University news

As the world’s most intensive science and technology cluster, Cambridge is driving breakthrough research and attracting global investment across quantum, life sciences, and biotech.

During his visit, hosted by Founders at University of Cambridge and Innovate Cambridge, the Ambassador heard about the University’s success in securing funding for these critical areas and its bold plans to fuel national economic growth—most notably through the National Innovation Hub and the West Cambridge Innovation District, set to become Europe’s leading centre for AI, quantum, and climate research.

At the heart of the visit was a tour of the new Ray Dolby Centre, home to the historic Cavendish Laboratory. Hosted by Professor Mete Atatüre, Head of the Department of Physics, Lord Mandelson learned about Cambridge’s leadership in quantum technologies and the rapidly growing portfolio of real-world applications emerging from this research.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice then hosted a roundtable lunch at Cambridge Enterprise, the University’s commercialisation arm, where leaders from high-growth companies in quantum, AI, and life sciences joined to discuss opportunities for deepening UK-US tech collaboration.

The visit follows the recent signing of the UK-US trade agreement, which lays the groundwork for a future technology partnership between the two countries. As both nations turn to innovation as a key driver of economic growth and global problem-solving, Cambridge stands ready to play a pivotal role.

Recent Dealroom research for Founders at the University of Cambridge highlights Cambridge’s momentum: the area now attracts more venture capital investment in deep tech per capita than anywhere else globally. The region’s tech ecosystem is valued at $222 billion—18% of the UK’s total tech value, second only to London.

Prof Deborah Prentice said: "It was a pleasure to join the Ambassador and colleagues to showcase the full depth and breadth of Cambridge’s research and business strengths - from personalised vaccines and genomics to qubits and semiconductors. Cambridge has unique capabilities to help drive the UK-US tech partnership forward, and we’re excited to build on this momentum."

This week, UK Ambassador to the United States of America Lord Mandelson visited the University of Cambridge to explore its world-leading strengths in innovation and its deepening academic and industrial partnerships with the USA.

Cambridge has unique capabilities to help drive the UK-US tech partnership forward, and we’re excited to build on this momentum.Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah PrenticeDomininkas PhotographyLord Mandelson and Professor Deborah Prentice with the Cambridge Enterprise team.

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Mary Catchpole, 19, was given a newly licensed drug called leniolisib (or Joenja) at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. It is the first ever targeted treatment for a rare, inherited immunodeficiency called Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).

People with APDS have a weakened immune system, making them vulnerable to repeated infections and autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. Discovered just over a decade ago by a team of Cambridge researchers, it is a debilitating and life-threatening condition, with patients more likely to develop blood cancers like lymphoma.

APDS is a relatively new immuno-deficiency, with Mary’s family playing a key role in its discovery in 2013. Mary’s mother and uncle, who were Addenbrooke’s patients, were offered DNA sequencing (whole exome sequencing) to see if there was a genetic cause for their immuno-deficiency.

Cambridge researchers identified a change in their genes that increased activity of an enzyme called PI3-Kinase delta, resulting in the illness being named Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).

The team, which involved researchers from the University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology, and clinicians from Addenbrooke’s, was primarily funded by Wellcome and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

With APDS, the enzyme PI3-Kinase delta is “switched on” all the time, preventing immune cells from fighting infection and leads to abnormal or dysregulated immune function.

The new treatment – with one tablet taken twice a day – aims to inhibit the enzyme, effectively normalising the immune system.

Dr Anita Chandra, consultant immunologist at Addenbrooke’s and Affiliated Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge, said: “It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 years.

“This new drug will make a huge difference to people living with APDS, hopefully allowing patients to avoid antibiotics, immunoglobulin replacement and potentially even a stem cell transplant in the future.”

Professor Sergey Nejentsev from the University of Cambridge who led the research that discovered APDS said: “As soon as we understood the cause of APDS, we immediately realised that certain drugs could be used to inhibit the enzyme that is activated in these patients. Leniolisib does precisely that. I am delighted that we finally have a treatment which will change the lives of APDS patients.”

The disorder has significantly impacted Mary’s family on her mother’s side. Her aunt died aged 12, while her mother, uncle and grandmother all died in their 30s and 40s.

Mary works as a teaching assistant and lives in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with her father Jimmy and older brother Joe, who does not have the condition.

Prior to leniolisib, the only treatments available to APDS patients include antibiotics for infections, immunoglobulin replacement therapy (to prevent infections and damage to organs) or a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, which can be a potential cure but carries significant risks.

Mary said: “Having APDS means I’ve got a higher chance of infections and getting unwell, which is hard when all I want to do is work and dance and have adventures. All my life I’ve had to have weekly infusions which make me feel like a pin cushion, and I’ve had to take lots of medication which has been tough.

“Now that I have this new treatment, it does feel bitter-sweet as my late mum and other affected members of my family never got the chance to have this new lease of life, but it is a gift. I feel blessed.”

Leniolisib was licensed for use in America in 2023, following clinical trials. After assessment and approval by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, it is now approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) for NHS use - the first health system in Europe to use it to treat patients with APDS.

Professor James Palmer, NHS England’s Medical Director for Specialised Commissioning, said: “We’re delighted to see Mary become the first patient in Europe to receive this first-ever targeted and approved therapy for a rare condition identified just over a decade ago – in Cambridge no less.

“This treatment could be life-changing for those affected by this debilitating genetic disorder, and this important step forward is another example of the NHS’s commitment to offering access to innovative medicines for those living with rare conditions.”

As a tertiary centre for immune-deficiencies, patients eligible for leniolisib can be referred to Addenbrooke’s, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for specialist review and care and ongoing research in this rare condition.

Dr Susan Walsh, Chief Executive Officer at Immunodeficiency UK, said: “With leniolisib, we now have a targeted treatment available that addresses the fundamental cause of the immune system problems experienced in APDS. This demonstrates the power of research and is a huge leap forward. The new treatment will help improve the quality of life for those families living with APDS.”

By looking at the role of the enzyme linked to APDS and the impact of the new targeted drug on the patient’s immune system, it is hoped there is potential for leniolisib to be applied to other more common immune related conditions in the future.

Adapted from a press release from Cambridge University Hospitals.

A teenager who has lost family members including her mother because of a rare genetic hereditary illness has become the first patient in the UK and Europe to have a new treatment developed by Cambridge researchers and approved for use on the NHS.

It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 yearsAnita ChandraCambridge University HospitalsMary Catchpole and Anita Chandra

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

YesLicence type: Attribution

Mary Catchpole, 19, was given a newly licensed drug called leniolisib (or Joenja) at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. It is the first ever targeted treatment for a rare, inherited immunodeficiency called Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).

People with APDS have a weakened immune system, making them vulnerable to repeated infections and autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. Discovered just over a decade ago by a team of Cambridge researchers, it is a debilitating and life-threatening condition, with patients more likely to develop blood cancers like lymphoma.

APDS is a relatively new immuno-deficiency, with Mary’s family playing a key role in its discovery in 2013. Mary’s mother and uncle, who were Addenbrooke’s patients, were offered DNA sequencing (whole exome sequencing) to see if there was a genetic cause for their immuno-deficiency.

Cambridge researchers identified a change in their genes that increased activity of an enzyme called PI3-Kinase delta, resulting in the illness being named Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).

The team, which involved researchers from the University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology, and clinicians from Addenbrooke’s, was primarily funded by Wellcome and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

With APDS, the enzyme PI3-Kinase delta is “switched on” all the time, preventing immune cells from fighting infection and leads to abnormal or dysregulated immune function.

The new treatment – with one tablet taken twice a day – aims to inhibit the enzyme, effectively normalising the immune system.

Dr Anita Chandra, consultant immunologist at Addenbrooke’s and Affiliated Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge, said: “It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 years.

“This new drug will make a huge difference to people living with APDS, hopefully allowing patients to avoid antibiotics, immunoglobulin replacement and potentially even a stem cell transplant in the future.”

Professor Sergey Nejentsev from the University of Cambridge who led the research that discovered APDS said: “As soon as we understood the cause of APDS, we immediately realised that certain drugs could be used to inhibit the enzyme that is activated in these patients. Leniolisib does precisely that. I am delighted that we finally have a treatment which will change the lives of APDS patients.”

