Alan Turing Institute up and running
05 Aug 2015National institute for the development and use of advanced mathematics, computer science, algorithms and ‘Big Data’ has announced its first director, and will start research activities in the autumn.
Earliest evidence of reproduction in a complex organism
03 Aug 2015A new study of 565 million-year-old fossils has identified how some of the first complex organisms on Earth – possibly some of the first animals to exist – reproduced, revealing the origins of our modern marine environment.
‘Brain training’ app may improve memory and daily functioning in schizophrenia
03 Aug 2015A ‘brain training’ iPad game developed and tested by researchers at the University of Cambridge may improve the memory of patients with schizophrenia, helping them in their daily lives at work and living independently, according to research published today.
The Magna Carta of scientific maps
01 Aug 2015One of the most important maps of the UK ever made – described as the ‘Magna Carta of geology’ – is to go on permanent public display in Cambridge after being restored to its former glory.
Cancer patients lose faith in healthcare system if referred late by GP
31 Jul 2015If it takes more than three trips to the GP to be referred for cancer tests, patients are more likely to be dissatisfied with their overall care, eroding confidence in the doctors and nurses who go on to treat and monitor them, according to new research.
Cambridge researchers and pharma in innovative new consortium to develop and study early stage drugs
28 Jul 2015An innovative new Consortium will act as a ‘match-making’ service between pharmaceutical companies and researchers in Cambridge with the aim of developing and studying precision medicines for some of the most globally devastating diseases.
Close-up film shows for the first time how ants use ‘combs’ and ‘brushes’ to keep their antennae clean
27 Jul 2015Using unique mechanical experiments and close-up video, Cambridge researchers have shown how ants use microscopic ‘combs’ and ‘brushes’ to keep their antennae clean, which could have applications for developing cleaners for nanotechnology.
Stressed young birds stop learning from their parents and turn to wider flock
23 Jul 2015Juvenile zebra finches that experience high stress levels will ignore how their own parents forage and instead learn such skills from other, unrelated adults. This may help young birds avoid inheriting a poor skillset from parents – the likely natural cause of their stress – and becoming trapped by a “bad start in life”.
Musical tastes offer a window into how you think
22 Jul 2015Do you like your jazz to be Norah Jones or Ornette Coleman, your classical music to be Bach or Stravinsky, or your rock to be Coldplay or Slayer? The answer could give an insight into the way you think, say researchers from the University of Cambridge.
Oracle bones and unseen beauty: wonders of priceless Chinese collection now online
22 Jul 2015A banknote from 1380 that threatens decapitation, a set of 17th-century prints so delicate they had never been opened, and 3000-year-old ‘oracle bones’ are now freely available for the world to view on the Cambridge Digital Library.
