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Hinton (King’s 1967) and Hopfield were awarded the prize “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.” Hinton, who is known as the ‘Godfather of AI’ is Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. He is the 122nd member of the University of Cambridge to be awarded the Nobel Prize.

This year’s two Nobel Laureates in Physics have used tools from physics to develop methods that are the foundation of today’s powerful machine learning. John Hopfield created an associative memory that can store and reconstruct images and other types of patterns in data. Geoffrey Hinton invented a method that can autonomously find properties in data, and perform tasks such as identifying specific elements in pictures.

When we talk about artificial intelligence, we often mean machine learning using artificial neural networks. This technology was originally inspired by the structure of the brain. In an artificial neural network, the brain’s neurons are represented by nodes that have different values. These nodes influence each other through con­nections that can be likened to synapses and which can be made stronger or weaker. The network is trained, for example by developing stronger connections between nodes with simultaneously high values. This year’s laureates have conducted important work with artificial neural networks from the 1980s onward.

John Hopfield invented a network that uses a method for saving and recreating patterns. We can imagine the nodes as pixels. The Hopfield network uses physics that describes a material’s characteristics due to its atomic spin – a property that makes each atom a tiny magnet. The network as a whole is described in a manner equivalent to the energy in the spin system found in physics, and is trained by finding values for the connections between the nodes so that the saved images have low energy. When the Hopfield network is fed a distorted or incomplete image, it methodically works through the nodes and updates their values so the network’s energy falls. The network thus works stepwise to find the saved image that is most like the imperfect one it was fed with.

Geoffrey Hinton used the Hopfield network as the foundation for a new network that uses a different method: the Boltzmann machine. This can learn to recognise characteristic elements in a given type of data. Hinton used tools from statistical physics, the science of systems built from many similar components. The machine is trained by feeding it examples that are very likely to arise when the machine is run. The Boltzmann machine can be used to classify images or create new examples of the type of pattern on which it was trained. Hinton has built upon this work, helping initiate the current explosive development of machine learning.

“The laureates’ work has already been of the greatest benefit. In physics we use artificial neural networks in a vast range of areas, such as developing new materials with specific properties,” says Ellen Moons, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics.

Geoffrey Hinton, an alumnus of the University of Cambridge, was today awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, jointly with John Hopfield of Princeton University.

Ill. Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize OutreachIllustration of Geoffrey Hinton

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Yes

Using ultra-high-resolution scanners that can see the living brain in fine detail, researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford were able to observe the damaging effects Covid-19 can have on the brain.

The study team scanned the brains of 30 people who had been admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19 early in the pandemic, before vaccines were available. The researchers found that Covid-19 infection damages the region of the brainstem associated with breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety.

The powerful MRI scanners used for the study, known as 7-Tesla or 7T scanners, can measure inflammation in the brain. Their results, published in the journal Brain, will help scientists and clinicians understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the brain and the rest of the body. Although the study was started before the long-term effects of Covid were recognised, it will help to better understand this condition.

The brainstem, which connects the brain to the spinal cord, is the control centre for many basic life functions and reflexes. Clusters of nerve cells in the brainstem, known as nuclei, regulate and process essential bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate, pain and blood pressure.

“Things happening in and around the brainstem are vital for quality of life, but it had been impossible to scan the inflammation of the brainstem nuclei in living people, because of their tiny size and difficult position.” said first author Dr Catarina Rua, from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences. “Usually, scientists only get a good look at the brainstem during post-mortem examinations.”

“The brainstem is the critical junction box between our conscious selves and what is happening in our bodies,” said Professor James Rowe, also from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, who co-led the research. “The ability to see and understand how the brainstem changes in response to Covid-19 will help explain and treat the long-term effects more effectively.”

In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, before effective vaccines were available, post-mortem studies of patients who had died from severe Covid-19 infections showed changes in their brainstems, including inflammation. Many of these changes were thought to result from a post-infection immune response, rather than direct virus invasion of the brain.  

“People who were very sick early in the pandemic showed long-lasting brain changes, likely caused by an immune response to the virus. But measuring that immune response is difficult in living people,” said Rowe. “Normal hospital-type MRI scanners can’t see inside the brain with the kind of chemical and physical detail we need.”

“But with 7T scanners, we can now measure these details. The active immune cells interfere with the ultra-high magnetic field, so that we’re able to detect how they are behaving,” said Rua. “Cambridge was special because we were able to scan even the sickest and infectious patients, early in the pandemic.”

Many of the patients admitted to hospital early in the pandemic reported fatigue, breathlessness and chest pain as troubling long-lasting symptoms. The researchers hypothesised these symptoms were in part the result of damage to key brainstem nuclei, damage which persists long after Covid-19 infection has passed.

The researchers saw that multiple regions of the brainstem, in particular the medulla oblongata, pons and midbrain, showed abnormalities consistent with a neuroinflammatory response. The abnormalities appeared several weeks after hospital admission, and in regions of the brain responsible for controlling breathing.

“The fact that we see abnormalities in the parts of the brain associated with breathing strongly suggests that long-lasting symptoms are an effect of inflammation in the brainstem following Covid-19 infection,” said Rua. “These effects are over and above the effects of age and gender, and are more pronounced in those who had had severe Covid-19.”

