University of Cambridge

Dr Ferdia Gallagher - The Future of MRI by University of Cambridge

Ella McPherson - Digital Fakery and its Consequences by University of Cambridge

Jaideep Prabhu - Frugal innovation: how the globe is learning to do more (and better) with less by University of Cambridge

Hugo Drochon: Who believes in conspiracy theories? by University of Cambridge

Helena Sanson, Professor Bill Byrne and Marcus Tomalin: Lost in Translation by University of Cambridge

Recorded at POLITICAL THOUGHT, TIME, AND HISTORY, An International Conference which took place at Clare College, University of Cambridge on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 May 2018. Quentin Skinner (Queen Mary, London), ‘Why states need time’ Sir Christopher Clark (Cambridge), ‘The times of power’

Nutrition and exercise are paramount for improving health and preventing disease. However, controversy exists over what constitutes a healthy diet. “Chocolate is good, Butter is back…” Misinformation in the media is confusing. Alexander Mok, MRC Epidemiology Unit, aims to demystify the research and evidence base underpinning the public health recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. Alexander’s re...

Research Horizons Public Talk As AI systems are widely deployed in real-world settings, it is critical for us to understand the mechanisms by which they take decisions. Dr Adrian Weller discusses how processes are being developed to ensure AI systems are transparent, reliable and trustworthy.

A technology breakthrough that started in Cambridge has brought us to where we are able to decode the entire DNA sequence of 100,000 genomes to determine mutations that cause rare genetic diseases and cancer. Dr David Bentley, Chief Scientist at Illumina, and Professor Mark Caulfield, Chief Scientist at Genomics England, discuss how this promises to revolutionise the way we practise medicine.

The Antarctic is a difficult place to do science. Keeping a research ship moving is tricky in a vast expanse of frozen ocean. In addition, the ship needs to stay safe and efficient while executing research projects in a remote and hostile environment. Achieving this demands timely and reliable information to be accessible to everyone operating in sea ice. Available information has evolved from ice...

Very rarely, people with epilepsy have mystical experiences during their seizures. This may be why the ancients called epilepsy the Sacred Disease. Dostoyevsky had such seizures and wrote about them in The Idiot. Professor Alasdair Coles and Dr Joseph Tennant describe modern day examples of people with these unusual seizures, and what they can teach neuroscience, psychology and theology.

In recent years the debate about the harms and benefits of breast cancer screening has become increasingly polarised. This expert panel discussion will consider the complexities of this debate from four different disciplinary perspectives. Dr Sian Taylor Phillips, an epidemiologist who works with the UK National Screening Committee, will provide insights into the challenges of interpreting the evi...

Rose Giles reads the opening page of Casino Royale, a first edition of which features in Tall Tales: Secrets of the Tower, a free exhibition at Cambridge University Library from May 2-Oct 28, 2018. This was Fleming’s first Bond novel and the only one to feature his own artwork. The relatively small initial print run (4,750 copies) and the fact that Fleming himself designed the dust jacket means th...

Julian Fuller reads an extract from Lonely Londoners, featuring in Tall Tales: Secrets of the Tower at Cambridge University Library. The novel was one of the first books to focus on poor, working-class blacks following the enactment of the British Nationality Act 1948 and the arrival of the 'Windrush Generation'. The book was a major step towards the recognition of the new, multicultural London of...

Mark Purcell reads a poem from Ye Comical Rhymes of Ancient Times, first published in 1862. The volume features eccentric poems and displays elements of the casual racism which abounded at the time. The volume is on display in a free exhibition at Cambridge University Library, Tall Tales: Secrets of the Tower. #ulTallTales www.lib.cam.ac.uk

Louise Williams reads this short practical pamphlet, from the Tower Collections at Cambridge University Library, which encourages people to take up chicken rearing. The author, a Mrs Woodrow of Harrow, notes that rearing chickens is ‘One of the least expensive, most enjoyable, scientific, interesting, and healthy hobbies that can be undertaken.’ Tall Tales: Secrets of the Tower runs from May 2-Oct...

David Marshall reads an extract from The Liar by Stephen Fry, one of the books featured in Tall Tales: Secrets of the Tower at Cambridge University Library. #ulTallTales www.lib.cam.ac.uk

A fact that scientists rarely mention is that space really, really wants to murder you. While this is upsetting, it does at least want to kill you in interesting ways! Dr Michael Parker explains his personal top ten most exciting ways that space can obliterate tiny, fragile humans. Dr Michael Parker grew up in the Lake District, did his undergraduate degree in theoretical physics in Durham, then a...

Have you ever wondered why dragons, unicorns, giants and vampires don’t exist? If so, then this is the event for you, as zoologist Dr Matt Wilkinson takes you on an expedition beyond life as we know it, to see why there are some things that evolution just can’t make.

Most of us value our health highly yet act in ways that undermine it. If we ate and drank less, didn’t smoke and were physically more active, 40% of cancers and 75% of diabetes and cardiovascular disease would be avoided. This talk addresses four questions, the answers to which reveal less and more effective approaches to improving our health: 1. Why do we persist in engaging in unhealthy behaviou...

The world sends more messages today than ever before. Through the internet we email, and tweet, and instagram. And those messages are in code. This may not be surprising, but even those codes contain more secrets than you realise. Dr James Grime will reveal how film studios know if you are sharing movies illegally. How to hide a secret message on the internet in plain sight. And the ingenious math...

We love dogs for their companionship and work but they can also help humans by teaching us about human genetic diseases. Eleanor Raffan, Institute of Metabolic Sciences, explains how studying inherited disease in dogs can benefit humans too, including examples from her own work studying the genetics of obesity. Biography: Eleanor Raffan is a vet and researcher at the University of Cambridge Metabo...

Organ transplants save lives and improve quality of life for recipients and their families. Although more than 50,000 people in the UK are alive today because of organ transplantation, demand for organs still outstrips supply in every country in the world. It is estimated that in the UK three people die every day while waiting for a transplant. Researchers worldwide are endeavouring to improve thi...

The most interesting events and discoveries in molecular science and nanotechnology went through a “de-evolution of words”: from this does not make any sense to Eureka. Dr Ljiljana Fruk, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology highlights discoveries and molecules, which initially did not make any sense, but have nevertheless rocked our world and changed the way we live. From oxygen di...

Take a deep breath and jump into the incredible world of fish, with marine biologist Dr Helen Scales (goggles and snorkels optional). Find out how fish can live for 500 years, how their beards can glow in the dark and sometimes they talk to each other with farts. As a writer, marine biologist and broadcaster Dr Helen Scales' work combines a scuba diver’s devotion to exploring the oceans, a scienti...