探花直播 of Cambridge - Newnham College

UK peatland fires are supercharging carbon emissions as climate change causes hotter, drier summers

jg533 — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 07:00:52 +0000

More fires, taking hold over more months of the year, are causing more carbon to be released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Fires on peatlands, which are carbon-rich, can almost double global fire-driven carbon emissions. Researchers found that despite accounting for only a quarter of the total UK land area that burns each year, dwarfed by moor and heathland, wildfires that burn peat have caused up to 90% of annual UK fire-driven carbon emissions since 2001 鈥� with emissions spikes in particularly dry years.

Peat only burns when it鈥檚 hot and dry enough - conditions that are occurring more often with climate change. 探花直播peatlands of Saddleworth Moor in the Peak District, and Flow Country in northern Scotland, have both been affected by huge wildfires in recent years.

Unlike heather moorland which takes up to twenty years to regrow after a fire, burnt peat聽can take centuries to reaccumulate. 探花直播loss of this valuable carbon store makes the increasing wildfire frequency on peatlands a real cause for concern.聽

探花直播researchers also calculated that carbon emissions from fires on UK peatland are likely to rise by at least 60% if the planet warms by 2^oC.聽

探花直播findings, which are broadly relevant to peatlands in temperate climates, are published today in the journal 'Environmental Research Letters'.

鈥淲e found that peatland fires are responsible for a disproportionately large amount of the carbon emissions caused by UK wildfires, which we project will increase even more with climate change,鈥� said Dr Adam Pellegrini in the 探花直播 of Cambridge鈥檚 Department of Plant Sciences, senior author of the study.

He added: 鈥淧eatland reaccumulates lost carbon so slowly as it recovers after a wildfire that this process is limited for climate change mitigation. We need to focus on preventing that peat from burning in the first place, by re-wetting peatlands.鈥�

"We found聽that in dry years, peatland wildfires were able to burn into the peat and release significant quantities of carbon into the atmosphere. In particularly dry years this contributed up to 90% of the total wildfire-driven carbon emissions from the UK,"聽said Dr Sarah Baker, lead author of the study which she conducted聽while at the 探花直播 of Cambridge. Baker is now based at the 探花直播 of Exeter.

探花直播researchers found that the UK鈥檚鈥榝ire season鈥� - when fires occur on natural land - has lengthened dramatically since 2011, from between one and four months in the years 2011-2016 to between six and nine months in the years 2017-2021. 探花直播change is particularly marked in Scotland, where almost half of all UK fires occur.

Nine percent of the UK is covered by peatland, which in a healthy condition removes over three million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year.聽

探花直播researchers estimate 800,000 tonnes of carbon were emitted from fires on UK peatlands between 2001 and 2021. 探花直播2018 Saddleworth Moor fire emitted 24,000 tonnes of carbon, and the 2019 Flow Country fire emitted 96,000 tonnes of carbon from burning peat.

To get their results, the researchers mapped all UK wildfires over a period of 20 years 鈥� assessing where they burn, whether peat burned, how much carbon they emit, and how climate change is affecting fires. This involved combining data on fire locations, vegetation type and carbon content, soil moisture, and peat depth. Using UK Met Office model outputs, the team also used simulated climate conditions to project how wildfires in the UK could change in the future.

探花直播study only considered land where wildfires have occurred in the past, and did not consider the future increases in burned area that are likely to occur with hotter, drier UK summers.

An average of 5,600 hectares of moor and heathland burns across the UK each year, compared to 2,500 hectares of peatland.

鈥淏uffering the UK鈥檚 peatlands against really hot, dry summers is a great way to reduce carbon emissions as part of our goal to reach net zero. Humans are capable of incredible things when we鈥檙e incentivised to do them,鈥� said Pellegrini.

探花直播research was funded by Wellcome, the Isaac Newton Trust and UKRI.

Reference: Baker, S J et al: 鈥�Spikes in UK wildfire emissions driven by peatland fires in dry years.鈥� February 2025, Environmental Research Letters. DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/adafc6.
聽

A new study led by the 探花直播 of Cambridge has revealed that as our springs and summers get hotter and drier, the UK wildfire season is being stretched and intensified.

