1
‘Pre-bunk’ game reduces susceptibility to disinformation
Study of thousands of players shows a simple online game works like a 'vaccine', increasing skepticism of fake news by giving people a “weak dose” of the methods behind disinformation.
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s leading universities, with a rich history of radical thinking dating back to 1209.
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Visit cam.ac.uk → On Hacker News May 2016 – Jul 2026
Science & Space 21Society, Policy & Culture 11History & Retro Computing 6Hardware & Electronics 5Security & Privacy 3Life, Learning & Writing 3
2
Long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution linked to increased risk of dementia
An analysis of studies incorporating data from almost 30 million people has highlighted the role that air pollution – including that coming from car exhaust emissions – plays in increased risk of dementia.
3
Menstrual tracking app data is gold mine for advertisers that risks women safety
Cambridge researchers urge public health bodies like the NHS to provide trustworthy, research-driven alternatives to platforms driven by profit.
4
Cement recycling method could help solve one of the big climate challenges
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a method to produce very low emission concrete at scale – an innovation that could be transformative in the transition to net zero.
5
How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?
Members of the public have little trouble in learning very quickly how to use a third thumb – a controllable, prosthetic extra thumb – to pick up and manipulate objects.
6
AI system self-organises to develop features of brains of complex organisms
Cambridge scientists have shown that placing physical constraints on an artificially-intelligent system – in much the same way that the human brain has to develop and operate within physical and biological constraints – allows it to develop features of the brains of complex organisms in order to solve tasks.
7
One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown
One in three young people say their mental health and wellbeing improved during COVID-19 lockdown measures, with potential contributing factors including feeling less lonely, avoiding bullying and getting more sleep and exercise, according to researchers at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.
8
Arctic Ocean started getting warmer decades earlier than we thought
The Arctic Ocean has been getting warmer since the beginning of the 20th century – decades earlier than records suggest – due to warmer water flowing into the delicate polar ecosystem from the Atlantic Ocean.
9
Price of a bot army revealed across online platforms
The first global index tracking real-time prices for buying fake account verifications on 500+ online platforms in every country has been launched by a team at the University of Cambridge.
10
The Life of Pi: Ten Years of Raspberry Pi
The most successful computer ever to come out of the UK celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
11
Functioning ‘mechanical gears’ seen in nature for the first time (2013)
Previously believed to be only man-made, a natural example of a functioning gear mechanism has been discovered in a common insect - showing that evolution developed interlocking cogs long before we did.
12
Sleight-of-hand magic trick only fools monkeys with opposable thumbs
Illusion involving a hidden thumb confounds capuchin and squirrel monkeys for the same reason as humans – it misdirects the expected outcomes of actions they can carry out.
13
Green Material for Refrigeration Identified
Researchers from the UK and Spain have identified an eco-friendly solid that could replace the inefficient and polluting gases used in most refrigerators and air conditioners.
14
Suppressing negative thoughts may be good for mental health after all
The commonly-held belief that attempting to suppress negative thoughts is bad for our mental health could be wrong, a new study from scientists at the University of Cambridge suggests.
15
Ultra-high-density hard drives made with graphene store ten times more data
Graphene can be used for ultra-high density hard disk drives (HDD), with up to a tenfold jump compared to current technologies, researchers at the Cambridge Graphene Centre have shown.
16
‘Vegan spider silk’ provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
Researchers have created a plant-based, sustainable, scalable material that could replace single-use plastics in many consumer products.
17
Oldest recorded solar eclipse helps date the Egyptian pharaohs
Researchers have pinpointed the date of what could be the oldest solar eclipse yet recorded. The event, which occurred on 30 October 1207 BC, is mentioned in the Bible and could have consequences for the chronology of the ancient world.
18
Claims AI can boost workplace diversity are ‘spurious and dangerous’
Research highlights growing market in AI-powered recruitment tools that claim to bypass human bias to remove discrimination from hiring.
19
Wildlife monitoring technologies used to intimidate and spy on women
Camera traps and drones deployed by government authorities to monitor a forest in India are infringing on the privacy and rights of local women.
20
Colour-changing magnifying glass gives clear view of infrared light
By trapping light into tiny crevices of gold, researchers have coaxed molecules to convert invisible infrared into visible light, creating new low-cost detectors for sensing.
21
Researchers have discovered magnetic monopole quasi-particles
Researchers have discovered magnetic monopoles – isolated magnetic charges – in a material closely related to rust, a result that could be used to power greener and faster computing technologies.
22
Fragments of a rare Merlin manuscript from c. 1300
Fragments of a rare Merlin manuscript from the 1200s discovered and digitised in a ground-breaking three-year project at Cambridge University Library.
23
High doses of ketamine can temporarily switch off the brain, say researchers
Researchers have identified two brain phenomena that may explain some of the side-effects of ketamine. Their measurements of the brain waves of sheep sedated by the drug may explain the out-of-body experience and state of complete oblivion it can cause.
24
Missing Darwin Notebooks Returned to Cambridge University Library
Charles Darwin’s iconic Tree of Life notebooks anonymously left in a pink gift bag, 15 months after launch of a worldwide appeal to find them
25
Bird brain from the age of dinosaurs reveals roots of avian intelligence
A ‘one of a kind’ fossil discovery could transform our understanding of how the unique brains and intelligence of modern birds evolved, one of the most enduring mysteries of vertebrate evolution.
26
Why DNA damage from smoking and UV rays cause cancer in some but not others
Scientists have found the first direct evidence of the powerful role our genetic makeup plays in influencing our risk of cancer, with inherited genes interacting with acquired genetic mutations to shape how tumours evolve.
27
Cambridge spin-out starts producing graphene at commercial scale
A recent University of Cambridge spin-out company, Paragraf, has started producing graphene – a sheet of carbon just one atomic layer thick – at up to eight inches (20cm) in diameter, large enough for commercial electronic devices.
28
New brain networks come ‘online’ during adolescence
New brain networks come ‘online’ during adolescence, allowing teenagers to develop more complex adult social skills, but potentially putting them at increased risk of mental illness, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
29
Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral
Study of almost 3 million Facebook and Twitter posts from US media and politicians shows divisive posts dunking on opponents drives engagement on social media.
30
‘Lost’ songs from the Middle Ages are brought back to life
An ancient song repertory will be heard for the first time in 1,000 years this week after being ‘reconstructed’ by a Cambridge researcher and a world-class performer of medieval music