The disorder has significantly impacted Mary’s family on her mother’s side. Her aunt died aged 12, while her mother, uncle and grandmother all died in their 30s and 40s.

Mary works as a teaching assistant and lives in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with her father Jimmy and older brother Joe, who does not have the condition.

Prior to leniolisib, the only treatments available to APDS patients include antibiotics for infections, immunoglobulin replacement therapy (to prevent infections and damage to organs) or a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, which can be a potential cure but carries significant risks.

Mary said: “Having APDS means I’ve got a higher chance of infections and getting unwell, which is hard when all I want to do is work and dance and have adventures. All my life I’ve had to have weekly infusions which make me feel like a pin cushion, and I’ve had to take lots of medication which has been tough.

“Now that I have this new treatment, it does feel bitter-sweet as my late mum and other affected members of my family never got the chance to have this new lease of life, but it is a gift. I feel blessed.”

Leniolisib was licensed for use in America in 2023, following clinical trials. After assessment and approval by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, it is now approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) for NHS use - the first health system in Europe to use it to treat patients with APDS.

Professor James Palmer, NHS England’s Medical Director for Specialised Commissioning, said: “We’re delighted to see Mary become the first patient in Europe to receive this first-ever targeted and approved therapy for a rare condition identified just over a decade ago – in Cambridge no less.

“This treatment could be life-changing for those affected by this debilitating genetic disorder, and this important step forward is another example of the NHS’s commitment to offering access to innovative medicines for those living with rare conditions.”

As a tertiary centre for immune-deficiencies, patients eligible for leniolisib can be referred to Addenbrooke’s, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for specialist review and care and ongoing research in this rare condition.

Dr Susan Walsh, Chief Executive Officer at Immunodeficiency UK, said: “With leniolisib, we now have a targeted treatment available that addresses the fundamental cause of the immune system problems experienced in APDS. This demonstrates the power of research and is a huge leap forward. The new treatment will help improve the quality of life for those families living with APDS.”

By looking at the role of the enzyme linked to APDS and the impact of the new targeted drug on the patient’s immune system, it is hoped there is potential for leniolisib to be applied to other more common immune related conditions in the future.

Adapted from a press release from Cambridge University Hospitals.

A teenager who has lost family members including her mother because of a rare genetic hereditary illness has become the first patient in the UK and Europe to have a new treatment developed by Cambridge researchers and approved for use on the NHS.

It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 yearsAnita Chandra

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Wayve is one of the UK’s most valuable deep tech startups, backed by more than $1 billion in funding.  Alex Kendall co-founded the company in 2017 following his PhD at the University of Cambridge, where he pioneered a contrarian approach to self-driving cars.  

At a time when the industry relied heavily on rule-based systems, maps and multiple sensors, he proposed a different vision powered by deep learning—where a single neural network could learn to drive from raw data without human intervention. 

Wayve’s approach creates a general-purpose driving intelligence that can adapt to new environments. Its models are trained on tens of petabytes of real-world data from its team of safety drivers. Wayve tests its models in both real-world driving settings and in simulation. Real-world testing exposes AI to diverse conditions, while simulation enables efficient, large-scale validation. 

Synthetic data on rare or unseen scenarios are used to train their technology to safely navigate the real world. Wayve tests these safety-critical scenarios, such as near collisions or unpredictable pedestrian behaviour, using a cutting-edge generative world model.

Wayve’s autonomous cars have been navigating the complex streets of London since 2019, overseen by legally required safety drivers. Last year they expanded to San Francisco and have also been testing these cars in Stuttgart, and Japan. The company plans to license its technology to car manufacturers, with Nissan set to integrate Wayve’s AI to support driver assistance into its vehicles by 2027. 

The engineering team have also built the first language-driving model tested on public roads. LINGO opens up communication with the robot and can narrate its driving and answer questions. That means Wayve’s engineers (and eventually passengers) can communicate with the AI and ask it to explain decisions or drive in a certain way.  

He sees autonomous driving as a launchpad for a broader revolution in embodied AI, with applications in robotics, manufacturing, and healthcare. “Bringing AI into the physical world in a way that it can interact with us, is real – is tangible,” explains Kendall, “I think it’s going to be the biggest transformation we go through in our lifetimes.”  

Adapted from a Royal Academy of Engineering press release: 

Alex Kendall, CEO and Co-Founder of Wayve, a billion-dollar UK company that uses deep learning to solve the challenges of self-driving cars, has been presented with the Princess Royal Silver Medal, one of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s most prestigious individual awards. 

WayveWayve autonomous car

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YesLicence type: Attribution

At a reception at the Vice-Chancellor’s Lodge this week, which celebrated his service to the University, Lord Sainsbury talked fondly about his own time as a student at Cambridge, and said: “It has been a great honour and pleasure to be Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s greatest universities.

“Over the years, I have watched with awe how the University has produced an endless stream of brilliant research and an enlightened education for its undergraduates and postgraduates, and I hope that by being Chancellor, and in a number of other ways, I have to some extent repaid my debt to the University. I will always look back at my time as Chancellor with the greatest pleasure.”

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, paid a warm tribute to the Chancellor and thanked him for his service and contribution to the life of the University, and his support for her.

In a recent edition of CAM – the University's alumni magazine – other friends and former colleagues recounted the unique qualities Lord Sainsbury has brought to the post during almost a decade and a half of unwavering commitment.

With high-level experience in government and industry alike, Lord Sainsbury has been a highly effective advocate for the best interests of the University on both the national and global stage. “He’s a man of great ability and thoughtfulness,” says Professor Mike Proctor, 2013-2023 Provost of King’s College, Lord Sainsbury’s alma mater. “He’s very well connected in both the public and private sectors. And that’s been very helpful to the University at large.” 

Professor Stephen Toope, the 346th Vice-Chancellor, says that although the role is technically ceremonial, Lord Sainsbury was always willing to go above and beyond. “If I asked him to do something for the University – connect me with the right person, give me a piece of advice – he always did it. He was very generous in making introductions, and saw his role as trying to strengthen the University where he could. And that was largely by supporting the people who’d been asked to do the big jobs – on the Council and in the leadership of Cambridge.”

As a former Minister of Science and Innovation, Lord Sainsbury has brought a wealth of experience to the University. But he has also brought his own love of research and innovation to bear, as Rebecca Simmons, the VC’s former Chief of Staff and now COO of quantum computing company Riverlane, saw first-hand. “He liked to get into the detail beforehand, so he could make good connections with people,” she remembers. “And sometimes, he would come back to see the same people over several years. For example, he stayed in touch with the CEO of Endomag, a cancer diagnostics spinout, and made a point of going back to meet them at key moments. In fact, accompanying him on visits was one of the most fun parts of my job.” 

Dr Regina Sachers, former Head of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and now Director of Governance and Compliance, agrees. “He found it easy to connect with academics because he was genuinely interested in the work. He would always ask very informed questions, and would frequently offer his card and put people in touch with his own connections. It felt like a very genuine and low-key approach.”

The role of Vice-Chancellor can be lonely, says Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor 2010-17: often, the only person you can talk to is the Chancellor. “And Lord Sainsbury always made himself available. He was a friend, a mentor, an adviser. We had differences of opinion, but we could always talk. Having that open debate meant you could road-test the strength of an argument – and, sometimes, backpedal, because he’d made some very valid points that were critical for the University. And I can attest that during my time as Vice-Chancellor, he was always there for the difficult issues. He was quiet and understated, but very thoughtful and very wise – and never interfered with the executive functions that the Vice-Chancellor has to exercise.”

“Lord Sainsbury does not have an agenda of his own: he seeks to do what the University needs, and always has its best interests at heart,” says current Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice. “He approaches the job with selflessness and the mentality of a public servant. I like the fact that sometimes he just turns up to things; he’s such a curious and interested person. I think he very much embodies the values of the University.” 

Professor Toope says that he has always been struck by Lord Sainsbury’s “complete lack of pomposity. Some people think they are the role. He always understood that the role is the role: he just happened to be occupying it for a period. And he brought a personal and political integrity to it.”

The election for Lord Sainsbury’s successor as Chancellor takes place next month.

Read about the election of a Chancellor at the University.

After 14 years as Chancellor of the University, Lord Sainsbury of Turville has formally stood down from the role.

