Research News from the School

In a new report published today in the journal Nature Plants, researchers based at more than 50 botanic gardens and living plant collections warn that a patchwork of incompatible, or even absent, data systems is undermining global science and conservation at a critical moment.

They call for a unified and equitable global data system for living collections to transform how the world’s botanic gardens manage and share information. This would enable them to work together as a ‘meta-collection’ to strengthen scientific research and conservation efforts.

Climate change, invasive species, habitat loss and increased global movement of plant material all require rapid access to high-quality, trusted information about living plants. Achieving this depends on a shared culture of open, accurate, and affordable data - allowing living collections of all sizes, particularly in the Global South where much of the world’s biodiversity is located, to participate on equal terms.

Curator of Cambridge University Botanic Garden Professor Samuel Brockington, who led the work together with researchers at Botanic Gardens Conservation International, said: “The digital infrastructure needed to manage, share, and safeguard living plant diversity wasn’t designed to operate at a global scale.”

He added: “We’ve built an extraordinary global network of living plant collections, but we’re trying to run twenty-first-century conservation with data systems that are fragmented, fragile, and in many cases inaccessible to scientists and conservationists working where most biodiversity originates. We urgently need a shared data system so the people managing collections can work together as a coordinated whole.”

Thaís Hidalgo de Almeida, Curator of Living Collections, Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro and a co-author of the report, said: “Having an integrated and equitable global data ecosystem would greatly help us address urgent conservation needs in biodiversity-rich countries like Brazil, making our work faster, more collaborative, and more effective.”

Scientific research in many areas depends on accurate, well-documented living plant material.  As climate change accelerates extinction risk, living plant collections are increasingly used to support species and ecosystem restoration, and climate-adapted urban planting.

Yet many collections remain undigitised, and those that are often rely on incompatible systems shaped by institutional or commercial priorities rather than shared standards. As a result, vital information on threatened species, climate resilience, provenance, and legal status cannot be shared efficiently between institutions or across borders.

“In healthcare, fragmented and proprietary data systems are recognised as a serious risk and the focus of major public investment,” said Brockington. “In plant conservation, we face the same problem, but without treating the data as critical public infrastructure.”

At least 105,634 plant species - representing around one third of all plant species in the world - are grown in the world’s 3,500 botanic gardens. As much as 40% of the world’s plant diversity is at elevated risk of extinction and these living collections form a critical safety net against that.

Organisations like Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) have already established the foundations of a better data system but the researchers say coordinated, considered investment is now needed to create a long-lasting and trusted resource.

Paul Smith, Secretary-General, BGCI and a co-author of the report, said: “In an era of accelerating biodiversity loss, harnessing the full conservation potential of living collections requires a step-change in how collections data are documented, standardised and connected through a global data ecosystem. This publication, supported by more than fifty gardens worldwide sets the stage for achieving that transformation.”

Last year, Brockington announced his previous report showing how living collections metadata could be used to give global insights into the acquisition and conservation of the world’s plant diversity.

References:

Brockington, S.F. et al: ‘High-performance living plant collections require a globally integrated data ecosystem to meet twenty-first-century challenges.’ Nature Plants, Jan 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41477-025-02192-6

Cano, A. et al: ‘Insights from a century of data reveal global trends in ex situ living plant collections.’ Nature Ecology and Evolution, Jan 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02633-z

An international group of researchers says that biodiversity conservation and scientific research are not benefiting from the vast knowledge about the world’s plants held by botanic gardens, because of fragmented data systems and a lack of standardisation.

The digital infrastructure needed to manage, share, and safeguard living plant diversity wasn’t designed to operate at a global scale.Samuel BrockingtonLiquidambar styraciflua at Cambridge University Botanic Garden in full autumn colours.

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

In a new report published today in the journal Nature Plants, researchers based at more than 50 botanic gardens and living plant collections warn that a patchwork of incompatible, or even absent, data systems is undermining global science and conservation at a critical moment.

They call for a unified and equitable global data system for living collections to transform how the world’s botanic gardens manage and share information. This would enable them to work together as a ‘meta-collection’ to strengthen scientific research and conservation efforts.

Climate change, invasive species, habitat loss and increased global movement of plant material all require rapid access to high-quality, trusted information about living plants. Achieving this depends on a shared culture of open, accurate, and affordable data - allowing living collections of all sizes, particularly in the Global South where much of the world’s biodiversity is located, to participate on equal terms.

Curator of Cambridge University Botanic Garden Professor Samuel Brockington, who led the work together with researchers at Botanic Gardens Conservation International, said: “The digital infrastructure needed to manage, share, and safeguard living plant diversity wasn’t designed to operate at a global scale.”

He added: “We’ve built an extraordinary global network of living plant collections, but we’re trying to run twenty-first-century conservation with data systems that are fragmented, fragile, and in many cases inaccessible to scientists and conservationists working where most biodiversity originates. We urgently need a shared data system so the people managing collections can work together as a coordinated whole.”

Thaís Hidalgo de Almeida, Curator of Living Collections, Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro and a co-author of the report, said: “Having an integrated and equitable global data ecosystem would greatly help us address urgent conservation needs in biodiversity-rich countries like Brazil, making our work faster, more collaborative, and more effective.”

Scientific research in many areas depends on accurate, well-documented living plant material.  As climate change accelerates extinction risk, living plant collections are increasingly used to support species and ecosystem restoration, and climate-adapted urban planting.

Yet many collections remain undigitised, and those that are often rely on incompatible systems shaped by institutional or commercial priorities rather than shared standards. As a result, vital information on threatened species, climate resilience, provenance, and legal status cannot be shared efficiently between institutions or across borders.

“In healthcare, fragmented and proprietary data systems are recognised as a serious risk and the focus of major public investment,” said Brockington. “In plant conservation, we face the same problem, but without treating the data as critical public infrastructure.”

At least 105,634 plant species - representing around one third of all plant species in the world - are grown in the world’s 3,500 botanic gardens. As much as 40% of the world’s plant diversity is at elevated risk of extinction and these living collections form a critical safety net against that.

Organisations like Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) have already established the foundations of a better data system but the researchers say coordinated, considered investment is now needed to create a long-lasting and trusted resource.

Paul Smith, Secretary-General, BGCI and a co-author of the report, said: “In an era of accelerating biodiversity loss, harnessing the full conservation potential of living collections requires a step-change in how collections data are documented, standardised and connected through a global data ecosystem. This publication, supported by more than fifty gardens worldwide sets the stage for achieving that transformation.”

Last year, Brockington announced his previous report showing how living collections metadata could be used to give global insights into the acquisition and conservation of the world’s plant diversity.

References:

Brockington, S.F. et al: ‘High-performance living plant collections require a globally integrated data ecosystem to meet twenty-first-century challenges.’ Nature Plants, Jan 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41477-025-02192-6

Cano, A. et al: ‘Insights from a century of data reveal global trends in ex situ living plant collections.’ Nature Ecology and Evolution, Jan 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02633-z

An international group of researchers says that biodiversity conservation and scientific research are not benefiting from the vast knowledge about the world’s plants held by botanic gardens, because of fragmented data systems and a lack of standardisation.

