Threats to Cambridge chalk streams addressed by experts
Chalk streams are rare habitats, often referred to as England's equivalent of rainforests.Most water we drink in the East of England comes from rainwater stored deep beneath our feet in natural chalk aquifers, which feed our chalk streams, the Environment Agency said. Chalk streams also need good water quality for different species of fish, plants and insects to flourish. However, they face significant challenges in the 21st Century due to complex problems worsened by climate change and population growth.The Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project - a collaboration between Cambridge City Council and ARU - is bringing together experts to study the threats faced by local chalk streams and highlight practical ways to protect them at a free public conference later this month.Emma Dominic, a research assistant at ARU for the Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project, said: "Chalk streams are globally rare freshwater habitats and we're fortunate to have them in and around the city. "However, many of these precious ecosystems are now significantly degraded and at risk."She said the project aimed to further understand habitat loss, biodiversity reduction and water quality issues."By bringing everyone together, including involving local community volunteers, we hope to obtain detailed information about each stream to help inform Cambridge City Council's restoration strategies and safeguard our chalk streams for future generations."
Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Exciting' new diagnostic method can detect tiny traces of cancer
Scientists have found a new way to find tiny traces of cancer which could help 'revolutionise' care for patients with a certain form of blood cancer. Giving patients a whole-body MRI scan can detect minuscule amounts of myeloma, also known as minimal residue disease, even when traditional tests showed no signs of cancer, researchers found. Usual tests include blood tests and bone marrow biopsies, CT scans and X rays. Experts said that this scanning technique can provide an important insight into how well patients are responding to treatment and whether they might relapse. Myeloma is a type of blood cancer that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow. The condition is sometimes called multiple myeloma because it affects more than one part of the body. The disease is not considered curable but treatment can control it. Researchers at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, tracked 70 myeloma patients who were having a stem cell transplant. They were all given a whole-body MRI before and after the treatment. Writing in the Blood Cancer Journal, experts said that one in three patients had signs of residual disease on whole-body MRI after treatment – which can be given to patients without the use of radiation. Overall survival was also significantly shorter in those with positive MRI findings. The Royal Marsden has already adopted the the whole-body imagine technique and it could help shape cancer care for patients around the country in the future. One patient under the treatment of the hospital described how the scanning technique 'extended his life' and enabled him to 'continue serving' the country. Air Vice-Marshal Fin Monahan, chief fire officer for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, was diagnosed with myeloma in 2009 while serving in the RAF. He has since relapsed twice, but thanks to whole-body MRI scans, his cancer was detected much earlier than would have been possible with a traditional CT scan. The father of three, 57, said: 'With the constant threat of relapse, myeloma patients are in a long-term mental battle with this insidious disease. 'However, being part of the whole-body MRI scan study at the Royal Marsden allowed my cancer to be closely watched and resulted in me being treated sooner than I would have been under normal protocols. 'This not only extended my life but after diagnosis, I returned to flying jets and to active operational duties. 'I would eventually not be allowed to fly on medical grounds due to myeloma but paved the way to establishing the first training programme of Ukrainian forces in 2015 and I was called upon to run Nato air operations after the invasion of Ukraine. 'This cutting-edge treatment not only extended my life but allowed me to continue serving my country.' Study chief investigator, Professor Christina Messiou, consultant radiologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and professor in imaging for personalised oncology at The Institute of Cancer Research, said: 'This study shows that whole-body MRI gives us valuable information about how well the myeloma has responded to treatment that other tests may miss. 'It's exciting that we now have a standardised, non-invasive imaging method that can be used across cancer centres. 'Whole-body MRI doesn't involve radiation or intravenous injections, which is important for patients who may require lifelong monitoring. 'This is an important step towards smarter and kinder precision diagnostics for patients with cancer' Professor Martin Kaiser, consultant haematologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and professor in molecular haematology at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, added: 'Access to this gold-standard precision imaging with whole-body MRI has revolutionised care for myeloma patients. 'As the treatment options for myeloma increase and factors such as disease distribution across the body are increasingly understood as important to treatment response, the relevance of the whole-body MRI for personalising treatment will only increase over time.' Around 6,200 people are diagnosed with the condition each year in the UK and charity Myeloma UK estimates that there are around 33,000 people living with myeloma in the UK.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Royal Air Force pilot able to return to flying jets after ‘revolutionary' cancer scan
