St John's College News
Oldest genetic evidence of Hepatitis B virus found in ancient DNA from 4,500 year-old skeletons
The research has been described as ‘truly remarkable’ and compared to the discovery of the first fossils.An extinct strain of the human Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been discovered in Bronze Age human skeletons found in burial sites across Europe and Asia. A pioneering study has identified the oldest evidence of HBV in the ancient remains and proved that viruses can become extinct. The scientific significance of the research has been described as ‘truly remarkable’ and compared to the discovery of…read moreSt John’s victorious in Cuppers final against Queens’ College
St John’s victorious in Cuppers final against Queens’ CollegeSt John’s College enjoyed a 35-13 victory against Queens’ College in the Cambridge University Rugby Football Union Cuppers final at Grange Road on Saturday. This was their fourth win in five years. Queens’ College played their first Cuppers final for 33 years, and they gave a defensive performance despite being under considerable pressure, competing right until the end of the match. The team…read moreSt John’s College win University Challenge for the first time
It is the first time since the show aired in 1962 that St John’s has won the televised quiz showFor the first time ever, St John’s College Cambridge have won University Challenge after defeating Merton College Oxford 145-100. It was a tight, tense final, with Merton College taking an early lead. St John’s eventually managed to stage a comeback, and won by a close margin of 45 points. The University Challenge team members stand outside College Chapel. From left to right: Matt Hazell…read moreMemorial Service for Dr Jim Charles
Memorial Service for Dr Jim Charles, 1926 – 2017A Memorial Service for Dr James (Jim) Charles, BSc. Eng., MA, ScD, FREng, Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge and Emeritus University Reader in Process Metallurgy, who died on 13 November 2017, aged 91, will be held in St John’s College Chapel on Saturday 26 May at 12 noon. Dr Jim Charles, who became a Fellow at St John’s in 1963 and was formerly College Lecturer in Materials Science and…read moreGenetic adaptations to diving discovered in humans for the first time
The relationship between spleen size and dive capacity has never before been examined in humans at the genetic level.Evidence that humans can genetically adapt to diving has been identified for the first time in a new study. The evidence suggests that the Bajau, a people group indigenous to parts of Indonesia, have genetically enlarged spleens which enable them to free dive to depths of up to 70m. It has previously been hypothesised that the spleen plays an important role in enabling humans to free dive for…read morePhilanthropy Matters: How will philanthropy impact the University’s future?
The campaign for the University and Colleges has passed the £1bn mark. So why does philanthropy matter to Cambridge?Bursaries and Studentships make a real difference to the lives of many students at St John's. In this article from CAM magazine some of these students share why financial assistance matters to them, and Professor Chris Dobson explains how philanthropic gifts make this all possible. The article by William Ham Bevan was originally published in CAM magazine (issue 83), and online at …read moreSt John’s College through to University Challenge final for the first time
The current University Challenge team made history last night with a decisive semi-final victoryFor the very first time since University Challenge began in 1962, St John’s College will have a team in the final. The current University Challenge team made history last night with a decisive semi-final victory over the University of Edinburgh, 270-60. They will now face either Merton College, Oxford or Newcastle University in the final which will be shown on 23 April. The furthest any…read moreRoyal College of Physicians elects St John’s Alumnus as new President
"I am humbled that the fellows of the RCP have elected me and I will do my best to live up to their expectations."Last week the Royal College of Physicians elected Dr Andrew Goddard as their new president. Dr Andrew Goddard, a graduate of St John’s College, will take over from the current president, Jane Dacre, in September of this year. In the close-run election nine candidates stood for the position and 5,082, were cast - the highest number of votes ever in a presidential election at the Royal…read moreGame of Dragons Maths Challenge at St John’s
Game of Dragons Maths Challenge at St John’sThe third Game of Dragons Outdoor Maths Challenge took place at St John’s on 17 March, an event which aims to promote mathematics and a healthy lifestyle. Sixty students from 20 different schools across Cambridgeshire and London took part in the outdoor treasure hunt, finding their way through the maze of maths puzzles to complete the Challenge as quickly as they could. Every correct solution…read moreThe Enemy Within: A new documentary
The film tells the remarkable and moving story of Justin Yerbury and his quest to understand the nature of Motor Neurone DiseaseA new documentary made for Australian television explores the life of Dr Justin Yerbury and his fight against Motor Neurone Disease, both in his research and personal life. The film entitled The Enemy Within and made by ABC (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation) tells the remarkable and moving story of Justin Yerbury and his quest to understand the nature of Motor Neurone Disease, a…read moreNewell Classical Event 2018 to be held at St John’s
The Newell Classical Event 2018 will be held on 3 MayPublished: 3/04/2018 The Newell Classical Event 2018, celebrating the classical world, is to take place at St John’s College on 3 May. This year, the event will focus on the world première of Emily Wilson’s dramatisation of the Odyssey, based on her translation. The performance, which will last one hour, will feature some surprise appearances. Emily Wilson Emily Wilson’s acclaimed new…read moreAlumnus of St John's College, Dr Andrew Chamblin, honoured with Oxford concert
Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert 2018Published: 29/03/18 The twelfth annual Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert will be given by Laurence Cummings FRCO at 8 pm in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford on Thursday 7 June. Mr Cummings will play an hour-long programme of organ and harpsichord works by Bach, de Grigny, Couperin and Handel. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. There are no tickets required and no reserved seating. After…read moreSt John’s College Choir to embark on Far East tour
