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Researchers at Cambridge’s Centre for Natural Material Innovation have invented a cheaper, greener alternative to ‘knocking through’ by making innovative use of engineered wood. House-owners often consider ‘knocking through’ walls to achieve more open-plan living or changing layouts. The results may be impressive, but they come at a sizeable financial and environmental cost. But what if

The trial of Oscar Pistorius for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp aroused worldwide media interest. From the beginning Pistorius claimed that he had no intent to kill Reeva because when he fired the fatal shots her he thought he was firing at an intruder. And so whether he had the necessary intent to kill became a crucial issue in his trial. In this video Professor Christopher Forsyth

Welcome (or welcome back) to Mind Over Chatter, the Cambridge University Podcast! One series at a time, we break down complex issues into simple questions. In this second series, we’re talking all about the future. We’ll explore the nature of time itself - What even is the future? And is it in front of or behind us? - and we’ll also cover some of today’s most pressing questions, like how

The world needs more people who can think mathematically to solve its mounting problems. This is what drives the researchers behind NRICH, Cambridge’s flagship maths outreach project. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, NRICH spent the last two years in emergency rescue mode, helping learners in Covid-19 lockdown. At one point, its online resources (nrich.maths.org) were attracting over a

The episode explores the topic of extreme weather and its impact on communities and asks: What does extreme weather mean for us? The speakers highlight the importance of connecting research to real-world impacts and the need for collective action. They discuss the devastating losses of climate disasters, the challenges of adaptation and the power of nature. They also emphasise the importance of

This video discusses explores some aspects of the important decision of the Supreme Court in Nicklinson (R (Nicklinson and another) v Ministry of Justice; R (AM) v The DPP [2014] UKSC 38) focusing on the minority judgement of Baroness Hale. The case can be found at http://supremecourt.uk/decided-cases/docs/UKSC_2013_0235_Judgment.pdf The case is also discussed on Nicola's blog at https://blog.fitz

As a national vaccination programme begins in the UK’s fight against COVID-19, we look back to 1950s America when a group of teenagers (and Elvis) inspired a fresh look at pro-vaccine public health information. Vaccination programmes are considered to be one of the greatest public health achievements in history. Yet recent years have seen a rise in vaccine-preventable diseases like measles as a

Artificial Intelligence can be found in every aspect of our lives. From A-level grade predicting algorithms to Netflix recommendations, AI is set to change the choices we make and how our personal information will be used. In this episode, we explore the future of AI - its potential benefits and harms - with our three guests. Beth Singler told us about the different cultural consequences of AI,

In an interview with the BBC yesterday (23 July 2015), US President Barack Obama argued that having "the United Kingdom in the European Union gives us much greater confidence about the strength of the transatlantic union and is part of the cornerstone of institutions built after World War II that has made the world safer and more prosperous." He continued: "And we want to make sure that United

What or who has prevented urgent action on climate change? Why have policymakers lagged behind the science and technology? How much do individuals make a difference or has it needed people to work out how to make money out of climate change for politicians to take action? Is there a human tipping point - allied to the scientific tipping point - where more radical action becomes inevitable? And

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill seeks to circumvent the UK Supreme Court's recent judgment holding the Government's Rwanda policy, concerning the removal of certain asylum-seekers, to Rwanda. The Bill contemplates placing the UK in breach of its international obligations, including under the European Convention on Human Rights and the Refugee Convention, while forming part of a

Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, presents the second of the Vice-Chancellor’s Dialogues. 2024 is the year of elections. A record number of elections will take place, with half the adult population of the world, some two billion people, having the chance to vote. Is this a milestone to be celebrated in our democratic history or are we at a crossroads

At the end of November 2016, the British Government published an open consultation green paper on corporate governance reform, seeking views on proposals relating to executive pay, employee and customer voice, and corporate governance in large private businesses. The consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/corporate-governance-reform In this latest edition of the

Alexander the Great is one of history’s most famous figures; he is also one of the most enigmatic. Aged just twenty when he inherited the throne of Macedonia in 336 BC, he led an invasion of the Persian Empire, then the most powerful empire in the world. Within ten years, Alexander had conquered vast swathes of territory, stretching from modern Egypt and Turkey in the West, to Afghanistan and

Welcome to Mind Over Chatter, the Cambridge University Podcast! One series at a time, we break down complex issues into simple questions. In this first series, we’ll explore climate change. Climate change is likely to affect almost every area of our lives… like a toddler with sticky fingers. But how did it become this way? What are we doing about it now? And what does the future hold?We’ll

The government has recently announced that it intends to quash by legislation convictions of hundreds of subpostmasters who had been prosecuted by the Post Office for, variously, theft, fraud and false accounting. This follows a number of appeals which have already succeeded where it has been accepted that convictions that are based on generated by the Horizon software are necessarily unsafe.

On Monday 13 June, the UK Government published the text of the proposed Northern Ireland Protocol Bill. The Northern Ireland Protocol forms part of the Withdrawal Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union. The Protocol creates a special legal position for Northern Ireland in the light of its particular political circumstances, effectively enabling Northern Ireland to remain

Last episode, we talked about how we got to where we are now with climate change, but do we even know what’s going on with climate change right now? In this episode we’ll talk about what tipping points we’re approaching, how and why we’re still struggling to gain momentum toward action on climate change, and what difference it would make if carbon dioxide was a brown smelly substance. To

This new short documentary tells the story of the first year of one man's life after prison. Josh has served numerous prison sentences, the last of which was an 8 year sentence extended for public protection. He is registered as a priority prolific offender. The police advised his probation officer that she would probably recall him within 3 hours of release from prison. This is his story of the

This new short documentary tells the story of the first year of one man's life after prison. Josh has served numerous prison sentences, the last of which was an 8 year sentence extended for public protection. He is registered as a priority prolific offender. The police advised his probation officer that she would probably recall him within 3 hours of release from prison. This is his story of the

Our reproductive capabilities are changing in exciting ways, altering our fundamental understanding of fertility, reproduction, and even parenthood. You can subscribe to the podcast here: https://mind-over-chatter.captivate.fm/listen In this episode, we asked our guests what the consequences of novel reproductive technologies are likely to be, and how they will impact the future of human