The digital infrastructure needed to manage, share, and safeguard living plant diversity wasn’t designed to operate at a global scale.Samuel BrockingtonLiquidambar styraciflua at Cambridge University Botanic Garden in full autumn colours.

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

GSK is investing nearly £10 million in this ground-breaking alliance that brings together the expertise of world-leading researchers from the Teichmann Laboratory at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute with its own world-class scientific and translational capabilities.

The programme builds on the approaches being developed through GSK’s existing five-year, £50 million collaboration with Cambridge, the Cambridge-GSK Translational Immunology Collaboration (CG-TIC).

The Cambridge research team has a longstanding interest in understanding gene regulation and protein interaction and how these relate to immunology.  The first ever single-cell genomics experiment was published in 2009 by Cambridge researchers and Sarah Teichmann adopted these technologies to study mammalian immune cells. She went on to pioneer single-cell genomics and data science analysis of human tissues, and in 2016 co-founded the international Human Cell Atlas project, a global effort to map all the cells in the human body.

Professor Bertie Gottgens, Director of the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (CSCI) said: “In parallel, CSCI delivered landmark single‑cell studies illuminating embryonic development, and so we were absolutely delighted when Sarah joined the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute in 2024. This exciting new collaboration with GSK will broaden the impact of genomics, imaging and data science approaches, leading to better diagnostics and more targeted treatments for a wide range of diseases.”

David Michalovich, VP Translational Sciences, Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation at GSK said: “I am delighted that we are further expanding our collaboration with Cambridge, bringing together leading academic expertise in single‑cell and spatial technologies with GSK’s R&D capabilities. By embedding cutting‑edge single‑cell approaches and multimodal data integration into our translational biomarker strategies, we will generate deeper biological insights and with the aim to accelerate delivery of our pipeline, and ultimately, of improving outcomes for patients with unmet medical needs.”

Read more about this pioneering collaboration in GSK’s Behind the Science magazine.

The collaboration will use state-of-the-art genomics approaches in combination with machine learning methods to advance our scientific understanding of cells and tissues in health and disease.

e-crow at Getty Imagesstem cells under a microscope

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

GSK is investing nearly £10 million in this ground-breaking alliance that brings together the expertise of world-leading researchers from the Teichmann Laboratory at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute with its own world-class scientific and translational capabilities.

The programme builds on the approaches being developed through GSK’s existing five-year, £50 million collaboration with Cambridge, the Cambridge-GSK Translational Immunology Collaboration (CG-TIC).

The Cambridge research team has a longstanding interest in understanding gene regulation and protein interaction and how these relate to immunology.  The first ever single-cell genomics experiment was published in 2009 by Cambridge researchers and Sarah Teichmann adopted these technologies to study mammalian immune cells. She went on to pioneer single-cell genomics and data science analysis of human tissues, and in 2016 co-founded the international Human Cell Atlas project, a global effort to map all the cells in the human body.

Professor Bertie Gottgens, Director of the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (CSCI) said: “In parallel, CSCI delivered landmark single‑cell studies illuminating embryonic development, and so we were absolutely delighted when Sarah joined the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute in 2024. This exciting new collaboration with GSK will broaden the impact of genomics, imaging and data science approaches, leading to better diagnostics and more targeted treatments for a wide range of diseases.”

David Michalovich, VP Translational Sciences, Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation at GSK said: “I am delighted that we are further expanding our collaboration with Cambridge, bringing together leading academic expertise in single‑cell and spatial technologies with GSK’s R&D capabilities. By embedding cutting‑edge single‑cell approaches and multimodal data integration into our translational biomarker strategies, we will generate deeper biological insights and with the aim to accelerate delivery of our pipeline, and ultimately, of improving outcomes for patients with unmet medical needs.”

Read more about this pioneering collaboration in GSK’s Behind the Science magazine.

The collaboration will use state-of-the-art genomics approaches in combination with machine learning methods to advance our scientific understanding of cells and tissues in health and disease.

e-crow at Getty Imagesstem cells under a microscope

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Eight University of Cambridge researchers will receive a share of the European Research Council’s (ERC) record €728 million Consolidator Grant awards this year. The grants support mid-career researchers to carry out cutting-edge research projects lasting up to five years, in fields from astronomy to zoology.

In total the ERC has selected 349 mid-career researchers to receive awards this year. With funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, the grants support research at universities and research centres in 25 EU Member States - and associated countries including the UK.

The 2025 Cambridge recipients are:

Dr Davide Luca, Department of Land Economy, for ‘Bridging Rural-urban Individual Divides in Outlooks and Political Engagement’. Luca will investigate the roots of the growing social and political divide between urban and rural communities - one of the defining issues of our time. Using innovative research across six countries he will explore how early-life environments and local social interactions shape views, and develop practical ways to reduce divisions on key issues like migration and climate policy.

Professor Blake Sherwin, Department of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics, for ‘Revealing Cosmic Structure Growth and the Early Universe with the CMB Backlight’. Sherwin will use the universe’s oldest light, the cosmic microwave background, as a backlight to map where cosmic matter lies and how it moves. This will provide new insights into how the universe began and allow the team to test ideas about how cosmic structure grew.

Professor Alexandra Woolgar, Department of Psychology and MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, for ‘Pinging the brain to reveal hidden neural states underpinning flexible human cognition’. What if the real magic of thinking happens in hidden brain states we can’t usually see? Woolgar is developing new ways to reveal these invisible patterns using advanced brain imaging and stimulation. By uncovering this ‘secret wiring’ she aims to better understand how our minds focus, adapt, and think flexibly.

Dr Emília Santos, Department of Zoology, for ‘A predictive model of diversification and convergence of colour patterns in East African cichlid fishes’. This work will help understand, and ultimately predict, how diversity arises in nature. Santos will study striking colour patterns in East African cichlid fishes to understand how novel traits originate and evolve. By combining population genomics, developmental biology and mathematical modelling, the work will reveal how different biological layers interact to produce morphological diversity, and why certain traits evolve repeatedly.

Dr Emily Mitchell, Department of Zoology, for ‘Understanding selection in the early animals of the Ediacaran’. Animals first evolved on Earth during the Ediacaran time period, after over three billion years of only microbial life. Yet scientists don’t understand what drove this evolution. This project will help us to understand how natural selection acted upon these early animals and why these adaptations occurred.

Dr Somenath Bakshi, Department of Engineering, for ‘Systems Analysis of The Physiological Determinants of Phage Infection Dynamics’. As antibiotic resistance surges, phages - viruses that infect and kill bacteria - offer a transformative therapeutic alternative. Bakshi will map how bacterial physiology, including cellular resources, energy, and stress, controls phage infection dynamics. These insights will guide the design of engineered phages and treatment strategies that work reliably in complex, real-world clinical settings.

Dr Eleanor Raffan, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, for ‘Appetite and Obesity: leveraging the power of dog genetics for biomedical insight’. Raffan will study pet dogs to find genes and biological processes that contribute to obesity. Laboratory studies will help in understanding how these genes influence appetite, activity, and metabolism, and the team will check whether they have similar effects in humans. The overarching aim is to reduce the impact of obesity on human and animal health.