In addition to the physical effects of Covid-19, the 7T scanners provided evidence of some of the psychiatric effects of the disease. The brainstem monitors breathlessness, as well as fatigue and anxiety. “Mental health is intimately connected to brain health, and patients with the most marked immune response also showed higher levels of depression and anxiety,” said Rowe. “Changes in the brainstem caused by Covid-19 infection could also lead to poor mental health outcomes, because of the tight connection between physical and mental health.”

The researchers say the results could aid in the understanding of other conditions associated with inflammation of the brainstem, like MS and dementia. The 7T scanners could also be used to monitor the effectiveness of different treatments for brain diseases.

“This was an incredible collaboration, right at the peak of the pandemic, when testing was very difficult, and I was amazed how well the 7T scanners worked,” said Rua. “I was really impressed with how, in the heat of the moment, the collaboration between lots of different researchers came together so effectively.”

The research was supported in part by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, and the University of Oxford COVID Medical Sciences Division Rapid Response Fund.

 

Reference:
Catarina Rua et al. ‘7-Tesla quantitative susceptibility mapping in COVID-19: brainstem effects and outcome associations.’ Brain (2024). DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae215

Damage to the brainstem – the brain’s ‘control centre’ – is behind long-lasting physical and psychiatric effects of severe Covid-19 infection, a study suggests.

University of Cambridge3D projections of QSM maps on the rendered brainstem

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Yes

Cambridge aspires to create a positive research culture where all staff working in research, whether in academic, technical or support roles, feel welcomed, supported and able to give of their best. The Research Culture Celebration event aims to recognise and celebrate the good practice that is already happening, and to inspire further efforts across the University.

The original idea for the nominations and event (where those honoured are put forward by their colleagues) was part of the Action Research on Research Culture (ARRC) project’s study on researcher development. The ARRC project is one of several initiatives to nurture and promote positive research culture at Cambridge. 

See the full list of nominees

The event coincides with the launch of a wider programme of work being led by the University's Research Culture Team. Four priority areas have been identified. These are: 

- Precarity: how do we address the issues created by fixed-term contracts in early research careers? 

- Access & Participation: who gets to do research? Can everyone fully participate as is expected of them? 

- Challenging interpersonal and group dynamics: how do we support researchers who are struggling with difficult research dynamics? How do we support leaders to change? 

- Time & space: how do we ensure people have the time and space to embody and enact good research culture? 

This year the Research Steering Committee, which oversees the work, is expecting to allocate between £600,000 and £700,000 to facilitate research culture activities around the University. It will also contact individual departments to better understand the concerns they have around research culture. If you would like to be involved, please contact the research culture team. 

For more about the event, including a gallery of images, see the Staff Hub (Cambridge users only; University login required).

Colleagues from across the University were recognised for their contributions to research culture at the inaugural Research Culture Celebration event on 30 September.

Three researchers at the University of Cambridge in conversation at an event celebrating colleagues for their positive contribution to research culture

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Yes

A Memorandum of Understanding – first signed between the institutions in 2009 to formally recognise their decades-long partnership – was renewed during a ceremony at the Belgian Embassy in London.

The relationship was first established in 1965 by the Belgian public interest organisation Fondation Wiener-Anspach (FWA), and since then students, researchers and academics have travelled across the Channel in both directions as part of academic exchanges.

The FWA promotes the development of scientific exchanges between the ULB and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge by awarding fellowships and grants, and by supporting research collaborations in all fields. It also organises conferences and encourages contacts between academics by funding short-term visits.

The ceremony was attended by Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University; Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University; Professor Anne Weyembergh, Vice-Rector for External Relations and Cooperation (ULB); Professor Didier Viviers, President of Fondation Wiener-Anspach, and Bruno van der Pluijm, Belgian Ambassador to the UK.

Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Prentice, said: “The partnership has allowed students and scholars in Brussels, in Cambridge and Oxford to find a firm footing in the world of academia and beyond. In the years ahead, I am confident that it will continue to enable new accomplishments and scientific breakthroughs, as well as the creation of innovative businesses and the nurturing of careers in public service on both sides of the Channel.”

The Vice-Chancellors of Cambridge and Oxford universities reaffirmed a triple partnership with Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) that has supported world-class research through cross-border collaborations for more than half a century.

"The partnership will continue to enable new accomplishments and scientific breakthroughs, as well as the creation of innovative businesses and the nurturing of careers in public service on both sides of the Channel."Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor

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Yes

This landmark achievement has been conducted by the FlyWire Consortium, a large international collaboration including researchers from the University of Cambridge, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, Princeton University, and the University of Vermont. It is published today in two papers in the journal Nature.

The diagram of all 139,255 neurons in the adult fly brain is the first of an entire brain for an animal that can walk and see. Previous efforts have completed the whole brain diagrams for much smaller brains, for example a fruit fly larva which has 3,016 neurons, and a nematode worm which has 302 neurons.

The researchers say the whole fly brain map is a key first step to completing larger brains. Since the fruit fly is a common tool in research, its brain map can be used to advance our understanding of how neural circuits work.

