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How did the molecular building blocks for life end up on Earth? One long-standing theory is that they could have been delivered by comets. Now, researchers from the University of Cambridge have shown how comets could deposit similar building blocks to other planets in the galaxy. It's possible that the molecules that led to life on Earth came from comets, so the same could be true for planets elsewhere in the galaxy Richard Anslow In order to deliver organic material, comets need to be travelling relatively slowly - at speeds below 15 kilometres per second.

A floating, solar-powered device that can turn contaminated water or seawater into clean hydrogen fuel and purified water, anywhere in the world, has been developed by researchers. These are the sorts of solutions we will need to develop a truly circular economy and sustainable future Erwin Reisner The device, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, could be useful in resource-limited or off-grid environments, since it works with any open water source and does not require any outside power.

Stratospheric clouds over the Arctic may explain the differences seen between the polar warming calculated by climate models and actual recordings, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge and UNSW Sydney. Our study shows the value of increasing the detail of climate models where we can Deepashree Dutta The Earth's average surface temperature has increased drastically since the start of the Industrial Revolution, but the warming effect seen at the poles is even more exaggerated.

HotGestures give users 'superhuman' ability to open and control tools in virtual reality Researchers have developed a virtual reality application where a range of 3D modelling tools can be opened and controlled using just the movement of a user's hand. We need new ways of interacting with technology, and we think this is a step in that direction Per Ola Kristensson The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used machine learning to develop 'HotGestures' - analogous to the hot keys used in many desktop applications.

Research on neighbouring chimpanzee communities in the forests of West Africa suggests a warfare tactic not previously seen beyond humans is regularly used by our closest evolutionary relatives. Tactical warfare is considered a driver of human evolution Sylvain Lemoine Chimpanzees use high ground to conduct reconnaissance on rival groups, often before making forays into enemy territory at times when there is reduced risk of confrontation, a new study suggests.

First of its kind AI-model can help policymakers efficiently identify and prioritize houses for retrofitting and other decarbonizing measures. This is the first time that AI has been trained to identify hard-to-decarbonize buildings Ronita Bardhan 'Hard-to-decarbonize' (HtD) houses are responsible for over a quarter of all direct housing emissions - a major obstacle to achieving net zero - but are rarely identified or targeted for improvement.

A cancer drug currently in the final stages of clinical trials could offer hope for the treatment of a wide range of inflammatory diseases, including gout, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and atrial fibrillation, say scientists at the University of Cambridge.

A new way to price carbon credits could encourage desperately needed investment in forest preservation and boost vital progress towards net-zero. Our new approach has the potential to address market concerns around nature-based solutions to carbon offsetting. Srinivasan Keshav A new approach to valuing the carbon storage potential of natural habitats aims to help restore faith in offset schemes, by enabling investors to directly compare carbon credit pricing across a wide range of projects.

Researchers have developed a new method for 3D printing metal that could help reduce costs and make more efficient use of resources. This method could help reduce the costs of metal 3D printing, which could in turn improve the sustainability of the metal manufacturing industry Matteo Seita The method, developed by a research team led by the University of Cambridge, allows structural modifications to be 'programmed' into metal alloys during 3D printing, fine-tuning their properties without the 'heating and beating' process that's been in use for thousands of years.

Researchers have developed a new way of improving diagnosis of bipolar disorder that uses a simple blood test to identify biomarkers associated with the condition. The ability to diagnose bipolar disorder with a simple blood test could ensure that patients get the right treatment the first time Jakub Tomasik The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used a combination of an online psychiatric assessment and a blood test to diagnose patients with bipolar disorder, many of whom had been misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder.

Research has found that bumblebees make foraging choices to collect the most sugar from flowers in the shortest time - even if that means using more energy in the process - to provide an immediate energy boost for the colony. It's amazing that even with a brain smaller than a sesame seed, bumblebees can make such complex decisions.

Physicists have shown that simulating models of hypothetical time travel can solve experimental problems that appear impossible to solve using standard physics. We are not proposing a time travel machine, but rather a deep dive into the fundamentals of quantum mechanics David Arvidsson-Shukur If gamblers, investors and quantum experimentalists could bend the arrow of time, their advantage would be significantly higher, leading to significantly better outcomes.

The European Space Agency's Gaia mission has released a goldmine of knowledge about our galaxy and beyond. Among other findings, the star surveyor has surpassed its planned potential to reveal half a million new and faint stars in a massive cluster, identified over 380 possible cosmic lenses, and pinpointed the positions of more than 150,000 asteroids within the Solar System.

Study using data from 10,000 people in the UK found that those who had a closer bond with their parents at age three tended to display more socially-desirable behaviours like kindness, empathy and generosity, by adolescence. As children, we internalise those aspects of our relationships with our parents that are characterised by emotion, care and warmth Ioannis Katsantonis A loving bond between parents and their children early in life significantly increases the child's tendency to be 'prosocial', and act with kindness and empathy towards others, research indicates.

A person's immune response to variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, depends on their previous exposure - and differences in the focus of immune responses will help scientists understand how to optimise vaccines in the future to provide broad protection. It was a surprise how much of a difference we saw in the focus of immune responses of different people to SARS-CoV-2.

An individual diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 30 years could see their life expectancy fall by as much as 14 years, an international team of researchers has warned. Given the impact type 2 diabetes will have on people's lives, preventing - or at least delaying the onset - of the condition should be an urgent priority Stephen Kaptoge Even people who do not develop the condition until later in life - with a diagnosis at age 50 years - could see their life expectancy fall by up to six years, an analysis of data from 19 high-income countries found.

Autistic people have higher rates of chronic physical health conditions across the whole body and are more likely to have complex health needs, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge. Their findings, published in the journal  Molecular Autism , have important implications for the clinical care of autistic people.

Cambridge researchers have found that women who smoke during pregnancy are 2.6 times more likely to give birth prematurely compared to non-smokers - more than double the previous estimate.

Researchers have developed a method to identify new targets for human disease, including neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. The discovery of protein phase separation opens up new opportunities for drug discovery Michele Vendruscolo The research team, led by the University of Cambridge, presented an approach to identify therapeutic targets for human diseases associated with a phenomenon known as protein phase separation, a recently discovered phenomenon widely present in cells that drives a variety of important biological functions.

Studies of a 'future-proof' vaccine candidate have shown that just one antigen can be modified to provide a broadly protective immune response in animals. The studies suggest that a single vaccine with combinations of these antigens - a substance that causes the immune system to produce antibodies against it - could protect against an even greater range of current and future coronaviruses.