News

‘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...

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...

Synthesized false colour image of Venus, Credit: JAXA / ISAS / Akatsuki Project Team

Could acid-neutralising life-forms make habitable pockets in Venus’ clouds?

21 December 2021

A new study shows it’s theoretically possible. The hypothesis could be tested soon with proposed Venus-bound missions. It’s hard to imagine a more inhospitable world than our closest planetary neighbour. With an atmosphere thick with carbon dioxide, and a surface hot enough to melt lead, Venus is a scorched and suffocating...

Artists impression of the millipede on a beach

Largest-ever fossil millipede found in Northern England

21 December 2021

The largest-ever fossil of a giant millipede – as big as a car – has been found on a beach in the north of England. The fossil – the remains of a creature called Arthropleura – dates from the Carboniferous Period, about 326 million years ago, over 100 million years before the Age of Dinosaurs. The fossil reveals that...

Cambridge Earth Scientist awarded for origins of life research

20 December 2021

Cambridge University astrochemist and experimental physicist Dr Paul Rimmer of the Department of Earth Sciences has been selected to receive the Stanley L. Miller Early Career Award from the International Society of the Study of the Origin of Life . The award is provided in recognition of his outstanding contributions to...

Photo showing green highlands of New Guinea

New Guinea highlands offer a snapshot of mountain building in action

17 December 2021

New Guinea rests on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is therefore highly vulnerable to natural hazards, including earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. One of the most seismically complex areas on Earth, the Island experiences over a hundred earthquakes each year of magnitude five or greater. Although the onset of...

Model illustration showing threads of blue and yellow coming out of Earth

Tank experiments help us understand how terrestrial bodies get their magnetic fields

15 December 2021

Earth’s magnetic field — the invisible shield created by dense liquids churning in Earth’s core — plays a key role in making our planet habitable. Without it, we would be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation and our atmosphere would, quite simply, float away into space. But how did Earth get its magnetic field, whilst...

Image of group of scientists sat on a stage

Launch of the Cambridge Initiative for Planetary Science and Life in the Universe

13 December 2021

11 November 2021 marked the launch of The Cambridge Initiative for Planetary Science and Life in the Universe (IPLU) at Wolfson Hall, Churchill College. The IPLU is an emerging community of researchers investigating life in the Universe, from understanding how it emerged on Earth to examining the processes that could make...

Student spotlight: Madi East on coral reefs and climate change

8 December 2021

Madi East , second-year PhD student at Cambridge Earth Sciences, is on a mission to help coral reefs — which are threatened by human-induced ocean warming — through improving our understanding of how they grow their intricate and varied skeletons. Coral reefs are essential for life on Earth — providing unique ecosystems...

Image of chemicals being made up in a lab

Scientists using miniaturized ball mill close in on the details of ‘green’ chemical reactions

24 November 2021

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new approach for observing mechanochemical reactions — where simple ingredients are ground up to make new chemical compounds and materials that can be used in anything from the pharmaceutical to metallurgical, cement and mineral industries. The study, published in...

‘Slushy’ magma ocean led to formation of the Moon’s crust

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

Could acid-neutralising life-forms make habitable pockets in Venus’ clouds?

Largest-ever fossil millipede found in Northern England

Cambridge Earth Scientist awarded for origins of life research

New Guinea highlands offer a snapshot of mountain building in action

Tank experiments help us understand how terrestrial bodies get their magnetic fields

Launch of the Cambridge Initiative for Planetary Science and Life in the Universe

Student spotlight: Madi East on coral reefs and climate change

Scientists using miniaturized ball mill close in on the details of ‘green’ chemical reactions

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