I will always look back at my time as Chancellor with the greatest pleasure.Lord Sainsbury of Turville

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

So say a team of researchers who have uncovered significant weaknesses in two of the art protection tools most used by artists to safeguard their work.

According to their creators, Glaze and NightShade were both developed to protect human creatives against the invasive uses of generative artificial intelligence.

The tools are popular with digital artists who want to stop artificial intelligence models (like the AI art generator Stable Diffusion) from copying their unique styles without consent. Together, Glaze and NightShade have been downloaded almost nine million times.

But according to an international group of researchers, these tools have critical weaknesses that mean they cannot reliably stop AI models from training on artists’ work.

The tools add subtle, invisible distortions (known as poisoning perturbations) to digital images. These ‘poisons’ are designed to confuse AI models during training. Glaze takes a passive approach, hindering the AI model’s ability to extract key stylistic features. NightShade goes further, actively corrupting the learning process by causing the AI model to associate an artist’s style with unrelated concepts.

But the researchers have created a method – called LightShed – that can bypass these protections. LightShed can detect, reverse-engineer and remove these distortions, effectively stripping away the poisons and rendering the images usable again for Generative AI model training.

It was developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge along with colleagues at the Technical University Darmstadt and the University of Texas at San Antonio. The researchers hope that by publicising their work – which will be presented at the USENIX Security Symposium, a major security conference, in August – they can let creatives know that there are major issues with art protection tools.

LightShed works through a three-step process. It first identifies whether an image has been altered with known poisoning techniques.

In a second, reverse engineering step, it learns the characteristics of the perturbations using publicly available poisoned examples. Finally, it eliminates the poison to restore the image to its original, unprotected form.

In experimental evaluations, LightShed detected NightShade-protected images with 99.98% accuracy and effectively removed the embedded protections from those images.

“This shows that even when using tools like NightShade, artists are still at risk of their work being used for training AI models without their consent,” said first author Hanna Foerster from Cambridge’s Department of Computer Science and Technology, who conducted the work during an internship at TU Darmstadt.

Although LightShed reveals serious vulnerabilities in art protection tools, the researchers stress that it was developed not as an attack on them – but rather an urgent call to action to produce better, more adaptive ones.

“We see this as a chance to co-evolve defenses,” said co-author Professor Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi from the Technical University of Darmstadt. “Our goal is to collaborate with other scientists in this field and support the artistic community in developing tools that can withstand advanced adversaries.”

The landscape of AI and digital creativity is rapidly evolving. In March this year, OpenAI rolled out a ChatGPT image model that could instantly produce artwork in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio.

This sparked a wide range of viral memes – and equally wide discussions about image copyright, in which legal analysts noted that Studio Ghibli would be limited in how it could respond to this since copyright law protects specific expression, not a specific artistic ‘style’.  

Following these discussions, OpenAI announced prompt safeguards to block some user requests to generate images in the styles of living artists.  

But issues over generative AI and copyright are ongoing, as highlighted by the copyright and trademark infringement case currently being heard in London’s high court.

Global photography agency Getty Images is alleging that London-based AI company Stability AI trained its image generation model on the agency’s huge archive of copyrighted pictures. Stability AI is fighting Getty’s claim and arguing that the case represents an “overt threat” to the generative AI industry.

And earlier this month, Disney and Universal announced they are suing AI firm Midjourney over its image generator, which the two companies said is a “bottomless pit of plagiarism.”

“What we hope to do with our work is to highlight the urgent need for a roadmap towards more resilient, artist-centred protection strategies,” said Foerster. “We must let creatives know that they are still at risk and collaborate with others to develop better art protection tools in future.”

Hanna Foerster is a member of Darwin College, Cambridge. 

Reference:
Hanna Foerster et al. ‘LightShed: Defeating Perturbation-based Image Copyright Protections.’ Paper presented at the 34th USENIX Security Symposium. https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity25/presentation/foerster

Artists urgently need stronger defences to protect their work from being used to train AI models without their consent.  

Even when using tools like NightShade, artists are still at risk of their work being used for training AI models without their consentHanna FoersterAnastasia Babenko via Getty ImagesArtist at work

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

A 15-seater autonomous bus will operate between Madingley Road Park & Ride, and around the University's Eddington neighbourhood and Cambridge West Innovation District. 

The early phase of the trial, following extensive virtual and on-road testing, starts on Tuesday 24 June with a limited number of morning and afternoon runs each Monday-Friday.

The trial passenger service is free and will enhance local connections, improving access to places of work and study, as well as community and sports facilities for those living and working in the area.

Dan Clarke, Head of Innovation and Technology at the Greater Cambridge Partnership, said: "This is an exciting milestone, but it’s just the beginning. People may have already seen the bus going around Eddington and Cambridge West from Madingley Park & Ride recently, as, after the extensive on-track training with the drivers, we’ve been running the bus on the road without passengers to learn more about how other road-users interact with the technology. We’re now moving gradually to the next stage of this trial by inviting passengers to use Connector.

"As with all new things, our aim is to introduce this new technology in a phased way that balances the trialling of these new systems with safety and the passenger experience. This will ensure we can learn more about this technology and showcase the potential for self-driving vehicles to support sustainable, reliable public transport across Cambridge."

Connector begins trial phase Connector begins trial phase Video of Connector begins trial phase */

The vehicle is operated by Whippet Coaches using autonomous technology from Fusion Processing. 

Professor Anna Philpott, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Resources and Operations at the University of Cambridge, said "Innovation and research that contributes to society is at the heart of the University’s mission, and this trial aligns with our vision for sustainable and pioneering transport solutions for everyone travelling to and from our sites. Cambridge West Innovation District and Eddington are fitting locations for such an ambitious and forward-thinking project."

A full-scale launch of two full-size autonomous buses on a second route to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus will begin later this year.

The Connector trial is part of a national Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) programme backed by the UK Government to explore how autonomous buses can be safely and effectively integrated into public transport systems.

All vehicles are supported by trained safety drivers at all times and have already undergone digital simulation and rigorous on-road testing.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Connector project is bringing self-driving passenger transport to the city.

Cambridge West Innovation District and Eddington are fitting locations for such an ambitious and forward-thinking project.Professor Anna Philpott, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Resources and Operations Teams from the Greater Cambridge Partnership and Cambridge University with the autonomous bus.

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Yes

The Rubin Observatory, jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science, has released its first imagery, showing cosmic phenomena at an unprecedented scale.

In just over 10 hours of test observations, the NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory has already captured millions of galaxies and Milky Way stars and thousands of asteroids. The imagery is a small preview of the Rubin Observatory’s upcoming 10-year scientific mission to explore and understand some of the universe's biggest mysteries.

Located on a mountaintop in Chile, the Rubin Observatory will repeatedly scan the sky for 10 years and create an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our universe. The region in central Chile is favoured for astronomical observations because of its dry air and dark skies, and allows for an ideal view of the Milky Way’s centre.

The facility is set to achieve ‘first light,’ or make the first scientific observations of the Southern Hemisphere’s sky using its 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope, on 4 July.

UK astronomers, including from the University of Cambridge, are celebrating their role in the most ambitious sky survey to date.

“We will be looking at the universe in a way that we have never done before, and this exploration is bound to throw up surprises that we never imagined,” said Professor Hiranya Peiris from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, and a builder of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Dark Energy Science Collaboration. 

Enabled by an investment of £23 million from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), UK astronomers and software developers have been preparing the hardware and software needed to analyse the petabytes of data that the survey will produce to enable groundbreaking science that will enhance our understanding of the universe.

The UK is the second largest international contributor to the multinational project, putting UK astronomers at the forefront when it comes to exploiting this unique window on the Universe.

The UK is also playing a significant role in the management and processing of the unprecedented amounts of data. The UK will host one of three international data facilities and process around 1.5 million images, capturing around 10 billion stars and galaxies. When complete, the full 10-year survey is expected to rack up 500 petabytes of date – the same storage as half-a-million 4K Hollywood movies.

The UK’s science portal for the international community is capable of connecting around 1,500 astronomers with UK Digital Research Infrastructure to support the exploitation of this uniquely rich and detailed view of the Universe.

