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“Albatross!” The legendary giant seabird
Scroll to the end of the article to listen to the podcast.In June 1910 Dr Edward Wilson set sail from Cardiff to Antarctica on board the Terra Nova as the Chief of the Scientific Staff on the British...
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Novel Thoughts: what Cambridge scientists read
We may think that scientists inhabit a precisely focused world, far away from the messy realm of stories and the imagination, but a new film series, Novel Thoughts, from the University of Cambridge...
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Treasuring our Anglo-Saxon heritage
One of the smallest departments at Cambridge – Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic (ASNAC) – has transformed what we know about a period once called the 'dark ages'. By forging relationships with metal...
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Making a drama out of a crisis
Developed by a Cambridge academic and theatre director, 3rd Ring Out was an immersive drama about our possible climate-changed future. By inviting audiences to rehearse for possible climate change...
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On the eve of the Booker Prize: a sideways look at the literary puff
The announcement of the Booker Prize winner (this year on 13 October) is a significant event in the literary world. A panel of judges, headed by a respected literary critic, sifts a list of notable...
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… dot, dot, dot: how the ellipsis made its mark
Punctuation is fascinating to some … but a real turnoff to others. If you’re lukewarm about the distinction between dots and dashes, and the history of printers’ marks, then Ellipsis in English...
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Opinion: How free are we really?
Freedom. A word redolent with benevolence. We like the idea of being “free”. We are outraged at the thought of being “un-free”. It is often presented to us as a polarity: free expression, free choice...
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Too big to cry: when war ended, the damage began
When we think of the First World War, we remember the many millions of men who died. But, as dangerous it was to be a soldier in the horror of the trenches, it was more dangerous to be a baby back at...
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How artisans used colour printing to add another dimension to woodcuts
The fearsome dragon is dead, its body contorted and mouth hanging open. Above it, a triumphant St George sits astride a splendid horse. He wears full armour, his legs thrust forward, spurs glinting and...
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The language and literature of chastity
When BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour used the topic ‘purity’ as a talking point for a late night discussion, the themes that emerged ranged from sex to food to spirituality. The common denominator was the...
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From Pulp to Fiction: our love affair with paper
How’s this for a measure of the pace of the tech revolution? Twenty years ago, you would have read this article only on paper; now it is also available on your tablet, smartphone or computer. The...
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Shakespeare goes to East Africa
In 1857 the explorer Captain Richard Francis Burton set out from the East African coast to find the source of the Nile. As his expedition struggled through unmapped bush, men and horses died from...
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The adventures of Sir Kenelm Digby: 17th-century pirate, philosopher and foodie
On 7 January 1628, a fleet of ships weighed anchor off the coast of Kent and set sail for the Mediterranean. As fleets go, this one was small. It comprised just two vessels – the Eagle and the...
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Nan Shepherd celebrated: the Scottish writer who knew mountains
The term ‘nature writing’ didn’t exist in the 1940s when Nan Shepherd wrote The Living Mountain, a book in which she describes exploring the Cairngorm Mountains in north-east Scotland as a walker and...
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Winners announced in the inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Impact Awards and Public...
On Monday 20 June, the Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research presented two sets of inaugural awards; the Impact Awards run by the Research Strategy Office, and the Public Engagement with...
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Opinion: Decision time in the US
Dr Emily Charnock, Faculty of HistoryQ: Has the 2016 US election been as unprecedented as we have been led to believe?A: In a word, yes. There have been nasty presidential elections and party splits...
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Releasing a better version of me: the power of education in prison to change...
Handwritten letters, in a digital world, are increasingly rare. But, on 18 November 2016, John sat down to write to his friend Jakub. His message begins in capitals: “YES, JAKUB” and goes on to...
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Supporting high-achieving black students
Target Oxbridge provides 16 – 18 year old black African and Caribbean students with positive role models and practical advice. The development programme runs over the course of a year and involves...
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Too big to cry: when war ended, the damage began
When we think of the First World War, we remember the many millions of men who died. But, as dangerous it was to be a soldier in the horror of the trenches, it was more dangerous to be a baby back at...
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Poet, activist, bird watcher: exploring John Clare as nature writer
The poet John Clare (1793-1864) was a keen natural historian who knew the countryside in all its moods. His various jobs saw him labouring in farms and gardens; his gravestone remembers him as the...
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