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Department of Zoology

 
Read more at: Research raises doubts about whether modern humans and Neanderthals interbred

Research raises doubts about whether modern humans and Neanderthals interbred

4 July 2013

New research raises questions about the theory that modern humans and Neanderthals at some point interbred, known as hybridisation. The findings of a study by researchers at the University of Cambridge suggests that common ancestry, not hybridisation, better explains the average 1-4 per cent DNA that those of European and...


Read more at: Good news for a change

Good news for a change

4 July 2013

News about the environment can seem like one long litany of loss, but is nature’s continued decline inevitable? Certainly not, argues Andrew Balmford in his book Wild Hope, published by University of Chicago Press, which instead explores the successful side of conservation.


Read more at: Courtship in Drosophila melanogaster

Courtship in Drosophila melanogaster

4 July 2013

A new paper published in Current Biology this week by several members of the department looks at substrate-borne vibratory communication during courtship in Drosophila melanogaster.


Read more at: John Gurdon wins Nobel Prize

John Gurdon wins Nobel Prize

4 July 2013

The Department is delighted to congratulate Sir John Gurdon on the award of this year's Nobel prize for medicine, announced on 8th October 2012.


Read more at: Dr Ken Joysey

Dr Ken Joysey

4 July 2013

The Department received with sadness the news of the death of Dr Ken Joysey on 25th November 2012.


Read more at: The remarkable notebook of a 19th-century naturalist

The remarkable notebook of a 19th-century naturalist

4 July 2013

A notebook recording the fauna of Cambridgeshire observed and collected by the Reverend Leonard Jenyns between 1820 and 1849 has been published in full for the first time. A significant naturalist in his own right, Jenyns turned down the offer of a place on HMS Beagle, recommending instead a younger colleague, Charles Darwin.


Read more at: Crop Expansion and Conservation Priorities in Tropical Countries

Crop Expansion and Conservation Priorities in Tropical Countries

4 July 2013

Ben Phalan and Andrew Balmford from the department, along with a team of researchers from other institutions, have had a paper published in PLOS ONE looking at the expansion of cropland in tropical countries and biodiversity loss. The paper can be read online on the PLOS ONE website . There is also an excellent blog post...


Read more at: Reassembling the backbone of life using a particle accelerator

Reassembling the backbone of life using a particle accelerator

4 July 2013

Research published in the journal Nature documents, for the first time, the intricate three-dimensional structure of the backbone in the earliest four-legged animals (tetrapods).


Read more at: Library Pinterest boards launched

Library Pinterest boards launched

4 July 2013

Printed and e-books acquisitions related boards created by the Balfour & Newton Libraries, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. The boards include Zoology Staff publications, E-books in Zoology and Neuroscience, and videos from ebooks@cambridge showing how to find e-books on the library catalogue. http://...


Read more at: Part II Zoology Open Day

Part II Zoology Open Day

4 July 2013

2nd Year Natural Science, Medic and Vet Students are invited to come along to the Museum of Zoology on Monday 11th March to talk to course and module organisers about taking their Part II year in the Zoology Department.