Gates Cambridge: class of 2025
30 April 202595 future leaders have been selected as Gates Cambridge Scholars in the scholarship's 25th anniversary year.
It takes parents a year to ‘tune in’ to their child’s feelings about starting school
30 April 2025Findings from a major Cambridge-led study inspired psychologists to co-produce a picture book that helps parents develop a deeper understanding of how their child is coping with the first year of school.
Adolescents who sleep longer perform better at cognitive tasks
22 April 2025Adolescents who sleep for longer – and from an earlier bedtime – than their peers tend to have improved brain function and perform better at cognitive tests, researchers from the UK and China have shown.
Charles Darwin Archive recognised by UNESCO
22 April 2025Documentary heritage relating to the life and work of Charles Darwin has been recognised on the prestigious UNESCO International Memory of the World Register, highlighting its critical importance to global science and the necessity of its long-term preservation and accessibility.
Throwing a ‘spanner in the works’ of our cells’ machinery could help fight cancer, fatty liver disease… and hair loss
18 April 2025Fifty years since its discovery, scientists have finally worked out how a molecular machine found in mitochondria, the ‘powerhouses’ of our cells, allows us to make the fuel we need from sugars, a process vital to all life on Earth.
Extreme drought contributed to barbarian invasion of late Roman Britain, tree-ring study reveals
17 April 2025Three consecutive years of drought contributed to the ‘Barbarian Conspiracy’, a pivotal moment in the history of Roman Britain, a new Cambridge-led study reveals. Researchers argue that Picts, Scotti and Saxons took advantage of famine and societal breakdown caused by an extreme period of drought to inflict crushing blows on weakened Roman defences in 367 CE. While Rome eventually restored order, some historians argue that the province never fully recovered.
Strongest hints yet of biological activity outside the solar system
17 April 2025Astronomers have detected the most promising signs yet of a possible biosignature outside the solar system, although they remain cautious.
Mouse study suggests a common diabetes drug may prevent leukaemia
16 April 2025Metformin, a widely used and affordable diabetes drug, could prevent a form of acute myeloid leukaemia in people at high risk of the disease, a study in mice has suggested. Further research in clinical trials will be needed to confirm this works for patients.
Growing wildflowers on disused urban land can damage bee health
16 April 2025Wildflowers growing on land previously used for buildings and factories can accumulate lead, arsenic and other metal contaminants from the soil, which are consumed by pollinators as they feed, a new study has found.
Opinion: Whether democracy can survive AI will depend on us
14 April 2025What is the best framework for the global governance of AI? How do we respond to tech companies who argue against regulation? Is our current pace of technological change ultimately greater than our ability to manage it?
