy cancer cells, and that tumours exploit this dependency by releasing natural antioxidants to shut down the immu

Cambridge researchers awarded European Research Council Starting Grants Anonymous (not verified)Thu, 09/03/2026 - 16:10 The selected projects will cover a broad spectrum of research fields from life sciences and engineering to social sciences and humanities. The funding, worth €705 million in total, will support 421 early-career researche

Comparison of male and female fly brains is unlocking the secret workings of the mind Jacqueline GargetThu, 09/03/2026 - 16:00 An international team co-led by the University of Cambridge has mapped every neuron in the male Drosophila fly’s brain and nerve cord, to produce a wiring map of the 166,700 neurons and the millions of connections

A thousand eyes on the Universe: new UK-led astronomy instrument takes first look into the heart of the Milky Way Sarah CollinsThu, 09/03/2026 - 14:30 The Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) has achieved First Light at the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory i

Pre-eclampsia discovery could lead to new test and treatments for at-risk pregnancies Craig BrierleyTue, 09/01/2026 - 10:00 The discovery helps explain why placental cells fail to properly ‘invade’ the uterus in these two related conditions and could lead to the development of tests to help identify those at greatest risk and new treatmen

Physicists solve 40-year-old magnetic mystery Sarah CollinsTue, 08/25/2026 - 11:05 A quantum particle that crosses a ‘duality defect’ – a boundary between order and disorder – is never reflected. It always passes through, but it comes out changed: not a particle, but a spread-out, thread-like excitation that researchers compare to a wisp

UK politicians think public opposition to climate policy is far greater than it is, study finds Fred LewseyWed, 08/19/2026 - 09:50 Members of Parliament from the UK’s three biggest political parties in the House of Commons significantly overestimate levels of public resistance to major policy proposals for tackling climate change, a Unive

Operation Blue Skies takes off: landmark trial to test AI-driven contrail avoidance Sarah CollinsTue, 08/18/2026 - 15:29 Backed by the UK Government, 'Operation Blue Skies' brings together partners, including the University of Cambridge, to evaluate AI-driven flight path adjustments across North Atlantic airspace.Operation Blue Skies is a

Tiny satellite will use the dark side of the Moon to eavesdrop on whispers from the early universe Sarah CollinsFri, 08/14/2026 - 16:00 An international team of scientists, led by the University of Cambridge, will use the dark side of the Moon as a ‘shield’ so that the satellite – called CosmoCube – can block out all the noise from Earth

Cambridge to lead new £20m MRC Hub to transform development of new medicines using stem cells and AI Craig BrierleyWed, 08/12/2026 - 08:00 The Hub builds on the expertise of the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, in particular around advanced human in vitro models, including organoids and other stem cell-derived systems. It will combine this

No bosses, no problem! Pre-Hispanic farmers built giant water system bottom-up, archaeologists reveal Tom Almeroth-W…Tue, 08/11/2026 - 10:01 The pre-Hispanic field systems of La Mojana in the Colombian Caribbean are so vast you can see them from a plane at high altitude. Their canals and raised fields – in use from the first centuries BC

Go behind the scenes at Cambridge with Open Cambridge 2026 Zoe SmithMon, 08/10/2026 - 10:00 From 11–20 September, Open Cambridge returns with more than 70 free events, offering exclusive access to some of the city's most fascinating buildings, collections and hidden spaces. Whether you're interested in history, science, architecture, art

Cambridge to lead new £50 million centre to study mitochondrial DNA diseases Craig BrierleyWed, 08/05/2026 - 09:00 The MRC Centre of Research Excellence (MRC CoRE) will be led by Professor Michal Minczuk of the University of Cambridge. It brings together leading experts from across disciplines to define how mutations in mitochondrial DNA

NICE referral criteria miss up to 95% of women under 50 who go on to develop breast cancer within 10 years Craig BrierleyTue, 08/04/2026 - 02:00 Using BOADICEA – a comprehensive risk assessment tool developed at the University of Cambridge with funding from Cancer Research UK – researchers at Cambridge and The Institute of Cancer Research

Cambridge Festival brings research, creativity and discovery to Cambridge Folk Festival Zoe SmithMon, 08/03/2026 - 10:50 From examining animal skulls and skeletons to writing poetry inspired by nature and uncovering the hidden sugar in everyday foods, festivalgoers were invited to explore the world of research through a series of interac

Maths shows why your vote may not count the way you think it does Sarah CollinsFri, 07/31/2026 - 10:00 The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and the University of Copenhagen, analysed different electoral systems, both proportional and first past the post, and found that in any system, there are always going to be a series of t

Road traffic is putting smaller hedgehog populations at risk of collapse Jacqueline GargetFri, 07/31/2026 - 00:01 A new study involving the University of Cambridge has found that road traffic kills between 15-29% of hedgehogs in local populations each year. The study, funded by The British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People’s Trust