Dr Gregory Jefferis, from the University of Cambridge and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, one of the co-leaders of the research, said: “If we want to understand how the brain works, we need a mechanistic understanding of how all the neurons fit together and let you think. For most brains we have no idea how these networks function. 

“Flies can do all kinds of complicated things like walk, fly, navigate, and the males sing to the females. Brain wiring diagrams are a first step towards understanding everything we’re interested in – how we control our movement, answer the telephone, or recognise a friend.”

Dr Mala Murthy from Princeton University, one of the co-leaders of the research, said: “We have made the entire database open and freely available to all researchers. We hope this will be transformative for neuroscientists trying to better understand how a healthy brain works. In the future we hope that it will be possible to compare what happens when things go wrong in our brains, for example in mental health conditions.” 

Dr Marta Costa from the University of Cambridge, who was also involved in the research, said “This brain map, the biggest so far, has only been possible thanks to technical advances that didn’t seem possible ten years ago. It is a true testament to the way that innovation can drive research forward. The next steps will be to generate even bigger maps, such as a mouse brain, and ultimately, a human one.”

The scientists found that there were substantial similarities between the wiring in this map and previous smaller-scale efforts to map out parts of the fly brain. This led the researchers to conclude that there are many similarities in wiring between individual brains – that each brain isn’t a unique structure.

When comparing their brain diagram to previous diagrams of small areas of the brain, the researchers also found that about 0.5% of neurons have developmental variations that could cause connections between neurons to be mis-wired. The researchers say it will be important to understand, through future research, if these changes are linked to individuality or brain disorders. 

Making the map

3D rendering of all 140,000 neurons in the fruit fly brain. 3D rendering of all ~140k neurons in the fruit fly brain. Credit: Data source FlyWire.ai; Rendering by Philipp Schlegel (University of Cambridge/MRC LMB).

A whole fly brain is less than one millimetre wide. The researchers started with one female brain cut into seven thousand slices, each only 40 nanometres thick, that were previously scanned using high resolution electron microscopy in the laboratory of project co-leader Davi Bock at Janelia Research Campus in the US.

Analysing over 100 terabytes of image data (equivalent to the storage in 100 typical laptops) to extract the shapes of about 140,000 neurons and 50 million connections between them is too big a challenge for humans to complete manually. The researchers built on AI developed at Princeton University to identify and map neurons and their connections to each other.

However, the AI still makes many errors in datasets of this size. The Princeton University researchers established the FlyWire Consortium – made up of teams in more than 76 laboratories and 287 researchers around the world, as well as volunteers from the general public – which spent an estimated 33 person-years painstakingly proofreading all the data.

Dr Sebastian Seung, from Princeton University, who was one of the co-leaders of the research, said: “Mapping the whole brain has been made possible by advances in AI computing - it would have not been possible to reconstruct the entire wiring diagram manually. This is a display of how AI can move neuroscience forward. The fly brain is a milestone on our way to reconstructing a wiring diagram of a whole mouse brain.”

The researchers also annotated many details on the wiring diagram, such as classifying more than 8,000 cell types across the brain. This allows researchers to select particular systems within the brain for further study, such as the neurons involved in sight or movement. 

Dr Philipp Schlegel, the first author of one of the studies, from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said: “This dataset is a bit like Google Maps but for brains: the raw wiring diagram between neurons is like knowing which structures on satellite images of the Earth correspond to streets and buildings. Annotating neurons is like adding the names for streets and towns, business opening times, phone numbers and reviews to the map – you need both for it to be really useful.”

Simulating brain function

This is also the first whole brain wiring map – often called a connectome – to predict the function of all the connections between neurons. 

Neurons use electrical signals to send messages. Each neuron can have hundreds of branches that connect it to other neurons. The points where these branches meet and transmit signals between neurons are called synapses. There are two main ways that neurons communicate across synapses: excitatory (which promotes the continuation of the electrical signal in the receiving neuron), or inhibitory (which reduces the likelihood that the next neuron will transmit signals).

Researchers from the team used AI image scanning technology to predict whether each synapse was inhibitory or excitatory.

Dr Gregory Jefferis added: “To begin to simulate the brain digitally, we need to know not only the structure of the brain, but also how the neurons function to turn each other on and off.”

“Using our data, which has been shared online as we worked, other scientists have already started trying to simulate how the fly brain responds to the outside world. This is an important start, but we will need to collect many different kinds of data to produce reliable simulations of how a brain functions.”

Associate Professor Davi Bock, one of the co-leaders of the research from the University of Vermont, said: “The hyper-detail of electron microscopy data creates its own challenges, especially at scale. This team wrote sophisticated software algorithms to identify patterns of cell structure and connectivity within all that detail. 

“We now can make precise synaptic level maps and use these to better understand cell types and circuit structure at whole-brain scale. This will inevitably lead to a deeper understanding of how nervous systems process, store and recall information. I think this approach points the way forward for the analysis of future whole-brain connectomes, in the fly as well as in other species."

This research was conducted using a female fly brain. Since there are differences in neuronal structure between male and female fly brains, the researchers also plan to characterise a male brain in the future. 

The principal funders were the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative, Wellcome, Medical Research Council, Princeton University and National Science Foundation.

