News

The way that Earth’s first animals reproduced held back life’s diversity for millions of years, until stress and competition led to the development of sexual reproduction, which in turn accelerated the pace of evolution. Researchers from the University of Cambridge studied fossils from the oldest-known animals on Earth, dating from 574 million year…

On Friday 20th March, researchers from across multiple departments gathered at Robinson College for the LCLU’s Annual Science Day 2026. The presenters were mainly early career researchers working in fields ranging from astronomy and earth sciences to chemistry, physics, and philosophy. The event celebrated the multidisciplinary research carried out…

The Swiss federal government has approved funding for six new National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs). NCCR Genesis, one of the six Centres, is led by ETH Zurich in collaboration with the University of Lausanne.How did life on Earth begin? Are we alone in the universe, or is it teeming with life? What sparks the imagination of many is al…

Over the last three decades, astronomers have discovered more than 6,000 planets outside our solar system — yet none that look just like home. That might be about to change.A new telescope project kicking off in the Canary Islands in mid-December is tasked with one main objective: to find an Earth twin. The Terra Hunting Experiment will be the firs…

Dr Emily Mitchell, a mid-career researcher at the University of Cambridge and member of LCLU, has been awarded the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant — one of the most competitive research awards in Europe. This year, eight Cambridge researchers share part of the ERC’s record €728 million funding pot, supporting frontier projects across fields from…

When the Hubble Space Telescope first launched in 1990, it quickly became clear that something was not right. Images that should have been razor-sharp looked scarcely better than those taken by an amateur telescope on Earth. Once the source of the problem — a microns-thick defect affecting the primary mirror — was identified, aerospace engineers ca…

Applications are once again invited to the Kavli-Laukien Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Origins of Life Initiative at Harvard University. The Kavli-Laukien Fellowship program supports young developing independent scholars to pursue innovative research in the emerging field of origins of life science and astrobiology. It is expected that the Kavli-…

The NOMIS Foundation ETH Fellowship Programme supports postdoctoral researchers at ETH Zurich within the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life. The programme is intended to foster the development of young interdisciplinary researchers in the field of the origin and prevalence of life who have demonstrated scientific excellence in the early stage…

Researchers demonstrate algae growth under Mars-like pressuresIf humans are ever going to live beyond Earth, they’ll need to construct habitats. But transporting enough industrial material to create livable spaces would be incredibly challenging and expensive. Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SE…

Professor Nikku Madhusudhan and Professor Nicholas Tosca gave an insight on how Cambridge is exploring the possibility of other habitable planets, and whether the planet Earth is unique. The event was part of The Future of Physical Sciences Webinar Series on Tuesday, 25 February 2025The webinar was chaired by Professor Cathie Clarke, Co-Director o…

Eligibility Period: July 2024 – June 2025  The Origins Federation is soliciting nominations of outstanding recent PhD graduates. The annual PhD Prize in Origins of Life research is awarded for the best Ph.D. thesis-related work by a graduate student from one of the four Origins Federation institutions. Each institution will nominate a Ph.D. thesis…

Astronomers have detected the most promising signs yet of a possible biosignature outside the solar system, although they remain cautious. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, have detected the chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), in …

The Annual Science Day at Robinson College concluded on Friday 21st March after a day of diverse and stimulating presentations by LCLU members from more than ten Cambridge University departments. The LCLU represents an opportunity for researchers speaking different ‘academic languages’ to answer key questions about Life in the Universe; our Annual …

Planetary Science and Life in the Universe MPhil programme is excited to announce fully paid scholarships available to Home-fee status female students through a collaboration between the Parasol Foundation and Murray Edwards College.These awards will provide opportunities to enable more women to pursue higher education at the Institute of Astronomy…

We are happy to announce the four research projects selected for our 2025 round of Joint Collaboration Programme Awards. It is the first year that we are offering the possibility to link different projects to form a Large Programme. We are happy to award two Large projects and two single projects funding this year. Selected Large projectsGeochemica…