Eye of the tiger 

Dr. David Williams, from the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital at the University of Cambridge, has successfully performed the first ever corneal surgery on a tiger. Corneal surgery is commonly performed on smaller domestic cats and dogs, but never on larger species like tigers.

Ratnar is a 17-year-old Sumatran tiger at the Shepreth Wildlife Park located near Cambridge. Ratnar previously underwent cataract removal surgery in 2019, but was then diagnosed with a corneal ulcer after staff noticed her deteriorating eye condition. 

Following the surgery, Ratna is now fully recovered and experiences better coordination in movement. 

Darwin College installs Cygnet Cam to observe its ‘feathered friends’ 

Darwin College has installed a camera out its study centre, providing live footage of the swans within the College. 

The swans in Darwin College typically reside outside their study centre and were previously photographed by members of the college. 

The Cygnet Cam will allow members of the College to observe the swans despite some not being physically present on campus. 

St Catharine’s College ‘Telephone Campaign’ raises over £150,000 

St Catharine’s College raised over £140,000 during ten days for its Annual Fund through their Telephone Campaign. The total amount raised has now climbed to over £150,000. 

The Telephone Campaign consisted of ten student callers that spoke to more than 600 alumni globally, speaking of their time at St Catharine’s College. The campaign this year sought to raise unrestricted donations that the College uses to improve college life and support students. 

Patrick McAlary, one of the student callers, commented: “Participating in the Telephone Fundraising Campaign was a fantastic experience. It was great to hear from Catz alumni and it was affirming to see how many members were willing to support the College and its students.”

Cambridge Classicist discovers link between Minoan language Linear A and Linear B

Dr. Ester Salgarella, Junior Research Fellow in Classics at St John’s College, has found links between Minoan writing systems “Linear A” and “Linear B” in a breakthrough study. 

The two ancient languages preceded Ancient Greek: Linear A is a Minoan language that has puzzled linguists for many decades. “Linear B” is a far better-understood language, and Sangarella’s breakthrough research has found links between the two.  

Understanding Linear A would facilitate studies on the Minoan civilization, providing historical insights up until 1800 BC. 

Through her research, Dr. Salgarella explicitly identified the graphical similarities between the two writing systems through an “interdisciplinary approach using evidence from linguistics, inscriptions, archaeology and paleography (the study of handwriting of ancient writing)”.