References

Schlegel, P. et al: Whole-brain annotation and multi-connectome cell typing of Drosophila. Nature, Oct 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07686-5

Dorkenwald, S. et al: Neuronal wiring diagram of an adult brain. Nature, Oct 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07558-y

 

The first wiring diagram of every neuron in an adult brain and the 50 million connections between them has been produced for a fruit fly.

Brain wiring diagrams are a first step towards understanding everything we’re interested in – how we control our movement, answer the telephone, or recognise a friend.Gregory Jefferis The first complete map of every neuron in an adult fly brain. FlyWire.ai; Rendering by Philipp Schlegel (University of Cambridge/MRC LMB). 3D rendering of all 140,000 neurons in the adult fruit fly brain.

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YesLicence type: Attribution-Noncommerical

It may seem odd, but we start at the end of the month because this year’s Race Equality Lecture will take place on Thursday 31st October. The lecture is titled “Racism without racists – how racism works in the USA and the western world.” It will be delivered by Professor Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Professor of Sociology at Duke University and former President of the American Sociological Association. It will take place in the Frankopan Hall at Jesus College and will be available to view online. Book your place here.

Lord Simon Woolley, Principal of Homerton College and co-founder of Operation Black Vote, will deliver the Olaudah Equiano Annual Lecture on Race Justice at Anglia Ruskin University on Wednesday 9th October. The event will take place at the Cambridge campus and starts at 6 pm. Lord Woolley is a tireless campaigner for equality, not just for Black communities but all under-represented or marginalised groups. During the event he will discuss the fight for racial equality drawing on his own personal experiences. Tickets can be booked here.

Lord Woolley will also participate in a ‘fireside chat’ at the Judge Business School on the afternoon of Thursday 17th October. The event will be chaired by Kamiar Mohaddes and will also include Tabitha Mwangi, Programme Director of the Mastercard Foundation, and Orobosa Isokpan from the Cambridge Africa Business Network. There will be networking opportunities as well but registration is essential. You can do that here. 

For those interested in modern art Robinson College is hosting two collaborative art workshops. The first, on Wednesday 16th October, will be hosted by London artist, Shem, on the theme ‘Black present now’. And then, on Saturday 19th October, the College will host Joshua Obichere, a Cambridge alumnus. Click here for details.

Also on the afternoon of Wednesday 16th October, St Edmund’s College will be hosting a panel discussion on the themes of Black excellence, health and wellness. Speakers include economist and entrepreneur Ebenezer Ademisoye, clinical scientist, Dr Rafia Al-Lamki and Mastercard Scholar, Godspower Major. Reserve your ticket here.

During the entire month of October, St Catharine’s College is hosting an exhibition showcasing the achievements of two prominent Black alumni. The pioneering doctor and civil rights activist Dr Cecil Clarke matriculated in 1914 in the first months of the First World War. Wendell Mottley was an Olympic athlete and economist who served as Trinidad and Tobago’s Finance Minister between 1991 and 1995. The exhibition commemorating them is being held in the Shakeshaft Library. Details of all the other College events can be found here. 

On Saturday 19th October Wolfson College hosts the ‘Blacktionary Show’. Authors Dr Maggie Semple and Jane Oremosu will be discussing their new work ‘My Little Book: A Blacktionary - The pocket guide to the language of race’. The book aims to help break down barriers when it comes to engaging in conversations on race. The event will be introduced by Dr Kenny Monrose, from the University’s Department of Sociology. More details about the event can be found here.

On Tuesday 22nd October Lord Woolley will again be participating in a discussion being held at Homerton College looking at how companies and other organisations promote equality and diversity in the face of a cultural backlash. Other prominent speakers include the successful businesswomen, Olu Orugboh and Yemi Jackson. Please register for a ticket here.

On Tuesday 29th October the University Library’s Really Popular Book Club will be discussing Bernadino Evaristo’s ‘Mr Loverman’. The book delves into the life of an Antiguan born immigrant living in Hackney, London, who leads a double life. The discussion will be hosted by Yvonne Battle Felton, Academic Director of Creative Writing at Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education. This is an online event. Details can be found here.

During the afternoon of Wed 30th October, the Black Advisory Hub is hosting a social and afternoon tea for Black students at St John’s College. It's one of many events the Hub is hosting. These include induction sessions for both undergraduates and postgraduates and the prizegiving ceremony for the Bridgetower essay competition. Please go the Black Advisory Hub’s website for information.

The Cambridge Students' Union is also hosting several events to mark Black History Month. Do check the website for more information. 

Black History Month in Cambridge brings an opportunity to take part in discussions, appreciate art and hear from a range of engaging speakers. 

Montage of faces

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Yes

Celebrating Cambridge’s most recent achievements – and looking ahead to the opportunities and challenges of the future – she emphasised both the University’s “extraordinary significance” in the UK, and the importance of its global outlook.

Prof Prentice used the speech, in Senate House, to announce the Collegiate University’s milestone success in reaching its £500m student support fundraising target, set in 2018.

This vital philanthropic support was transformative, said Prof Prentice, and had already enabled a number of Cambridge widening participation programmes and initiatives – including the Cambridge Foundation Year and scholarships for specific under-represented groups – to ensure the University continues to welcome students with the potential to thrive here, regardless of background. Student health and wellbeing services at Cambridge had also been transformed with generous gifts to the student support fundraising initiative, she said.

