Cambridge reactor converts plastic waste and CO2 into useful chemicals

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and plastic waste are two of the most pressing environmental problems facing the world today, but a device designed by Cambridge scientists may help tackle both at once. The team has demonstrated a new version of their so… Continue reading Cambridge reactor converts plastic waste and CO2 into useful chemicals

‘Smart drugs’ are not so smart when used by people without ADHD

A new study may be bad news for people who take so-called ‘smart drugs,’ usually prescribed to treat the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), thinking they will increase workplace or academic productivity.Continue ReadingCategor… Continue reading ‘Smart drugs’ are not so smart when used by people without ADHD

Lucy the ancient human walked fully upright, and she was ripped

We may only ever have 47 of the 207 bones that made up the skeleton of this 3.18-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis specimen known affectionately and widely as Lucy, but it’s been enough to make some incredible discoveries (and stir up more th… Continue reading Lucy the ancient human walked fully upright, and she was ripped

Lucy the ancient human walked fully upright, and she was ripped

We may only ever have 47 of the 207 bones that made up the skeleton of this 3.18-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis specimen known affectionately and widely as Lucy, but it’s been enough to make some incredible discoveries (and stir up more th… Continue reading Lucy the ancient human walked fully upright, and she was ripped

Flexible, moveable wooden walls mean no more ‘knocking through’

Knocking down a wall – or walls – to create an open-plan living space can be expensive and not very environmentally friendly. With the development of moveable wooden partition walls that can be positioned right where you want them, ‘knocking through’ m… Continue reading Flexible, moveable wooden walls mean no more ‘knocking through’

New weapon found in fight to combat obesity, diabetes

An international team of scientists is one step closer to unlocking the molecular mechanisms at work in fat tissue, which could ultimately lead to treatments to effortlessly ‘switch on’ calorie burning.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: Obesity, Un… Continue reading New weapon found in fight to combat obesity, diabetes

Human stem cells used to create new type of biohybrid neural implant

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a new type of neural implant that combines stem cells with electronics and has the potential to help amputees or those who’ve lost the use of their limbs.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, Scien… Continue reading Human stem cells used to create new type of biohybrid neural implant

Underwater turbulence revealed as a key factor in climate change

When someone mentions waves, we are most likely to think of the beach and surfers riding breaks to shore, not the waves deep beneath the ocean’s surface. Now, new research has shed light on the important role underwater waves play in climate change.Con… Continue reading Underwater turbulence revealed as a key factor in climate change

Scientists unlock the survival secret of water-squirting mother mussels

It would be an understatement to say that mussels and other mollusks usually aren’t thought of as being particularly active. Recently, however, scientists have documented a water-squirting behavior in just one species, which is apparently using the act… Continue reading Scientists unlock the survival secret of water-squirting mother mussels

A return to our hunter-gatherer roots may benefit child development

Pairing an evolutionary anthropologist with a child psychiatrist has produced a new study that provides interesting insights into how children’s mental well-being and education might be improved by adopting the hunter-gatherer childrearing practices th… Continue reading A return to our hunter-gatherer roots may benefit child development