Dr Angela Trentacoste, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, for ‘Feeding Roman Italy: Continuities and Innovations in animal production from urbanisation to empire’. This project will investigate farming in Italy from 600 BC–AD 200, a dynamic period of urbanisation and political expansion. By studying the bones and teeth of ancient livestock, it aims to reshape understanding of this fundamental area of ancient society, and whether shifts in its organisation could have motivated expansion in early urban states.

President of the European Research Council, Professor Maria Leptin, said: “To see all this talent with groundbreaking ideas, based in Europe, is truly inspiring. This bold research may well lead to new industries, improve lives and strengthen Europe’s global standing.

"This was one of the most competitive ERC calls ever, with record demand and many excellent projects left unfunded. It is yet another reminder of how urgent the call for increased EU investment in frontier research has become.”

Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said: “Congratulations to all the researchers on winning the ERC grants. The record budget of 728 million euro invested to support these scientific projects shows the EU is serious about making the continent attractive for excellent researchers.”

Funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme will support promising mid-career scientists to pursue creative research ideas across a broad range of scientific fields.

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Eight University of Cambridge researchers will receive a share of the European Research Council’s (ERC) record €728 million Consolidator Grant awards this year. The grants support mid-career researchers to carry out cutting-edge research projects lasting up to five years, in fields from astronomy to zoology.

In total the ERC has selected 349 mid-career researchers to receive awards this year. With funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, the grants support research at universities and research centres in 25 EU Member States - and associated countries including the UK.

The 2025 Cambridge recipients are:

Dr Davide Luca, Department of Land Economy, for ‘Bridging Rural-urban Individual Divides in Outlooks and Political Engagement’. Luca will investigate the roots of the growing social and political divide between urban and rural communities - one of the defining issues of our time. Using innovative research across six countries he will explore how early-life environments and local social interactions shape views, and develop practical ways to reduce divisions on key issues like migration and climate policy.

Professor Blake Sherwin, Department of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics, for ‘Revealing Cosmic Structure Growth and the Early Universe with the CMB Backlight’. Sherwin will use the universe’s oldest light, the cosmic microwave background, as a backlight to map where cosmic matter lies and how it moves. This will provide new insights into how the universe began and allow the team to test ideas about how cosmic structure grew.

Professor Alexandra Woolgar, Department of Psychology and MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, for ‘Pinging the brain to reveal hidden neural states underpinning flexible human cognition’. What if the real magic of thinking happens in hidden brain states we can’t usually see? Woolgar is developing new ways to reveal these invisible patterns using advanced brain imaging and stimulation. By uncovering this ‘secret wiring’ she aims to better understand how our minds focus, adapt, and think flexibly.

Dr Emília Santos, Department of Zoology, for ‘A predictive model of diversification and convergence of colour patterns in East African cichlid fishes’. This work will help understand, and ultimately predict, how diversity arises in nature. Santos will study striking colour patterns in East African cichlid fishes to understand how novel traits originate and evolve. By combining population genomics, developmental biology and mathematical modelling, the work will reveal how different biological layers interact to produce morphological diversity, and why certain traits evolve repeatedly.

Dr Emily Mitchell, Department of Zoology, for ‘Understanding selection in the early animals of the Ediacaran’. Animals first evolved on Earth during the Ediacaran time period, after over three billion years of only microbial life. Yet scientists don’t understand what drove this evolution. This project will help us to understand how natural selection acted upon these early animals and why these adaptations occurred.

Dr Somenath Bakshi, Department of Engineering, for ‘Systems Analysis of The Physiological Determinants of Phage Infection Dynamics’. As antibiotic resistance surges, phages - viruses that infect and kill bacteria - offer a transformative therapeutic alternative. Bakshi will map how bacterial physiology, including cellular resources, energy, and stress, controls phage infection dynamics. These insights will guide the design of engineered phages and treatment strategies that work reliably in complex, real-world clinical settings.

Dr Eleanor Raffan, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, for ‘Appetite and Obesity: leveraging the power of dog genetics for biomedical insight’. Raffan will study pet dogs to find genes and biological processes that contribute to obesity. Laboratory studies will help in understanding how these genes influence appetite, activity, and metabolism, and the team will check whether they have similar effects in humans. The overarching aim is to reduce the impact of obesity on human and animal health.

Dr Angela Trentacoste, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, for ‘Feeding Roman Italy: Continuities and Innovations in animal production from urbanisation to empire’. This project will investigate farming in Italy from 600 BC–AD 200, a dynamic period of urbanisation and political expansion. By studying the bones and teeth of ancient livestock, it aims to reshape understanding of this fundamental area of ancient society, and whether shifts in its organisation could have motivated expansion in early urban states.

President of the European Research Council, Professor Maria Leptin, said: “To see all this talent with groundbreaking ideas, based in Europe, is truly inspiring. This bold research may well lead to new industries, improve lives and strengthen Europe’s global standing.

"This was one of the most competitive ERC calls ever, with record demand and many excellent projects left unfunded. It is yet another reminder of how urgent the call for increased EU investment in frontier research has become.”

Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said: “Congratulations to all the researchers on winning the ERC grants. The record budget of 728 million euro invested to support these scientific projects shows the EU is serious about making the continent attractive for excellent researchers.”

Funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme will support promising mid-career scientists to pursue creative research ideas across a broad range of scientific fields.

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Cambridge's Isaac Science learning platform – used by more than 3,000 schools across the UK each year – this week saw its 200 millionth question attempted by a student.

Cambridge's Isaac Science learning platform – used by more than 3,000 schools across the UK each year – this week saw its 200 millionth question attempted by a student.

Scientists have reconstructed ancient anacondas from 12.4-million-year-old fossils discovered in Venezuela to find these tropical snakes were a whopping 5.2 metres long.

Scientists have reconstructed ancient anacondas from 12.4-million-year-old fossils discovered in Venezuela to find these tropical snakes were a whopping 5.2 metres long.

Advances in genetic testing have enabled families of critically ill children to receive early diagnoses that can open up new options for care and treatments. But, according to new Cambridge research published in the European Journal of Human Genetics, the medical complexity of these, often lifelong and rare conditions, can lead to parental anxiety and distress, as well as uncertainty and upheaval in the family.

The Peregrin study - Parental Experiences of Rapid Early Genomic Results in Infancy – followed up a cohort of mothers and fathers to explore how parents cope and experience support after their child undergoes rapid genomic testing due to a serious early-onset medical condition.

The study, which is informing Cambridge Children’s Hospital’s ‘Whole Family’ approach, used questionnaires and interviews to understand parents’ emotional wellbeing and the impact on family life, 1 to 5 years after receiving the genetic result.

While over a third of parents of children with a genetic diagnosis reported insufficient support, mothers’ and fathers’ individual support needs, experiences, and perceptions of support differed.

Lead researcher Dr Helen Dolling (Department of Psychology) says that even the simplest thing, such as the question “How are you?” was different for mothers and fathers:

“Some fathers said that often when they go to clinic appointments with the mother and child, the clinician asks how the child is and then they'd ask the mother 'how are you?', but not ask the father how he is.”