The Vice-Chancellor told Senate House: “I have met the students in many of these programmes, so for me, the student support initiative has names, faces, and life stories attached. It’s a thrilling achievement.”

Describing the University as a “national asset”, Prof Prentice went on to highlight Cambridge’s contribution to the rest of the UK, and its economy – estimated at approximately £30 billion a year.

The Vice-Chancellor said Cambridge’s reputation for expertise and world-class research meant it was uniquely placed to become the “go-to location for the world’s leading innovators”, and pointed to the University’s ambitious plans for Cambridge West and for an innovation hub to bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, spin-outs, and funders under one roof to “help solve the world’s biggest challenges”.

Her address also highlighted other significant milestones and initiatives, including the completion of the Ray Dolby Centre, the groundbreaking of the new Whittle Lab, the expansion of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, and the advanced planning stages of two new hospitals on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus – the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital and the Cambridge Children’s Hospital.

Prof Prentice finished the address by paying tribute to the University’s current Chancellor, Lord Sainsbury of Turville, who announced last year that he will step down. She expressed the University’s gratitude for “his unwavering service and his commitment to Cambridge.”

Professor Deborah Prentice marked the start of the academic year by delivering the Vice-Chancellor’s annual address to the University.

I have met the students in many of these programmes, so for me, the student support initiative has names, faces, and life stories attached. It’s a thrilling achievement.Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice

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Yes

The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024 – which captures the innovation ecosystem performance of 133 economies and tracks the global innovation trends – has ranked Cambridge as the world’s leading science and technological (S&T) cluster by intensity, in relation to its size, for the third consecutive year. San Jose, San Franciso (USA) was named second, unchanged from the 2023 Index, with Eindhoven, (Kingdom of the Netherlands) third.

S&T clusters are established by analysing patent-filing activity and scientific article publication relative to population, and documenting the geographical areas around the world with the highest density of inventors and scientific authors.

According to the Index, the Cambridge cluster filed 6,379 Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patent applications and published 35,000 scientific articles, both per 1 million inhabitants, over the past 5 years.

The University of Cambridge sits at the heart of this cluster, powering world-leading research, driving a vibrant innovation ecosystem, and cultivating a thriving environment for collaboration, services and investment. The University contributes nearly £30 billion to the UK economy annually, including over £23 billion from commercialisation and innovation activities.

According to the Global Innovation Index 2024: “S&T clusters – which can be entire regions or cities – serve as the backbone of a robust national innovation ecosystem. Situated in areas such as San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, Cambridge, Munich and Paris in Europe, or Bengaluru, Seoul, Shenzhen and Tokyo in Asia, these S&T clusters are home to renowned universities, brilliant scientists, R&D-intensive companies, and prolific inventors. It is the collaboration among these entities that results in the groundbreaking scientific advancements.”

Earlier this year, a report by Dealroom revealed that the Cambridge tech ecosystem has a combined value of $191 billion, representing 18% of the entire UK’s tech ecosystem and reinforcing Cambridge’s reputation as Europe’s deep tech leader.

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation, University of Cambridge, commented:

“It’s great to see this continued recognition of Cambridge as the world’s most intensive science and technological cluster. With its exceptional research and science, people and partners, companies and commitment, Cambridge drives innovation that fuels local, national, and global growth, tackling global challenges and delivering life-changing impact.”

Release first published by Cambridge Enterprise

Cambridge has once again been named as the most intensive science and technological cluster in the world, according to a new report ranking innovation around the globe.

 

 

It’s great to see this continued recognition of Cambridge as the world’s most intensive science and technological cluster. With its exceptional research and science, people and partners, companies and commitment, Cambridge drives innovation that fuels local, national, and global growth, tackling global challenges and delivering life-changing impact.Diarmuid O’Brien

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Yes

Read the full story here: 'An Undercurrent of Joy'

Sir David Attenborough spoke of the 'undercurrent of joy’ he feels during visits to the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI) when he stopped by the CCI conservation campus at the University of Cambridge this week.

Credit: Cambridge Conservation InitiativePhoto of Sir David Attenborough on a visit to Cambridge Conservation Research Initiative

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Yes

Representatives of the Semiconductors Point of Contact Group from the G7 group of nations met in Cambridge today. The meeting was held at ARM, which designs over 95% of the processors in the world. Representatives from the University of Cambridge, as well as representatives from local semiconductor companies, participated in the events.

Semiconductors underpin nearly every electrical, optical and quantum device, from mobile phones and medical equipment to electric vehicles. They are of global strategic significance due to the integral role they play in net zero, AI and quantum technology.

The G7 Semiconductor Points of Contact group is dedicated to facilitating information exchange and sharing best practises among G7 members. The PoC Group plans to exchange information on issues impacting the semiconductor industry, including pre-competitive industrial research & development priorities, sustainable manufacturing, the effect of non-market policies and practices, and crisis coordination channels.

Cambridge was chosen for today’s meeting in part because of its strong innovation ecosystem, which has produced more ‘unicorns’ – privately held startup companies valued at over US$1 billion – than anywhere else in the UK.

A 2023 report found that the University of Cambridge contributes nearly £30 billion to the UK economy annually and supports more than 86,000 jobs across the UK, including 52,000 in the East of England.

