Cambridge University News and Research

A transnational online debate aims led by Dr Robert Doubleday aims to gather views on how the use of nanotechnology in food should be regulated.

Find out more

One hundred years after the tragic expedition, Cambridge academics join the debate raging about the expedition leader who gave his name to the Scott Polar Research Institute.

Read a Guardian article about the explorer

A robot head that mimics facial expressions, designed to help autistic children, was one of the most popular exhibits at this year's Cambridge Science Festival.

Watch a video about the invention

Excavation of 19,000-year-old hunter-gatherer remains, including a vast campsite, is fuelling a reinterpretation of the greatest fundamental shift in human civilisation – the origins of agriculture.

Read more about the excavation

An extraordinary seventh-century discovery on the outskirts of Cambridge offers unique insights into the origins of English Christianity.

Read more about the find

Professor David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of Public Risk, comments on the risks of eating red meat on human health.

Read a BBC article about the issue

Laser 'un-printers' that can remove toner from scrap paper so that it can be used again may be coming to an office near you in the future, results from a new Cambridge study show.

Read more about the research

An ancient Incan toothache remedy – handed down for centuries among people in the rainforests of Peru – could be on the cusp of revolutionising worldwide dental practice. Cambridge anthropologist Dr Françoise Barbira-Freedman, the first Westerner to live with the Keshwa Lamas in Amazonian Peru, is leading efforts to bring this wholly natural painkiller to the global marketplace as an organic alternative to synthetic painkillers. CPSL's Co-Deputy Director of the Cambridge Natural Capital Leaders Platform, Dr Margaret Adey, is also involved.

Find out more about the remedy
Dr Barbira-Freedman describes remembering the remedy, 20 years after being treated for toothache in the field

Cambridge University Technology and Enterprise Club and The Humanitarian Centre have invited eight real-life medtech problems that enterprising students will attempt to solve as part of Global Health Hack Day.

Read more about the event

Our earliest ancestors may have started walking on two limbs instead of four in a bid to monopolise resources and to carry as much food as possible in one go, researchers have found.

Read more about the research

A new post has been created within the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology to build on the department's existing contributions to sustainable energy.

Read more about the post

Cambridge archaeologist Dr Jay Stock is involved in a team investigating 20,000-year-old buildings in Jordan, which show the richness of the social networks of pre-agricultural societies.

Read more about the find

A student coalition is gathering support for the University of Cambridge to choose cleaner energy when it renews its contracts in 2013.

Read about the coalition

Scientists from the Cavendish Laboratory have developed a new type of solar cell which could harvest energy from the sun much more efficiently, by using an organic semiconductor called pentacene.

Read more about the research.

A collaboration of conservation agencies and Cambridge researchers are developing innovative approaches for protecting the future of Sierra Leone's Gola forest, globally important for its biodiversity and carbon reserves.

Read more and view photos of the forest.

Dr Mike Rands, Executive Director of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, describes how researchers, conservation practitioners, and policy experts must come together to safeguard biodiversity.

Find out more about CCI.

Moulins and meltwater – and an endless day without coffee. Glaciologist Alison Banwell, overall winner of the 2011 Cambridge Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge, describes a month's research with her supervisor Dr Ian Willis.

Read more and view their photos.

Vertebrate paleontologist Dr Roger Benson has co-authored a study exploring how some dinosaurs became so huge, debunking a popular theory that animals evolve to become larger and larger.

Read more about the research.

The TIME (Transport Information Monitoring Environment) system has drawn on bus operators' systems and information gathered by the general public to illustrate how traffic alters during term-time, and the wide impact of a single accident. Developed at the Cambridge Computer Laboratory, the the Department of Engineering, the Oxford Computer Laboratory, and BT Research, the research aims to help city planners understand congestion and its impact on urban environments.

Read a full article about the research.

A competition this February will award £1000 to young entrepreneurs across the University, many of whom are focusing on healthcare and cleantech products.

Read the full article.

Professor Arokia Nathan's team have developed a system to extend the life of smartphones – 'harvesting' the light from their displays to generate power.

Read more about the work.

Through investigating the sensor systems of beetles and fruit flies under the microscope, Dr Chris Forman believes we can learn important lessons about how manufactured objects could integrate more closely with the world around us.

Read about the research and view some of the images.

Researchers from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Sustainable Bioenergy Centre have discovered a family of genes that could help us breed grasses with improved properties for diet and bioenergy.

Read more about the research.

A research team led by earth scientist Dr Luke Skinner has found that carbon emissions will delay the Earth's next natural Ice Age – prompting a debate over what would be better for human survival, global warming or cooling.

Read a Cambridge article about the research

PhD researcher Laura Haynes' work explored 'time inconsistency' – why we make poor short-term decisions over being patient for larger rewards – and asks whether more intervention is needed to protect vulnerable people.

Find out more about the research

Anthropology undergraduate Robin Irvine explores human-animal relationships on the border of China.

Read his account of his research.

