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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

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

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

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

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