University of Cambridge

While previous research shows outrage and division drive engagement on social media, a new study of digital behaviour during the 2024 US election finds that this effect flips during a major crisis – when “ingroup solidarity” becomes the engine of online virality. Psychologists say the findings show positive emotions such as unity can cut through the hostility on social media, but it takes a shock to the system that threatens a community.   In a little over a week during the summer of 2024, the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally (July 13) and Joe Biden’s suspension of his re-election campaign (21 July) completely reshaped the presidential race. The University of Cambridge’s Social Decision-Making Lab collected over 62,000 public posts from the Facebook accounts of hundreds of US politicians, commentators and media outlets before and after these events to see how they affected online behaviour.* “We wanted to understand the kinds of content that went viral among Republicans and Democrats during this period of high tension for both groups,” said Malia Marks, PhD candidate in Cambridge’s Department of Psychology and lead author of the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Negative emotions such as anger and outrage along with hostility towards opposing political groups are usually rocket fuel for social media engagement. You might expect this to go into hyperdrive during times of crisis and external threat.” “However, we found the opposite. It appears that political crises evoke not so much outgroup hate but rather ingroup love,” said Marks. Just after the Trump assassination attempt, Republican-aligned posts signalling unity and shared identity received 53% more engagement than those that did not – an increase of 17 percentage points compared to just before the shooting. These included posts such as evangelist Franklin Graham thanking God that Donald Trump is alive, and Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham posting: “Bleeding and unbowed, Trump faces relentless attacks yet stands strong for America. This is why his followers remain passionately loyal.” At the same time, engagement levels for Republican posts attacking the Democrats saw a decrease of 23 percentage points from just a few days earlier. After Biden suspended his re-election campaign, Democrat-aligned posts expressing solidarity received 91% more engagement than those that did not – a major increase of 71 percentage points over the period shortly before his withdrawal. Posts included former US Secretary of Labor Robert Reich calling Biden “one of our most pro-worker presidents”, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posting that Biden’s “legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history.” Biden’s withdrawal saw the continuation of a gradual rise in engagement for Democrat posts attacking Republicans – although over the 25 July days covered by the analysis almost a quarter of all conservative posts displayed “outgroup hostility” compared to just 5% of liberal posts. Research led by the same Cambridge Lab, published in 2021, showed how social media posts criticizing or mocking those on the rival side of an ideological divide typically receive twice as many shares as posts that champion one’s own side. “Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are increasingly seen as creating toxic information environments that intensify social and political divisions, and there is plenty of research now to support this,” said Yara Kyrychenko, study co-author and PhD candidate in Cambridge’s Social Decision-Making Lab. “Yet we see that social media can produce a rally-round-the-flag effect at moments of crisis, when the emotional and psychological preference for one’s own group takes over as the dominant driver of online behaviour.” Last year, the Cambridge team (led by Kyrychenko) published a study of 1.6 million Ukrainian social media posts in the months before and after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February of 2022. Following the invasion they found a similar spike for “ingroup solidarity” posts, which got 92% more engagement on Facebook and 68% more on Twitter, while posts hostile to Russia received little extra engagement.  Researchers argue that the findings from the latest study are even more surprising, given the gravity of the threat to Ukraine and the nature of its population. “We didn’t know whether moments of political rather than existential crisis would trigger solidarity in a country as deeply polarised as the United States. But even here, group unity surged when leadership was threatened,” said Dr Jon Roozenbeek, Lecturer in Psychology at Cambridge University and senior author of the study. “In times of crisis, ingroup love may matter more to us than outgroup hate on social media.” * The study used 62,118 public posts from 484 Facebook accounts run by US politicians and partisan commentators or media sources from 5-29 July 2024. Research reveals how political crises cause a shift in the force behind viral online content ‘from outgroup hate to ingroup love’. It appears that political crises evoke not so much outgroup hate but rather ingroup loveMalia Marksconceptphoto.info via FlickrThe Trump assassination attempt on the front page of German newspaper Bild. 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

