Sir David Attenborough proved he is still a force of nature on Wednesday, after abseiling down a 15-metre wall to mark the opening of a new centre for conservation efforts in Cambridge.

The famous naturalist, who turns 90 next month, took part in the stunt to launch a centre which aims to bring together “leaders in research, practice, policy and teaching” in the field the of conservation. It took place at the university’s David Attenborough Building, formerly the Arup Building on the New Museums Site.

The creation of the new centre, which will be home to more than 500 conservation experts, was[Read full story]

I leapt for joy the moment I heard that the University of Cambridge was considering scrapping its traditional class lists. For a second, my current stresses of revision and the looming gloom of exams were magically swept away. Ever since coming to Cambridge, class lists have been something I have resented. When, as a fresher, a third year explained class lists to me, I remember feeling deeply belittled, not to mention rather worried. Exams have always given me a sinking feeling, and during revision I feel as if I am drowning in my own thoughts – not to mention the paper[Read full story]

Speaking at Newnham College earlier this month to discuss their new online magazine, The Standard Issue, Sarah Millican sat alongside her colleague Hannah Dunleavy.

In 2013, Millican was listed as one of the UK’s 100 most powerful women by Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. She is currently on her fourth tour, has appeared on almost every panel show on TV, and her own, The Sarah Millican Television Programme, ran for three series. Yet, despite her overwhelming success, she remains grounded. As she quietly walks into the room and takes her seat, few people in the audience look up or notice her[Read full story]

Its almost the end of term and you feel like your brain is about to implode. You can’t bear to submit another piece of supervision work and you’re starting to get sick of learning. But wait! Just before you go home and sink into your bed for a week, it’s worth checking out the Science Festival, beginning on Monday 7th March. With more than 350 events crammed into two weeks (yes, you read that right), it would be a downright shame to miss it. Activities range from talks to exhibitions to performances to hands-on activities that are simple, yet engaging[Read full story]

Cambridge comedy can be a repetitive affair, with the same faces and sketches reappearing at smokers and sketch shows across various venues and colleges. But in steps the Wolfson Howler, and everything we have come to expect from the comedy scene of the bubble, gets flipped upside down and inside out, then jiggled all about for good measure. 

Wolfson bar set the scene for the evening; in a far-away location somewhere near Granchester, the extensive wood panelling, open space and sofa-strewn bar achieved the ambience of a true comedy club. 

Charlie Robb, one half of The Good News, brilliantly opened[Read full story]

Jeremy Hunt’s plans to impose new contracts for doctors in August have caused huge controversy. In January, junior doctors staged the first medical strikes for over 40 years, claiming that plans for a 7 day-a-week NHS are both unsafe and unachievable. This month, plans to escalate strikes could lead to a full walk out. I spoke to a final-year medical student about the changes, and what it means for medical students. They didn’t wish to be named.

What was your reaction to the news of Jeremy Hunt’s plans to impose contract changes?

General dismay. I was surrounded by doctors when[Read full story]

The banks of the Thames on Sunday played host not only to swarms of tipsy Oxbridge students frolicking and occasionally watching a boat or two glide down the river, but also to the slightly more serious matter of the 132nd Varsity Football match at Craven Cottage. Having been on the losing end of a nail-biting penalty shootout last year, Cambridge were looking to return to winning ways against their Dark Blue counterparts in front of a raucous crowd.

As soon as the match kicked off, however, it became apparent that beating Oxford was going to be no easy task. Much[Read full story]

When I first saw a photo of Downing College’s Howard Theatre, I thought that I was looking at a picture of a venue I was never likely to visit in Vienna. ‘There’s certainly nothing so clean or evocative of the eighteenth century on The West End’ I said to myself- hoping no one thought I was a maddened thesp. ‘There’s definitely nothing like it in Cambridge. Our well-loved Corpus Playroom and ADC Theatre are the unchallenged centre of the theatre world here’. I was wrong. This theatre-with its plush chairs designed by Ferrari-is in this city. Just opposite Pizza Hut[Read full story]