News

A Cambridge-led team has developed a way to engineer better vaccines that could provide broad protection from thousands of variants of viruses - such as coronaviruses or Ebola - in a single vaccine. This represents a fundamental new vaccine technology that could prevent future pandemics before they begin.The first human clinical trial of a universa…

Hannah Critchlow: The 21st Century BrainThe Cambridge neuroscientist who says the future of wellbeing lies in how adaptable our brains really are-Neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow has spent years exploring what she calls “the 21st century brain” — how modern life, technology and AI are reshaping the way we think, feel and connect.A Fellow at Magdalen…

Cambridge scientists have grown miniature circuits in the lab that mimic how the brain and spinal cord connect up, which underlies our movements. They used this model to show how damage to these connections previously considered ‘irreversible’ could, in fact, be reversible.As we develop and grow from embryo to fetus to infant, our nerve cells (neur…

Cambridge scientists hunting tell-tale killer ‘zombie’ cells that signal early lung cancer have developed a world-first urine test that could transform diagnosis and survival for thousands of patients.As published this week in Nature Aging, the team has shown that this simple and affordable test could detect the earliest signs of lung cancer months…

Researchers have developed a new kind of nanoelectronic device that could dramatically cut the energy consumed by artificial intelligence hardware by mimicking the human brain.The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, developed a form of hafnium oxide that acts as a highly stable, low‑energy ‘memristor’ — a component designed to mimic th…

Professor Grant Stewart has led the development of the first national guideline on improving the diagnosis and management of kidney cancer.By offering more patients with a kidney lump a biopsy, clinicians can tell patients if the lesion is cancer or benign and if they need to consider a treatment like surgery, or if they can avoid these treatments-…

Scientists have created the most detailed map to date, comprised of over 3 million cells, showing how breast tissue changes as women age – including dramatic changes during menopause.The map reveals how, as women age, the number of cells in their breast tissue decreases, and these in turn proliferate less, and the structure of breast tissue changes…

An international project has uncovered millions of ancient DNA ‘switches’ that have been regulating plant genes for up to 300 million years – a discovery that could pave the way for more precise engineering of crop traits.The study, published in the journal Science, reveals that the power of plant genomes lies not only in their protein-coding genes…

To mark International Women’s Day (Sunday 8 March), the Cambridge Festival (16 March–2 April) is spotlighting the outstanding achievements of women across a wide range of disciplines.From breast cancer and music to reproduction and politics, the festival will showcase the ground breaking work of women who have profoundly influenced our understandin…

Differences in cellular pathway activity flip the switch from nocturnality to diurnality and explain a major evolutionary change humans have undergone.Early mammals were nocturnal, sleeping during the day while large predators were active. However, after the extinction of dinosaurs, several different lineages of mammals independently transitioned t…

Flexible electronics are often sold on a simple promise: bendable screens, lightweight solar cells or wearable devices that can bend and flex without breaking. But what does that ‘flexibility’ actually look like at the molecular scale, and how does it affect performance?Researchers led by the University of Cambridge say they have taken a first step…

Experts are warning that far from being over-diagnosed, people with ADHD are waiting too long for assessment, support and treatment.In a paper, published today in the British Journal of Psychiatry, a group of experts say there is no robust evidence that ADHD is over-diagnosed in the UK. They refute the view that ‘nowadays everyone has ADHD’, which …

Researchers have developed a wearable, comfortable and washable device called Revoice that could help people regain the ability to communicate naturally and fluently following a stroke, without the need for invasive brain implants.The device, whose development was led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, uses a combination of ultra-sensit…

Helping babies bloomOne in three babies admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit will fail their school readiness assessment at age five, with consequences lasting into adulthood. A new project aims to identify those babies at greatest risk and give them a helping hand to fulfil their potential.Every year in the UK, around 600,000 babies are born…

People prescribed the new generation of weight loss drugs may not receive sufficient nutritional guidance to support safe and sustainable weight loss, leaving them vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies and muscle loss, say experts at UCL and the University of Cambridge.If nutritional care is not integrated alongside treatment, there’s a risk of re…