Peatland fires are responsible for a disproportionately large amount of the carbon emissions caused by UK wildfires, which we project will increase even more with climate change

Adam Pellegrini

Sarah Baker

Fire on UK moorland

探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥� 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.

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Sowing seeds for sustainability

plc32 — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 11:06:44 +0000

Finding homes for used toasters, recycling batteries and inspiring a fondness for secondhand fashion are just three of the sustainability challenges Cambridge students addressed in the 2024 Easter term edition of the Engage for Change project.

Cambridge confers honorary degrees

ps748 — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 12:57:37 +0000

探花直播Chancellor, Lord Sainsbury of Turville, presided over a special congregation at the Senate House which was attended by around 400 staff, students, alumni and invited guests. 探花直播honorary graduands this year were:

Professor Dame Carol Black (Doctor of Medical Science) 鈥� From 2012-2019 Dame Carol was Principal of Newnham College and is now an Honorary Fellow of both Newnham and Lucy Cavendish Colleges. A clinician and medical scientist, Carol is a rheumatologist and renowned authority on the condition scleroderma. She was President of the Royal College of Physicians and has advised the UK Government on areas of public health policy.

Professor Stephen Stahl (Doctor of Medical Science) 鈥� A psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist, Stephen is Clinical Professor of Health Sciences at the 探花直播 of California Riverside, US. He is a former Visiting Fellow of Clare Hall and Honorary Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry.

Professor Adele Diamond (Doctor of Science) 鈥� A world leading neuroscientist, Adele is Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at the 探花直播 of British Colombia, Canada. Her work has led to improvements in treatments for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Professor Dame Carol Robinson (Doctor of Science)鈥� Carol is Dr Lee's Professor of Chemistry at the 探花直播 of Oxford and founding director of the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery. Formerly President of the Royal Society of Chemistry she is an alumna and an Honorary Fellow of Churchill College.

Professor Kip Thorne (Doctor of Science) 鈥� Kip is Richard P Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), US. In 2017 he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. He is also a winner of the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics and a celebrated author.

Professor 探花直播Hon Michael Ignatieff (Doctor of Letters) 鈥� A historian, writer and broadcaster, Michael is also a former politician having led the Liberal Party in his native Canada from 2008 to 2011. A member of the Canadian Privy Council and the Order of Canada he has won the Heinemann, Orwell and Dan David Prizes.

Murray Perahia (Doctor of Music) 鈥� Murray is a world-renowned pianist whose interpretations of Brahms, Beethoven, Chopin and Schubert have gained great acclaim. He is Principal Guest Conductor of the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and the winner of three Grammy Awards. He was appointed an Honorary KBE in 2004 and is an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College.

Kip Thorne summed up the day:

"Early in my career the 3 places which were the most important to me in terms of the colleagues I had were Cambridge, Moscow and the place I came from, Princeton. Cambridge, being home to good friends like Stephen Hawking and Martin Rees, was a special place...for me this is just tremendous to receive this honour from the place that has had such a big impact on my career."

And Dame Carol Black said:

"It almost feels unreal...I'm just so pleased and humbled by it. Nothing better could have happened to me. I'm not a Cambridge or Oxford graduate so I never thought this would happen. This is such a wonderful day and it's been lovely to see some of the people I knew when I was here as Head of House."

聽

探花直播探花直播 has conferred honorary degrees to seven distinguished individuals in recognition of the achievements they have made in their respective fields. An honorary doctorate is the highest accolade the 探花直播 can bestow.聽

This is just tremendous to receive this honour from the place that has had such a big impact on my career

Kip Thorne

Paul Seagrove

Honorary graduands

Yes

Earth鈥檚 earliest sea creatures drove evolution by stirring the water

jg533 — Fri, 17 May 2024 15:01:02 +0000

A study involving the 探花直播 of Cambridge has used virtual recreations of the earliest animal ecosystems, known as marine animal forests, to demonstrate the part they played in the evolution of our planet.

Using state-of-the-art computer simulations of fossils from the Ediacaran time period - approximately 565 million years ago - scientists discovered how these animals mixed the surrounding seawater. This may have affected the distribution of important resources such as food particles and could have increased local oxygen levels.

Through this process, the scientists think these early communities could have played a crucial role in shaping the initial emergence of large and complex organisms prior to a major evolutionary radiation of different forms of animal life, the so-called Cambrian 鈥榚xplosion鈥�.