Researching the stability of saline soils, which can have a massive impact on human infrastructure, Robert Hird spends a night by a live crater in Turkmenistan – where natural gas has been burning for three decades following a failed drilling expedition.

Read more about his work.

Journalist Damian Carrington reviews the 2050 Pathways Carbon Calculator developed for DECC by Dr David Mackay, and finds that doing nothing to change our energy sourcing will cost more than every other scenario mapped.

Read the Guardian article about the calculator.
Experiment with the 2050 Pathways Carbon Calculator yourself.
Visit the website of Dr Mackay's book, 'Sustainable Energy – without the hot air'.

Planning rifle protocols to deal with polar bear attacks in the night, earth scientist Marian Holness reflects that East Greenland is not a holiday destination.

Read Dr Holness' article about her work.

Human geographer Sarah Radcliffe explores the effects of development and land settlement on the lives of indigenous women in Ecuador.

Read about Dr Radcliffe's research.

Physiologist Andrew Murray offers himself up as a research subject in experiments into the effects of oxygen deprivation on the human body – and marvels anew at the Mother Goddess of the World (aka Mount Everest).

Read his article about the experience.

Generating electricity when light is shone through it, detecting bombs, and printing circuits – catch up on some of the unusual properties and promising potential applications of this astonishing material, which is being developed at Cambridge.

Find out more about graphene at a glance.

Cambridge Enterprise, the university's commercialisation group, has increased its licensing income by 24 per cent, reporting a year-end income of more than £10.2 million.

Read a Business Weekly article on the group.

Desert locusts affect 20 per cent of the world's land surface through periodic swarms, particularly in Africa and China. Research led by Dr Swidbert Ott in collaboration with the University of Leuven suggests that research into why they swarm could inform our understanding of the biochemical processes behind human behavioural and social change.

Find out more about the research.

PhD student Echo Ouyang explains some of the challenges and opportunities presented by geo-thermal engineering.

Read about Echo's work.

Peter Williamson, Professor of International Management at the Judge Business School, predicts that China's new overseas acquisition policy will close the East-West technology divide.

Read more.

In a Guardian article, the WBCSD celebrates the activities of the EU CLG, including its recent Low Carbon Compendium.

Read the article.

The Scott Polar Research Museum is exhibiting a unique collection of photographs, letters and artefacts from Captain Scott's Antarctic exhibition to mark its 100th anniversary – many of which have never been shown before.

Read the main article from Cambridge Research.
Listen to a debate on Radio 4's Today Programme on whether Captain Scott's fame is justified.
Read a discussion in The Independent about why he holds such a special place in British hearts.
View some of the extraordinary expedition photographs.

David Gibson, head of the university's archaeological unit, is involved in an excavation near Peterborough which has unearthed extraordinary insights into the Bronze Age landscape of what is now the Fens – including how our ancestors adapted to a wetland environment.

Read an article about the findings.

Professor Felicia Huppert, Director of the Well-Being Institute, and colleague Timothy So have launched a report comparing wellbeing across 23 countries – reaffirming the fact that personal relationships, families and social structures have more impact than GDP.

Read a Cambridge Research article about the report.
Read an analysis in The Huffington Post.
Read The Guardian's article on the report.

Dr Ben Phalan, conservation biologist, describes the sights and sounds of the jungle during recent research into the impact of farming on tropical fauna in Ghana.

Read his article and view some of his photos.

Dr Julian Allwood's new book, based on three years' research with industry, challenges some of our hopes that 'sustainable production' will solve the global resource crisis. He offers six steps to drastically reducing the world's carbon emissions – with tackling consumption at their heart.

Read the a review of the book.
Visit the Sustainable Materials With Both Eyes Open website.

While Lord Lawson has attacked Sir David Attenborough's programme for promoting sensation over fact, Dr Ian Willis, a senior researcher at the Scott Polar Research Institute, defends its claims about the impact of global warming on sea ice.

Read more about the controversy.

A new technique could revolutionise water filtration, making it much more readily available in poor countries.

Read more about the research by Dr Easan Sivaniah.

Linguist Dr Stephen Leonard spent 12 months living with the northernmost settled people on Earth, learning how their way of life is changing.

Read about his research.

Cambridge University Enterprise has unveiled the winners of an inaugural competition, including the inventors of revolutionary water filtration technology, of a substrate to boost hybrid car and fuel cell technologies, and of next-generation diagnostics for infections diseases.

Read more about the competition.

A recent Cambridge report for employment relations organisation Acas argues that unions are starting to adapt their practices to take a collaborative approach. This includes moderating disputes, acting as training bodies to meet gaps in skills, and championing employee rights formulated by the governments they once opposed.

Read more about the research.

Research from the team of Dr David Reiner, Judge Business School, has explored how information about carbon capture and storage is communicated, recommending that scientists consider the social characteristics of their projects upfront to overcome misunderstandings.

Read a Cambridge account of the research.
Read an article about the research in Carbon Capture Journal.