A Royal Air Force pilot diagnosed with blood cancer was able to return to flying jets after being given a new scanning technique which could 'revolutionise' patient care. Scientists have come up with a new scanning technique for blood cancer patients, which involves giving patients a whole-body MRI scan that can detect minuscule amounts of myeloma, also known as minimal residual disease. Usual tests include blood tests and bone marrow biopsies, CT scans and X-rays and may not show signs of cancer. Experts said that the scanning technique can provide an important insight into how well patients are responding to treatment and whether they might relapse. Air Vice-Marshal Fin Monahan, chief fire officer for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, was diagnosed with myeloma in 2009 while serving in the RAF. He has since relapsed twice, but thanks to whole-body MRI scans, his cancer was detected much earlier than would have been possible with a traditional CT scan. Vice-Marshal Fin described how the scanning technique 'extended his life' and enabled him to 'continue serving' the country. Myeloma is a type of blood cancer that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow, and according to Myeloma UK, around 6,200 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. According to the charity, there are around 33,000 people in the UK living with Myeloma at any one time. The condition is sometimes called multiple myeloma because it affects more than one part of the body. The disease is not considered curable, but treatment can control it. Researchers at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, tracked 70 myeloma patients who were having a stem cell transplant. They were all given a whole-body MRI before and after the treatment. Professor Martin Kaiser, consultant haematologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and professor in molecular haematology at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: 'Access to this gold-standard precision imaging with whole-body MRI has revolutionised care for myeloma patients.' 'As the treatment options for myeloma increase and factors such as disease distribution across the body are increasingly understood as important to treatment response, the relevance of the whole-body MRI for personalising treatment will only increase over time.' 'I returned to flying jets' Vice-marshal Fin, father of three, 57, said after being given the scan and treatment said he lived: 'With the constant threat of relapse, myeloma patients are in a long-term mental battle with this insidious disease.' However, he said being part of the study allowed his cancer to be closely watched and resulted in him being treated sooner than he would have under normal care options. He said: 'This not only extended my life but after diagnosis, I returned to flying jets and to active operational duties. 'I would eventually not be allowed to fly on medical grounds due to myeloma but paved the way to establishing the first training programme of Ukrainian forces in 2015 and I was called upon to run Nato air operations after the invasion of Ukraine. 'This cutting-edge treatment not only extended my life but allowed me to continue serving my country.' Writing in the Blood Cancer Journal, experts said that one in three patients had signs of residual disease on whole-body MRI after treatment – which can be given to patients without the use of radiation. Overall survival was also significantly shorter in those with positive MRI findings. The Royal Marsden has already adopted the the whole-body imagine technique and it could help shape cancer care for patients around the country in the future. Study chief investigator, Professor Christina Messiou, consultant radiologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and professor in imaging for personalised oncology at The Institute of Cancer Research, said: 'This study shows that whole-body MRI gives us valuable information about how well the myeloma has responded to treatment that other tests may miss. 'It's exciting that we now have a standardised, non-invasive imaging method that can be used across cancer centres. 'Whole-body MRI doesn't involve radiation or intravenous injections, which is important for patients who may require lifelong monitoring. 'This is an important step towards smarter and kinder precision diagnostics for patients with cancer'
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Aether review – dazzling lecture about a medium, a magician and a mathematician
There are known knowns, there are known unknowns and there is Emma Howlett's play, a smart feminist take on the mysteries of the physical universe and the eternal limits of science. If that sounds too weighty a theme for a night out at the fringe, well, Howlett, who also directs, has planned ahead and built a fluid, ever-shifting production that spins her ideas with a dazzling lightness of touch. This is pure ensemble theatre: you cannot put a match between Sophie Kean, Abby McCann, Anna Marks Pryce and Gemma Barnett as they weave five historical stories as a tight unit, breathing as one. Supported by a residency by the Hugo Burge Foundation and written with Summerhall's Anatomy lecture theatre in mind, Howlett's production for TheatreGoose exploits the academic setting by turning the audience into students (pens and whiteboards in hand) and the actors into public speakers, using an overhead projector to put them in the spotlight (neat lighting design by Ed Saunders). Two of the stories are unexpected; not the one about Hypatia, the ancient Egyptian mathematician and astronomer who was murdered by angry Christians; nor the one about Vera Rubin finding evidence of dark matter in the 20th century; and not the modern-day tale about Sophie, a PhD student drawing on data from Cern in the hope of breaking new ground, while her obsessiveness drives her girlfriend away. More surprising are those of Adelaide Herrmann, famed for performing the bullet-catch magic trick in her vaudeville show; and of Florence Cook, a 15-year-old medium, hoodwinking a credulous scientific establishment with her messages from beyond. Howlett is intrigued by fiction as well as fact. Juxtaposed and intercutting, these stories form a collage of truth and illusion, one that embraces the existential fear of always having more to learn about an evasive universe. As concerns go, it is on the esoteric side, but Aether is never less than accomplished. At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 25 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews
