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Cambridge researchers have developed a new technique for measuring and mapping gene and cell activity through fluorescence in living plant tissue. Techniques such as the one we have developed will help us to discover more about the thrilling complexities of life at this level." —Dr Jim Haseloff A new technique using fluorescence to automatically measure and map cellular activity in living plant tissue will contribute to better computer models that are at the heart of synthetic biology, the attempts to engineer living systems.

Introducing the online game for Londoners which researchers hope will one day influence the shape of the nation's capital. —Daniele Quercia An online game which tests Londoners' ability to recognise parts of the capital has been devised by researchers as the first step in a project to create a "memory map" of the city.

A new study published in Conservation Letters aims to measure whether parks and reserves in the tropics succeed in protecting forests Just as deforestation rates in remote protected areas should not be compared with deforestation rates from more accessible and lower altitude unprotected areas, it is also critical to control for government-mediated access in the form of regulations governing unprotected lands.

Research into the effectiveness of staff counselling reveals that workplace support can have a striking and sustained effect for employees with workplace or personal difficulties. Staff leave counselling with a far greater sense of well-being and much more able to cope with the demands of their working lives." —Jill Collins A study into the effectiveness of staff counselling at the University of Cambridge has revealed that such services can make a significant and lasting improvement to the lives of people with work-related stress and other problems.

Excavation of 19,000-year-old hunter-gatherer remains, including a vast camp site, is fuelling a reinterpretation of the greatest fundamental shift in human civilisation - the origins of agriculture.

A new Cambridge-led study has examined the past 60 years of incidence data on psychotic disorders in England in the hope that the data can reveal clues about the possible social factors which appear to underpin such conditions.

The "Back To Sleep" campaign, which played a crucial role in preventing SIDS in the 1990s, took up to 15 years to work in areas of high socio-economic deprivation, a new study reveals. Future campaigns to modify environmental risk factors for stillbirth and infant death should be designed so that the message is delivered to people in areas of high deprivation more effectively." —Gordon Smith A study of 24 years of cot death rates (sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS) in Scotland has shown major differences in the success of the "Back To Sleep" campaign, depending on where women lived.

The pharmaceutical industry has in part withdrawn, either because they struggled to translate research into a viable drug or because of financial pressures." —Barbara Sahakian Leading international academics are advocating for new approaches to drug development for mental health diseases. Their comment article depression, and schizophrenia.

Hand-held lasers that can remove ink from scrap paper so that it can be used again may be coming to an office near you, results from a new Cambridge study show. What we need to do now is find someone to build a prototype. Thanks to hand-held scanners and laser-jet printers, the feasibility for reusing paper in the office is there." —Dr Julian Allwood Julian Allwood, Leader of the Low Carbon Materials Processing Group at the University of Cambridge, tested Toner-print removal from paper by employing a variety of lasers.

Research into the way memory works could lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of alcoholism. Memories associated with triggering relapse in alcoholics could be treated at the point of recall, deleting the unconscious stimulus that spark craving for drink.

Most primitive known vertebrate and therefore the ancestor of all descendant vertebrates, including humans, discovered. The discovery of myomeres is the smoking gun that we have long been seeking.

Research provides new insights about what caused the extinction of many of the world's big animals over the last 100,000 years. Our research suggests that a combination of human pressure and climate change was able to cause the extinctions of many large animals in the past.

Patient information reveals women, young people, ethnic minorities and people with less common cancers have the highest number of pre-referral consultations. " More than three quarters (77%) of cancer patients who first present to their family doctors (GPs) with suspicious symptoms are referred to hospital after only one or two consultations, a new study has found.

Scientists find that micronutrients affect methylation, which has been associated with changes in the immune system.

Some of the earliest evidence of prehistoric architecture has been discovered in the Jordanian desert, providing archaeologists with a new perspective on how humans lived 20,000 years ago. Inside the huts, we found intentionally burnt piles of gazelle horn cores, clumps of red ochre pigment and a cache of hundreds of pierced marine shells." —Dr Lisa Maher Archaeologists working in eastern Jordan have announced the discovery of 20,000-year-old hut structures, the earliest yet found in the Kingdom.

One of the biggest challenges facing dementia researchers at the moment is a lack of good ways to track the disease over time.

An innovative horizon-scanning exercise, which has just delivered its latest report, highlights emerging topics of relevance to the world's natural environment and the diversity of its species. We can't hope to spot all potential issues.

Not only is this approach uncovering events previously hidden from view, but it has other important potential applications. This is the period of development during which the natural population of stem cells undergoes expansion to form the foundation upon which the body can be built." —Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, lead author of the research A novel approach in   The research, from the laboratory of Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz of the University of Cambridge, enables scientists to view critical aspects of embryonic development which was previously unobservable.

New research provides the first mathematical understanding of the shape of a ponytail and could have implications for the textile industry, computer animation and personal care products. Our findings solve a problem that has puzzled scientists and artists ever since Leonardo da Vinci remarked on the fluid-like streamlines of hair in his notebooks 500 years ago." —Professor Ray Goldstein From Leonardo Da Vinci to the Brothers Grimm, the properties of hair have been of enduring interest in science and art.

A new study of tropical forests will provide a 50,000-year perspective on how animal biodiversity has changed, explored through an archaeological investigation of animal bones. The study of ancient animal bones can provide a remarkably long-range perspective. It can tell us about the nature of animal communities before humans intensively modified their habitats." —Dr Chris Stimpson As dawn breaks, a Cantor's Roundleaf bat flies through the lush rainforest canopy searching out its colony.