Reuben was four when he was diagnosed with an ultra-rare genetic condition thought to affect only a handful of people in the world. His dad, Nathan, remembers people directing questions to Danielle, Reuben’s mum, particularly in the early days. He took time off work, ensuring he could attend hospital appointments and be involved in every conversation with every specialist. This made a big difference and he felt more included. Read more about Reuben's story here.

Nathan said: “I think dads sometimes get seen as the 'helper' rather than the parent who's equally emotionally invested, but we feel it just as deeply.”

Cambridge Children’s Hospital will support the psychological wellbeing of everyone connected closely to the child. The Peregrin research study findings have contributed to the development of the new hospital’s family-informed care.

“Children don’t live in isolation,” said Dr Sara O’Curry, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Paediatric Psychological Services. “The resilience of a child going through investigations or treatment is largely dependent on the support and scaffolding they receive on a daily basis from their family and carers.

“Because of this, it is important to attend to and support the mental health and wellbeing of parents, carers and siblings, who can themselves become overwhelmed due to frequent hospital admissions or appointments, and daily medical treatment regimes.”

Support groups were described by parents as a “double-edged sword,” providing valuable resources but also heightening anxiety about the child’s future.

Dr Dolling found that the terminology around support groups could be “off-putting” to some parents, and something that not all fathers accepted easily, particularly if they came from “a background of strength, independence and self-reliance, or if they see themselves as 'unsociable'.”

She said framing a support group as a ‘network’ or ‘parent group’ for families of children with healthcare needs, allowed fathers “to step into that additional support from a point of strength, accepting that offer as a rite of passage and normative for that situation.”

For both mothers and fathers, the research showed that they found it helpful to reach out to their partners and family members. However, mothers valued healthcare professionals, as well as friends or other parents for self-esteem, emotional, informational and practical support.

Many taking part in the study said they lacked time or energy for socialising and had lost friendships due to their different experiences of parenting. New close friendships were forged with other mothers whose children had a similar condition.

Fathers sought support from healthcare professionals less frequently but looked to friends and their workplace as an opportunity for venting, distraction and to develop a sense of competence. But the research also reveals ongoing unmet support needs.

Dr Dolling said: “Fathers talked about themselves as needing to be the strong person in the family unit and the one that everyone should be able to rely on. There’s a sense of being torn between wanting to be with one’s partner and child while also feeling the responsibility to be the bread winner for the family and to provide a roof over their heads.”

Some fathers talked about their own physical and mental wellbeing and worried that “if something happened to them, who would look after the family?” Dr Dolling said.

Mothers reported increased levels of anxiety, worry and emotional difficulties compared to the general population and to fathers. Fathers, on the other hand, spoke of higher levels of stress rather than elevated mental health symptoms, and often questioned their entitlement for professional support, prioritising the needs of their partner.

“Genomic medicine now contributes to healthcare experiences for many more families,” said Dr Kate Baker, Assistant Professor and Honorary Consultant in Genomic Medicine.

“So it is really important that we listen to parents, learn from their experiences, and improve how information and support are provided. While the technology behind genetic testing is amazing, it will become even more useful once we can strengthen long-term care for families after diagnosis.”

The Peregrin study has recommended several ways healthcare professionals in current and future services can improve the support of parental wellbeing by:

• Recognising the importance of psychosocial support as the core component of initial diagnostic and long-term care for families who are managing the challenges of complex long term and genetic conditions.
• Recognising the unique experiences of each parent or carer, and siblings.
• Offering flexible, timely support, tailored to the family’s needs.
• Offering alternatives to support groups, which can be helpful to many but not suitable for everyone.
• Recognising that fathers’ needs are often overlooked and may require different approaches to engagement.
• Integrating psychosocial and family assessments into hospital care, to benefit those families most in need of and least able to access support.
• Training and supporting staff working closely with children, young people and families, to provide skilled, psychologically and family-informed support as part of routine care.

As well as providing psychological support for patients and their loved ones, Cambridge Children’s Hospital will also offer practical solutions that support a family’s wellbeing. Single en-suite rooms with a parent bed will allow parents and carers to have proper rest when they need it. There will be access to outdoor space on every ward, so fresh air and nature will be just a few steps away. Work is ongoing to consider how food can be more readily available, and more cost effective, so that parents, carers and siblings are well nourished. There will be breakaway spaces for parents and carers to work quietly or take some time out, when they feel able.

“For Cambridge Children’s Hospital to be a place that sees and supports both parents, in their own ways, would be really special,” said Nathan.

Reference

H. Dolling, S. Rowitch, M. Bromham, S. Archer, S. O’Curry, D. H. Rowitch, F. L. Raymond, C. Hughes, K. Baker, ‘Fathers’ and mothers’ support needs and support experiences after rapid genome sequencing’ (2025). European Journal of Human Genetics (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41431-025-01987-7

The original version of this story was published on the Cambridge Children’s Hospital website.

Research into parental support needs is informing Cambridge Children’s Hospital’s commitment to provide a ‘whole family’ approach to care.

Parents, carers and siblings can become overwhelmed Sara O’CurryReuben, his dad Nathan, and mum Danielle

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Advances in genetic testing have enabled families of critically ill children to receive early diagnoses that can open up new options for care and treatments. But, according to new Cambridge research published in the European Journal of Human Genetics, the medical complexity of these, often lifelong and rare conditions, can lead to parental anxiety and distress, as well as uncertainty and upheaval in the family.

The Peregrin study - Parental Experiences of Rapid Early Genomic Results in Infancy – followed up a cohort of mothers and fathers to explore how parents cope and experience support after their child undergoes rapid genomic testing due to a serious early-onset medical condition.

The study, which is informing Cambridge Children’s Hospital’s ‘Whole Family’ approach, used questionnaires and interviews to understand parents’ emotional wellbeing and the impact on family life, 1 to 5 years after receiving the genetic result.

While over a third of parents of children with a genetic diagnosis reported insufficient support, mothers’ and fathers’ individual support needs, experiences, and perceptions of support differed.

Lead researcher Dr Helen Dolling (Department of Psychology) says that even the simplest thing, such as the question “How are you?” was different for mothers and fathers:

“Some fathers said that often when they go to clinic appointments with the mother and child, the clinician asks how the child is and then they'd ask the mother 'how are you?', but not ask the father how he is.”

Reuben was four when he was diagnosed with an ultra-rare genetic condition thought to affect only a handful of people in the world. His dad, Nathan, remembers people directing questions to Danielle, Reuben’s mum, particularly in the early days. He took time off work, ensuring he could attend hospital appointments and be involved in every conversation with every specialist. This made a big difference and he felt more included. Read more about Reuben's story here.

Nathan said: “I think dads sometimes get seen as the 'helper' rather than the parent who's equally emotionally invested, but we feel it just as deeply.”

Cambridge Children’s Hospital will support the psychological wellbeing of everyone connected closely to the child. The Peregrin research study findings have contributed to the development of the new hospital’s family-informed care.