More than two decades in the making, Rubin is the first of its kind: its mirror design, camera size and sensitivity, telescope speed, and computing infrastructure are each in an entirely new category. Over the next 10 years, Rubin will perform the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) using the LSST Camera and the Simonyi Survey Telescope.

By repeatedly scanning the sky for 10 years, the observatory will deliver a treasure trove of discoveries: asteroids and comets, pulsating stars, and supernova explosions. Science operations are expected to start towards the end of 2025.

"I can’t wait to explore the first LSST catalogues - revealing the faintest dwarf galaxies and stellar streams swarming through the Milky Way’s halo," said Professor Vasily Belokurov from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, member of LSST:UK. "A new era of galactic archaeology is beginning!”

“UK researchers have been contributing to the scientific and technical preparation for the Rubin LSST for more than ten years,” said Professor Bob Mann from the University of Edinburgh, LSST:UK Project Leader. “These exciting First Look images show that everything is working well and reassure us that we have a decade’s worth of wonderful data coming our way, with which UK astronomers will do great science.”

Hiranya Peiris is a Fellow of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge. 

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a new scientific facility that will bring the night sky to life like never before using the largest camera ever built, has revealed its ‘first look’ images at the start of its 10-year survey of the cosmos.

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin ObservatoryTrifid nebula (top right) and the Lagoon nebula

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Yes

Now, an international group of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge have shown that we will be able to learn about the masses of the earliest stars by studying a specific radio signal – created by hydrogen atoms filling the gaps between star-forming regions – originating just a hundred million years after the Big Bang.

By studying how the first stars and their remnants affected this signal, called the 21-centimetre signal, the researchers have shown that future radio telescopes will help us understand the very early universe, and how it transformed from a nearly homogeneous mass of mostly hydrogen to the incredible complexity we see today. Their results are reported in the journal Nature Astronomy.

“This is a unique opportunity to learn how the universe’s first light emerged from the darkness,” said co-author Professor Anastasia Fialkov from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy. “The transition from a cold, dark universe to one filled with stars is a story we’re only beginning to understand.”

The study of the universe’s most ancient stars hinges on the faint glow of the 21-centimetre signal, a subtle energy signal from over 13 billion years ago. This signal, influenced by the radiation from early stars and black holes, provides a rare window into the universe’s infancy.

Fialkov leads the theory group of REACH (the Radio Experiment for the Analysis of Cosmic Hydrogen). REACH is a radio antenna and is one of two major projects that could help us learn about the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionisation, when the first stars reionised neutral hydrogen atoms in the universe.

Although REACH, which captures radio signals, is still in its calibration stage, it promises to reveal data about the early universe. Meanwhile, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)—a massive array of antennas under construction—will map fluctuations in cosmic signals across vast regions of the sky.

Both projects are vital in probing the masses, luminosities, and distribution of the universe's earliest stars. In the current study, Fialkov – who is also a member of the SKA – and her collaborators developed a model that makes predictions for the 21-centimetre signal for both REACH and SKA, and found that the signal is sensitive to the masses of first stars.

“We are the first group to consistently model the dependence of the 21-centimetre signal of the masses of the first stars, including the impact of ultraviolet starlight and X-ray emissions from X-ray binaries produced when the first stars die,” said Fialkov, who is also a member of Cambridge’s Kavli Institute for Cosmology. “These insights are derived from simulations that integrate the primordial conditions of the universe, such as the hydrogen-helium composition produced by the Big Bang.”

In developing their theoretical model, the researchers studied how the 21-centimetre signal reacts to the mass distribution of the first stars, known as Population III stars. They found that previous studies have underestimated this connection as they did not account for the number and brightness of X-ray binaries – binary systems made of a normal star and a collapsed star – among Population III stars, and how they affect the 21-centimetre signal.

Unlike optical telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope, which capture vivid images, radio astronomy relies on statistical analysis of faint signals. REACH and SKA will not be able to image individual stars, but will instead provide information about entire populations of stars, X-ray binary systems and galaxies.

“It takes a bit of imagination to connect radio data to the story of the first stars, but the implications are profound,” said Fialkov.

“The predictions we are reporting have huge implications for our understanding of the nature of the very first stars in the Universe,” said co-author Dr Eloy de Lera Acedo, Principal Investigator of the REACH telescope and PI at Cambridge of the SKA development activities. “We show evidence that our radio telescopes can tell us details about the mass of those first stars and how these early lights may have been very different from today’s stars.

“Radio telescopes like REACH are promising to unlock the mysteries of the infant Universe, and these predictions are essential to guide the radio observations we are doing from the Karoo, in South Africa.”

The research was supported in part by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Anastasia Fialkov is a Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge. Eloy de Lera Acedo is an STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellow and a Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge.

 

Reference:
T. Gessey-Jones et al. ‘Determination of the mass distribution of the first stars from the 21-cm signal.’ Nature Astronomy (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02575-x

Understanding how the universe transitioned from darkness to light with the formation of the first stars and galaxies is a key turning point in the universe’s development, known as the Cosmic Dawn. However, even with the most powerful telescopes, we can’t directly observe these earliest stars, so determining their properties is one of the biggest challenges in astronomy.

This is a unique opportunity to learn how the universe’s first light emerged from the darknessAnastasia FialkovESA/Webb, NASA, ESA, CSAThe image shows a deep galaxy field, featuring thousands of galaxies of various shapes and sizes

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YesLicence type: Attribution

Dr Alex Tsompanidis, senior researcher at the Autism Research Centre in the University of Cambridge, and the lead author of this new study, said: “Small variations in the prenatal levels of steroid hormones, like testosterone and oestrogen, can predict the rate of social and cognitive learning in infants and even the likelihood of conditions such as autism. This prompted us to consider their relevance for human evolution.”

One explanation for the evolution of the human brain may be in the way humans adapted to be social. Professor Robin Dunbar, an Evolutionary Biologist at the University of Oxford and joint senior author of this new study said: “We’ve known for a long time that living in larger, more complex social groups is associated with increases in the size of the brain. But we still don’t know what mechanisms may link these behavioural and physical adaptations in humans.”

In this new paper, published today in Evolutionary Anthropology, the researchers now propose that the mechanism may be found in prenatal sex steroid hormones, such as testosterone or oestrogens, and the way these affect the developing brain and behaviour in humans.

Using ‘mini-brains’ – clusters of human neuronal cells that are grown in a petri dish from donors’ stem cells – other scientists have been able to study, for the first time, the effects of these hormones on the human brain. Recent discoveries have shown that testosterone can increase the size of the brain, while oestrogens can improve the connectivity between neurons.

In both humans and other primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas, the placenta can link the mother’s and baby’s endocrine systems to produce these hormones in varying amounts.

Professor Graham Burton, Founding Director of the Loke Centre of Trophoblast Research at the University of Cambridge and coauthor of the new paper, said: “The placenta regulates the duration of the pregnancy and the supply of nutrients to the fetus, both of which are crucial for the development of our species’ characteristically large brains. But the advantage of human placentas over those of other primates has been less clear.”

Two previous studies show that levels of oestrogen during pregnancy are higher in human pregnancies than in other primate species.

Another characteristic of humans as a species is our ability to form and maintain large social groups, larger than other primates and other extinct species, such as Neanderthals. But to be able to do this, humans must have adapted in ways that maintain high levels of fertility, while also reducing competition in large groups for mates and resources.

Prenatal sex steroid hormones, such as testosterone and oestrogen, are also important for regulating the way males and females interact and develop, a process known as sex differentiation. For example, having higher testosterone relative to oestrogen leads to more male-like features in anatomy (e.g., in physical size and strength) and in behaviour (e.g., in competition).

But in humans, while these on-average sex differences exist, they are reduced, compared to our closest primate relatives and relative to other extinct human species (such as the Neanderthals). Instead, anatomical features that are specific to humans appear to be related more to aspects of female rather than male biology, and to the effects of oestrogens (e.g., reduced body hair, and a large ratio between the second and fourth digit).

The researchers propose that the key to explain this may lie again with the placenta, which rapidly turns testosterone to oestrogens, using an enzyme called aromatase. Recent discoveries show that humans have higher levels of aromatase compared to macaques, and that males may have slightly higher levels compared to females.

