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Learn more about Meditation-Relaxation Therapy here: https://bit.ly/MeditationRelaxationTherapy Sleep paralysis, being paralysed upon falling asleep or awakening, affects about 1 in 5 people globally. @DrBalandJalal has experienced it since he was a teenager and has spent roughly a decade trying to work out the science behind this mysterious phenomenon and how best to avoid its potentially

Learn more here: https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/third-thumb How easily could you get to grips with a third thumb? The Plasticity Lab at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (@MRCCBU) tested Dani Clode's robotic Third Thumb device @royalsociety Summer Exhibition and showed that the public found it surprisingly easy. Testing technology on a diverse range of people is essential for ensuring new

Thomas Robert Malthus, who was born 250 years ago, became notorious for his ‘principle of population’. He argued that, because poverty was inevitable, some people would not find a seat at ‘nature’s table’ and would perish. In a new book, historians at Cambridge and Harvard set the life and work of this contentious thinker within a wider context – and look in particular at his

Holocaust sites are in urgent need of care and protection. We risk losing them to climate change, decay, destruction in conflict, a lack of funding, the rise of extreme politics and more. To help save them, archaeologist and researcher Dr Gilly Carr and The Safeguarding Sites project are developing a heritage charter to safeguard all Holocaust sites in Europe in the 21st century. Part of that

Dozens of Cambridge University undergraduates come from care backgrounds and/or are estranged from their families, like Lily-Rose and Connall. Both met through the Realise Project, which aims to encourage more young people from similar backgrounds to go to University. They say the following schemes were incredibly useful in allowing them to focus on their studies: Realise Project-

Cambridge rowing has a new home – this £5million boathouse opened on Saturday and will house three of the University’s best known boat clubs, including those due to face Oxford in the Boat Race next April. The squads will undergo months of training here throughout the winter in preparation for those Races, which will be watched by more than 6m people around the world. With state of the art

In this final film of the trilogy, we return to find out what has happened to the Christian and Muslim men and women we first met in HMPYOI Feltham and HMPYOI Styal now that they are no longer in prison. We hear about some of the struggles they have faced since release from prison. We consider the role that faith communities have played in their journeys out of prison, and think about whether it

Our #IndiaUnboxed series continues with the puzzling story of the fiery meteorites which were cold to the touch. 157 years ago the people of Dharamsala in Northwest India watched as three meteorites streaked across the sky and crashed into the ground nearby. Despite witnessing nine-foot flames trailing behind the meteorites, the brave locals who rushed to pick them up found them to be intensely

Content warning: this film contains images of blood and surgery For people with organ failure, transplantation is the only option. A lack of suitable organs for transplantation means patients die every day. Researchers in the University’s Department of Surgery are using large animal models to understand why donated organs become damaged and unsuitable for transplantation, and to test promising

“It’s not a zero-sum game at all... governments will have to do both.” Professor Dame Diane Coyle outlines the need for levelling up as well as generating growth to improve people’s lives. ️ What is at stake for the UK General Election? In this new video series, students and academics from the University of Cambridge share their insights on some of the biggest themes facing our country

Postdocs are the driving force behind much of the cutting-edge research that takes place at Cambridge. They are the fastest growing and most diverse staff group, and with increasing numbers they face huge challenges both professionally and personally. Providing better support for these young people, who are imperative to the University’s work, is the primary role of the Office of Postdoctoral

Questions from people watching on the livestream to be submitted on Slido at https://app.sli.do/event/z6e8pner Climate change is fundamentally an ethical issue. Its effects touch everyone and failure to take action will cause widespread and devastating harm. But, some of the proposed actions may themselves have damaging and destructive impacts on the poorest and most vulnerable societies, who

After long negotiations, on 19 February Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the European Council had agreed a new settlement for the United Kingdom in the European Union. In line with the Conservative Party manifesto, this agreement has triggered a referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Union to be held on Thursday 23 June. In this video, Catherine Barnard summarises

There have been several recent egregious examples of private prosecutions, including the case of the Post Office prosecuting numerous Postmasters for losses caused by a faulty IT system. Professor John Spencer discusses these cases, the evolution of the system of private prosecutions, and the considerations involved in regulating such actions. Professor Spencer is Professor Emeritus of Law and

The idiosyncratic diaries of one man’s voyage from Liverpool to India in 1842, and the exquisite painted souvenirs he bought there, are among the treasures in the archives at the Centre of South Asian Studies. Entitled The Sea-Pie, the pair of diaries are inscribed to the author Charles Augustus Whitehouse’s mother, and come with the message scrawled across the front “Here it comes

How can we maintain good mental health? Lord Simon Woolley, George the Poet and Professor Jason Arday will be in conversation with counsellor, Rotimi Akinsete, to discuss how to maintain good mental health. Black men are twice as likely to be sectioned as their White counterparts, and are also less likely to reach out for support if they encounter mental health struggles. The aim of Black Men on