For every £1 the University spends, it creates £11.70 of economic impact, and for every £1 million of publicly-funded research income it receives, it generates £12.65 million in economic impact across the UK.

The National Quantum Strategy (2023) and the National Semiconductor Strategy (2023) highlight the UK’s national strengths in quantum and photonic technologies and compound semiconductors. These sectors foster growth and create high-skilled jobs, and position the UK as a hub of global innovation. 

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Cambridge, said: “Semiconductors are a vital technology for the UK’s economic growth, and Cambridge is a leader in semiconductor research and development. Working with our partners in academia, industry and government, we can develop next-generation semiconductor technologies and companies, and train the next generation of semiconductor scientists and engineers.” 

Prof. Andrea Ferrari, Director of the Cambridge Graphene Centre, hosted on behalf of the University, a formal dinner in Pembroke College today for the attendees of the G7 Semiconductors group. He stated that “Cambridge played a key foundational role in the development of electronics. The electron was discovered here in 1897, by JJ Thomson. In 1961, electron beam lithography, a key method for integrated circuit fabrication, was invented in Cambridge. These early achievements were followed by many advances in circuit design, innovative advanced materials, photonic and quantum communications. It is thus fitting that the G7 Semiconductors representatives met at the heart of where all started.”

Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said: "Semiconductors are an unseen but vital component in so many of the technologies we rely on in our lives and backing UK innovators offers a real opportunity to growth these firms into industry leaders, strengthening our £10 billion sector and ensuring it drives economic growth. Hosting the G7 semiconductors Points of Contact group is also a chance to showcase the UK’s competitive and growing sector and make clear our commitment to keeping the UK at the forefront of advancing technology."

 

Representatives from the G7 have met in Cambridge to discuss the main priorities for the future development of semiconductors and their impact on the global economy.

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Yes

Archaeological fieldwork in Morocco has discovered the earliest, previously unknown 3400–2900 BC farming society from a poorly understood period of north-west African prehistory. This is the earliest and largest agricultural complex yet found in Africa beyond the Nile.

This study, published in the journal Antiquity, reveals for the first time the importance of the Maghreb (north-west Africa) in the emergence of complex societies in the wider Mediterranean during the fourth and third millennia BC.

With a Mediterranean environment, a border with the Sahara desert and the shortest maritime crossing between Africa and Europe, the Maghreb is perfectly located as a hub for major cultural developments and intercontinental connections in the past.

Whilst the region’s importance during the Palaeolithic, Iron Age and Islamic periods is well known, there is a significant gap in knowledge of the archaeology of the Maghreb between c. 4000 and 1000 BC, a period of dynamic change across much of the Mediterranean.

To tackle this, a team of archaeologists led by Prof Cyprian Broodbank from the University of Cambridge, Prof Youssef Bokbot from INSAP, and Prof Giulio Lucarini from CNR-ISPC and ISMEO, have carried out collaborative, multidisciplinary archaeological fieldwork at Oued Beht, Morocco.

"For over thirty years I have been convinced that Mediterranean archaeology has been missing something fundamental in later prehistoric north Africa," said Broodbank. "Now, at last, we know that was right, and we can begin to think in new ways that acknowledge the dynamic contribution of Africans to the emergence and interactions of early Mediterranean societies."

"For more than a century the last great unknown of later Mediterranean prehistory has been the role played by the societies of Mediterranean’s southern, Africa shores west of Egypt," say the authors of the new study. "Our discoveries prove that this gap has been due not to any lack of major prehistoric activity, but to the relative lack of investigation, and publishing. Oued Beht now affirms the central role of the Maghreb in the emergence of both Mediterranean and wider African societies."

These results reveal that the site was the largest agricultural complex from this period in Africa outside of the Nile region. All of the evidence points to the presence of a large-scale farming settlement—similar in size to Early Bronze Age Troy.

The team recovered unprecedented domesticated plant and animal remains, pottery and lithics, all dating to the Final Neolithic period. Excavation also revealed extensive evidence for deep storage pits.

Importantly, contemporaneous sites with similar pits have been found on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar in Iberia, where finds of ivory and ostrich egg have long pointed to African connections. This suggests that the Maghreb was instrumental in wider western Mediterranean developments during the fourth millennium BC.

Oued Beht and the north-west Maghreb were clearly integral parts of the wider Mediterranean region. As such, these discoveries significantly change our understanding of the later prehistory of the Mediterranean and Africa.

As the authors of the Antiquity article state: “It is crucial to consider Oued Beht within a wider co-evolving and connective framework embracing peoples both sides of the Mediterranean-Atlantic gateway during the later fourth and third millennia BC - and, for all the likelihood of movement in both directions, to recognise it as a distinctively African-based community that contributed substantially to the shaping of that social world.”

arch.jpg

Multi-disciplinary archaeological survey at the site of Oued Beht, Morocco, reveals a previously unknown 3400–2900 BC farming society, shedding new light on North Africa’s role in Mediterranean prehistory. 