Bringing all these lines of evidence together, the authors propose that high levels of prenatal sex steroid hormones in the womb, combined with increased placental function, may have made human brains larger and more interconnected. At the same time, a lower ratio of androgens (like testosterone) to oestrogens may have led to reductions in competition between males, while also improving fertility in females, allowing humans to form larger, more cohesive social groups.

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge and joint senior author on the paper, said: “We have been studying the effects of prenatal sex steroids on neurodevelopment for the past 20 years. This has led to the discovery that prenatal sex steroids are important for neurodiversity in human populations. This new hypothesis takes this further in arguing that these hormones may have also shaped the evolution of the human brain.”

Dr Tsompanidis added: “Our hypothesis puts pregnancy at the heart of our story as a species. The human brain is remarkable and unique, but it does not develop in a vacuum. Adaptations in the placenta and the way it produces sex steroid hormones may have been crucial for our brain’s evolution, and for the emergence of the cognitive and social traits that make us human.”

Reference

Tsompanidis, A et al. The placental steroid hypothesis of human brain evolution. Evolutionary Anthropology; 20 June 2025; DOI: 10.1002/evan.70003

The placenta and the hormones it produces may have played a crucial role in the evolution of the human brain, while also leading to the behavioural traits that have made human societies able to thrive and expand, according to a new hypothesis proposed by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

Our hypothesis puts pregnancy at the heart of our story as a speciesAlex TsompanidisNadzeya Haroshka (Getty Images)Models of a fetus in the womb and of the brain

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Yes

Representatives from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Cambridge Zero, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Cambridge Judge Business School convened the session and were joined by a range of experts working on climate change-related research and education. Every speaker from across higher education highlighted the importance of identifying misinformation and disinformation in tackling climate action. Read more about the workshop here.

University of Cambridge experts highlighted the key role of education in combatting climate misinformation at a Global Sustainable Development Congress (GDSC) workshop in Turkey. Read about the GDSC workshop here

Photo of group at the conference in Turkey

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Yes

Today, all non-Africans are known to have descended from a small group of people that ventured into Eurasia around 50,000 years ago. However, fossil evidence shows that there were numerous failed dispersals before this time that left no detectable traces in living people.

In a new study published today in the journal in Nature, scientists say that from around 70,000 years ago, early humans began to exploit different habitat types in Africa in ways not seen before.

At this time, our ancestors started to live in the equatorial forests of West and Central Africa, and in the Sahara and Sahel desert regions of North Africa, where they encountered a range of new environmental conditions.

As they adapted to life in these diverse habitats, early humans gained the flexibility to tackle the range of novel environmental conditions they would encounter during their expansion out of Africa.

This increase in the human niche may have been the result of social adaptations, such as long-distance social networks, which allowed for an increase in cultural exchange. The process would have been self-reinforcing: as people started to inhabit a wider proportion of the African continent, regions previously disconnected would have come into contact, leading to further exchanges and possibly even greater flexibility. The final outcome was that our species became the ultimate generalist, able to tackle a wider range of environments.

Andrea Manica, Professor of Evolutionary Ecology in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology, who co-led the study with Professor Eleanor Scerri from the Max Plank Institute of Bioanthropology in Germany, said: “Around 70,000-50,000 years ago, the easiest route out of Africa would have been more challenging than during previous periods, and yet this expansion was big - and ultimately successful.”

Manica added: “It’s incredibly exciting that we were able to look back in time and pinpoint the changes that enabled our ancestors to successfully migrate out of Africa.”

Dr Emily Hallett of Loyola University Chicago, co-lead author of the study, said: “We assembled a dataset of archaeological sites and environmental information covering the last 120,000 years in Africa. We used methods developed in ecology to understand changes in human environmental niches - the habitats humans can use and thrive in - during this time.” 

Dr Michela Leonardi at the University of Cambridge and London’s Natural History Museum, the study’s other lead author, said: “Our results showed that the human niche began to expand significantly from 70,000 years ago, and that this expansion was driven by humans increasing their use of diverse habitat types, from forests to arid deserts.” 

Many explanations for the uniquely successful dispersal out of Africa have previously been made, from technological innovations, to immunities granted by interbreeding with Eurasian hominins. But there is no evidence of technological innovation, and previous interbreeding does not appear to have helped the long-term success of previous attempts to spread out of Africa.

“Unlike previous humans dispersing out of Africa, those human groups moving into Eurasia after around 60-50,000 years ago were equipped with a distinctive ecological flexibility as a result of coping with climatically challenging habitats,” said Scerri. “This likely provided a key mechanism for the adaptive success of our species beyond their African homeland.”

Previous human dispersals out of Africa - which were not successful in the long term - seem to have happened during particularly favourable windows of increased rainfall in the Saharo-Arabian desert belt, which created ‘green corridors’ for people to move into Eurasia.

The environmental flexibility developed in Africa from around 70,000 years ago ultimately resulted in modern humans’ unique ability to adapt and thrive in diverse environments, and to cope with varying environmental conditions throughout life.

This research was supported by funding from the Max Planck Society, European Research Council and Leverhulme Trust.

Adapted from a press release by the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Germany

Reference: Hallett, E. Y. et al: ‘Major expansion in the human niche preceded out of Africa dispersal.’ Nature, June 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09154-0.

Before the ‘Out of Africa’ migration that led our ancestors into Eurasia and beyond, human populations learned to adapt to new and challenging habitats including African forests and deserts, which was key to the long-term success of our species’ dispersal.

It’s incredibly exciting that we were able to look back in time and pinpoint the changes that enabled our ancestors to successfully migrate out of Africa.Andrea ManicaOndrej Pelanek and Martin PelanekAfrican Bush Elephant

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YesLicence type: Attribution-Noncommerical

The successful Cambridge grantees’ work covers a range of research areas, including the development of next-generation semiconductors, new methods to identify dyslexia in young children, how diseases spread between humans and animals, and the early changes that happen in cells before breast cancer develops, with the goal of finding ways to stop the disease before it starts.

The funding, worth €721 million in total, will go to 281 leading researchers across Europe. The Advanced Grant competition is one of the most prestigious and competitive funding schemes in the EU and associated countries, including the UK. It gives senior researchers the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. Advanced Grants may be awarded up to € 2.5 million for a period of five years. The grants are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. The UK agreed a deal to associate to Horizon Europe in September 2023.

This competition attracted 2,534 proposals, which were reviewed by panels of internationally renowned researchers. Over 11% of proposals were selected for funding. Estimates show that the grants will create approximately 2,700 jobs in the teams of new grantees. The new grantees will be based at universities and research centres in 23 EU Member States and associated countries, notably in the UK (56 grants), Germany (35), Italy (25), the Netherlands (24), and France (23).

“Many congratulations to our Cambridge colleagues on these prestigious ERC funding awards,” said Professor Sir John Aston, Cambridge’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research. “This type of long-term funding is invaluable, allowing senior researchers the time and space to develop potential solutions for some of biggest challenges we face. We are so fortunate at Cambridge to have so many world-leading researchers across a range of disciplines, and I look forward to seeing the outcomes of their work.”

The Cambridge recipients of 2025 Advanced Grants are:

Professor Clare Bryant (Department of Veterinary Medicine) for investigating human and avian pattern recognition receptor activation of cell death pathways, and the impact on the host inflammatory response to zoonotic infections.

Professor Sir Richard Friend (Cavendish Laboratory/St John’s College) for bright high-spin molecular semiconductors.

Professor Usha Goswami (Department of Psychology/St John’s College) for a cross-language approach to the early identification of dyslexia and developmental language disorder using speech production measures with children.

Professor Regina Grafe (Faculty of History) for colonial credit and financial diversity in the Global South: Spanish America 1600-1820.

Professor Judy Hirst (MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit/Corpus Christi College) for the energy-converting mechanism of a modular biomachine: Uniting structure and function to establish the engineering principles of respiratory complex I.

Professor Matthew Juniper (Department of Engineering/Trinity College) for adjoint-accelerated inference and optimisation methods.

Professor Walid Khaled (Department of Pharmacology/Magdalene College) for understanding precancerous changes in breast cancer for the development of therapeutic interceptions.

Professor Adrian Liston (Department of Pathology/St Catharine’s College) for dissecting the code for regulatory T cell entry into the tissues and differentiation into tissue-resident cells.

Professor Róisín Owens (Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology/Newnham College) for conformal organic devices for electronic brain-gut readout and characterisation.

