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Department of Zoology

 
Read more at: Newly discovered soft-bodied fossil site found in Wales

Newly discovered soft-bodied fossil site found in Wales

2 May 2023

In an unexpected outcome of the Covid lockdowns, a new fossil site has been discovered in Wales. It is one of the very rare sites where soft tissues and complete organisms are preserved in abundance, rather than just hard parts like shells and bones. These exceptional deposits tell us much of what we know about the...


Read more at: Congratulations to Professor William Sutherland for the 2023 ECI Prize

Congratulations to Professor William Sutherland for the 2023 ECI Prize

18 April 2023

We are delighted to congratulate Professor William Sutherland , Miriam Rothschild Professor of Conservation Biology o n being awarded 2023 ECI Prize in terrestrial ecology by the International Ecology Institute (ECI, Oldendorf/Luhe, Germany). The ECI Prize is awarded biennially to an ecologist distinguished by outstanding...


Read more at: New appointment of Board member for Natural England

New appointment of Board member for Natural England

14 March 2023

Congratulations to Dr Lynn Dicks, University Lecturer in Animal Ecology at the Department of Zoology on her recent appointment of Board Member for Natural England. Her responsibilities as board member will last for 3 years. Natural England is the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England. This is a Public...


Read more at: IEEE Technology in the Service of Society Award 2023

IEEE Technology in the Service of Society Award 2023

1 March 2023

Congratulations to Derek Smith and the team in the Centre for Pathogen Evolution who, on behalf of the University of Cambridge, have been given this award for their work on antigenic cartography, which is used to describe and predict the evolution of viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2. The mission of the IEEE (the...


Read more at: Fossil ‘weird wonders’ discovered in a sheep field in mid Wales
opabiniids

Fossil ‘weird wonders’ discovered in a sheep field in mid Wales

24 November 2022

Exceptional fossil deposits such as the Burgess Shale in Canada and Chengjiang in China, which preserve soft tissues and internal organs alongside typical shells and ‘hard parts’, provide the oldest evidence for many major animal groups. While many of these fossils can be readily recognized as relatives of modern groups...


Read more at: Planar cell polarity: intracellular asymmetry and supracellular gradients of Dachsous

Planar cell polarity: intracellular asymmetry and supracellular gradients of Dachsous

1 November 2022

This work documents one final step in a scientific journey of 60 years. It is exactly 60 years since I (Peter) first had the idea, when a graduate student playing in a sandbox on the 3rd floor of the Zoology Department, that planar polarity might depend on a gradient of some molecule. The hypothesis was that cells are...


Read more at: Learning about the first animals on Earth from life at the poles

Learning about the first animals on Earth from life at the poles

12 October 2022

Emily Mitchell from our Deeptime Ecology Group and a team from British Antarctic Survey have recently published a paper about the amazing survival strategies of polar marine creatures might help to explain how the first animals on earth could have evolved earlier than the oldest fossils suggest according to new research...


Read more at: Drought changes the smell of flowers affecting bee visits

Drought changes the smell of flowers affecting bee visits

8 August 2022

Pollination in a drier world: Even moderate drought alters floral scent Climate change is everyday more present and dramatic in our everyday life, and 2022 has been no exception: heatwaves, drought, floods. Climate change also affects animals and plants, but more importantly it can have dramatic impacts on species...


Read more at: A new systematic map explores the level of research on within-plantation management practices in oil palm.
Oil palm plantation with fruit cut down and on the floor

A new systematic map explores the level of research on within-plantation management practices in oil palm.

3 August 2022

Megan Popkin and other members of the Insect Ecology Group have just published a new systematic map investigating the level of research on within-plantation management practices in oil palm. The article particularly highlights which practices have been researched and/or experimentally tested, as well as research gaps. Each...


Read more at: Cooperation between humans and wild animals
honeyguide eating wax by Dominic Cram, dolphin and fisherman’s hands with net by Fábio Daura-Jorge

Cooperation between humans and wild animals

21 June 2022

Cooperation between humans and wild animals People cooperate with many species of animals, such as falcons and sheep-dogs, but most cases involve the human controlling the animal’s actions through domestication and captivity. Sometimes, people and wild animals cooperate without human control and to mutual benefit, but much...