For over thirty years I have been convinced that Mediterranean archaeology has been missing something fundamentalProf Cyprian BroodbankLorena Lombardi & Moad RadiStone tools from Oued Beht

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Yes

A global conservation effort to reintroduce a tiny snail to the wild is celebrating a momentous milestone: for the first time in 40 years, conservationists have found born-in-the-wild adult Partula tohiveana – meaning the precious molluscs have successfully established themselves in French Polynesia.

This year Cambridge’s Dr Justin Gerlach helped restore over 6,000 of the snails to Moorea, their French Polynesian island home as part of an annual reintroduction of zoo-bred ‘Extinct in the Wild’ and ‘Critically Endangered’ snail species – carried out through collaboration with zoos around the world.

During their work the team found unmarked Partula tohiveana: proof that previously reintroduced snails have successfully bred in the area.

The momentous discovery means Partula tohiveana can now be considered as established – an incredibly rewarding result for 40 years of dedication and collaboration. Conservationists will now begin the process of downlisting the snails from ‘Extinct-in-the-Wild’ to ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN’s Red List.

Very few species have been reintroduced successfully having been completely extinct in the wild. This is also the very first invertebrate species where this has been achieved.

Ten species and sub-species of the tropical snails, reared at London Zoo, Bristol Zoological Society, Detroit Zoological Society, Marwell Wildlife, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Saint Louis Zoo, Sedgwick County Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo and Zoo Schwerin, travelled more than 15,000km to Tahiti at the beginning of September. Before making the two-day journey to the islands of Tahiti, Moorea and Huahine, the incredibly rare snails, which each measure a tiny 1-2cm in length, were individually counted and marked with a dot of red UV reflective paint. The ‘snail varnish’ glows under UV torchlight, helping conservationists in the field to spot and monitor the nocturnal snails at night, when they’re most active.

London Zoo’s Senior Curator of Invertebrates, Paul Pearce-Kelly, who leads the Partula conservation programme, said: “Though little, these snails have great cultural, scientific and conservation value. Partula snails have always been part of Polynesia’s rich cultural heritage and play an important role in the ecological health of their forest habitats. They’ve also been studied for over a century for the insights they give into how species evolve in isolated environments. Most recently, they’re providing a valuable conservation model for helping hundreds of endangered island species.”

He added: “This collaborative conservation effort is playing a crucial role in saving these species from extinction. It’s a powerful example of how conservation zoos can combat biodiversity loss. At a time when nature faces unprecedented challenges, these small snails are a symbol of hope for global wildlife.”

Partula snails - also known as Polynesian tree snails - eat decaying plant tissue and fungi, so play an important role in maintaining forest health. Returning these rare snails back to the wild helps to restore the ecological balance in these islands.

Dr Justin Gerlach of Peterhouse, University of Cambridge and an Academic Associate at the University's Museum of Zoology, said: “Discovering wild-born adult snails was a great moment. Very few animal species have been re-established back in the wild so this is a fantastic achievement for the programme – the fruit of a vast amount of work.”

Conservation zoos are working with the French Polynesian Government’s Direction de l’environnement, to save Partula snails from extinction. In the 1980s and early 1990s, these snails faced a critical threat after the invasive rosy wolf snail (Euglandina rosea) was introduced to control the African giant land snail (Lissachatina fulica). Unfortunately, the predatory species targeted the native snails instead, leading to the extinction or near-extinction of many Partula species across the region.

In the early 1990s, the last remaining individuals of several Partula species were rescued by London and Edinburgh Zoos, launching an international conservation breeding programme. This collaboration between 15 zoos cares for 15 species and subspecies, most of which are classified as ‘Extinct-in-the-Wild’. These rescued snails, along with those already being studied at universities in the UK and North America, became the foundation for reintroducing the species back onto their native island homes.

Paul said: “After decades of caring for these species in conservation zoos and working with the Direction de l’environnement to prepare the islands, we started reintroducing Partula snails back into their lowland tropical forests almost 10 years ago. Since then, we’ve reintroduced over 30,000 snails, including 10 Extinct-in-the-Wild species and subspecies, with this year’s release being the largest so far, thanks to our international team and collaborators, including mollusc specialist Dr Justin Gerlach of Peterhouse, University of Cambridge.”

London Zoo’s coordination of the Partula snail reintroduction project is made possible due to funding from supporters including the Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, who have enabled London Zoo to continue bringing species back from the brink of extinction.

Adapted from a press release by the Zoological Society of London.

A species of tropical tree snail is no longer extinct in the wild following a successful reintroduction project.

Very few animal species have been re-established back in the wild so this is a fantastic achievement for the programme – the fruit of a vast amount of work.Justin GerlachUnmarked Partula tohiveana snail observed in the wild, meaning the species is re-established (c) Paul Pearce-Kelly Born-in-the-wild unmarked Partula tohiveana snail observed in the wild, meaning the species is re-established (c) Paul Pearce-Kelly

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YesLicence type: Attribution-Noncommerical

The ongoing war in Gaza will set children and young people’s education back by up to five years and risks creating a lost generation of permanently traumatised Palestinian youth, a new study warns.

The report, by a team of academics working in partnership with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), is the first to comprehensively quantify the war’s toll on learning since it began in October 2023. It also details the devastating impact on children, young people and teachers, supported by new accounts from frontline staff and aid workers.