CPSL Senior Associate Emma Howard-Boyd reviews a book by two UBS bankers and discusses the need for the mainstream financial industry to engage with sustainability.

Read the article in The Guardian.

Senior Lecturer in the Centre of International Studies, Tarak Barkawi, examines what we can learn from 19th-century reformer Edward Despard and the Arab Spring about social change and progressive ideas.

Read the full article.

Greek journalist Vaois Papanagnou interviews Cambridge economist Ha-Joon Chang to ask whether the Occupy movements offer a relevant message about our society.

Read the Telegraph article.

Professor Peter Wadhams informs The Telegraph that the most drastic models of Arctic melt are likely to come true.

Read the full article.

The World Architecture accolade recognises the new plant science research centre, set in the Botannic Garden and funded by an £82 million grant from the Gatsby Foundation. Its architects, Stanton Williams, won the Schuco Gold Award at the Architect of the Year Awards for the Sainsbury Laboratory and other work.

Read a Business Weekly article about the World Architecture award.
Read about the Architect of the Year Award.

A team of authors, including Professor Koen Steemers, a member of CPSL's Management Board, has found that carbon emissions in UK schools are high and rising, particularly in new government-supported 'academies'. The research was co-conducted by Cambridge and Shinawatra University, Thailand.

Find out more about the research

Cambridge scientists Dr Colin Russell and Professor Derek Smith, based in the Infectious Disease Informatics team in the Department of Zoology, are working with the WHO to draw up a map of rapidly evolving seasonal influenza.

Find out more about the research

Kirsty Kuo, of the Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (SPICE) project, explains the goals of her research group, and why it won't solve climate change.

Read more

A new Keynes Fund for Applied Economics will bring £4m of research money to investigate the relationship between the financial system and the real economy in the current crisis, involving a wide range of disciplines.

Read more

The abolition of slavery is often cited as an example of the massive social and economic change required for a shift to a sustainable economy. Here, Dr Sarah Meer, lecturer in English, recounts the story of Alexander Crummell, one of Cambridge's first black students.

Read more

Despite reports that the Northwest Passage has 'opened', international ice experts from nine countries have advised caution, after a working group meeting hosted by Cambridge's British Antarctic Survey. The International Ice Charting Working Group warns that routes which appear ice-free in satellite images may still have ice covering up to 15 per cent of their surface, constituting a serious danger to shipping. The statement highlights ongoing difficulties in understanding the rate and implications of polar ice melt.

Read the press release from the British Antarctic Survey.

Doctors from Cambridge and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have written to The Lancet, one of the world's best-known medical journals, to express deep concern at the effects of the financial crisis on public health in Greece. A combination of unemployment and cutbacks in government front-line services has led to a 17% increase in suicides, a 24% rise in hospital admittances, and a surge in intravenous drug use.

Read a Guardian article about the letter

Read the letter, 'Omens of a Greek Tragedy'

Ha-Joon Chang, Reader in the Political Economy of Development at the Faculty of Economics, asks whether ideological assumptions are clouding governments' ability to respond pragmatically to the 'financial crisis', and whether emerging economies can re-enliven the global economy.

Read Dr Chang's argument

An expedition is to explore Lake Ellsworth, buried beneath 3km of ice, to explore whether life has evolved independently there, and whether the sheet's last collapse could have contributed to a rise in sea levels 120,000 years ago.

Read about the expedition

Visit the expedition website

A panel debate on 25th October, part of Cambridge's upcoming Festival of Ideas, will discuss the world's massive growth in human population – exploring whether and how the growth will be sustainable. '7 billion: The Crowded Planet' will involve leading thinkers Professor John Guillebaud, Population Matters; Sara Parkin, Forum for the Future; Dr Rachel Murphy, University of Oxford; Fred Pearce, author of 'Peoplequake'; and Sir Tony Wrigley, Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure. The event will take place on 25th October from 6-7pm. 

Read more about the panel discussion.

Sir Mike Gregory, Head of the Department of Engineering's Institute for Manufacture and member of CPSL's Management Board, discusses shifts in global manufacturing patterns and the challenges they present.

Read the interview here. 

Dr Emily Lethbridge's 'literary ethnography' revisits the sites of 1,000-year-old sagas and explores what the stories mean to the people still living there. Her short documentary captures the mesmeric landscape and how it shapes the culture and identity of those living within it, challenging our perceptions of human control over nature.

Read more and watch the 13-minute film.

Dr Neil Harris, an expert on atmospheric composition from the Department of Chemistry, discusses the ongoing challenge of understanding the ozone layer, the length of time it takes greenhouse gases to break down, and their relationship with the Earth's temperature.

Read Dr Harris' account of the ozone situation.

Executive Director of the Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research (4CMR), Dr Douglas Crawford-Brown, argues that water management must be given centre stage at international climate negotiations.

Read Dr Crawford-Brown's argument.

The Department of Biochemistry and the Institute for Manufacturing have come up with devices which could use the ability of moss to create energy through photosynthesis as a source of power.

View some of the new devices on the Wired website.