The Choir will be performing at the Hong Kong City Concert Hall and the Singapore EsplanadePublished: 23/03/2018 The St John’s College Choir is in the Far East to perform concerts in Hong Kong and Singapore. The Choir will be performing at the Hong Kong City Concert Hall on 27 March, and the Singapore Esplanade on 30 March. The programme is entitled 'Faire is the Heaven' and will include a selection of choral works from the 16th Century to the present, from composers such as Britten…read moreSt John's students row for Cambridge
"There will be a strong showing from LMBC on the banks of the Thames on Saturday cheering him on.”Published: 23/03/18 St John’s student and Lady Margaret rower, Charlie Fisher, will be representing Cambridge this weekend in the 2018 Boat Race against Oxford. St John’s students have already been victorious against Oxford this week. Johnians Felix Koninx and Theo Weinberger were part of the winning Men’s Lightweight crew at the Henley Boat Races last Sunday. They overcame difficult weather…read moreDouglas Adams: Life in the Universe
Douglas Adams: Life in the UniverseA radio script for an episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, notes for an episode of Doctor Who, and a letter from Graham Chapman: a new exhibition at St John’s College showcases over seventy of Douglas Adams’s personal items. The exhibition, entitled Douglas Adams: Life in the Universe, features scripts and notes from his most famous projects including The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the…read moreThe hidden women of St John’s: College exhibition celebrates female staff
Published: 20/03/18 The forgotten historical lives of women in the workplace are now the centre of attention in an exhibition inspired by Women’s History Month at St John’s. A new exhibition focusing on the female staff of St John’s reveals the hidden working lives of the women who were part of College life centuries before female students were admitted. ‘This woman’s work: female staff at St…read moreInaugural performances from female a cappella group and College jazz band taking place at St John’s
Inaugural performances from female a cappella group Aquila and College Jazz Band to take place at St John’sPublished: 2/03/2018 The inaugural performances from two newly formed College groups will take place in the Old Divinity School, St John’s College, on Tuesday 6 March: Aquila – an all-female a cappella group – and the College Jazz Band. Aquila is a ladies a cappella singing group, founded and directed by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange. The group, comprising students and staff from St John’s,…read moreCollege Community members speak out about mental health on University Mental Health Day
College Community members speak out about mental health on University Mental Health DayPublished: 1/03/2018 One in four people experience a mental health condition at some point in their life, but despite how widespread these issues are, it can still be hard to reach out for help. March 1 is University Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme is ‘community’. The nationwide campaign run by the charities Student Minds, and UMHAN, aims to improve mental health literacy so that…read moreThe Watersprite Film Festival returns to St John’s
The Watersprite Film Festival returns to St John’sPublished: 23/02/18 This weekend St John’s College will host emerging filmmaking talent and internationally acclaimed professionals, such as film director Mike Leigh, as part of the 9th Watersprite Film Festival. Watersprite, the international student-let film festival, will feature free film screenings, Q&As with film-makers, and talks from industry-leading guest speakers. Every event in…read moreJohnian awarded scholarship to study at Yale
Johnian awarded scholarship to study at YalePublished:22/02/2018 St John’s alumnus Hamzah Ahmed has been awarded the Bass Scholarship to study at Yale University. Hamzah, who graduated in 2016 with a degree in Architecture, was awarded the scholarship to study for a Masters in Architecture (MArch II course) at Yale, and he commences his two-year course in Yale in August. The Bass Scholarship is awarded to one top-performing…read moreAncient genome study identifies traces of indigenous "Taíno" in present-day Caribbean population
New research finally provides concrete proof that indigenous ancestry in the region has survived to the present dayPublished: 20/02/18 A thousand-year-old tooth has provided genetic evidence that the so-called “Taíno”, the first indigenous Americans to feel the full impact of European colonisation after Columbus arrived in the New World, still have living descendants in the Caribbean today. Researchers were able to use the tooth of a woman found in a cave on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas to…read moreHarper-Wood Studentship Applications 2018
Harper-Wood Studentship Applications 2018Published: 19/02/2018 Applications are now being accepted for the Harper-Wood Studentship for English Poetry and Literature 2018. This one-year Studentship is an opportunity for a student who has graduated from any British University (i.e. England, Scotland and Wales), Ireland, the Commonwealth or the United States of America to pursue their own creative writing project. Previous holders…read moreProfessor and Podcaster Nir Shafir to speak at St John's
Professor and Podcaster, Nir Shafir to speak at St John'sOttoman History specialist Professor Nir Shafir will be speaking at St John’s College on Wednesday 14 February at 5.30pm. This event is free, and open to all. Professor Shafir will be speaking on ‘How Turkish became the language of fundamentalism in seventeenth-century Cairo’ at a seminar hosted by the Cambridge Middle East History Group, co-convened by St John’s Fellow Andrew Arsan.…read moreWendy Cope, OBE to read at St John’s College
Wendy Cope, OBE to read at St John’s CollegePublished: 9/2/18 Award-winning poet Wendy Cope will be reading a selection of her work at St John’s College on 26 February, at 5.30pm. This event is free, and open to all. Cope’s first collection of poems, Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis, was published in 1986. Since then she has published three further poetry collections Serious Concerns (1992), Family Values (2011) and If I Don’t Know (2001…read moreMeet the new St John’s Research Fellows
Published: 7/2/18 St John's College has elected six new Research Fellows who will take up their appointments later this year. The Research Fellowships provide the opportunity for outstanding researchers early in their careers to carry out independent study in a stimulating and supportive academic environment. The six new Fellows are graduates from a variety of academic institutions including…read more