The study was a joint undertaking involving UNRWA and researchers at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge and the Centre for Lebanese Studies. It shows that Gaza’s children have already lost 14 months of education since 2019 due to COVID-19, earlier Israeli military operations, and the current war.

On this basis and using information such as global post-COVID-19 education recovery data, the researchers model several potential futures for Gaza’s younger generation, depending on when the war ends and how quickly the education system is restored.

The most optimistic prediction – assuming an immediate ceasefire and rapid international effort to rebuild the education system – is that students will lose two years of learning. If the fighting continues until 2026, the losses could stretch to five years. This does not account for the additional effects of trauma, famine and forcible displacement, all of which are deepening Gaza’s education crisis.

Without urgent, large-scale international support for education, the researchers suggest that there is a significant threat not just to students’ learning, but their overall faith in the future and in concepts such as human rights. Despite this, the study shows that education has been deprioritised in international aid efforts, in favour of other areas. “Education, simply put, is not seen as lifesaving,” the report warns.

Professor Pauline Rose, Director of the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, University of Cambridge, said: “Palestinian education is under attack in Gaza. Israeli military operations have had a significant effect on learning.”

“As well as planning for how we rebuild Gaza’s shattered education system, there is an urgent need to get educational support for children now. Education is a right for all young people. We have a collective responsibility to protect it.”

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 10,600 children and 400 teachers had been killed in Israeli military operations by August 2024, and more than 15,300 students and 2,400 teachers injured. Hundreds of thousands of young people have been displaced and are living in shelters.

Satellite images analysed by the Occupied Palestinian Territory Education Cluster have verified that over 90 per cent of schools have been damaged, many beyond repair. Since August, UNRWA has provided education in the shelters, reaching about 8,000 children, but the study warns that much more is needed to mitigate lost learning, which was already considerable following COVID-19.

The researchers calculate that 14 months of lost schooling so far have increased “learning poverty” – the proportion of children unable to read a basic text by age 10 – by at least 20 percentage points. The accurate figure may be even higher, as the calculation does not account for the wider impacts of the war on children and teachers.

The study draws together information from different sources and includes a comprehensive involvement of the Education Cluster and Cluster partners sharing their inputs, challenges and progress to enrich the report. The report provides a comprehensive overview of those broader effects. It highlights the devastating psychological consequences for Palestinian children who were already living “in constant fear and lack of hope” after 17 years of blockade, according to a 2022 report by Save The Children.

Professor Maha Shuayb, Director of the Centre for Lebanese Studies, said: “Young people’s prospects in Gaza are being extinguished and our findings show that with it they are losing hope. Education is central to stabilising that spiral of decline. If it is simply erased, the consequences will be far-reaching.”

Save The Children has estimated that more than 10 children per day have lost limbs since the war began. The report warns of rising numbers of less visible disabilities, which will put further strain on an education system ill-equipped to support children with special needs.

The study suggests that continuous shock and suffering are now shaping children’s outlook and world views. Interviewees reported some children questioning values such as equality, human rights and tolerance when these are taught in the shelters. “This is a full generation of trauma,” one humanitarian aid official said; “it will take a generation to overcome it.”

The report highlights the immense suffering teachers and counsellors have endured physically and mentally. The killings, displacement and daily realities of life during war have taken a tremendous toll on their ability to engage meaningfully in education and will, it says, adversely affect reconstruction efforts.

Professor Yusuf Sayed, from the University of Cambridge, said: “It is important to recognise teachers and counsellors have, like the rest of the population, suffered immensely. There is evidence of extraordinary commitment from educators striving to maintain learning, but inevitably the deprivation, killings and hardship are affecting their ability to do so.”

Despite a flash appeal from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the analysis shows that just 3.5 per cent of aid for Gaza has been invested in education. Major donors like the US and Germany have neglected education in their aid packages, and blockades continue to hinder the delivery of resources on the ground.

Without more funding and access to learning, structured play and other forms of support, the report warns, the long-term repercussions for Gaza’s next generation will only worsen.

It calls for immediate steps focusing on the resumption of education, which include providing counselling, safe learning spaces, and support for students and educators with disabilities. It also calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and an end to occupation, in line with the International Court of Justice advisory opinion and UN recently-adopted resolution, as only then can Gaza’s education system be rebuilt. This will require a focus on recruiting more teachers and counsellors to cope with the scale of learning loss and trauma suffered by children and young people.

“Education is the only asset the Palestinian people have not been dispossessed of. They have proudly invested in the education of their children in the hope for a better future. Today, more than 625,000 deeply traumatised school-aged children are living in the rubble in Gaza. Bringing them back to learning should be our collective priority. Failing to do that will not only lead to a lost generation but also sow the seeds for more extremism, hatred and violence”, said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner General.

The study also stresses that Palestinians themselves must lead the education recovery. “A ceasefire is the key for the success of any human development activity in Gaza, including education,” the authors write. “Children have seen that the international community will sit idly by as they are killed. This has left them with questions about values that schools and learning aim to instil around humanitarian principles that teachers will have to navigate.”

Ongoing war in Gaza will set children and young people’s education back by up to five years, report suggests.

UNRWABoy sitting in the rubble of a destroyed UNRWA school in Nuseirat, Middle Areas, Gaza 2024

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Yes