Over long periods of time, these changes might have allowed life forms to perform more complicated functions, like those associated with the evolution of new feeding and movement styles.

探花直播study was led by the Natural History Museum and is published today in the journal Current Biology.

Dr Emily Mitchell at the 探花直播 of Cambridge鈥檚 Department of Zoology, a co-author of the report, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to learn that the very first animals from 580 million years ago had a significant impact on their environment, despite not being able to move or swim. We鈥檝e found they mixed up the water and enabled resources to spread more widely - potentially encouraging more evolution.鈥�

Scientists know from modern marine environments that nutrients like food and oxygen are carried in seawater, and that animals can affect water flow in ways that influence the distribution of these resources.

To test how far back this process goes in Earth鈥檚 history, the team looked at some of the earliest examples of marine animal communities, known from rocks at Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada. This world-famous fossil site perfectly preserves early life forms thanks to a cover of volcanic ash (sometimes referred to as an 鈥楨diacaran Pompeii鈥�).

Although some of these life forms look like plants, analysis of their anatomy and growth strongly suggests they are animals. Owing to the exceptional preservation of the fossils, the scientists could recreate digital models of key species, which were used as a basis for further computational analyses.

First author Dr Susana Gutarra, a Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum, said: 鈥淲e used ecological modelling and computer simulations to investigate how 3D virtual assemblages of Ediacaran life forms affected water flow. Our results showed that these communities were capable of ecological functions similar to those seen in present-day marine ecosystems.鈥�

探花直播study showed that one of the most important Ediacaran organisms for disrupting the flow of water was the cabbage-shaped animal Bradgatia, named after Bradgate Park in England. 探花直播Bradgatia from Mistaken Point are among some of the largest fossils known from this site, reaching diameters of over 50 centimetres.

Through their influence on the water around them, the scientists believe these Ediacaran organisms might have been capable of enhancing local oxygen concentrations. This biological mixing might also have had repercussions for the wider environment, possibly making other areas of the sea floor more habitable and perhaps even driving evolutionary innovation.

Dr Imran Rahman, lead author and Principal Researcher at the Natural History Museum, said: 鈥� 探花直播approach we鈥檝e developed to study Ediacaran fossil communities is entirely new in palaeontology, providing us with a powerful tool for studying how past and present marine ecosystems might shape and influence their environment.鈥�

探花直播research was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the US National Science Foundation.

Reference: Gutarra-Diaz, S. 鈥�Ediacaran marine animal forests and the ventilation of the oceans.鈥� May 2024, Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.059

Adapted from a press release by the Natural History Museum

3D reconstructions suggest that simple marine animals living over 560 million years ago drove the emergence of more complex life by mixing the seawater around them

It鈥檚 exciting to learn that the very first animals from 580 million years ago had a significant impact on their environment, despite not being able to move or swim.

Emily Mitchell

Hugo Salais, Metazoa Studio

Artistic recreation of the marine animal forest

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How do we protect doctors, media and NGOs in war? - a time to discuss

zs332 — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:02:21 +0000

Dr Saleyha Ahsan explores why journalists and medics are now increasingly seen as targets in warzones and what can potentially be done to support them.

Cambridge achievers recognised in 2024 New Year Honours list

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 09:46:09 +0000

Professor Dame Carol Black is awarded a Dame Grand Cross聽(GBE) for public service. Black was Principal of Newnham College from 2012-2019 and formerly a Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the 探花直播 of Cambridge.聽GBE is the highest rank in the Order, and rarely awarded, to recognise聽the most exceptional and sustained service to the UK. Since its creation in 1917, fewer than 80 women have been awarded a GBE.

She said: 鈥淚 am absolutely delighted to have been made a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. This award comes almost 20 years after I received a DBE for services to medicine and recognises the progress being made to tackle some of the most entrenched and interrelated problems in society 鈥� poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and drug dependency. My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who has helped and supported me, and to those individuals doing great work on the frontline to change culture and practice.鈥�

Composer Judith Weir, Honorary Fellow and alumna of King鈥檚 College, Cambridge, is awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire聽for services to music. Weir is Master of the King鈥檚 Music, having been appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014, and has twice written a specially-commissioned carol for the college鈥檚 A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

Organist, conductor and broadcaster Anna Lapwood, Janeway Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge, is awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music. Lapwood reaches a huge audience through her concerts and via social media with over 1 million followers across all platforms. Her passion for the organ is matched by her mission to support girls and women in music.