“Children don’t live in isolation,” said Dr Sara O’Curry, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Paediatric Psychological Services. “The resilience of a child going through investigations or treatment is largely dependent on the support and scaffolding they receive on a daily basis from their family and carers.

“Because of this, it is important to attend to and support the mental health and wellbeing of parents, carers and siblings, who can themselves become overwhelmed due to frequent hospital admissions or appointments, and daily medical treatment regimes.”

Support groups were described by parents as a “double-edged sword,” providing valuable resources but also heightening anxiety about the child’s future.

Dr Dolling found that the terminology around support groups could be “off-putting” to some parents, and something that not all fathers accepted easily, particularly if they came from “a background of strength, independence and self-reliance, or if they see themselves as 'unsociable'.”

She said framing a support group as a ‘network’ or ‘parent group’ for families of children with healthcare needs, allowed fathers “to step into that additional support from a point of strength, accepting that offer as a rite of passage and normative for that situation.”

For both mothers and fathers, the research showed that they found it helpful to reach out to their partners and family members. However, mothers valued healthcare professionals, as well as friends or other parents for self-esteem, emotional, informational and practical support.

Many taking part in the study said they lacked time or energy for socialising and had lost friendships due to their different experiences of parenting. New close friendships were forged with other mothers whose children had a similar condition.

Fathers sought support from healthcare professionals less frequently but looked to friends and their workplace as an opportunity for venting, distraction and to develop a sense of competence. But the research also reveals ongoing unmet support needs.

Dr Dolling said: “Fathers talked about themselves as needing to be the strong person in the family unit and the one that everyone should be able to rely on. There’s a sense of being torn between wanting to be with one’s partner and child while also feeling the responsibility to be the bread winner for the family and to provide a roof over their heads.”

Some fathers talked about their own physical and mental wellbeing and worried that “if something happened to them, who would look after the family?” Dr Dolling said.

Mothers reported increased levels of anxiety, worry and emotional difficulties compared to the general population and to fathers. Fathers, on the other hand, spoke of higher levels of stress rather than elevated mental health symptoms, and often questioned their entitlement for professional support, prioritising the needs of their partner.

“Genomic medicine now contributes to healthcare experiences for many more families,” said Dr Kate Baker, Assistant Professor and Honorary Consultant in Genomic Medicine.

“So it is really important that we listen to parents, learn from their experiences, and improve how information and support are provided. While the technology behind genetic testing is amazing, it will become even more useful once we can strengthen long-term care for families after diagnosis.”

The Peregrin study has recommended several ways healthcare professionals in current and future services can improve the support of parental wellbeing by:

• Recognising the importance of psychosocial support as the core component of initial diagnostic and long-term care for families who are managing the challenges of complex long term and genetic conditions.
• Recognising the unique experiences of each parent or carer, and siblings.
• Offering flexible, timely support, tailored to the family’s needs.
• Offering alternatives to support groups, which can be helpful to many but not suitable for everyone.
• Recognising that fathers’ needs are often overlooked and may require different approaches to engagement.
• Integrating psychosocial and family assessments into hospital care, to benefit those families most in need of and least able to access support.
• Training and supporting staff working closely with children, young people and families, to provide skilled, psychologically and family-informed support as part of routine care.

As well as providing psychological support for patients and their loved ones, Cambridge Children’s Hospital will also offer practical solutions that support a family’s wellbeing. Single en-suite rooms with a parent bed will allow parents and carers to have proper rest when they need it. There will be access to outdoor space on every ward, so fresh air and nature will be just a few steps away. Work is ongoing to consider how food can be more readily available, and more cost effective, so that parents, carers and siblings are well nourished. There will be breakaway spaces for parents and carers to work quietly or take some time out, when they feel able.

“For Cambridge Children’s Hospital to be a place that sees and supports both parents, in their own ways, would be really special,” said Nathan.

Reference

H. Dolling, S. Rowitch, M. Bromham, S. Archer, S. O’Curry, D. H. Rowitch, F. L. Raymond, C. Hughes, K. Baker, ‘Fathers’ and mothers’ support needs and support experiences after rapid genome sequencing’ (2025). European Journal of Human Genetics (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41431-025-01987-7

The original version of this story was published on the Cambridge Children’s Hospital website.

Research into parental support needs is informing Cambridge Children’s Hospital’s commitment to provide a ‘whole family’ approach to care.

Parents, carers and siblings can become overwhelmed Sara O’CurryReuben, his dad Nathan, and mum Danielle

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

A new study has found land-use change is undermining ecosystem stability by reducing the functional diversity of bird communities.  

Researchers have compiled data for nearly 3,700 bird species from 1,200 sites across the world. This reveals that habitat modification, such as urbanisation and agricultural expansion, reduces the number of species performing vital ecological roles including pollination, seed dispersal and predation. 

In natural communities, these essential services are performed by multiple different species, a concept known as functional redundancy. Redundancy provides crucial ‘insurance’ for ecosystems, offering back-up when individual species decline or are lost altogether. When ecosystems contain many species performing similar ecological roles, they are more resilient to disturbance. 

The results are published today in the journal Nature.

Declining ecosystem resilience 

Using computer-based extinction simulations, the team showed that land-use change removes this buffer, leaving ecosystems increasingly vulnerable to future biodiversity loss. 

Thomas Weeks, PhD student in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London and lead author of the report, said: “The decline in bird diversity after land-use change is well known, but until now it was generally thought that enough different types of birds survived for those degraded ecosystems to continue functioning as required. Our analyses challenge that idea by showing that humans modify landscapes in a way that tends to remove all the slack in the system, meaning that any future environmental shocks can potentially cause a collapse of the essential services provided by wildlife.”

Professor David Edwards in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute, a co-author of the report, said: “A variety of bird species play key roles in supporting the ecosystems that we rely on, yet we are damaging habitat quality and thus the potential for species to fulfil their critical roles. It’s time that more is done to safeguard the future of biodiversity."

Measuring species ecology reveals human impacts 

Drawing on detailed information about bird species, including diet, body size, beak shape and wing shape, the researchers assessed how birds contribute to ecological functions. They found that disturbed habitats tend to be dominated by relatively few disturbance-tolerant species occupying similar ecological niches. As a result, overall functional diversity declines and key roles may be left unfilled. 

This simplification of ecological networks can trigger cascading effects, including reduced forest regeneration, diminished carbon storage and the proliferation of crop pests. 

Importantly, the study shows that even when species richness and functional diversity remain relatively high, a loss of functional redundancy leaves ecosystems exposed to global change impacts. These patterns were consistent across the globe, from tropical forests to polar environments. 

New tools for conservation policy 

Senior author Professor Joseph Tobias, in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, said: "With land-use change accelerating worldwide, our study highlights the urgency of managing and preserving functional diversity to ensure that future ecosystems continue to function in ways that help to support human life and economic stability." 

The study presents a new framework for assessing ecosystem fragility, offering techniques to guide conservation efforts. By focusing on the vital roles species play within ecosystems, policymakers can identify risks and safeguard ecological stability for the benefit of wildlife and people. 