After long negotiations, on 19 February Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the European Council had agreed a new settlement for the United Kingdom in the European Union. In line with the Conservative Party manifesto, this agreement has triggered a referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Union to be held on Thursday 23 June. In this video, Catherine Barnard examines

AFRICAN PLANT SCIENTISTS DEVELOP NEW SKILLS IN CAMBRIDGE TO TACKLE PROBLEMS AT HOME Researchers and students gathered at the Sainsbury Laboratory on Tuesday 4 April for the inaugural African Diaspora Biotech Summit. Among the participants were 17 postgraduate students and academics from six African countries who had earlier taken part in the Molecular Laboratory Training Workshop, held in

Meet Professor Debbie Prentice: the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge "It gives me great pleasure to introduce myself as the University of Cambridge’s new Vice-Chancellor. I am excited to be taking on this new role at a critical moment for all of us. I am a psychologist with an interest in social norms. I have spent most of my academic career at Princeton, including the last

In the early hours of 24 June 2016, the result of the UK referendum on EU membership was announced. By a narrow but clear majority the vote was to leave the European Union. This result has begun a chain of seismic political consequences in the UK and the EU, and will have widespread implications for the law and constitution in the UK. In this video, Mark Elliott assess the immediate impact of the

The Cambridge Animal Alphabet series celebrates Cambridge's connections with animals through literature, art, science and society. Here, J is for Jay – a surprisingly clever corvid with the ability to mimic human voices and much more. Jays are corvids – members of the crow family. The jays we see in Britain are Eurasian jays. With their pinkish plumage, and characteristic flash of blue, they

"I would expect there to have to be some tax increases in the next parliament because people expect improved public services and infrastructure." Professor Diane Coyle lays out what the next government will need to do to grow the economy and looks at what gets in the way of private sector investment. ️ What is at stake for the UK General Election? In this new video series, students and

In the first round of the French Presidential election, Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen progressed to the runoff on 7 May, notwithstanding neither candidate having the backing of the traditionally powerful parliamentary parties. Will the new French President be hamstrung in power if she or he does not obtain a majority in the parliamentary elections of June

A Cambridge team frustrated by the apathetic response to biodiversity loss has developed a dramatic new way to highlight the demise of nature – and people are listening. Driven by the observation that human activities are silencing nature, researchers have linked a piece of classical music, Mendelssohn’s ‘Hebrides Overture’, with the loss of an iconic species: the North Atlantic humpback

In his speech at Chatham House on 10 November 2015 (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/prime-ministers-speech-on-europe), the Prime Minister David Cameron outlined those aspects of the EU he would like to see reformed prior to any referendum on the UK's continued membership of the EU. EU employment law - one of the most controversial areas of EU policy - was not expressly identified in his

On the 15 November the UK Supreme Court decided that the United Kingdom's policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful. In this short video Dr Kirsty Hughes explains the Court's reasoning, and considers the Government's response and possible next steps. Kirsty Hughes is an Associate Professor specialising in Human Rights Law. She is joint General Editor of the European Human Rights Law

On the 23rd November the UK Supreme court decided that the Scottish Parliament did not have the power to enact legislation to hold a second independence referendum in Scotland. In this short video Professor Alison Young explains the backdrop to the case, sets out how the Supreme court decided the case, and explores possible future paths to Scottish independence. Alison Young is the Sir David

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 third series, we’re talking all about Health. We’ll be exploring both physical and mental health, and we’ll discuss causes, treatments and preventions for issues like dementia, cancer, infectious diseases and obesity. We’re

About six million workers in the UK suffer poor health because of their jobs, from health issues like coronary heart disease and stress to back problems. Current solutions tend to deal with the symptoms rather than the causes. But what if we could change how jobs are designed, so that they reduce ill health and its costs? The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how people work – it could

The successful appeal in R v Jogee and Ruddock v The Queen before the a combined Supreme Court and Privy Council raises important issues in the criminal law of complicity (sometimes unhelpfully labelled 'joint enterprise'). In this video Dr Matthew Dyson, who advised the appellant's counsel in the case considers the law of complicity, what the case changed, and its implications. Dr Matthew Dyson

In January 2018 it was reported that the Parole Board had approved the release of John Worboys, the so-called ‘Black Cab Rapist’. Worboys had been incarcerated since his conviction for a number of sexual offences in March 2009, and it was believed that he was responsible for many attacks over which he was not charged. The announcement of the decision caused much public unrest, and led to

On Thursday 17th March leading UK ferry operator P&O Ferries sacked 800 British crew across its entire fleet and stopped all sailings. The move sparked fury amongst employees and unions, and consternation in parliament. Many asked was the move - and the proposal to use cheap agency staff instead - legal, and also was it a result of Brexit? In this video, Professor Catherine Barnard considers the

In Ilott v The Blue Cross [2017] UKSC 17 the Supreme Court considered the competing claims of the animal charities included in a woman's will and her estranged adult daughter, who was excluded from the will but living in necessitous circumstances. In this video, Brian Sloan considers the outcome of the case, which raised fundamental principles of succession law, and its broader implications.

