Cambridge MP sacked as farming minister

Cambridge’s MP Daniel Zeichner has been fired from his position as Farming Minister, as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet reshuffle on Friday (05/09). Zeichner shared yesterday (06/09) on social media platform X that he was “very sad to be leaving a job in government I have loved”. Zeichner will continue as MP for Cambridge. He further added: “politics, and governing in particular, is a team endeavour, and the baton is passed and I carry on with the best job possible, MP for Cambridge!” During his time as farming minister, the National Farmers Union (NFU) as well as hundreds of farmers criticised his ‘family firm tax law’ introduced in the 2024 Autumn budget. MP for Wallasey, Dame Angela Eagle, will now assume the position of farming minister.

Rare swan spotted in River Cam

This Friday (05/09) a rare swan species, the Bewick swan, was spotted in the River Cam by a local. The Chesterton resident, Jayarava Attwood, spotted the swan at Stourbridge Common. The species is classified as red under the Bird Conservation Concern 5, a leading UK bird conservation review, which means the species is believed to be severely declining and under threat. The swan, distinctive for its black and yellow bill, Attwood said was “honking away like a goose”. According to the Wetland Bird Survey, the Bewick swan has suffered a significant population decline over the last 25 years.

Freezing brain cancer?

Cambridge researchers have uncovered a new way to stop brain cancer cells spreading by freezing hyaluronic acid (HA) brain molecules. The researchers found that cancer molecules rely on the HA’s flexibility to “latch onto receptors on the surface of cancer cells” and spread. Freezing HA brain molecules allowed the researchers to “reprogramme” glioblastoma cells, stopping their spread. According to the University, this could “pave the way for a new type of treatment for glioblastoma,” the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer. Current drug treatments struggle to penetrate glioblastoma tumours and radiotherapy fails to delay the recurrence of cancer. This new approach, rather than targeting the cancer cells directly, changes its surrounding environment which stops the spread.

Cambridge crystalline doughnut shortlisted

A building in Cambridge has been shortlisted for the prestigious Stirling architecture prize, one of six contenders for the award. The shortlisted building, AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre, is located near Addenbrooke’s hospital. It was designed by Herzog and Meuron, an international architecture firm based in Switzerland which specialises in statement buildings. Along with housing 19,000 square metres of laboratories, the structure is also a feat in environmental engineering. With its doughnut structure, four hybrid cooling towers, and 174 boreholes for geothermal energy, the structure according to AztraZeneca “saves enough energy to power 2,500 homes”.