Reference: Weeks, T.L. et al: ‘Land-use change undermines the stability of avian functional diversity.’ Nature, November 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09788-0

Adapted from a press release by Imperial College London.

Human-driven changes to landscapes worldwide are ‘thinning out’ the ecological services supplied by wild birds, eroding the functions that support stable and resilient ecosystems. 

A variety of bird species play key roles in supporting the ecosystems that we rely on, yet we are damaging habitat quality and thus the potential for species to fulfil their critical roles.David EdwardsJoe TobiasParadoxornis

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

YesLicence type: Attribution-Noncommerical

A new study has found land-use change is undermining ecosystem stability by reducing the functional diversity of bird communities.  

Researchers have compiled data for nearly 3,700 bird species from 1,200 sites across the world. This reveals that habitat modification, such as urbanisation and agricultural expansion, reduces the number of species performing vital ecological roles including pollination, seed dispersal and predation. 

In natural communities, these essential services are performed by multiple different species, a concept known as functional redundancy. Redundancy provides crucial ‘insurance’ for ecosystems, offering back-up when individual species decline or are lost altogether. When ecosystems contain many species performing similar ecological roles, they are more resilient to disturbance. 

The results are published today in the journal Nature.

Declining ecosystem resilience 

Using computer-based extinction simulations, the team showed that land-use change removes this buffer, leaving ecosystems increasingly vulnerable to future biodiversity loss. 

Thomas Weeks, PhD student in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London and lead author of the report, said: “The decline in bird diversity after land-use change is well known, but until now it was generally thought that enough different types of birds survived for those degraded ecosystems to continue functioning as required. Our analyses challenge that idea by showing that humans modify landscapes in a way that tends to remove all the slack in the system, meaning that any future environmental shocks can potentially cause a collapse of the essential services provided by wildlife.”

Professor David Edwards in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute, a co-author of the report, said: “A variety of bird species play key roles in supporting the ecosystems that we rely on, yet we are damaging habitat quality and thus the potential for species to fulfil their critical roles. It’s time that more is done to safeguard the future of biodiversity."

Measuring species ecology reveals human impacts 

Drawing on detailed information about bird species, including diet, body size, beak shape and wing shape, the researchers assessed how birds contribute to ecological functions. They found that disturbed habitats tend to be dominated by relatively few disturbance-tolerant species occupying similar ecological niches. As a result, overall functional diversity declines and key roles may be left unfilled. 

This simplification of ecological networks can trigger cascading effects, including reduced forest regeneration, diminished carbon storage and the proliferation of crop pests. 

Importantly, the study shows that even when species richness and functional diversity remain relatively high, a loss of functional redundancy leaves ecosystems exposed to global change impacts. These patterns were consistent across the globe, from tropical forests to polar environments. 

New tools for conservation policy 

Senior author Professor Joseph Tobias, in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, said: "With land-use change accelerating worldwide, our study highlights the urgency of managing and preserving functional diversity to ensure that future ecosystems continue to function in ways that help to support human life and economic stability." 

The study presents a new framework for assessing ecosystem fragility, offering techniques to guide conservation efforts. By focusing on the vital roles species play within ecosystems, policymakers can identify risks and safeguard ecological stability for the benefit of wildlife and people. 

Reference: Weeks, T.L. et al: ‘Land-use change undermines the stability of avian functional diversity.’ Nature, November 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09788-0

Adapted from a press release by Imperial College London.

Human-driven changes to landscapes worldwide are ‘thinning out’ the ecological services supplied by wild birds, eroding the functions that support stable and resilient ecosystems. 

A variety of bird species play key roles in supporting the ecosystems that we rely on, yet we are damaging habitat quality and thus the potential for species to fulfil their critical roles.David EdwardsJoe TobiasParadoxornis

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

YesLicence type: Attribution-Noncommerical

A study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge provides a window into canine emotions, revealing why some golden retrievers are more fearful, energetic or aggressive than others.

The research, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to show that specific genes linked to canine behaviour are also associated with traits like anxiety, depression, and intelligence in people.

The team analysed the genetic code of 1,300 golden retrievers and compared it with each dog’s behavioural traits – assessed through a detailed owner questionnaire. This revealed genes underlying traits including trainability, energy levels, fear of strangers, and aggression towards other dogs.

By comparing their findings with a similar analysis in humans, the team discovered that twelve of the golden retriever genes they identified also underlie human behavioural traits and emotions.

“The findings are really striking – they provide strong evidence that humans and golden retrievers have shared genetic roots for their behaviour. The genes we identified frequently influence emotional states and behaviour in both species,” said Dr Eleanor Raffan, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience who led the study. 

One gene, PTPN1, was linked to aggression towards other dogs in golden retrievers - and is also associated with intelligence and depression in humans.

Another gene variation, flagged up in golden retrievers that are fearful of other dogs, also influences whether humans tend to worry too long after embarrassment or are high educational achievers.

The team says the findings could help owners understand their pets’ emotional worlds, and tailor training or care to suit their needs.

“These results show that genetics govern behaviour, making some dogs predisposed to finding the world stressful. If their life experiences compound this they might act in ways we interpret as bad behaviour, when really they’re distressed,” said Enoch Alex, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience and first author of the report.

Insights for better training and care

The study showed that ‘trainability’ in golden retrievers is associated with a gene, ROMO1, that in humans is linked to intelligence and emotional sensitivity. This means owners should appreciate that there’s an emotional component to training their dogs, say the researchers, in addition to rewarding desired behaviours.

The insights could also have implications for veterinary care: understanding that behaviour like fearfulness in a golden retriever, for example, is driven by a gene linked with human anxiety means that a medicine to reduce anxiety could help.

How genes drive behaviour and emotion

The dog genes identified by the team do not lead directly to any specific behaviour or emotion – rather, they influence behavioural regulation or broader emotional states. For example, dogs showing ‘non-social fear’ - that is, being scared of things like buses and hoovers - have a gene that in humans drives irritability, sensitivity, and ‘seeing the doctor for nerves or anxiety.’

“If your golden retriever cowers behind the sofa every time the doorbell rings, perhaps you might have a bit more empathy if you know they’re genetically driven to feel sensitive and anxious,” said Dr Anna Morros-Nuevo, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience who was also involved in the study.

“Dogs in our home share not only our physical environment, but may also share some of the psychological challenges associated with modern living. Our pets may be excellent models of some human psychiatric conditions associated with emotional disturbance," said Professor Daniel Mills, a specialist in problem animal behaviour at the University of Lincoln, who was also involved in the study.

Linking behaviour to underlying genes

The team used data on the behaviour of 1,300 dogs - aged between three and seven - involved in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, which has been run by the Morris Animal Foundation since 2012. Enrolled dog owners answer questionnaires about 73 different behaviours of their pet, which are then grouped to give scores in 14 categories that reliably predict various behavioural traits.

Using blood samples, the team searched the entire genome of each golden retriever for genetic markers that were more frequent in dogs with each of these 14 behavioural traits, compared to those without it. This allowed them to link specific regions of the genome with specific behavioural traits.

The research was funded primarily by the Morris Animal Foundation.