Professor Emma Rawlins (Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience/Gurdon Institute) for reprogramming lung epithelial cell lineages for regeneration.

Dr Marta Zlatic (Department of Zoology/Trinity College) for discovering the circuit and molecular basis of inter-strain and inter-species differences in learning

“These ERC grants are our commitment to making Europe the world’s hub for excellent research,” said Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation. “By supporting projects that have the potential to redefine whole fields, we are not just investing in science but in the future prosperity and resilience of our continent. In the next competition rounds, scientists moving to Europe will receive even greater support in setting up their labs and research teams here. This is part of our “Choose Europe for Science” initiative, designed to attract and retain the world’s top scientists.”

“Much of this pioneering research will contribute to solving some of the most pressing challenges we face - social, economic and environmental,” said Professor Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council. “Yet again, many scientists - around 260 - with ground-breaking ideas were rated as excellent, but remained unfunded due to a lack of funds at the ERC. We hope that more funding will be available in the future to support even more creative researchers in pursuing their scientific curiosity.”

Eleven senior researchers at the University of Cambridge have been awarded Advanced Grants from the European Research Council – the highest number of grants awarded to any institution in this latest funding round.

Westend61 via Getty ImagesScientist pipetting samples into eppendorf tube

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Yes

In Invisible Rivals, published by Yale University Press today, Dr Goodman argues that throughout human history we have tried to rid our social groups of free-riders, people who take from others without giving anything back. But instead of eliminating free-riders, human evolution has just made them better at hiding their deception.

Goodman explains that humans have evolved to use language to disguise selfish acts and exploit our cooperative systems. He links this ‘invisible rivalry’ to the collapse of trust and consequent success of political strongmen today.

Goodman says: “We see this happening today, as evidenced by the rise of the Julius Caesar of our time—Donald Trump— but it is a situation that evolution has predicted since the origins of life and later, language, and which will only change form again even if the current crises are overcome.”

Goodman argues that over the course of human evolution “When we rid ourselves of ancient, dominant alphas, we traded overt selfishness for something perhaps even darker: the ability to move through society while planning and coordinating.”

“As much as we evolved to use language effectively to work together, to overthrow those brutish and nasty dominants that pervaded ancient society, we also (and do) use language to create opportunities that benefit us … We use language to keep our plans invisible. Humans, more than other known organisms, can cooperate until we imagine a way to compete, exploit, or coerce, and almost always rely on language to do so.”

Goodman, an expert on human social evolution at the University of Cambridge, identifies free-riding behaviour in everything from benefits cheating and tax evasion, to countries dodging action on climate change, and the actions of business leaders and politicians.

Goodman warns that “We can’t stop people free-riding, it’s part of our nature, the incurable syndrome… Free riders are among us at every level of society and pretending otherwise can make our own goals unrealistic, and worse, appear hopeless. But if we accept that we all have this ancient flaw, this ability to deceive ourselves and others, we can design policies around that and change our societies for the better.”

Lessons from our ancestors

Goodman points out that humans evolved in small groups meaning that over many generations we managed to design social norms to govern the distribution of food, water and other vital resources.

“People vied for power but these social norms helped to maintain a trend toward equality, balancing out our more selfish dispositions. Nevertheless, the free-rider problem persisted and using language we got better at hiding our cheating.”

One academic camp has argued that ancient humans used language to work together to overthrow and eject “brutish dominants”. The opposing view claims that this never happened and that humans are inherently selfish and tribal. Goodman rejects both extremes.

“If we accept the view that humans are fundamentally cooperative, we risk trusting blindly. If we believe everyone is selfish, we won’t trust anyone. We need to be realistic about human nature. We’re a bit of both so we need to learn how to place our trust discerningly.”

Goodman points out that our distant ancestors benefitted from risk-pooling systems, whereby all group members contributed labour and shared resources, but this only worked because it is difficult to hide tangible assets such as tools and food. While some hunter-gatherer societies continue to rely on these systems, they are ineffective in most modern societies in our globalized economy.

“Today most of us rely largely on intangible assets for monetary exchange so people can easily hide resources, misrepresent their means and invalidate the effectiveness of social norms around risk pooling,” Goodman says.

“We are flawed animals capable of deception, cruelty, and selfishness. The truth is hard to live with but confronting it through honest reflection about our evolutionary past gives us the tools to teach ourselves and others about how we can improve the future.”

Taking action: self-knowledge, education & policy

Goodman, who teaches students at Cambridge about the evolution of cooperation, argues that we reward liars from a young age and that this reinforces bad behaviour into adulthood.

“People tell children that cheaters don’t prosper, but in fact cheats who don’t get caught can do very well for themselves.”

“Evolutionarily speaking, appearing trustworthy but being selfish can be more beneficial to the individual. We need to recognise that and make a moral choice about whether we try to use people or to work with them.”

At the same time, Goodman thinks we need to arm ourselves intellectually with the power to tell who is credible and who is not. “Our most important tool for doing this is education,” he says. “We must teach people to think ethically for themselves, and to give them the tools to do so.”

But Goodman cautions that even the tools we use to expose exploiters are open to exploitation: “Think about how people across the political sphere accuse others of virtue signalling or abusing a well-intentioned political movement for their own gain.”

Goodman believes that exposing free-riders is more beneficial than punishment. “Loss of social capital through reputation is an important motivator for anyone,” he argues, suggesting that journalistic work exposing exploitation can be as effective at driving behaviour change as criminal punishment.

“The dilemma each of us faces now is whether to confront invisible rivalry or to let exploiters undermine society until democracy in the free world unravels—and the freedom of dissent is gone.”

Dr Jonathan R Goodman is a research associate at Cambridge Public Health and a social scientist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Invisible Rivals: How We Evolved to Compete in a Cooperative World is published by Yale University Press on 17 June 2025 (ISBN: 9780300274356)

To save democracy and solve the world's biggest challenges, we need to get better at spotting and exposing people who exploit human cooperation for personal gain, argues Cambridge social scientist Dr Jonathan Goodman.

If we accept that we all have this ancient flaw, we can change our societies for the betterJonathan R GoodmanRalph via PixabayClose up of a handshake between two men wearing suits, with dollar bills in the background

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YesLicence type: Attribution

After winning a nail-biting East of England final, which was held as part of the Cambridge Festival in April 2025, Spatika went on to represent the East of England in the UK final with her presentation on Time Travel with Your Brain. She will now go on to represent the UK in the International Final taking place live at CERN Science Gateway in Switzerland to mark the 20 year anniversary of the competition. 

“I was so surprised I won!”, said Spatika. “The other communicators were fantastic and we travelled through so many topics from planets to parasites and more!”. 

Spatika took part in FameLab because she enjoyed talking about science to non-scientists and bringing some meaning to the complex work taking place in the labs. “I wanted a chance to bring humour into the science, because most of the times science is presented in professional environments, it’s all very serious”, added Spatika.  

“I would recommend FameLab for anyone who’s even a tiny bit interested in knowing what happens to science when it’s let out in the wild!” 

Claudia Antolini, Public Engagement Manager at the University of Cambridge said, “We are delighted for Spatika to represent the UK at the International FameLab final. Both at the East of England regional competition and the UK final Spatika gave outstanding performances, scientifically accurate but also extremely engaging with wise-cracking humour. We wish her the best of luck and we look forward to cheering her on for the International Final.” 

The FameLab final will be streamed live from CERN on YouTube. 

Spatika Jayaram is a PhD student and Gates Cambridge Scholar in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience and Magdalene College. In her research, she looks at social and emotional behaviours emerging across development, and how regions within the prefrontal cortex contribute to their regulation. 

FameLab was created by Cheltenham Festivals in 2005 and is the largest science communication competition and training programme in the world. Participants have just three minutes to convey a scientific concept of their choice to an audience and expert panel of judges with no presentations and limited props. 

Earlier this month, Cambridge PhD student Spatika Jayaram was crowned the winner of the FameLab 2025 UK final at this year’s Cheltenham Science Festival.  

Still Moving Media for Cheltenham Festivals

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Yes

This year's prize winners are;

Dr Tore Butlin - Department of Engineering/Queens' College 

Tore has played a key role in reshaping the engineering course content and led the design of the new IA mechanics syllabus.

