University of Sheffield

Stories

Scientists rediscover how to make ancient Roman colour-changing glass

Conducted the glass replication research

The Lycurgus Cup, a 1,600-year-old Roman glass cup in the British Museum, looks jade green in reflected light and ruby red when lit from behind. Scientists at the University of Sheffield have reproduced that effect using a recipe reverse-engineered from a fragment of the original.

Updated Oct 27

Scientists directly observe DNA strands zipping together for the first time

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Co-led the imaging study

For 20 years, biologists knew matching DNA duplexes could pair up despite carrying identical negative charges, but no one had seen how. Researchers at the universities of York and Sheffield now have: metal ions, including nickel, magnesium, and calcium, nestle into the helices' grooves and zip them together, groove for groove.

Updated Sep 11