The findings, published today in Nature Neuroscience, have implications for the treatment of ‘phantom limb’ pain, but also suggest that controlling robotic replacement limbs via neural interfaces may be more straightforward than previously thought. Studies have previously shown that within an area of the brain known as the somatosensory cortex there exists a map of the body, with different regions corresponding to different body parts. These maps are responsible for processing sensory information, such as touch, temperate and pain, as well as body position. For example, if you touch something hot with your hand, this will activate a particular region of the brain; if you stub your toe, a different region activates. For decades now, the commonly-accepted view among neuroscientists has been that following amputation of a limb, neighbouring regions rearrange and essentially take over the area previously assigned to the now missing limb. This has relied on evidence from studies carried out after amputation, without comparing activity in the brain maps beforehand. But this has presented a conundrum. Most amputees report phantom sensations, a feeling that the limb is still in place – this can also lead to sensations such as itching or pain in the missing limb. Also, brain imaging studies where amputees have been asked to ‘move’ their missing fingers have shown brain patterns resembling those of able-bodied individuals. To investigate this contradiction, a team led by Professor Tamar Makin from the University of Cambridge and Dr Hunter Schone from the University of Pittsburgh followed three individuals due to undergo amputation of one of their hands. This is the first time a study has looked at the hand and face maps of individuals both before and after amputation. Most of the work was carried out while Professor Makin and Dr Schone were at UCL. Prior to amputation, all three individuals were able to move all five digits of their hands. While lying in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner – which measures activity in the brain – the participants were asked to move their individual fingers and to purse their lips. The researchers used the brain scans to construct maps of the hand and lips for each individual. In these maps, the lips sit near to the hand. The participants repeated the activity three months and again six months after amputation, this time asked to purse their lips and to imagine moving individual fingers. One participant was scanned again 18 months after amputation and a second participant five years after amputation. The researchers examined the signals from the pre-amputation finger maps and compared them against the maps post-amputation. Analysis of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ images revealed a remarkable consistency: even with their hand now missing, the corresponding brain region activated in an almost identical manner. Professor Makin, from the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Science Unit at the University of Cambridge, the study’s senior author, said: “Because of our previous work, we suspected that the brain maps would be largely unchanged, but the extent to which the map of the missing limb remained intact was jaw-dropping. “Bearing in mind that the somatosensory cortex is responsible for interpreting what’s going on within the body, it seems astonishing that it doesn’t seem to know that the hand is no longer there.” As previous studies had suggested that the body map reorganises such that neighbouring regions take over, the researchers looked at the region corresponding to the lips to see if it had moved or spread. They found that it remained unchanged and had not taken over the region representing the missing hand. The study’s first author, Dr Schone from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, said: “We didn’t see any signs of the reorganisation that is supposed to happen according to the classical way of thinking. The brain maps remained static and unchanged.” To complement their findings, the researchers compared their case studies to 26 participants who had had upper limbs amputated, on average 23.5 years beforehand. These individuals showed similar brain representations of the hand and lips to those in their three case studies, suggesting long-term evidence for the stability of hand and lip representations despite amputation. illustration1.jpg Brain activity maps for the hand (shown in red) and lips (blue) before and after amputation The researchers offer an explanation for the previous misunderstanding of what happens within the brain following amputation. They say that the boundaries within the brain maps are not clear cut – while the brain does have a map of the body, each part of the map doesn’t support one body part exclusively. So while inputs from the middle finger may largely activate one region, they also show some activity in the region representing the forefinger, for example. Previous studies that argue for massive reorganisation determined the layout of the maps by applying a ‘winner takes all’ strategy – stimulating the remaining body parts and noting which area of the brain shows most activity; because the missing limb is no longer there to be stimulated, activity from neighbouring limbs has been misinterpreted as taking over. The findings have implications for the treatment of phantom limb pain, a phenomenon that can plague amputees. Current approaches focus on trying to restore representation of the limb in the brain’s map, but randomised controlled trials to test this approach have shown limited success – today’s study suggests this is because these approaches are focused on the wrong problem. Dr Schone said: “The remaining parts of the nerves — still inside the residual limb — are no longer connected to their end-targets. They are dramatically cut off from the sensory receptors that have delivered them consistent signals. Without an end-target, the nerves can continue to grow to form a thickening of the nerve tissue and send noisy signals back to the brain. “The most promising therapies involve rethinking how the amputation surgery is actually performed, for instance grafting the nerves into a new muscle or skin, so they have a new home to attach to.” Of the three participants, one had substantial limb pain prior to amputation but received a complex procedure to graft the nerves to new muscle or skin; she no longer experiences pain. The other two participants, however, received the standard treatment and continue to experience phantom limb pain. The University of Pittsburgh is one of a number of institutions that is researching whether movement and sensation can be restored to paralysed limbs or whether amputated limbs might be replaced by artificial, robotic limbs controlled by a brain interface. Today’s study suggests that because the brain maps are preserved, it should – in theory – be possible to restore movement to a paralysed limb or for the brain to control