Dr Alexander Carter - Institute of Continuing Education/Fitzwilliam College

As Academic Director for Philosophy & Interdisciplinary Studies, Alexander leads a broad-ranging portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in philosophy, creativity theory and research skills.

Dr Nicholas Evans - Department of Clinical Neurosciences/Wolfson College 

Nicholas has demonstrated an impressive commitment to medical education at the Clinical School for over a decade. As a mentor he has also shown a keen interest in student welfare.

Dr James Fergusson - Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

James is an outstanding lecturer who brings outstanding passion to everything he does. He has been heavily involved in establishing and supporting the new MPhil in Data Intensive science. 

Dr Marta Halina - Department of History and Philosophy of Science/Selwyn College

Marta has almost single-handedly overhauled the History and Philosophy of Science Tripos making it a more sought after course. She has led a major restructuring of the MPhil course and has introduced the increasingly popular module, AI in healthcare.

Paul Hoegger - University Language Centre/Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics/Fitzwilliam College 

Paul is a teacher of German much respected by generations of students. Over the years he has created several new courses including one on German literature through the ages and one on the poetry of Schubert.

Dr Kate Hughes - Department of Veterinary Medicine/Girton College

Kate makes a valued contribution to Years 4 - 6 of the veterinary programme. She led the design of a new final year rotation in anatomic pathology for which she is educational lead.

Dr Mairi Kilkenny - Department of Biochemistry/Queen's College

Mairi delivers innovative and creative teaching with the Department of Biochemistry often incorporating digital media to stimulate the interest of her students. She's also a supervisor for several Colleges. 

Dr Ewa Marek - Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology/Jesus College

Ewa is a valued lecturer, supervisor and Director of Studies. Passionate about sustainability, Ewa developed a new Part 1A course which introduces the topic in the context of chemical and biochemical engineering.

Dr Isabelle McNeill - Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics/Trinity Hall

Isabelle was a passionate and outstanding teacher who made vibrant contributions to French and to Film and Screen within the Faculty. A co-founder and trustee of the Cambridge Film Trust, Isabelle was made aware of her prize two days before she sadly passed away in February. She will be much missed by colleagues and students alike.

Dr Ali Meghji - Department of Sociology/Sidney Sussex College

Ali has been instrumental in creating a whole new Tripos paper in the Department (Empire, Colonialism, Imperialism). As a teacher, he repeatedly receives glowing comments from students on the clarity of his exposition, the contemporary relevance of his topics, and his effective use of technology. 

Dr Liam Saddington - Department of Geography/Lucy Cavendish College

Liam was recruited as Training and Skills Director for the Tripos with a remit to oversee the quantitative and qualitative research training across the degree. He has led new innovations, such as creating a museum field trip for first-year students, organising a 'COP Cambridge' simulation for second-year students, and developing the dissertation 'research carousel'. 

Dr Christopher Tilmouth - Faculty of English

Chris' visionary leadership has reshaped both undergraduate and postgraduate education at Cambridge. As Director of Undergraduate Studies, Chris introduced critical reforms to enhance student progression.

Dr Juliet Usher-Smith - Department of Public Health and Primary Care/Emmanuel College

Juliet has made important contributions to the Department through direct teaching, supervision and mentoring and goes the extra mile to foster a culture in which teaching and learning is valued by all. 

The winners were presented with their awards by the University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, at a ceremony also attended by Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Environmental Sustainability), Professor Bhaskar Vira. He said “The Pilkington Prize Award ceremony is one of my favourite events in the University calendar. It’s always deeply satisfying to see hard-working staff recognised for their commitment and dedication to teaching and learning. We all know that behind every great student is a great teacher and I feel privileged to work alongside such excellent colleagues.”

A total of fourteen dedicated and talented staff have been awarded the Pilkington Prize this year. The annual prizes are awarded in the name of Sir Alastair Pilkington to acknowledge excellence in teaching and to recognise the contribution each individual makes to a Department or Faculty. 

It’s always deeply satisfying to see hard-working staff recognised for their commitment and dedication to teaching and learningProf Bhaskar ViraLloyd Mann Winners of the 2025 Pilkington Prize

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Yes

Cambridge Zero Director Professor Emily Shuckburgh (Fellow of Darwin, Trinity alumna) has received a CBE for services to Climate Science and to the Public Communication of Climate Science.   

"I am deeply honoured to accept this recognition, which is a reflection of the collective efforts of many scientists, communicators, educators, and advocates who strive every day to make climate science accurate, accessible and actionable at a time when honesty, clarity and urgency are more important than ever,” Professor Shuckburgh said.

Alongside leading the University of Cambridge’s major climate change initiative, Cambridge Zero, Emily is also Professor of Environmental Data Science at the Department of Computer Science and Technology. Her primary research is focused on the application of AI to climate science and in this context she is Academic Director of the Institute of Computing for Climate Science, and co-Director of the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training on the Application of AI to the study of Environmental Risks (AI4ER).

Professor Gordon Dougan (Fellow of Wolfson College), an Emeritus Professor who continues to work in the University’s Department of Medicine, and former Director of the Infection Health Challenge area at Wellcome, UK, has been awarded a CBE For services to Vaccines and to Global Health.

Prof Dougan is an internationally recognised expert in vaccinology, global health and infections. He was Head of Pathogens at The Wellcome Sanger Institute (WTSI) for over a decade and worked in the pharmaceutical industry (Wellcome Foundation/GSK) for part of his career, developing novel vaccines and other medicines. He has worked as an advisor to health agencies, industry, academia and regulatory agencies. He is an expert on the molecular basis of infection with a strong emphasis on pathogenic mechanisms/immunity, genomics, disease tracking and antibiotic resistance. He is currently President of the Microbiology Society of the UK.

He said: “I am delighted to receive this important recognition for my work and the people I have worked with and for. Applying science to the benefit of people and health is what I have been working toward throughout my career. I can recommend this path to anyone.”

Details of University alumni who are recognised in the King's Birthday Honours will be published on www.alumni.cam.ac.uk.

The University extends its congratulations to all academics, staff and alumni who have received an honour.

Academics at the University of Cambridge are among those featured in the King's Birthday Honours 2025, which recognises the achievements and contributions of people across the UK.

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Yes

Why are there so many different kinds of animals and plants on Earth? One of biology’s big questions is how new species arise and how nature’s incredible diversity came to be.

Cichlid fish from Lake Malawi in East Africa offer a clue. In this single lake, over 800 different species have evolved from a common ancestor in a fraction of the time it took for humans and chimpanzees to evolve from their common ancestor.

What’s even more remarkable is that the diversification of cichlids happened all in the same body of water. Some of these fish became large predators, others adapted to eat algae, sift through sand, or feed on plankton. Each species found its own ecological niche.

Now, researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Antwerp have determined how this evolution may have happened so quickly. Their results are reported in the journal Science.

The researchers looked at the DNA of over 1,300 cichlids to see if there’s something special about their genes that might explain this rapid evolution. “We discovered that, in some species, large chunks of DNA on five chromosomes are flipped – a type of mutation called a chromosomal inversion,” said senior author Hennes Svardal from the University of Antwerp.

Normally, when animals reproduce, their DNA gets reshuffled in a process called recombination – mixing the genetic material from both parents. But this mixing is blocked within a chromosomal inversion. This means that gene combinations within the inversion are passed down intact without mixing, generation after generation, keeping useful adaptations together and speeding up evolution.

“It’s sort of like a toolbox where all the most useful tools are stuck together, preserving winning genetic combinations that help fish adapt to different environments,” said first author Moritz Blumer from Cambridge’s Department of Genetics.

These preserved sets of genes are sometimes called ‘supergenes. In Malawi cichlids, the supergenes seem to play several important roles. Although cichlid species can still interbreed, the inversions help keep species separate by preventing their genes from blending too much. This is especially useful in parts of the lake where fish live side by side – like in open sandy areas where there’s no physical separation between habitats.

The genes inside these supergenes often control traits that are key for survival and reproduction – such as vision, hearing, and behaviour. For example, fish living deep in the lake (down to 200 meters) need different visual abilities than those near the surface, require different food, and need to survive at higher pressures. Their supergenes help maintain those special adaptations.

