Science

Wireless device makes clean fuel from sunlight, CO2 and water

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Wireless device makes clean fuel from sunlight, CO2 and water

Image of Dr Qian Wang courtesy University of Cambridge Thursday, August 20, 2020 Researchers here have developed a stand-alone device that converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into a carbon-neutral fuel, without requiring any additional components or electricity. The device is a significant step toward achieving artificial photosynthesis – a process mimicking the ability of…

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Climate Change: The Board Game

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Climate Change: The Board Game

Attachment Size climate_change_board_game_instructions.pdf (1.21 MB) 1.21 MB climate_change_game_materials.pdf (674.44 KB) 674.44 KB climate_change_game_boards.pdf (1.6 MB) 1.6 MB

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Targeting oligomer dynamics provides hope for new Alzheimer’s therapies

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Targeting oligomer dynamics provides hope for new Alzheimer’s therapies

Lead author Dr Thomas Michaels developed a maths model Sunday, April 12, 2020 Researchers have revealed for the first time the surprising behaviour of toxic oligomers in the amyloid aggregation process involved in Alzheimer’s and other  diseases, thus opening up routes for new therapies against these dreaded killers. Researchers have known for some time that…

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Coronavirus: Unexpected Consequences

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Coronavirus: Unexpected Consequences

Courtesy Nathan Pitt, Department of Chemistry Monday, April 6, 2020 Although he hasn’t been studying the virus itself, Professor Rod Jones has been investigating an unexpected positive consequence of the virus caused by movement restrictions imposed by the government during the coronavirus pandemic. “We have seen a significant improvement in air quality in London since…

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Women in STEM: Dr Maria Russo

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Women in STEM: Dr Maria Russo

Thursday, March 12, 2020 “Cambridge University is an amazing cauldron of very talented people.” So says Dr Maria Russo, who is a Research Associate in our Centre for Atmospheric Science, where she studies the physical and chemical processes at work in the atmosphere. Here, she tells us about the links between climate and air pollution, the…

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New tools show a way forward for large-scale storage of renewable energy

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New tools show a way forward for large-scale storage of renewable energy

Photo of solar panels by Mariana Proença on Unsplash Monday, March 2, 2020 A technique based on the principles of MRI and NMR has allowed researchers to observe both how next-generation batteries for large-scale energy storage work, but also how they fail, aiding the development of strategies to extend battery lifetimes. Being able to extend…

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Women in STEM: Jenny Zhang

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Women in STEM: Jenny Zhang

Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Research Fellow Dr Jenny Zhang is the latest reseacher to be profiled in the University of Cambridge ‘Women in STEM’ series. In her research here, group leader Dr Jenny Zhang is re-wiring photosynthesis to generate renewable fuels. Here, she tells us about why she switched from cancer research to sustainability, how…

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‘Artificial leaf’ successfully produces clean gas

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‘Artificial leaf’ successfully produces clean gas

Image: Virgil Andrei, Department of Chemistry Monday, October 21, 2019 A widely-used gas that is currently produced from fossil fuels can instead be made by an ‘artificial leaf’ that uses only sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, researchers here have successfully demonstrated. And the artificial leaf could eventually be used to develop a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to…

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Welcoming two new members of staff

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Welcoming two new members of staff

Image: Department of Chemistry Photography Wednesday, October 2, 2019 We are welcoming two alumni – Alex Forse and Alex Thom – who have just become members of our academic staff. Dr Alexander Forse (pictured right) joins as a lecturer in Materials Chemistry. Alex comes to us from the University of California at Berkeley where he…

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Into the stratosphere

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Into the stratosphere

Whether you want to predict the Earth’s climate or forecast its daily weather, you need to understand the behaviour of the fluids that make up atmosphere and oceans. Professor Peter Haynes of the Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics Group at DAMTP is one of the mathematicians who provide this crucial understanding. His work in the field has recently…

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