News

The discovery, published in Nature, opens a new window on early animal evolutionAt first glance, the simple, spikey sea sponge is no creature of mystery.No brain. No gut. No problem dating them back 700 million years. Yet convincing sponge fossils only go back about 540 million years, leaving a 160-million-year gap in the fossil record.In a paper r…

Video footage of Iceland’s 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption is providing researchers from the University of Cambridge with rare, up-close observations of volcanic ash clouds — information that could help better forecast how far explosive eruptions disperse their hazardous ash particles. When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, it ejected roughly 250 mi…

Congratulations to David Hodell, Woodwardian Professor of Geology at the Department of Earth Sciences, on being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.This year, over 90 exceptional researchers from across the world have been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences.David Hodell, who is Director of the Go…

A new climate-themed art exhibition by local school children opens its wings at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth SciencesA new art installation intended to spark conversation and action about climate change has opened at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, created and curated by local school children, ages 11 to 16, from Parkside Community College. …

What do the rumblings of Iceland’s volcanoes have in common with the now peaceful volcanic islands off Scotland’s western coast and the spectacular basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland?Iceland sits over a mantle plume — a fountain of hot rock that rises from Earth’s core-mantle boundary — explaining, in part, why this is one o…

Scientists from the Cambridge University have suggested that molecules vital to the development of life could have formed from a process known as graphitisation. Once verified in the laboratory, the finding could allow scientists to recreate plausible conditions for life's emergence.It has long been debated how the seemingly fortuitous conditions f…

Research England has announced that it will support nine of the University’s museums and collections, including the Sedgwick Museum, with £3m a year of Higher Education Museums, Galleries and Collections (HEMG) funding, over the coming five years. The Sedgwick Museum — which houses more than 1.5 million geological objects of international importanc…

On Saturday 23rd March, the Department of Earth Sciences and Sedgwick Museum hosted their first Earth Sciences Fair as part of the wider Cambridge Festival.Visitors had a chance to meet scientists from the Department and hear about their research to understand our planet and tackle environmental challenges. Interactive activities on wide-ranging th…

Cambridge Earth Sciences and the British Antarctic Survey will be at the 2024 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, talking all about how we’re unlocking the past using ice cores from Antarctica.This annual event is a free, interactive experience for anyone curious about the latest advances in science and technology. With more than 300 scientist…

Earthquakes happen when rocks deep underground break and slide past each other suddenly: releasing seismic waves that cause shaking. But shaking is just one way that earthquakes liberate their pent-up energy. Around 80% of an earthquake’s total energy actually stays within rocks close to the fault rupture. When a fault slips, large amounts of energ…

The oldest fossilised forest known on Earth – dating from 390 million years ago – has been found in the high sandstone cliffs along the Devon and Somerset coast of South West England. The fossils, discovered and identified by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Cardiff, are the oldest fossilised trees ever found in Britain, and the o…

Professor Sasha Turchyn has been awarded the prestigious Pilkington Prize in recognition of her teaching excellence.Professor Sasha Turchyn is a lecturer in biogeochemistry and Director of Studies in Earth Sciences at Trinity Hall.The award acknowledged Sasha’s dedication to students, running fieldtrips and her work to introduce a new Part IB cours…

Join us as we celebrate International Women’s Day, this Friday 8th March!The Department’s EDI Committee is hosting a panel discussion featuring five inspiring female earth scientists working in wide-ranging fields. The panel speakers will share their experience and reflections: from career paths, to role models and advice for aspiring scientists.Wo…

In the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Brazil, warm tropical waters flow southward and meet colder currents travelling north from the sub-Antarctic region. At this point, two significant water masses of contrasting temperature and salinity converge: forming a swirling, turbulent zone known as the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence. PhD studen…

A new X-ray diffractometer has been installed in the Department’s microanalysis laboratory. X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a key scientific technique for determining the crystal structure of natural and human-made samples. The upgrade allows for faster sample analysis — facilitating a wide range of new experiments, including real-time characterization …