Oxbridge Student Ski Strip Triggers Outrage

Quirky questions catch students off-guard

(NEWSER) - Bored with prospective students regurgitating textbook knowledge, Cambridge and Oxford have revamped their interview questions to include the abstract (Would you rather be a novel or a poem?), the existential (What does it mean to be happy?), and the downright crazy (How would you poison someone and get away with it?), reports CNN. More»

'Missing link' embryonic cell boosts fight against Parkinsons, diabetes

(NEWSER) - British scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell in mice that's much closer to human embryonic stem cells, making them invaluable in the search for cures for diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes. Two independent teams from Oxford and Cambridge today revealed the "missing link" cells, which can speed research without the use of discarded human embryos. More»

Though now April 11, 1954, is kinda interesting ... for being so boring

(NEWSER) - If you ever find yourself a bit bored, just be happy today isn't April 11, 1954. A Cambridge scientist developed a computer program to calculate the 20th century's most boring day, and that one takes the cake. The program, True Knowledge, was fed 300 million facts about people, places, business, and events in the news, the Telegraph reports. It then used complicated algorithms to determine which day was the most dull. More»

Claremont Graduate University has no record of her

(NEWSER) - Oxford isn't the only school Delaware senate candidate Christine O'Donnell didn't attend, no matter how many times she might say that she did. "Claremont Graduate University has no student or education record for an individual named Christine O'Donnell," says a unequivocal statement from the school in answer to the latest fib to surface in the Tea Partier's campaign. O'Donnell lists " Claremont Graduate University " on her LinkedIn profile , just as she lists Oxford, which she also never attended. More»

Author had quite a few same-sex romps at prep school, Oxford

(NEWSER) - Vanity Fair columnist Christopher Hitchens is straight—twice-married, in fact—but that didn’t stop him from steamy prep school sex with his male classmates. Below, a sampling of leaked excerpts from his upcoming memoir, courtesy of Gawker and an earlier article in the Times :

• “Most boys decided quite early on that, since their penises would evidently give them no rest at all, they would repay the favor by giving their penises no respite in return.”
• “It was quite possible to arrange a vigorous session of mutual relief without a word being spoken, even without eye contact.”