Magdalene College

80 to 100 days at sea.

That's what Dr Susannah Cass (2006) and her team have planned as they embark on the world's first attempt at rowing across the Indian Ocean.

The four‑person Brainwaves crew will depart Western Australia on 16 June to undertake a 5,500 mile unsupported journey to Kenya.

Read more about this incredible feat here:
https://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/news/magdalene-alumna-prepares-historic-indian-ocean-rowing-expedition

[ID: Four person crew standing on the beach, feet in the water with the their backs to the camera.]

New research led by David Edwards, Magdalene Senior Research Fellow) has found that the mining of copper and cobalt, often used for technology like solar panels and mobile phones, triggers extensive deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa.

This deforestation is not only due to the land used for mining, but that which is used to build the infrastructure that supports it: roads, agriculture, and housing settlements. The study found that for every hectare of mine site, another 34 hectares are lost to this infrastructure, particularly impacting, hyper-biodiverse rainforests such as those of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Read the full story here: https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/mining-for-clean-energy-metals-driving-widespread-forest-loss-in-africa-study-finds

📷 Esri Wayback Imagery

[ID: side by side comparison of Liberian land in 2014 and 2026, before and after new gold mine opening, displaying huge increase in deforested land. Text reads: NEW RESEARCH, Liberia before and after new gold mine opening.]

Magdalene Senior Research Fellow Prof Gina Neff (Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy) was recently interviewed on Times Radio about the potential for a social media ban for under-16s, and the government’s proposal to the curb more “addictive” features of some platforms. Her segment starts at 1h 4m.

Listen here:
https://www.thetimes.com/radio/show/20260527-29156/2026-05-27

Congratulations to all of those who graduated last Friday in the beaming sunshine.

[ID: image one: graduands lined up in first court wearing academic dress with Magdalene flag in the background; image two: graduands being lined up by Head Porter; image three: close up of three students smiling ahead of their procession to Senate House; image 4: same as previous image, but from further away.]