Reference

Alex, E. et al: ‘GWAS for behavioural traits in golden retrievers identifies genes implicated in human temperament, mental health, and cognition.’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), November 2025. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2421757122   

Researchers have discovered that genes underlying specific behavioural traits in golden retrievers - from trainability to fear of strangers - also shape human personality and mental health.

The findings are really striking – they provide strong evidence that humans and golden retrievers have shared genetic roots for their behaviour.Eleanor RaffanMorris Animal FoundationGolden retriever involved in the study

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

YesLicence type: Attribution

A study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge provides a window into canine emotions, revealing why some golden retrievers are more fearful, energetic or aggressive than others.

The research, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to show that specific genes linked to canine behaviour are also associated with traits like anxiety, depression, and intelligence in people.

The team analysed the genetic code of 1,300 golden retrievers and compared it with each dog’s behavioural traits – assessed through a detailed owner questionnaire. This revealed genes underlying traits including trainability, energy levels, fear of strangers, and aggression towards other dogs.

By comparing their findings with a similar analysis in humans, the team discovered that twelve of the golden retriever genes they identified also underlie human behavioural traits and emotions.

“The findings are really striking – they provide strong evidence that humans and golden retrievers have shared genetic roots for their behaviour. The genes we identified frequently influence emotional states and behaviour in both species,” said Dr Eleanor Raffan, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience who led the study. 

One gene, PTPN1, was linked to aggression towards other dogs in golden retrievers - and is also associated with intelligence and depression in humans.

Another gene variation, flagged up in golden retrievers that are fearful of other dogs, also influences whether humans tend to worry too long after embarrassment or are high educational achievers.

The team says the findings could help owners understand their pets’ emotional worlds, and tailor training or care to suit their needs.

“These results show that genetics govern behaviour, making some dogs predisposed to finding the world stressful. If their life experiences compound this they might act in ways we interpret as bad behaviour, when really they’re distressed,” said Enoch Alex, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience and first author of the report.

Insights for better training and care

The study showed that ‘trainability’ in golden retrievers is associated with a gene, ROMO1, that in humans is linked to intelligence and emotional sensitivity. This means owners should appreciate that there’s an emotional component to training their dogs, say the researchers, in addition to rewarding desired behaviours.

The insights could also have implications for veterinary care: understanding that behaviour like fearfulness in a golden retriever, for example, is driven by a gene linked with human anxiety means that a medicine to reduce anxiety could help.

How genes drive behaviour and emotion

The dog genes identified by the team do not lead directly to any specific behaviour or emotion – rather, they influence behavioural regulation or broader emotional states. For example, dogs showing ‘non-social fear’ - that is, being scared of things like buses and hoovers - have a gene that in humans drives irritability, sensitivity, and ‘seeing the doctor for nerves or anxiety.’

“If your golden retriever cowers behind the sofa every time the doorbell rings, perhaps you might have a bit more empathy if you know they’re genetically driven to feel sensitive and anxious,” said Dr Anna Morros-Nuevo, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience who was also involved in the study.

“Dogs in our home share not only our physical environment, but may also share some of the psychological challenges associated with modern living. Our pets may be excellent models of some human psychiatric conditions associated with emotional disturbance," said Professor Daniel Mills, a specialist in problem animal behaviour at the University of Lincoln, who was also involved in the study.

Linking behaviour to underlying genes

The team used data on the behaviour of 1,300 dogs - aged between three and seven - involved in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, which has been run by the Morris Animal Foundation since 2012. Enrolled dog owners answer questionnaires about 73 different behaviours of their pet, which are then grouped to give scores in 14 categories that reliably predict various behavioural traits.

Using blood samples, the team searched the entire genome of each golden retriever for genetic markers that were more frequent in dogs with each of these 14 behavioural traits, compared to those without it. This allowed them to link specific regions of the genome with specific behavioural traits.

The research was funded primarily by the Morris Animal Foundation.

Reference

Alex, E. et al: ‘GWAS for behavioural traits in golden retrievers identifies genes implicated in human temperament, mental health, and cognition.’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), November 2025. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2421757122   

Researchers have discovered that genes underlying specific behavioural traits in golden retrievers - from trainability to fear of strangers - also shape human personality and mental health.

The findings are really striking – they provide strong evidence that humans and golden retrievers have shared genetic roots for their behaviour.Eleanor RaffanMorris Animal FoundationGolden retriever involved in the study

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

YesLicence type: Attribution

Using a new technique called MCC ultra, the team, including researchers from the University of Cambridge, mapped the human genome down to a single base pair, unlocking how genes are controlled, or, how the body decides which genes to turn on or off at the right time, in the right cells.

This gives scientists a new way to understand how genetic differences lead to disease and opens up fresh routes for drug discovery. The results are reported in the journal Cell.

“For the first time, we can see how the genome’s control switches are physically arranged inside cells,” said lead author Professor James Davies from the University of Oxford. “This changes our understanding of how genes work and how things go wrong in disease. We can now see how changes in the intricate structure of DNA leads to conditions like heart disease, autoimmune disorders and cancer.”

For more than two decades, scientists have known the full sequence of the human genome - the three billion ‘letters’ of DNA that make up our genetic code. But exactly how that code folds and functions inside the cell has remained largely hidden.

Each cell’s DNA, about two metres long, is tightly packed into a microscopic space one-hundredth of a millimetre across. Within this space, the DNA constantly bends and loops, bringing distant sections into contact. These 3D structures are crucial because they determine which genes are active or silent, much like how a circuit board determines which switches are connected and which are not.

Until now, researchers could only view these interactions at relatively low resolution. The new method captures them down to a single base pair - the smallest unit of DNA - offering a truly molecular view of gene control.

This level of detail matters because over 90% of genetic changes linked to common diseases lie not within genes themselves, but in the ‘switch’ regions that regulate them. The ability to see how these switches are organised gives scientists a new framework for identifying where gene regulation goes wrong and how it might be corrected.

The Oxford researchers worked with Professor Rosana Collepardo-Guevara, from Cambridge’s Department of Genetics and Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, whose computer simulations confirmed that the folding patterns observed arise naturally from the physical properties of DNA and its packaging proteins.

“The MCC ultra technique gives us the most detailed view yet of DNA organisation inside living cells – an order of magnitude higher than the current state of the art,” said Collepardo-Guevara. “Our simulation work also showed that it’s possible to predict the complex 3D structure of the genome in a computer model, which could help us understand in fine detail what goes wrong in disease, and how to fix it.”

Together, the scientists propose a new model of gene regulation in which cells use electromagnetic forces to bring DNA control sequences to the surface, where they cluster into “islands” of gene activity. These structures, which were previously invisible, appear to be a fundamental mechanism for how cells read their genetic instructions.

The research represents a major advance in molecular genetics, providing a foundation for future studies into how changes in genome structure cause disease.

The work was funded by the Medical Research Council and the Lister Institute, with support for translation into new therapies from Wellcome and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. Rosana Collepardo-Guevara is a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge. The Cambridge simulations were performed by Dr Jan Huertas and Dr Julia Maristany, postdoctoral researchers in Collepardo-Guevara's group.   