Best-selling author Tara Westover (https://www.gatescambridge.org/about/news/what-does-it-mean-to-be-educated/) , researcher Aliya Khalid (https://www.gatescambridge.org/about/news/how-mothers-affect-their-daughters-education/) and Thabo Msibi (https://www.gatescambridge.org/about/news/thabo-msibi-south-africa/) Deputy Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

In this last episode of the series, we’ll be exploring how stories work for and against climate change. Subscribe to the podcast here: mind-over-chatter.captivate.fm/listen We cover a lot of ground: from hippos and polar bears to how many times ‘sex’ and ‘tea’ were mentioned on TV between 2017 and 2018… so what’s all of this got to do with sustainability and climate change? Join us

Could a videogame help promote mental wellbeing and reduce mental suffering? Go to www.slido.com and enter code 59066 to chat about the event. Paul Fletcher (Consultant Psychiatrist and Bernard Wolfe Professor of Health and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge) and Tameem Antoniades (Co-founder and Chief Creative Ninja, Ninja Theory) discuss the development of multi-BAFTA Award-winning videogame

Our wellbeing is essential to our overall quality of life. But what is wellbeing? Why is it so hard to pin down? How is it different to mental health, and what can we do to understand, measure and improve it? We talked with psychologist and neuroscientist Dr Amy Orben, psychiatrist Dr Tamsin Ford, and welfare economist Dr Mark Fabian to try and get to grips with wellbeing. In doing so, we learnt

Atomic-level engineering is at the forefront of modern, greener jet engine design. The increasing demand for more people to fly while reducing carbon emissions is one of the greatest aeronautical engineering challenges. Efficiency requires engines to run hotter and faster, but the best materials are already running close to their limits. At the Cambridge Rolls-Royce UTC, we design metal alloys

How do we feed a growing world population whilst minimising the impact on habitats and species? Anca Serban, PhD student in the Department of Geography, discusses these issues in relation to her work in India and how collaborating with a wide range of disciplines enables her to explore the trade offs of managing conservation without impinging on people’s livelihoods or increasing poverty in

'How can the government stem the tide of migrant workers coming to the UK?'. This question has been asked with increasing vigour by those who perceive immigration as a threat rather than a benefit to the UK economy. In this video, Catherine Barnard considers whether it is possible to restrict free movement of workers under EU law, both as it now stands and going forward. Professor Barnard is

The conviction of Oscar Pistorius for committing culpable homicide in relation to the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp made worldwide news. In this video Professor Christopher Forsyth reflects on his previous comments (see https://www.law.cam.ac.uk/press/news/2015/01/law-focus-mental-element-murder-reflections-pistorius-case-christopher-forsyth) about the original conviction, and

On 9th April 2024 the European Court of Human Rights delivered Grand Chamber rulings in three cases relating to climate change: Carême v. France - https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-233261 Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Others - https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-233174 Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland - https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-233206 In

What role do our genes play in influencing our body weight and what we like to eat? Why do some people gain weight more easily than others, and is it all down to genes or are there other factors at play? In this episode, we talked with a clinician and scientist Sadaf Farooqi, health psychologist Theresa Marteau, and geographer Thomas Burgoine about the multitude of factors that go into

The variant hunters are helping us to understand how and why the COVID-19 virus is spreading, allowing us to fight back against the COVID-19 pandemic. Hear from some of the scientists behind the UK’s nationwide sequencing effort to track SARS-CoV-2. Sir Patrick Vallance (the government’s Chief Scientific Adviser) also describes how the expertise that came together during the pandemic is now

Dr Paolo Bombelli is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Professor Christopher Howe, in the Department of Biochemistry. His research looks to utilise the photosynthetic chemistry of plants to create biophotovoltaic devices, a sustainable source of solar power. For over five years, Dr Bombelli has been taking his research out of the lab to science festivals, schools and design fairs;

A short documentary to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Faculty of Music, its genesis, characters and culture as a vanguard of excellence, from its origins in the aftermath of WWII to the present. To find out more about how to support the work of the Music Faculty, please visit: https://www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-cambridge/music Directed and edited by Tom Andrews Music sound

The recent Supreme Court decision in Vince v Wyatt aroused much media interest because it allowed an ex-wife to proceed with a financial claim against her ex-husband, who became a millionaire years after they divorced. The judgement is available at http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2015/14.html In this video Dr Brian Sloan describes the reasoning behind the decision focusing on the limits of

Dr Jane Goodall DBE talks about the environmental crisis and her reasons for hope. “Every single day that we live, we make some impact on the planet. We have a choice as to what kind of impact that is.” At the age of 26, Jane Goodall travelled from England to what is now Tanzania, Africa, and ventured into the little-known world of wild chimpanzees. Among her many discoveries, perhaps the

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