Cambridge alumni and faculty are often asked to comment on the news of the day by prominent news media, most recently in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS News, CNN and NPR.
JUNE 2025
Washington Post
June 5, 2025
Just how bloody was medieval England? A 'murder map' holds some surprises
Prof Manuel Eisner (Institute of Criminology), who leads the Medieval Murder Map project, recorded a podcast in which he discussed new evidence in a 14th century homicide: the case of a priest whose murder may have been masterminded by a noblewoman seeking revenge.
MAY 2025
Washington Post
May 28, 2025
Here's how much international students contribute to the U.S. economy
Prof Constantine Yannelis (Faculty of Economics/Pembroke College) speaks about the potential impact to the US economy of an extended pause on student visas.
New York Times
May 23, 2025
One Type of Mammogram Proves Better for Women With Dense Breasts
Coverage of research led by Professor Fiona Gilbert (Radiology/Newnham College) which found that extra scans could triple cancer detection in women with very dense breasts.
May 19, 2025
Brexit’s Failures Could Foreshadow Trump’s. Just Not in the Way You Might Think.
Professor David Runciman (POLIS/Trinity Hall) on the similarities and differences between the UK’s Brexit vote and the re-election of Trump in the US.
APRIL 2025
New York Times
April 16, 2025
Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet
Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.
April 12, 2025
The Boat Race: Why has Oxford and Cambridge’s annual river rivalry endured for almost 200 years?
Coverage of the history behind the annual set of rowing races between Cambridge and Oxford.
April 8, 2025
Ideology May Not Be What You Think but How You’re Wired
In her new book, “The Ideological Brain,” the Cambridge neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod outlines what makes some people prone to rigid thinking.
Fortune
April 5, 2025
What is Trump really trying to achieve with his tariff plan, and will it work?
Michael Kitson (Cambridge Judge Business School / St Catharine’s College) comments on historical parallels to President Trump’s new tariffs.
Bloomberg
April 4, 2025
Fed Needs Air Cover on Inflation, El-Erian Says
Dr Mohamed El-Erian (President, Queens’ College) offers insights into the potential future of the global economy, following the US tariff announcement that is currently shocking global markets and businesses.
MARCH 2025
CNN
March 30, 2025
Fareed Zakaria GPS
Dr Elizabeth Kendall (Mistress at Girton College) talks about the recent strikes by Houthi rebels on Israel.
New York Times
March 30, 2025
We’re in a New Age of Techno-Spiritualism
Coverage of a study by Dr Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska and Dr Tomasz Hollanek (Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence) on AI chatbots based on digital footprints of the deceased.
March 28, 2025
Medieval Tales of Merlin and Arthur, Hidden for Centuries, Return to Light
Cambridge University researchers found a manuscript with rare Arthurian tales bound into a ledger more than 400 years old and used advanced technology to reveal its contents.
March 25, 2025
What Do We Owe This Cluster of Cells?
Deep-dive into work by Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz (Physiology, Development and Neuroscience/Sidney Sussex College) looking at the early stages of embryo development and the use of embryo models derived from human stem cells.
Axios
March 24, 2025
AI weather forecasting just took a big step forward
Researchers led by Professor Richard Turner (Dept. of Engineering) and Anna Allen (Dept. of Computer Science and Technology) have developed Aardvark Weather, an end-to-end AI weather forecasting system.
The Wall Street Journal
March 16, 2025
In Yemen Strikes, Trump Takes On a Group That Has Outlasted Powerful Foes
Dr Elisabeth Kendall, Mistress of Girton College, comments on President Trump’s pre-emptive attack on the Houthis in Yemen.
MIT Technology Review
March 12, 2025
This artificial leaf makes hydrocarbons out of carbon dioxide
Research led by Dr Virgil Andrei (Department of Chemistry/St John’s College) has used tiny copper ‘flowers’ to power the generation of complex hydrocarbons, using only the power of the sun.
Fox News
March 12, 2025
Common pain medication could reduce cancer spread, study finds
Research led by Dr Rahul Roychoudhuri (Pathology/ St Catharine’s) discovered the mechanism by which aspirin can stop some cancers spreading, if taken at an early stage.
Fox 5 New York
March 10, 2025
Labradors’ overeating gene may explain human obesity risk, researchers say
Coverage of work led by Dr Eleanor Raffan (Physiology, Development & Neuroscience), which discovered genes linked to obesity in both Labradors and humans.
Austin Chronicle
March 7, 2025
Scholars Visiting Austin Discuss the Building Blocks of a “Just Economy”
Professor Christopher Marquis (Cambridge Judge Business School/ Jesus College) comments at South by Southwest Festival on making business more accountable.
Washington Post
March 4, 2025
Trump official floats new approach on GDP, as economy is poised to slow sharply
Professor Diane Coyle (Bennett Institute for Public Policy) comments on the potential for the US to deviate from GDP as an economic measurement.
FEBRUARY 2025
Harvard Business Review
February 28, 2025
AI’s Growing Waste Problem—and How to Solve It
Dr Samsurin Welch and Professor Khaled Soufani (Cambridge Judge Business School) write about how a circular economy model can help solve AI’s waste problem.
Fox News
February 25, 2025
Common drugs linked to reduced risk of dementia
Research led by Dr Ben Underwood (Psychiatry) found that antibiotics, antivirals, vaccinations and anti-inflammatory medications are associated with reduced risk of dementia.
Bloomberg
February 20, 2025
Save Our Scholars
Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice discusses Cambridge’s role in driving UK innovation and growth, the importance of PhD funding, and her passion for bringing talent from all corners of the country and the world to Cambridge.