What skeletons can tell us about life in medieval Cambridge

A study of injuries to skeletons from gravesites around Cambridge has shown that medieval life was nasty, brutish and short, and particularly so for the poor.

A team of researchers from the University's Faculty of Archaeology examined the remains of 314 individuals of diverse backgrounds, dating from between the 10th and 14th centuries, to show how living conditions varied with social status. 

Summarising their conclusions, Dr Jenna Dittmar said that “Life was toughest at the bottom - but life was tough all over.” 

The research shows  that 44% of labourers had broken bones when they died and that they typically sustained more fractures than the clergy or the gentry. “These were people who spent their days working long hours doing heavy manual labour,” Dr Dittmar explained.

But the study also suggests that medieval life was hazardous whatever one’s social standing. Violence was commonplace, with 4% of all skeletons showing visible signs of fighting. The most traumatic injuries of all, which were probably caused by an accident, were found on a friar’s femur bones.

Trinity announces masterclass for teachers

Meanwhile, Trinity College has announced a free masterclass series that aims to help teachers inspire A-level pupils with the research of the College’s fellows. 

The project is being run in partnership with World Class Schools (WCS), a charity that awards its own accreditation, World Class Schools Quality, to high-performing state schools in the UK.

Every webinar will consist of a presentation by a College fellow on a topic of their choice, followed by a Q&A session. Teachers will then be able to use classroom resources developed by WCS to share the talk’s insights with their pupils. 

Trinity’s Outreach Coordinator, Jon Datta, believes that the key to the project is harnessing the “passion and excitement” of teachers for their subject, “because it’s that enthusiasm that galvanises students and propels them to realise their potential.”

This is Trinity’s third new access and outreach project in the space of a fortnight, following the announcement of a new programme for Black Year 10 students (18/21), and a Year 12 Mentoring Scheme (21/01).

Dr John Hayward, who has already led a masterclass in Medicine, shared his enthusiasm for the project, calling it “an exciting new initiative” through which “teachers can inspire students to think differently about their interests and career trajectory.”

Scientists shine light on butterfly mating

Zoologists at the University of Cambridge have discovered that male butterflies leave a strong-smelling, anti-aphrodisiac chemical on the bodies of females after sex. 

Studying butterflies of the Heliconius Melponene species, they found that males produced a pheromone named ocimene to deter others from approaching their mates. Curiously, this same chemical is used by some flowering plants to attract butterflies as pollinators.

Dr Kathy Darragh, the paper’s lead author, explains that “context is key” to how the smell is interpreted.

“The visual cues the butterflies get will be important,” she continued, “when the scent is detected in the presence of flowers it will be attractive but when it is found on another butterfly it is repulsive to the males.”

Female Heliconius Melponene butterflies typically have few sexual partners, so the males have evolved to produce ocimene to maximise their chances of passing their genes to the next generation. 

According to Darragh, the research highlights the importance of smell in animal communication, an area that has “received less attention” than other signals that are “very obvious to us as humans, such as the songs of birds or their colourful plumage.”