‘Transformational’ approach to machine learning could accelerate search for new disease treatments
Researchers have developed a new approach to machine learning that ‘learns how to learn’ and out-performs current machine learning methods for drug design, which in turn could accelerate the search for new disease treatments.
Collaboration could enable cancer patients to get faster and more personalised treatment
GE Healthcare, the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals have agreed to collaborate on developing an application aiming to improve cancer care, with Cambridge providing clinical expertise and data to support GE Healthcare’s development and evaluation of an AI-enhanced application that integrates cancer patient data from multiple sources into a single interface.
New concrete mould system uses the right amount of concrete and no more
Concrete is the world’s most widely consumed material after water, and its production contributes to more than 7% of global CO2 emissions. Achieving global ambitions to limit warming to 1.5ºC will require significant change across the construction sector – not least in how we use concrete.
‘Super jelly’ can survive being run over by a car
Researchers have developed a jelly-like material that can withstand the equivalent of an elephant standing on it, and completely recover to its original shape, even though it’s 80% water.
For the brain, context is key to new theory of movement and memory
New mathematical model could help in physical therapy and shed light on learning more generally.
Two-metre COVID-19 rule is ‘arbitrary measurement’ of safety
A new study has shown that the airborne transmission of COVID-19 is highly random and suggests that the two-metre rule was a number chosen from a risk ‘continuum’, rather than any concrete measurement of safety.
Mystery of high-performing solar cell materials revealed in stunning clarity
Researchers have visualised, for the first time, why perovskites – materials which could replace silicon in next-generation solar cells - are seemingly so tolerant of defects in their structure.
Cambridge Dictionary names 'perseverance' Word of the Year 2021
Perseverance, a word which captures the undaunted will of people across the world to never give up, despite the many challenges of the last 12 months, is Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2021.
Air filter significantly reduces presence of airborne SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 wards
When a team of doctors, scientists and engineers at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge placed an air filtration machine in COVID-19 wards, they found that it removed almost all traces of airborne SARS-CoV-2.
3D printing and machine learning unite in new research to improve cochlear implants for users
A team of engineers and clinicians have used 3D printing to create intricate replicas of human cochleae – the spiral-shaped hollow bone of the auditory inner ear – and combined it with machine learning to advance clinical predictions of ‘current spread’ inside the ear for cochlear implant (CI) patients.
Students who self-identify as multilingual perform better at GCSE
Young people who consider themselves ‘multilingual’ tend to perform better across a wide range of subjects at school, regardless of whether they are actually fluent in another language, new research shows.
Cambridge-built carbon credit marketplace will support reforestation efforts worldwide
A new Cambridge centre will bring together computer scientists and conservation scientists to build a trusted marketplace for carbon credits and support global reforestation efforts, the first initiative of its kind in the UK.
Carbon Reduction Code for the Built Environment offers organisations a collaborative approach to reducing carbon
This month sees COP26 bringing together nations and representatives to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Whole genome sequencing increases diagnosis of rare disorders by nearly a third, study finds
Whole genome sequencing from a single blood test picks up 31% more cases of rare genetic disorders than standard tests, shortening the ‘diagnostic odyssey’ that affected families experience, and providing huge opportunities for future research.
Study reveals ‘drastic changes’ in daily routines during UK lockdowns
Some spent an extra hour a day on chores and childcare during lockdowns, while others got an added daily hour of solo leisure time – and most of us reduced time spent on paid work by around half an hour a day.
Hungry caterpillars an underappreciated driver of carbon emissions
A study led by the University of Cambridge has found that periodic mass outbreaks of leaf-munching caterpillars can improve the water quality of nearby lakes - but may also increase the lakes’ carbon dioxide emissions.
New Design Tripos brings arts and science together in one degree to address global challenges
A brand-new Cambridge degree - the first undergraduate course ‘designed from scratch’ at the University for a number of years - will merge arts and science to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Scientists identify the cause of Alzheimer’s progression in the brain
For the first time, researchers have used human data to quantify the speed of different processes that lead to Alzheimer’s disease and found that it develops in a very different way than previously thought. Their results could have important implications for the development of potential treatments.
International group of citizens and scientists creates feasible visions of a resilient, net zero future
As part of COP26, people in six regions were asked to imagine a globally net zero, climate-resilient future. Here’s what they came up with.
LEDs and smartphone screens could be made from next-generation glass
Cracked and blurry phone screens could someday be a thing of the past, suggests a new study from the University of Cambridge and the University of Queensland, Australia.
'Virus-killing' air filtration system unveiled by Cambridge scientists and engineers
A new carbon-based air filtration nanomaterial capable of capturing and destroying various viruses, including animal coronavirus, a close relative of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – has been developed by Cambridge scientists and engineers.
Impulse Programme 2022 focuses on deep tech to support disruptive innovators
The renowned University of Cambridge Impulse Programme, created to nurture the brilliant minds of international academia, business and research organisations, opens applications for 2022. The sixth edition of the programme will focus on deep tech – empowering entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs with the skills and resources to accelerate their game-changing innovations into commercial success stories.
Hawking Centre for Theoretical Cosmology named Intel oneAPI Center of Excellence
The Stephen Hawking Centre for Theoretical Cosmology (Hawking CTC) at the University of Cambridge is expanding its Intel Graphics and Visualization Institute of Xellence (Intel GVI) to an Intel oneAPI Center of Excellence, which will help expand our understanding of the universe.
The Internet of Stings: research will probe privacy and legal concerns of smart devices
What happens to all the sensitive personal information our smart devices collect from us? Where does the data picked up by our smart watches, speakers and TVs go, who has access to it and how is it used?
Lab-grown ‘mini brains’ hint at treatments for neurodegenerative diseases
Cambridge researchers have developed ‘mini brains’ that allow them to study a fatal and untreatable neurological disorder causing paralysis and dementia – and for the first time have been able to grow these for almost a year.