She said: 鈥淲hen you work as a musician, so much of what you do isn't quantifiable or finite - your work on a certain piece is never 'finished', and your playing is always changing and developing. Receiving this award feels like something concrete - a deeply significant moment in my musical journey.鈥澛�

Gerard Grech, former CEO and Founder of Tech Nation, is awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the technology sector. He joined Cambridge Enterprise this year to lead a new flagship initiative, 'Founders at the 探花直播 of Cambridge', that will support 探花直播 founders to make an even greater impact on the world in the technology and software sectors.

Grech said: 鈥淚鈥檓 honoured to have been recognised for my contribution to the growing success of the UK鈥檚 tech and startup sector which is increasingly creating globally important tech and science-backed companies, from my time at Tech Nation. This honour is also recognition of the founders, ecosystem experts, investors, policy makers, and my colleagues who generously shared their knowledge and insights to support the UK鈥檚 most ambitious tech entrepreneurs. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to them all for all their hard work.鈥�

Dr Sabesan Sithamparanathan, Enterprise Fellow at Girton College, Cambridge, and former student in the 探花直播鈥檚 Department of Engineering, is awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to innovation technology. As Founder & President of PervasID he pioneered the world鈥檚 most accurate battery-free, real-time location tracking technology which is now in use by several NHS trusts, the largest aircraft manufacturers, airlines and blue-chip retailers.

He said: 鈥淚 am absolutely delighted; this is a great honour and testament to the hard work and innovation of the entire team at PervasID. Our products offer a national and international benefit and we will continue to pioneer technology that has a wider value to society as a whole.鈥�

Professor Ann Prentice, Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at the 探花直播鈥檚 MRC Epidemiology Unit, is awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to British and Global Public Health Nutrition. A former director of the MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory (previously MRC Human Nutrition Research) at Cambridge, and programme leader of the MRC Nutrition and Bone Health Research Group at Cambridge, she was also head of the calcium, vitamin D and bone health research team at MRC Unit 探花直播Gambia. Her research is focused on life-course nutritional requirements for population health, with an emphasis on calcium and vitamin D, and encompasses the nutritional problems of both affluent and resource-limited societies.

She said: 鈥淚 am delighted to receive this honour on behalf of all the people, in this country and worldwide, who have worked with me to improve our understanding of the links between nutrition and health.鈥�

Dr Gillian Tett, Provost at Kings College, Cambridge, is awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Economic Journalism. Tett, a former student at the 探花直播, is currently Chairman of the US Editorial Board and America Editor-at-Large of the Financial Times.聽 She聽became the 45th Provost at King鈥檚 College in October 2023, and is renowned for her warnings ahead of the financial crisis of 2008.

Tett said: 鈥淚 am deeply honoured to receive an OBE - and hope this helps to champion the importance of British intellectual capital, both in journalism and higher education. Thank you to聽everyone who has helped me in聽my聽career!鈥�

Joan Winterkorn聽is awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to heritage and culture. She is an expert on archives and literary and historical manuscripts, and was formerly in the antiquarian and rare book trade. In Cambridge she played a vital role in enabling the Churchill Archive Centre to acquire the papers of Sir Winston Churchill and Lady Thatcher and the 探花直播 Library to gain those of Siegfried Sassoon and Dame Margaret Drabble. In 2019 she received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the 探花直播.

Maxine Purdie, Head of Catering and Conferences at Girton College, 探花直播 of Cambridge,聽is awarded an MBE for services to knowledge exchange. Prior to arriving at Girton, she spent two decades at PraxisAuril, a world-leading professional association for knowledge exchange practitioners, where she became CEO and a Board Director.