Reference:
Hangpeng Li et al. ‘Mapping chromatin structure at base-pair resolution unveils a unified model of cis-regulatory element interactions.’ Cell (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.10.013

Adapted from a University of Oxford media release.

Researchers have achieved the most detailed view yet of how DNA folds and functions inside living cells, revealing the physical structures that control when and how genes are switched on.

Andrew Brookes via Getty ImagesDNA profile on screen in the lab

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Using a new technique called MCC ultra, the team, including researchers from the University of Cambridge, mapped the human genome down to a single base pair, unlocking how genes are controlled, or, how the body decides which genes to turn on or off at the right time, in the right cells.

This gives scientists a new way to understand how genetic differences lead to disease and opens up fresh routes for drug discovery. The results are reported in the journal Cell.

“For the first time, we can see how the genome’s control switches are physically arranged inside cells,” said lead author Professor James Davies from the University of Oxford. “This changes our understanding of how genes work and how things go wrong in disease. We can now see how changes in the intricate structure of DNA leads to conditions like heart disease, autoimmune disorders and cancer.”

For more than two decades, scientists have known the full sequence of the human genome - the three billion ‘letters’ of DNA that make up our genetic code. But exactly how that code folds and functions inside the cell has remained largely hidden.

Each cell’s DNA, about two metres long, is tightly packed into a microscopic space one-hundredth of a millimetre across. Within this space, the DNA constantly bends and loops, bringing distant sections into contact. These 3D structures are crucial because they determine which genes are active or silent, much like how a circuit board determines which switches are connected and which are not.

Until now, researchers could only view these interactions at relatively low resolution. The new method captures them down to a single base pair - the smallest unit of DNA - offering a truly molecular view of gene control.

This level of detail matters because over 90% of genetic changes linked to common diseases lie not within genes themselves, but in the ‘switch’ regions that regulate them. The ability to see how these switches are organised gives scientists a new framework for identifying where gene regulation goes wrong and how it might be corrected.

The Oxford researchers worked with Professor Rosana Collepardo-Guevara, from Cambridge’s Department of Genetics and Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, whose computer simulations confirmed that the folding patterns observed arise naturally from the physical properties of DNA and its packaging proteins.

“The MCC ultra technique gives us the most detailed view yet of DNA organisation inside living cells – an order of magnitude higher than the current state of the art,” said Collepardo-Guevara. “Our simulation work also showed that it’s possible to predict the complex 3D structure of the genome in a computer model, which could help us understand in fine detail what goes wrong in disease, and how to fix it.”

Together, the scientists propose a new model of gene regulation in which cells use electromagnetic forces to bring DNA control sequences to the surface, where they cluster into “islands” of gene activity. These structures, which were previously invisible, appear to be a fundamental mechanism for how cells read their genetic instructions.

The research represents a major advance in molecular genetics, providing a foundation for future studies into how changes in genome structure cause disease.

The work was funded by the Medical Research Council and the Lister Institute, with support for translation into new therapies from Wellcome and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. Rosana Collepardo-Guevara is a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge. The Cambridge simulations were performed by Dr Jan Huertas and Dr Julia Maristany, postdoctoral researchers in Collepardo-Guevara's group.   

Reference:
Hangpeng Li et al. ‘Mapping chromatin structure at base-pair resolution unveils a unified model of cis-regulatory element interactions.’ Cell (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.10.013

Adapted from a University of Oxford media release.

Researchers have achieved the most detailed view yet of how DNA folds and functions inside living cells, revealing the physical structures that control when and how genes are switched on.

Andrew Brookes via Getty ImagesDNA profile on screen in the lab

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

The word is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as "involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc., or an artificial intelligence".

Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the publisher of the Cambridge Dictionary, says that the year was marked by interest in the one-sided parasocial relationships that people form with celebrities, influencers and AI chatbots.

'Parasocial' is one of several AI-related words that were added or updated in the Cambridge Dictionary this year, including ‘slop’, meaning "content on the internet that is of very low quality, especially when it is created by AI".

Simone Schnall, Professor of Experimental Social Psychology at the University of Cambridge, said: “Parasocial is an inspired choice for Word of the Year.

"The rise of parasocial relationships has redefined fandom, celebrity and, with AI, how ordinary people interact online.

"We’ve entered an age where many people form unhealthy and intense parasocial relationships with influencers. This leads to a sense that people ‘know’ those they form parasocial bonds with, can trust them and even to extreme forms of loyalty. Yet it’s completely one sided."

The term dates back to 1956, when University of Chicago sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl observed television viewers engaged in “para-social” relationships with on-screen personalities, resembling those they formed with “real” family and friends. They noted how the rapidly expanding medium of television brought the faces of actors directly into viewers’ homes, making them fixtures in people’s lives.

Colin McIntosh of the Cambridge Dictionary said: “Parasocial captures the 2025 zeitgeist. It's a great example of how language changes.

“What was once a specialist academic term has become mainstream. Millions of people are engaged in parasocial relationships; many more are simply intrigued by their rise.   
 
“The data reflects that, with the Cambridge Dictionary website seeing spikes in lookups for ‘parasocial’.

Adapted from the Cambridge University Press & Assessment website.

Cambridge Dictionary has named 'parasocial' as the Word of the Year for 2025.

Why people form parasocial relationships – Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2025 Why people form parasocial relationships – Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2025 Video of Why people form parasocial relationships – Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2025

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

The word is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as "involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc., or an artificial intelligence".

Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the publisher of the Cambridge Dictionary, says that the year was marked by interest in the one-sided parasocial relationships that people form with celebrities, influencers and AI chatbots.

'Parasocial' is one of several AI-related words that were added or updated in the Cambridge Dictionary this year, including ‘slop’, meaning "content on the internet that is of very low quality, especially when it is created by AI".

Simone Schnall, Professor of Experimental Social Psychology at the University of Cambridge, said: “Parasocial is an inspired choice for Word of the Year.

"The rise of parasocial relationships has redefined fandom, celebrity and, with AI, how ordinary people interact online.

"We’ve entered an age where many people form unhealthy and intense parasocial relationships with influencers. This leads to a sense that people ‘know’ those they form parasocial bonds with, can trust them and even to extreme forms of loyalty. Yet it’s completely one sided."

The term dates back to 1956, when University of Chicago sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl observed television viewers engaged in “para-social” relationships with on-screen personalities, resembling those they formed with “real” family and friends. They noted how the rapidly expanding medium of television brought the faces of actors directly into viewers’ homes, making them fixtures in people’s lives.

Colin McIntosh of the Cambridge Dictionary said: “Parasocial captures the 2025 zeitgeist. It's a great example of how language changes.

“What was once a specialist academic term has become mainstream. Millions of people are engaged in parasocial relationships; many more are simply intrigued by their rise.   
 
“The data reflects that, with the Cambridge Dictionary website seeing spikes in lookups for ‘parasocial’.

Adapted from the Cambridge University Press & Assessment website.

Cambridge Dictionary has named 'parasocial' as the Word of the Year for 2025.

Why people form parasocial relationships – Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2025 Why people form parasocial relationships – Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2025 Video of Why people form parasocial relationships – Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2025

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes