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Potentially life-saving steroids commonly given to preterm babies also increase the risk of long-term cardiovascular problems, but a new study in rats has found that if given in conjunction with statins, their positive effects remain while the potential negative side-effects are -weeded out-. "We are not saying to stop using glucocorticoids, as they are clearly a life-saving treatment.

The introduction of the soft drinks industry levy - the -sugary drinks tax in England was followed by a drop in the number of cases of obesity among older primary school children, according to Cambridge researchers. Taking into account current trends in obesity, their estimates suggest that around 5,000 cases of obesity per year may have been prevented in year six girls alone.

A survey of over 2,000 British adults finds that trust in genetics is high and went up significantly during the pandemic. It also finds that there is a hunger for more coverage of genetics. These results really challenge us to double our efforts. We need to rise to the new opportunity and the challenge created by the outcomes of this survey.

Undernourished coastal communities in the tropics - where children's growth can be stunted by a lack of micronutrients - can get the vitamins and minerals they need from sustainable small-scale octopus fisheries, say researchers. Just a small serving of something very, very micronutrient rich, like octopus, can fill critical nutritional gaps.

Many life-saving drugs directly interact with DNA to treat diseases such as cancer, but scientists have struggled to detect how and why they work - until now. In a paper published in the journal Nature Biotechnology , University of Cambridge researchers have outlined a new DNA sequencing method that can detect where and how small molecule drugs interact with the targeted genome.

Scientists have worked out why common anti-depressants cause around a half of users to feel emotionally -blunted-. In a study published today, they show that the drugs affect reinforcement learning, an important behavioural process that allows us to learn from our environment. According to the NHS, more than 8.3 million patients in England received an antidepressant drug in 2021/22.

Researchers have used isotopes of carbon to trace how carbon dioxide emissions could be converted into low-carbon fuels and chemicals. The result could help the chemical industry, which is the third largest subsector in terms of direct CO2 emissions, recycle its own waste using current manufacturing processes.

A new test that -fishes- for multiple respiratory viruses at once using single strands of DNA as -bait-, and gives highly accurate results in under an hour, has been developed by Cambridge researchers. Good diagnostics are the key to good treatments Filip Bošković The test uses DNA -nanobait- to detect the most common respiratory viruses - including influenza, rhinovirus, RSV and COVID-19 - at the same time.

Cambridge scientists have successfully trialled an artificial pancreas for use by patients living with type 2 diabetes. The device - powered by an algorithm developed at the University of Cambridge - doubled the amount of time patients were in the target range for glucose compared to standard treatment and halved the time spent experiencing high glucose levels.

Researchers have developed a system that can transform plastic waste and greenhouse gases into sustainable fuels and other valuable products - using just the energy from the Sun. A solar-driven technology that could help to address plastic pollution and greenhouse gases at the same time could be a game-changer in the development of a circular economy Subhajit Bhattacharjee The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, developed the system, which can convert two waste streams into two chemical products at the same time - the first time this has been achieved in a solar-powered reactor.

Little -hurricanes- that form in the discs of gas and dust around young stars can be used to study certain aspects of planet formation, even for smaller planets which orbit their star at large distances and are out of reach for most telescopes. It's extremely difficult to study smaller planets that are far away from their star by directly imaging them: it would be like trying to spot a firefly in front of a lighthouse.

First study to look at long-term effect of insulation finds fall in gas consumption per household was small, with all energy savings disappearing by the fourth year after a retrofit.

Females, on average, are better than males at putting themselves in others- shoes and imagining what the other person is thinking or feeling, suggests a new study of over 300,000 people in 57 countries. Our results provide some of the first evidence that the well-known phenomenon - that females are on average more empathic than males - is present in wide range of countries across the globe David Greenberg Researchers found that females, on averag

Study of farmer preferences shows that turning whole areas of farmland into habitats comes with half the price tag of integrating nature into productive farmland, if biodiversity and carbon targets are to be met.

Cambridge scientists have managed to identify and kill those breast cancer cells that evade standard treatments in a study in mice. The approach is a step towards the development of new treatments to prevent relapse in patients. Tumours are incredibly complex, made up of many different types of tumour cells - and some of these cells are able to evade standard cancer treatments Kirsty Sawicka Tumours are complex entities made up of many types of cells, including cancer cells and normal cells.

COVID-19 vaccinations that combine two or more distinct variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus could offer protection against both current and future -variants of concern-, say scientists at the University of Cambridge and Medical University of Innsbruck.

New findings confirm that JWST has surpassed the Hubble telescope in its ability to observe the early Universe So many questions about galaxies have been waiting for the transformative opportunity of Webb, and we are thrilled to be able to play a part in revealing this story Sandro Tacchella An international team of astronomers, including scientists at the Universities of Cambridge, Hertfordshire and Oxford, has reported the discovery of the earliest galaxies ever confirmed in our Universe.

Up to 78% of walkers would take a more challenging route featuring obstacles such as balancing beams, steppingstones and high steps, research has found. The findings suggest that providing -Active Landscape- routes in urban areas could help tackle an -inactivity pandemic- and improve health outcomes.

Cambridge researchers have developed a method for measuring overall fitness accurately on wearable devices - and more robustly than current consumer smartwatches and fitness monitors - without the wearer needing to exercise.

A new study finds treeshrews increase in size in warmer settings, contrary to established norms. Our study is the first to demonstrate a rule reversal over time in any species. We need to revisit some of our assumptions about size variation as our climate continues to rapidly change. Maya Juman New evidence shows that some mammals increase in size in warmer settings, upsetting established norms and suggesting that climate change may be having an unexpected impact on animal body size.