Newly available archival film has revealed the eastern ice shelf of Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is melting faster than previous estimates, suggesting the shelf may collapse sooner than expected.
Unhappy mothers talk more to their baby boys, study finds
Mothers who are dissatisfied with their male partners spend more time talking to their infants – but only if the child is a boy, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge.
AI learns the language of chemistry to predict how to make medicines
Researchers have designed a machine learning algorithm that predicts the outcome of chemical reactions with much higher accuracy than trained chemists and suggests ways to make complex molecules, removing a significant hurdle in drug discovery.
Lost Irish words rediscovered, including the word for ‘oozes pus'
Researchers from Cambridge and Queen’s University Belfast have identified and defined 500 Irish words, many of which had been lost, and unlocked the secrets of many other misunderstood terms. Their findings can now be freely accessed in the revised version of the online dictionary of Medieval Irish ( www.dil.ie ).
Exercise in pregnancy improves health of obese mothers by restoring their tissues, mouse study finds
Exercise immediately prior to and during pregnancy restores key tissues in the body, making them better able to manage blood sugar levels and lowering the risk of long term health problems, suggests new research carried out in mice.
‘Mental rigidity’ at the root of intense political partisanship on both left and right – study
Latest research shows that reduced cognitive flexibility is associated with more 'extreme' beliefs and identities at both ends of the political spectrum. Researchers say that “heightening our cognitive flexibility might help build more tolerant societies”.
Verity Allan is a graduate of Cambridge, Oxford, and The Open University. She is a PhD candidate at the Cavendish Laboratory and works as a project manager and programmer on the software for the Square Kilometre Array, the world's largest radio telescope.
The Cambridge Festival of Ideas programme launches today, with over 250 public events, most of them free, celebrating the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Dr Cecilia Brassett is the University Clinical Anatomist and a Fellow of Magdalene College. Here, she tells us about teaching anatomy, which has been taking place at Cambridge for more than 300 years.
Colour-changing artificial ‘chameleon skin’ powered by nanomachines
Researchers have developed artificial ‘chameleon skin’ that changes colour when exposed to light and could be used in applications such as active camouflage and large-scale dynamic displays.
