Author Archives: Guest Blogger
Capturing Biology in Action
Billy Clapham is a zoology student at the University of Sheffield and won the Society’s amateur photography competition last year. Photography is a fantastic medium to explore and reveal the beauty of the natural world in all its forms. But beautiful photographs of animals and plants from all around the world, while no less special, … Continue reading
Science communication: a selfless task?
By Dr Kate McAllister, winner of the Society of Biology Science Communication Award 2014. A lot has happened in the year since I emailed off my entry for the 2014 Science Communication Award. Since then, I have handed in a thesis, started a job in the industry, left industry and run back to the familiar … Continue reading
Will antibiotics be useful in the future?
Professor Nigel Brown FSB, President of the Society for General Microbiology, is writing an article each month for The Bridge, a local magazine delivered to every home in the villages of Corsley and Chapmanslade in Wiltshire. Readers will be familiar with going to their GP and expecting a prescription for medicine – quite often an … Continue reading
What are we pausing?
Michael J Imperiale is professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan Gain-of-function studies, as the name implies, are experiments in which a new biological behaviour is conferred upon an existing virus e.g. the ability to be transmitted between mammals in the case of the bird flu virus, H5N1. Earlier this month, the … Continue reading
Evidence matters, and we can all ask for it
By guest blogger Indrayani Ghangrekar From all directions we are told what we should and shouldn’t do, about diets, staying healthy, fighting disease, avoiding chemicals, helping the environment. Some of the advice is based on rigorous testing and evidence, but some is not. How do you sift through the confusion and work out what to … Continue reading
Publish or perish: Is the peer review process fit for purpose?
Francesca Soutter, BBSRC policy intern at the Society of Biology and PhD student at the RVC, has been following the often heated discussions around the future of publishing. The peer review process is often considered as a pillar-stone of excellent science. However, the process first introduced in the 1700s has come under increasing scrutiny with … Continue reading
Photography competition: Home, habitats and shelter
Elspeth Holuding, marketing assistant at the Society of Biology, discusses the Society’s annual photography competition, open to absolutely anyone. This year, the photography competition theme ‘Home, habitats and shelter’, could inspire you to capture a species in its natural or rare habitat, taking shelter from the elements or could focus on the more molecular level … Continue reading
I need a new set of teeth! Here are my stem cells
By Rahmat Ali, work experience student at the Society of Biology I had the privilege of working and studying in various departments from Orthodontic to Maxillofacial in Kings College Hospital. It was a year of hearing lectures on how to brush my teeth two or sometimes even three times a day! I’ve learnt as a … Continue reading
Entomologists swarm in for Insect Week
By Sophie Kleanthous, intern at the Society of Biology The launch of National Insect Week took place on the 23rd of July at the Natural History Museum in London, with bug enthusiasts and entomologists from all walks of life coming together to celebrate these weird and wonderful creatures. The event was streamed live on YouTube … Continue reading
Striking a balance in the STEM industry
Rachel Lambert-Forsyth, director of education and training at the Society of Biology, discusses equality and diversity in STEM careers. Our world today would be unrecognisable without the scientists and engineers whose work has helped shape modern life as we know it. For this reason, it is highly important that we help the next generation of … Continue reading