A convincing tale

University of Cambridge Professor Nick Hopwood uncovered additions and edits made by poet, autobiographer, and physician Dannie Abse to the pioneering book of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). A Matter of Life, co-written by geneticist Robert Edwards and gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe, tells the story of how their research led to the discovery of IVF. Previously unseen documents revealed how Abse remodelled the narrative submitted to a publisher by the doctors, transforming it into a bestseller. Abse added emotive dialogue and scenes to stress the personal impact of IVF and expand upon female characters. Hopwood stated: “Abse helped them promote IVF at a time when the technique was controversial.”

Congratulations for Cambridge pub

A pub popular with Cambridge students, The Pickerel, on Magdelene Street, has been added to the CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) Good Beer Guide for 2025. Renowned as one of the oldest pubs in Cambridge, The Pickerel is closely associated with the college adjacent to it, Magdalene. The Greene King pub also has a long history, which includes its previous use as a malting house and reportedly being home to a few ghosts. The Pickerel is one of fourteen Cambridgeshire pubs added to the Good Beer Guide this year.

Glittering galas

On Thursday (25/09) evening, King’s College hosted a gala to announce the winners of the 2025 Cambridge Independent Business Awards. The annual awards, introduced last year, encompassed thirteen categories and were sponsored by Barr Ellison Law. The ceremony began with the Lifetime Achievement Award (won by Philip Woolner for his role in the success of Cheffins) and the Start-up of the Year (awarded to AnthroTek, who specialise in the manufacture of artificial body parts). The night also saw the Award for Collaboration (won by Abselion and NHS Blood and Transport), and the hard-fought Innovation of the Year award (given to Upfront Diagnostics for its lifesaving rapid blood test for strokes).

‘I could do that’

Cambridge ArtSpace 5-7 Portugal Place, Cambridge, hosts a new exhibition by Cambridgeshire painter and digital artist Peter Macdonald. Titled ‘Is this all your own work?’ the presentation asks its audiences to ruminate on the interface between AI and human communication, society, and creation. The opportune exhibition combines concerns surrounding the meaning of art, the ethics of creativity, and what it means to innovate to create a provocative event. Macdonald reimagines the traditional practice of landscape paintings by incorporating AI as a tool, method, and collaborator. A trained painter, Macdonald references a variety of European artists, including abstract artists Robert Ryman and Sol LeWitt, expressionist painter Chaïm Soutin, and avant-garde artist Jean-Édouard Vuillard.