Dr Rosie Trevelyan, Director of the Tropical Biology Association, is awarded an聽MBE for her services to environmental science and International conservation.聽Over the last three decades, Trevelyan聽developed the Tropical Biology Association into a globally respected organisation聽that聽offers an exceptionally high standard of ecology and conservation training to scientists, project managers and educators working to manage and safeguard tropical biodiversity in the long term. This international NGO has offices in the David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, UK and at Nature Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya.聽

Professor Elizabeth Robertson, an alumna and Honorary Fellow of Darwin College, has been appointed a CBE. Recognised as a world leader in mammalian developmental genetics, Robertson鈥榮 early work focused on embryonic stem cell gene targeting, a technique that pioneered the ability to genetically alter mice. She initiated this work as a post-doctoral fellow with Sir Martin Evans at the 探花直播 of Cambridge. 鈥淚t was a big surprise and extremely gratifying to have received this honour,鈥� Robertson said.

探花直播Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby (Alumnus and Honorary Fellow of Trinity College), was appointed GCVO (Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order).

探花直播Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle (Alumnus of Corpus Christi College, Honorary Fellow and former Fellow of Magdalene College) was appointed KCVO (Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order).聽

Maxine Ficarra, formerly Chief Executive Officer of PraxisAuril, the UK's professional association for Knowledge Exchange practitioners, has been made an MBE for her services to Knowledge Exchange. She led the not-for-profit, which was co-founded in 2002 by Professor David Secher, Life Fellow of Gonville & Caius College, and former Director of Research Services at the 探花直播 of Cambridge, for 20 years.

Also in 2024, Robert Chartener,聽a Fellow Commoner of Magdalene College and Chairman of the Magdalene Foundation, was聽awarded an Honorary OBE for services to Higher Education.聽It relates primarily to years of fundraising, both for Magdalene and for the support of its students.

Academics and staff associated with the 探花直播 of Cambridge feature in the 2024聽list, which recognises the achievements and service of people across the UK, from all walks of life.

Senate house

探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.聽 All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥� as here, 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.

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Face of Anglo-Saxon teen VIP revealed with new evidence about her life

ta385 — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 05:00:00 +0000

探花直播face of a 16-year-old woman buried near Cambridge in the 7th century with the 鈥楾rumpington Cross鈥� has been reconstructed following analysis of her skull. 探花直播striking image is going on display at MAA, with new scientific evidence showing that she moved to England from Central Europe as a young girl, leading to an intriguing change in her diet.

Assisted reproduction kids grow up just fine 鈥� but it may be better to tell them early about biological origins

cg605 — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 05:00:52 +0000

探花直播study, by 探花直播 of Cambridge researchers, is the first to examine the long-term effects of different types of third-party assisted reproduction on parenting and child adjustment, as well as the first to investigate prospectively the effect of the age at which children were told that they were conceived by egg donation, sperm donation or surrogacy.

探花直播results, published today in Developmental Psychology, suggest that the absence of a biological connection between children and parents in assisted reproduction families does not interfere with the development of positive relationships between them or psychological adjustment in adulthood. These findings are consistent with previous assessments at age one, two, three, seven, ten and 14.

探花直播findings overturn previous widely held assumptions that children born by third-party assisted reproduction are at a disadvantage when it comes to wellbeing and family relationships because they lack a biological connection to their parents.

鈥淒espite people's concerns, families with children born through third-party assisted reproduction 鈥� whether that be an egg donor, sperm donor or a surrogate 鈥� are doing well right up to adulthood,鈥� said Susan Golombok, Professor Emerita of Family Research and former Director of the Centre for Family Research, 探花直播 of Cambridge, who led the study.

However, they found that mothers who began to tell their children about their biological origins in their preschool years had more positive relationships with them as assessed by interview at age 20, and the mothers showed lower levels of anxiety and depression. Most of the parents who had disclosed did so by age four and found that the child took the news well. This suggests that being open with children about their origins when they are young is advantageous.

In addition, in the final stage of this 20-year study, mothers who had disclosed their child鈥檚 origins by seven years old obtained slightly more positive scores on questionnaire measures of quality of family relationships, parental acceptance (mother鈥檚 feelings towards young adult), and family communication. For example, only 7% of mothers who had disclosed by age 7 reported problems in family relationships, compared with 22% of those who disclosed after age 7.

