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Department of Earth Sciences

 
Read more at: Student receives Dave Johnston Mapping Prize

Student receives Dave Johnston Mapping Prize

25 January 2021

Congratulations to third year student, Peter Methley, on receiving the Dave Johnston Mapping Prize by the Tectonic Studies Group (TSG) of the Geological Society of London. The Prize is awarded annually to the best undergraduate student mapping dissertation. The Tectonic Studies Group, a Geological Society of London...


Read more at: New starfish-like fossil reveals evolution in action
Image of two Cantabrigiaster fezouataensis fossils

New starfish-like fossil reveals evolution in action

19 January 2021

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered a fossil of the earliest starfish-like animal, which helps us understand the origins of the nimble-armed creature. The prototype starfish, which has features in common with both sea lilies and modern-day starfish, is a missing link for scientists trying to piece...


Read more at: New fossil evidence shows Australia’s oldest animals lived along the coastline
Fossil impressions in rocks from Flinders Ranges

New fossil evidence shows Australia’s oldest animals lived along the coastline

14 January 2021

Fossils of some of Earth’s first macroscopic animals – the roughly 550-million-year-old Ediacara biota – have been identified in rocks that record Australia’s ancient shorelines. Scientists had thought that these archaic lifeforms lived out to sea in calmer waters. But the new study, published in the Journal of Sedimentary...


Read more at: Dr Sanne Cottaar receives Royal Astronomical Society award

Dr Sanne Cottaar receives Royal Astronomical Society award

11 January 2021

Dr Sanne Cottaar has been awarded the 2021 Royal Astronomical Society Harold Jeffreys Lectureship for outstanding geophysical research into processes in the Earth’s lower mantle and core. The Royal Astronomical Society awards recognize scientists across the world for their significant achievement in the fields of astronomy...


Read more at: Muddying the waters – weathering might remove less atmospheric carbon dioxide than thought
Image of the Khone waterfall, Mekong River

Muddying the waters – weathering might remove less atmospheric carbon dioxide than thought

22 December 2020

The weathering of rocks at the Earth’s surface may play less role of a role in regulating our climate than previously thought, says new research from the University of Cambridge. The findings, published today in PNAS , suggest Earth’s natural mechanism for removing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere via the weathering of rocks may in fact be weaker than scientists had thought – calling into question the exact role of rocks in alleviating warming over millions of years.


Read more at: What can museum specimens tell us about climate change?
Aerial photo of Lake Ohrid Macedonia; image credit Shutterstock Ljupco Dzambazovski

What can museum specimens tell us about climate change?

30 November 2020

The humble blue mussel is fighting to protect itself from environmental change and increased predation by building itself a thicker shell. The unexpected phenomenon, tracked by researchers through generations of museum specimens, shows that climate change can have complex localized impacts that cannot be predicted by global experimental models.


Read more at: Prof. David Hodell named AAAS Fellow

Prof. David Hodell named AAAS Fellow

24 November 2020

David Hodell, Woodwardian Professor of Geology at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).


Read more at: 2020 AGU awards to Department members

2020 AGU awards to Department members

12 November 2020

Congratulations to Professors Marie Edmonds and Nick McCave on their 2020 AGU awards.


Read more at: Forecasting eruptions with the help of drones
Drone ready to launch in the foreground with research scientists and Manam islanders gathered in the background; image credit Mathew Wordell

Forecasting eruptions with the help of drones

29 October 2020

Specially-adapted drones, developed by an international team involving scientists from the University of Cambridge, are transforming how we forecast eruptions by allowing close-range measurements of previously inaccessible and hazardous volcanoes.


Read more at: Nanoscale mapping of lithium in geological materials
Photo of the mineral spodumene, showing cleavage and inclusions

Nanoscale mapping of lithium in geological materials

20 October 2020

A breakthrough in the imaging and analysis of geological materials means that scientists can now study variations in their chemistry and structure at nano-scales, with possible applications ranging from the green energy transition to the planetary sciences.