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Photovoltaic systems are increasingly being installed not only on roofs but also on open land. This does not always meet with citizens' approval. What is known as agrivoltaics (Agri-PV), however, is viewed more favorably, as researchers have now been able to show. In this case, the solar cells are installed in spaces used for agriculture -- such as on pastures or as a canopy over grapevines. According to a survey of almost 2,000 people, this form enjoys much higher acceptance than normal solar parks.

Faculty and Cambridge Family Law (CFL) member Dr Brian Sloan has been serving on the advisory group for the Law Commission's project to modernise wills. On 16 May the Commission published its recommendations to reform the law of wills in its report 'Modernising Wills Law' . The reforms proposed will modernise the law governing wills to ensure it is fit for purpose in the modern age. The law governing wills largely dates from the Victorian era. It has not been comprehensively reviewed for nearly 200 years, and the Commission's report makes recommendations to clarify the law and to ensure it is fit for purpose in the modern age. The Commission's recommendations for reform are aimed primarily at supporting testamentary freedom, protecting testators (including from undue influence and fraud), and increasing clarity and certainty in the law where possible. The final report is accompanied by a draft Bill for a modern Wills Act, to replace the Wills Act 1837. Dr Sloan is cited extensively in the report, including his works: B Sloan, Borkowski’s Law of Succession (4th ed 2020), B Sloan, "Testing times for attestation: Payne v Payne" [2019] Conveyancer and Property Lawyer 182, S Hudson and B Sloan, 'Testamentary Freedom: Mutual Wills Might Let You Down' in Modern Studies in Property Law : Volume 8, ed W Barr (2015), B Sloan, "DMC of registered land? That’s the way it is" (2024) 83 Cambridge Law Journal 421, and B Sloan, "Forfeiture and the effect of the Wills Act 1837 s 33A" [2021] 1 Conveyancer and Property Lawyer 33. The report has been laid before Parliament along with a draft bill. It will now be for the Government to decide whether to implement the recommendations.

The 21st Joint Seminar of the International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (Geneva Association) and the European Association of Law and Economics (EALE) on the topic 'Legal and economic issues of emerging (liability) risks and insurance' will be hosted by Jesus College, Cambridge on 18–19 June 2026. Submissions are invited for papers dealing with the legal and/or economic implications of emerging liability and related risks for the re/insurance industry. Abstracts should be submitted by 25 January 2026 for review by a scientific board. Acceptance decisions will be announced by 1 March 2026 . Abstract submissions for the seminar should be sent to se505@cam.ac.uk . Full papers will be due for submission by 28 May 2026 . A selection of the papers from the seminar will thereafter be invited for peer-review publication in The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance—Issues and Practice . The seminar is sponsored by the Geneva Association and its local organiser is Dr Senara Eggleton (Jesus College, University of Cambridge).

The average energy project costs 40% more than expected for construction and takes almost two years longer than planned, finds a new global study. One key insight: The investment risk is highest for nuclear power plant construction and lowest for solar. The researchers analyzed data from 662 energy projects built between 1936 and 2024 in 83 countries, totaling $1.358 trillion in investment.

Humans no longer have exclusive control over training social robots to interact effectively, thanks to a new study. The study introduces a new simulation method that lets researchers test their social robots without needing human participants, making research faster and scalable.

More than 400 underwater sites in the United States are potentially contaminated with unexploded ordnance -- weapons that did not explode upon deployment.

Researchers have developed a novel framework named WildFusion that fuses vision, vibration and touch to enable robots to 'sense' and navigate complex outdoor environments much like humans do.

A research team has developed a novel haptic device designed to enhance both safety and efficiency for workers in industrial settings.

Although glasses exhibit disordered atomic structures, X-ray and neutron scattering reveal a subtle periodicity. Researchers have demonstrated that this hidden periodicity -- referred to as 'invisible order' -- plays a critical role in determining vibrational fluctuations in the terahertz (THz) frequency range, which significantly influence the physical properties of glass.

A team of chemists has made significant strides in the field of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs). Their work showcases the development of a compact catenane with tuneable mechanical chirality, offering promising applications in areas such as material science, nanotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.

A new discovery could mean more donor hearts are available for heart transplant, giving more people a second chance at life.

Underwater or aerial vehicles with dimples like golf balls could be more efficient and maneuverable, a new prototype has demonstrated.

An unprecedented international effort to decode how cells manage the transport of chemical substances has culminated in four groundbreaking studies This decade-long project provides the first comprehensive functional blueprint of chemical transport pathways in human cells.

A team was able to show that swimming movements are possible even without a central control unit. This not only explains the behavior of microorganisms, it could also enable nanobots to move in a targeted manner, for example to transport drugs to the right place in the body.

A new AI chip works without the cloud server or internet connections needed by existing chips. The AI Pro, designed by Prof Hussam Amrouch, is modelled on the human brain. Its innovative neuromorphic architecture enables it to perform calculations on the spot, ensuring full cyber security. It is also up to ten times more energy efficient.

If you've ever watched a flock of birds move in perfect unison or seen ripples travel across a pond, you've witnessed nature's remarkable ability to coordinate motion. Recently, a team of scientists and engineers has discovered a similar phenomenon on a microscopic scale, where tiny magnetic particles driven by rotating fields spontaneously move along the edges of clusters driven by invisible 'edge currents' that follow the rules of an unexpected branch of physics.

Researchers have developed a 3D micro-printed sensor for highly sensitive on-chip biosensing, opening new opportunities for developing high-performance, cost-effective lab-on-a-chip devices for early disease diagnosis.

Newly discovered weapons of bacterial self-defense take different approaches to achieving the same goal: preventing a virus from spreading through the bacterial population.

Millions of years of evolution have enabled some marine animals to grow complex protective shells composed of multiple layers that work together to dissipate physical stress. In a new study, engineers have found a way to mimic the behavior of this type of layered material, such as seashell nacre, by programming individual layers of synthetic material to work collaboratively under stress. The new material design is poised to enhance energy-absorbing systems such as wearable bandages and car bumpers with multistage responses that adapt to collision severity.

New research details how infrared thermography, high-definition imaging and neural network analysis can combine to make concrete bridge inspections more efficient. Researchers are hopeful that their findings can be leveraged by engineers through a combination of these methods to strategically pinpoint bridge conditions and better allocate repair costs.