a prosthetic. Dr Chris Baker from the Laboratory of Brain & Cognition, National Institutes of Mental Health, said: “If the brain rewired itself after amputation, these technologies would fail. If the area that had been responsible for controlling your hand was now responsible for your face, these implants just wouldn’t work. Our findings provide a real opportunity to develop these technologies now.” Dr Schone added: “Now that we’ve shown these maps are stable, brain-computer interface technologies can operate under the assumption that the body map remains consistent over time. This allows us to move into the next frontier: accessing finer details of the hand map — like distinguishing the tip of the finger from the base — and restoring the rich, qualitative aspects of sensation, such as texture, shape, and temperature. This study is a powerful reminder that even after limb loss, the brain holds onto the body, waiting for us to reconnect.” The research was supported by Wellcome, the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health and Medical Research Council. Reference Schone, HR et al. Stable Cortical Body Maps Before and After Arm Amputation. Nature Neuroscience; 21 Aug 2025; DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-02037-7 The brain holds a ‘map’ of the body that remains unchanged even after a limb has been amputated, contrary to the prevailing view that it rearranges itself to compensate for the loss, according to new research from scientists in the UK and US. We suspected that the brain maps would be largely unchanged, but the extent to which the map of the missing limb remained intact was jaw-droppingTamar MakinTamar Makin / Hunter SchoneEmily Wheldon, tested before and after her arm amputation surgery 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 research team, led by the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge, demonstrated that the polymer material used to make the artificial heart valve is safe following a six-month test in sheep. Currently, the 1.5 million patients who need heart valve replacements each year face trade-offs. Mechanical heart valves are durable but require lifelong blood thinners due to a high risk of blood clots, whereas biological valves, made from animal tissue, typically last between eight to 10 years before needing replacement. The artificial heart valve developed by the researchers is made from SEBS (styrene-block-ethylene/butyleneblock-styrene) – a type of plastic that has excellent durability but does not require blood thinners – and potentially offers the best of both worlds. However, further testing is required before it can be tested in humans. In their study, published in the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, the researchers tested a prototype SEBS heart valve in a preclinical sheep model that mimicked how these valves might perform in humans. The animals were monitored over six months to examine potential long-term safety issues associated with the plastic material. At the end of the study, the researchers found no evidence of harmful calcification (mineral buildup) or material deterioration, blood clotting or signs of cell toxicity. Animal health, wellbeing, blood tests and weight were all stable and normal, and the prototype valve functioned well throughout the testing period, with no need for blood thinners. “More than 35 million patients’ heart valves are permanently damaged by rheumatic fever, and with an ageing population, this figure is predicted to increase four to five times by 2050,” said Professor Raimondo Ascione from the University of Bristol, the study’s clinical lead. “Our findings could mark the beginning of a new era for artificial heart valves: one that may offer safer, more durable and more patient-friendly options for patients of all ages, with fewer compromises.” “We are pleased that the new plastic material has been shown to be safe after six months of testing in vivo,” said Professor Geoff Moggridge from Cambridge’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, biomaterial lead on the project. “Confirming the safety of the material has been an essential and reassuring step for us, and a green light to progress the new heart valve replacement toward bedside testing.” The results suggest that artificial heart valves made from SEBS are both durable and do not require the lifelong use of blood thinners. While the research is still early-stage, the findings help clear a path to future human testing. The next step will be to develop a clinical-grade version of the SEBS polymer heart valve and test it in a larger preclinical trial before seeking approval for a pilot human clinical trial. The study was funded by a British Heart Foundation (BHF) grant and supported by a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme Product Development Awards (PDA) award. Geoff Moggridge is a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge.  Reference: Raimondo Ascione et al. ‘Material safety of styrene-block-ethylene/butylene-block-styrene copolymers used for cardiac valves: 6-month in-vivo results from a juvenile sheep model’. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (2025). DOI: 10.1093/ejcts/ezaf266/ejcts-2025-100426 Adapted from a University of Bristol media release.  An artificial heart valve made from a new type of plastic could be a step closer to use in humans, following a successful long-term safety test in animals. Professor Raimondo Ascione, University of BristolSEBS polymer artificial heart valve prototype 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