“When different cichlid species interbred, entire inversions can be passed between them – bringing along key survival traits, like adaptations to specific environments, speeding up the process of evolution,” said Blumer.

The inversions also frequently act as sex chromosomes, helping determine whether a fish becomes male or female. Since sex chromosomes can influence how new species form, this opens new questions about how evolution works.

“While our study focused on cichlids, chromosomal inversions aren’t unique to them,” said co-senior author Professor Richard Durbin, from Cambridge’s Department of Genetics. “They’re also found in many other animals — including humans — and are increasingly seen as a key factor in evolution and biodiversity.”

“We have been studying the process of speciation for a long time,” said Svardal. “Now, by understanding how these supergenes evolve and spread, we’re getting closer to answering one of science’s big questions: how life on Earth becomes so rich and varied.”

Reference:
L. M. Blumer, V. Burskaia, I. Artiushin, J. Saha et al. ‘Introgression dynamics of sex- linked chromosomal inversions shape the Malawi cichlid radiation.’ Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adr9961

Researchers have found that chunks of ‘flipped’ DNA can help fish quickly adapt to new habitats and evolve into new species, acting as evolutionary ‘superchargers’.

banusevim via Getty ImagesDolphin cichlid (Cyrtocara moorii)

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Yes

The Guardian calls it “shattering.” The Stage heralds it as a “challenging, artfully constructed indictment of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.”

Written by Anastasiia Kosodii and Josephine Burton, and directed by Burton, The Reckoning channels voices of Ukrainians across the country – a priest, a volunteer, a dentist, a security guard, a journalist – who are forced to confront the sudden horrors of invasion and occupation and to repair bonds of trust amid violence and fear. These voices are real, drawn from witness statements collected and conserved by the journalists and lawyers behind The Reckoning Project.

Rory Finnin, Professor of Ukrainian Studies and a Fellow of Robinson College at Cambridge, collaborated with Burton to help shape the play. His decades of research into Ukraine’s culture and society formed the basis for a grant in support of The Reckoning from the University of Cambridge’s AHRC Impact Starter Fund account.

“Our collaboration with Rory Finnin has been invaluable throughout the making of The Reckoning,” said Burton, who is also Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Dash Arts. “Rory’s insights into Ukraine’s past and present gave me deeper grounding as a director and co-writer and helped sharpen the questions the play asks of its audience.”

The Reckoning blends dynamic storytelling with movement, music, and food to forge new routes of solidarity and understanding with the audience. As Everything Theatre notes in a glowing review, “We leave not as passive spectators but as an active part of the struggle.”

Attendees share in a summer salad made over the course of the play by the Ukrainian and British cast – Tom Godwin, Simeon Kyslyi, Marianne Oldham, and Olga Safronova – who bring empathy, humour, and integrity to each scene. The conclusion of each performance features an invited speaker from the audience who comes to the stage to reckon with their own experience of the play from different ethical and intellectual perspectives.

Professor Finnin spoke on the play’s first night at the Arcola Theatre.

“Over three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, we are too often tempted to turn our eyes away from Ukraine,” said Finnin. “But The Reckoning empowers us to look closely and to see with new purpose. It has been an incredible privilege to support a dynamic work of art that brings Ukrainian voices to the fore and challenges us to listen and respond to them, with urgency and moral clarity.”

The Reckoning runs through 28 June at London’s Arcola Theatre.

The Reckoning is an intimate work of documentary theatre composed from a verified archive of witness testimonies chronicling Russia’s war of aggression. It is now playing at London’s Arcola Theatre to universal acclaim.

We are too often tempted to turn our eyes away from UkraineRory FinninDash ArtsThe Reckoning being performed at the Arcola Theatre, London, in 2025

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YesLicence type: Attribution

Smartphone apps that track menstrual cycles are a “gold mine” for consumer profiling, collecting information on everything from exercise, diet and medication to sexual preferences, hormone levels and contraception use.

This is according to a new report from the University of Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, which argues that the financial worth of this data is “vastly underestimated” by users who supply profit-driven companies with highly intimate details in a market lacking in regulation.

The report’s authors caution that cycle tracking app (CTA) data in the wrong hands could result in risks to job prospects, workplace monitoring, health insurance discrimination and cyberstalking – and limit access to abortion.

They call for better governance of the booming ‘femtech’ industry to protect users when their data is sold at scale, arguing that apps must provide clear consent options rather than all-or-nothing data collection, and urge public health bodies to launch alternatives to commercial CTAs.

“Menstrual cycle tracking apps are presented as empowering women and addressing the gender health gap,” said Dr Stefanie Felsberger, lead author of the report from Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre. “Yet the business model behind their services rests on commercial use, selling user data and insights to third parties for profit.”

“There are real and frightening privacy and safety risks to women as a result of the commodification of the data collected by cycle tracking app companies.”

As most cycle tracking apps are targeted at women aiming to get pregnant, the download data alone is of huge commercial value, say researchers, as – other than home buying – no life event is linked to such dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour.

In fact, data on pregnancy is believed to be over two hundred times more valuable than data on age, gender or location for targeted advertising. The report points out that period tracking could also be used to target women at different points in their cycle. For example, the oestrogen or ‘mating’ phase could see an increase in cosmetics adverts.

Just the three most popular apps had estimated global download figures of a quarter of a billion in 2024. So-called femtech – digital products focused on women’s health and wellbeing – is estimated to reach over US$60 billion by 2027, with cycle tracking apps making up half of this market.

With such intense demand for period tracking, the report argues that the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) should develop its own transparent and trustworthy app to rival those from private companies, with apps allowing permission for data to be used in valid medical research.

“The UK is ideally positioned to solve the question of access to menstrual data for researchers, as well as privacy and data commodification concerns, by developing an NHS app to track menstrual cycles,” said Felsberger, who points out that Planned Parenthood in the US already has its own app, but the UK lacks an equivalent.

“Apps that are situated within public healthcare systems, and not driven primarily by profit, will mitigate privacy violations, provide much-needed data on reproductive health, and give people more agency over how their menstrual data is used.”

“The use of cycle tracking apps is at an all-time high,” said Prof Gina Neff, Executive Director of Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre. “Women deserve better than to have their menstrual tracking data treated as consumer data, but there is a different possible future.”

“Researchers could use this data to help answer questions about women’s health. Care providers could use this data for important information about their patients’ health. Women could get meaningful insights that they are searching for,” Neff said.

In the UK and EU, period tracking data is considered “special category”, as with that on genetics or ethnicity, and has more legal safeguarding. However, the report highlights how in the UK, apps designed for women's health have been used to charge women for illegally accessing abortion services

In the US, data about menstrual cycles has been collected by officials in an attempt to undermine abortion access. Despite this, data from CTAs are regulated simply as “general wellness” and granted no special protections.

“Menstrual tracking data is being used to control people’s reproductive lives,” said Felsberger. “It should not be left in the hands of private companies.”

Investigations by media, non-profit, and consumer groups have revealed CTAs sharing data with third parties ranging from advertisers and data brokers to tech giants such as Facebook and Google.

The report cites work published last month from Privacy International showing that, while the major CTA companies have updated their approach to data sharing, device information is still collected in the UK and US with “no meaningful consent”.

Despite data protection improvements, the report suggests that user information is still shared with third parties such as cloud-based delivery networks that move the data around, and outside developers contracted to handle app functionalities.

At the very least, commercial apps could include delete buttons, says Felsberger, allowing users to erase data in the app as well as the company servers, helping protect against situations – from legal to medical – where data could be used against them. 

“Menstrual tracking in the US should be classed as medical data,” said Felsberger. “In the UK and EU, where this data is already afforded special category status, more focus needs to be placed on enforcing existing regulation.”

The report stresses the need to improve public awareness and digital literacy around period tracking. The researchers argue that schools should educate students on medical data apps and privacy, so young people are less vulnerable to health hoaxes.

The report ‘The High Stakes of Tracking Menstruation’ is authored by Dr Stefanie Felsberger with a foreword by Professor Gina Neff and published by the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy (MCTD).

Cambridge researchers urge public health bodies like the NHS to provide trustworthy, research-driven alternatives to platforms driven by profit.

Women deserve better than to have their menstrual tracking data treated as consumer dataProf Gina NeffEKIN KIZILKAYA via GettyMenstruation cycle application on smart phone

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Yes