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Department of Earth Sciences

 
Read more at: Research project spotlight: West Antarctic ice sheet responses to climatic changes
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Research project spotlight: West Antarctic ice sheet responses to climatic changes

15 March 2022

The WA rm C limate S tability of W est A ntarctic ice sheet in the last IN terglacial ( WACSWAIN ) project, led by Cambridge Earth Sciences' Professor Eric Wolff , aims to understand the possible collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Last Interglacial (roughly 120,000 years ago). This time period is when...


Read more at: Celebrating International Women’s Day 2022
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Celebrating International Women’s Day 2022

8 March 2022

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on achievements and progress made, recognize challenges and focus greater attention on women’s rights and achieving equal opportunity status in all walks of life. We look back over a year of research news and blog posts from women in our Department; from graduate students to...


Read more at: Microscopic view on asteroid collisions could help us understand planet formation
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Microscopic view on asteroid collisions could help us understand planet formation

23 February 2022

A new way of dating collisions between asteroids and planetary bodies throughout our Solar System’s history could help scientists reconstruct how and when planets were born. The research, which was led by the University of Cambridge, combined dating and microscopic analysis of the Chelyabinsk meteorite — which fell to...


Read more at: Professor Marie Edmonds recognised as Geochemistry Fellow
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Professor Marie Edmonds recognised as Geochemistry Fellow

15 February 2022

The Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry have awarded Professor Marie Edmonds with the title of Geochemistry Fellow. In total sixteen geochemists were recognised this year. The award was established in 1996 to honour outstanding scientists who have, over the years, made a major contribution to...


Read more at: Geology for Global Development meeting highlights research efforts to realize sustainable development
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Geology for Global Development meeting highlights research efforts to realize sustainable development

14 February 2022

Cambridge’s Geology for Global Development network met on Friday 11 February for their inaugural mini-conference, highlighting how research in the Department is helping realize the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Geology for Global Development is a charity set up to champion the role of geology in sustainable...


Read more at: Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022
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Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022

11 February 2022

Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February), a celebration of women and girls in science led by UNESCO and UN-Women . We celebrate by bringing together stories from women researchers across our Department, highlighting the variety of roles within Earth Sciences. We asked our researchers what...


Read more at: Blue mussels show extraordinary resilience to climate change, but will it be enough?
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Blue mussels show extraordinary resilience to climate change, but will it be enough?

31 January 2022

A new study has uncovered the mechanisms that help Arctic mussels cope with environmental stress caused by climate change. The research, published in the journal Genes , observed how the blue mussel Mytilus edulis turns on and off genetic switches in response to human-induced impacts like rising air temperature and...


Read more at: River profiles hold memories of deep mantle movements
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River profiles hold memories of deep mantle movements

18 January 2022

Today, in the middle of the North African desert, hundreds of metres or more above sea level, lie fossilized fish and sea snake remains – a memory of when this area of land was once submerged underwater. Geological evidence like this tells us that the landscape of the African continent has been uplifted significantly over...


Read more at: ‘Slushy’ magma ocean led to formation of the Moon’s crust
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‘Slushy’ magma ocean led to formation of the Moon’s crust

13 January 2022

Scientists have shown how the freezing of a ‘slushy’ ocean of magma may be responsible for the composition of the Moon’s crust. The scientists, from the University of Cambridge and the Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon, have proposed a new model of crystallisation, where crystals remained suspended in liquid magma over...


Read more at: Department of Earth Sciences to play key role in new Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe
Artist’s impression of one of more than 50 new exoplanets found by HARPS

Department of Earth Sciences to play key role in new Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe

10 January 2022

For the first time, addressing some of humanity's most fundamental questions on the origin and nature of life in the Universe is within the grasp of modern science. With a £10 million grant awarded by the Leverhulme Trust , the University of Cambridge is to establish a new interdisciplinary research centre dedicated to...