Created by King's E-Lab, in partnership with Founders at the University of Cambridge, SPARK will act as an entrepreneurial launchpad. This programme will offer hands-on support, world-class mentorship and practical training to enable world-changing ventures covering challenges such as disease prevention and treatment, fertility support and climate resilience. The combined networks of successful entrepreneurs, investor alumni and venture-building expertise brought by King’s E-Lab and Founders at the University of Cambridge will address a critical gap to drive innovation. More than 180 applications were received for SPARK 1.0, reflecting strong demand for early incubation support. Of the selected companies, focused on AI, machine learning, biotechnology and impact, 42% of the companies are at idea stage, 40% have an early-stage product, and 17% have early users. Around half of the selected companies are led by women. Ashgold Africa - An edtech business building solar projects to provide sustainable energy in rural Kenya. Aizen Software - Credit referencing fintech working on financial inclusion. Atera Analytics - Optimising resources around the EV energy infrastructure ecosystem. Cambridge Mobilytics - Harnessing data from UK EV charging stations to aid decision-making in the e-mobility sector.   Dielectrix - Building next-gen semiconductor dielectric materials for electronics using 2D materials. Dulce Cerebrum - Building AI models to detect psychosis from blood tests. GreenHarvest - Data-driven agritech firm using satellite and climate data to predict changing crop yield migration. Heartly - Offering affordable, personalised guidance on preventing cardiovascular disease. Human Experience Dynamics - Combining patient experiences and physiological measures to create holistic insight in psychiatric trials. iFlame - Agentic AI system to help build creative product action plans. IntolerSense - Uncovering undiscovered food intolerances using an AI-powered app. Med Arcade - AI-powered co-pilot to help GPs interact with patient data. MENRVA - AI-powered matchmaking engine for the art world, connecting galleries, buyers and art businesses. Myta Bio - leverages biomimetic science to create superior industrial chemicals from natural ingredients. Neela Biotech - Creating carbon-negative jet fuel. Egg Advisor - Digital platform offering expert advice to women seeking to freeze their eggs. Polytecks - Wearable tech firm building e-textiles capable of detecting valvular heart diseases. RetroAnalytica - Using AI to decarbonise buildings by predicting energy inefficiencies. SafeTide - Using ‘supramolecular’ technology to keep delicate medicines stable at room temperature for longer periods. The Surpluss - Climate tech company identifying unused resources in businesses and redistributing them. Yacson Therapeutics - Using ML to find plant-based therapeutics to help combat inflammatory bowel disease. Zenithon AI - Using AI and ML to help advance the development of nuclear fusion energy. The intensive incubator will run for four weeks from the end of August. Each participant will receive specialised support from Founders at the University of Cambridge and King’s E-Lab mentors and entrepreneurs-in-residence to turn their concepts into companies that can attract both investment and ultimately grow into startups capable of driving economic growth. Following the program, the founders will emerge with: A validated business model and a clear pathway to product development Access to expert mentorship and masterclasses with global entrepreneurs and investors The opportunity to pitch for £20,000 investment and chance to pitch for further investment from established Angel Investors at Demo Day A chance to join a thriving community of innovators and change-makers Kamiar Mohaddes, co-founder and Director of King’s Entrepreneurship Lab, said: “Cambridge has been responsible for many world-changing discoveries, but entrepreneurship isn't the first thought of most people studying here. Driving economic growth requires inspiring the next generation to think boldly about how their ideas can shape industries and society. We want SPARK to be a catalyst, showing students the reality of founding a company. We look forward to seeing this cohort turn their ambitions into ventures that contribute meaningfully to the economy.” Gerard Grech, Managing Director at Founders at the University of Cambridge, said: “Cambridge is aiming to double its tech and science output in the next decade – matching what it achieved in the past 20 years. That ambition starts at the grassroots. The energy from the students, postgraduates and alumni is clear, and with tech contributing £159 billion to the UK economy and 3 million jobs, building transformative businesses is one of the most powerful ways to make an impact. This SPARK 1.0 cohort is beginning that journey, and we’re pleased to partner with King’s Entrepreneurship Lab to support them.” Gillian Tett, Provost of King’s College, said: “Cambridge colleges have more talent in AI, life sciences and technology, including quantum computing, than ever. Through SPARK, we can support even more students, researchers and alumni to turn their ambition into an investable idea and make the leap from the lab to the marketplace. This isn’t just a game-changer for King’s, but for every college in Cambridge whose students join this programme and journey with us to make an impact from Cambridge, on the world.” Jim Glasheen, Chief Executive of Cambridge Enterprise, said: “The SPARK 1.0 cohort highlights the breadth and depth of innovation within collegiate Cambridge. SPARK, and the partnership between King’s College and Founders at the University of Cambridge, is a testament to our shared commitment to nurture and empower Cambridge innovators who will tackle global challenges and contribute to economic growth.” The programme is free for students graduating in Summer 2025, postgraduates, post-docs, researchers, and alumni who have graduated within the last two years. This is made possible through the University of Cambridge, as well as a generous personal donation from Malcolm McKenzie, King’s alumnus and Chair of the E-Lab’s Senior Advisory Board. King’s Entrepeneurship Lab (King’s E-Lab) and Founders at the University of Cambridge have revealed the 24 startups that will join King’s College’s first-ever incubator programme designed to turn research-backed ideas from University of Cambridge students and alumni into investable companies. We look forward to seeing this cohort turn their ambitions into ventures that contribute meaningfully to the economyKamiar MohaddesA mosaic of black and white head images of all those taking part in the SPARK 1.0 incubator 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