探花直播young adults who had been told about their origins before seven obtained slightly more positive scores on questionnaire measures of parental acceptance (young adult鈥檚 perception of mother鈥檚 feelings towards them), communication (the extent to which they feel listened to, know what鈥檚 happening in their family and receive honest answers to questions), and psychological wellbeing. They were also less likely to report problems on the family relationships questionnaire; whereas 50% of young adults told after age 7 reported such problems, this was true of only 12.5% of those told before age 7.

鈥淭here does seem to be a positive effect of being open with children when they鈥檙e young 鈥� before they go to school 鈥� about their conception. It鈥檚 something that鈥檚 been shown by studies of adoptive families too,鈥� said Golmobok.

Researchers from the 探花直播 of Cambridge followed 65 UK families with children born by assisted reproduction 颅鈥� 22 by surrogacy, 17 by egg donation and 26 by sperm donation 鈥� from infancy through to early adulthood (20 years old). They compared these families with 52 UK unassisted conception families over the same period.

鈥� 探花直播assisted reproduction families were functioning well, but where we did see differences, these were slightly more positive for families who had disclosed,鈥� said Golombok.

Reflecting on their feelings about their biological origins, the young adults were generally unconcerned. As one young adult born through surrogacy put it, 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 faze me really, people are born in all different ways and if I was born a little bit differently - that鈥檚 OK, I understand.鈥�

Another young adult born through sperm donation said, 鈥淢y dad鈥檚 my dad, my mum鈥檚 my mum, I've never really thought about how anything鈥檚 different so, it's hard to put, I don鈥檛 really care.鈥�

Some young adults actively embraced the method of their conception as it made them feel special, 鈥淚 think it was amazing, I think the whole thing is absolutely incredible. Erm鈥 don鈥檛 have anything negative to say about it at all.鈥�

Researchers found that egg donation mothers reported less positive family relationships than sperm donation mothers. They suggest that this could be due to some mothers鈥� insecurities about the absence of a genetic connection to their child. This was not reflected in the young adults鈥� perceptions of the quality of family relationships.

探花直播team also found that young adults conceived by sperm donation reported poorer family communication than those conceived by egg donation. This could be explained by the greater secrecy around sperm donation than egg donation, sometimes driven by greater reluctance of fathers than mothers to disclose to their child that they are not their genetic parent, and a greater reluctance to talk about it once they have disclosed.

In fact, researchers found that only 42% of sperm donor parents disclosed by age 20, compared to 88% of egg donation parents and 100% of surrogate parents.

鈥淭oday there are so many more families created by assisted reproduction that it just seems quite ordinary,鈥� said Golombok. 鈥淏ut twenty years ago, when we started this study, attitudes were very different. It was thought that having a genetic link was very important and without one, relationships wouldn鈥檛 work well.

鈥淲hat this research means is that having children in different or new ways doesn鈥檛 actually interfere with how families function. Really wanting children seems to trump everything 鈥� that鈥檚 what really matters.鈥�

This research was funded by a Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award.

Golombok, S; Jones, C; Hall, P; Foley, S; Imrie, S and Jadva, V. A longitudinal study of families formed through third-party assisted reproduction: Mother-child relationships and child adjustment from infancy to adulthood. Developmental Psychology DOI: 10.1037/dev0001526

探花直播Centre for Family Research is collaborating with the Fitzwilliam Museum on a new exhibition, Real Families: Stories of Change (October 鈥� 7 January 2024), curated by Professor Golombok. 探花直播exhibition will explore the intricacies of families and family relationships through the eyes of artists including Paula Rego, Chantal Joffe, JJ Levine, Lucian Freud and Tracey Emin.

Professor Susan Golombok is author of We Are Family: What Really Matters for Parents and Children (Scribe) which describes researching new family forms from the 1970s to the present day.

Landmark study finds no difference in psychological wellbeing or quality of family relationships between children born by assisted reproduction (egg or sperm donation or surrogacy) and those born naturally at age 20.聽However, findings suggest that telling children about their biological origins early 鈥� before they start school 鈥� can be advantageous for family relationships and healthy adjustment.

Having children in different or new ways doesn鈥檛 actually interfere with how families function. Really wanting children seems to trump everything 鈥� that鈥檚 what really matters.

Professor Susan Golombok

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / DigitalVision via Getty Images

Father and son talking

探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright 漏探花直播 of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.聽 All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways 鈥� as here, 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.

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