Author Archives: Guest Blogger
Blood flow to tumours – new drugs and detection
Joanna Brunker, a PhD student at University College London and biological sciences & biomedical sciences gold medal winner at last night’s SET for Britain awards, describes her research into a new method for measuring blood flow which has the potential to improve our understanding and treatment of tumours. Tumours develop a chaotic system of blood … Continue reading
Alien species – where are you from?
by Tatiana Moreno, freelance journalist, @Tatiana_Moreno Domestic cats, the common wall lizard and horseradish are all found in England, but in fact they were once alien species. Britain alone has over 3,000 non-native species, as stated by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
New Guide to mosses and lichens of English orchards
Guest bloggers Helene Coleman and Mari Whitelaw, from the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) East of England team based at the University of Hertfordshire, talk about their recently produced guides to orchard mosses and lichens. In the UK, orchards are a disappearing habitat. It is estimated that there has been a 63% reduction in the area … Continue reading
Species of the week: Bottlenose dolphin
by Pippy Downs, a Year 11 work experience pupil from The Folkestone School for Girls Bottlenose dolphins are well known for being able to perform complex tricks. They have a friendly, permanent smile from their curved bottle like noses. Most people call them ‘dolphins’ however the scientific family name for dolphins is Delphinidae. They are … Continue reading
The peculiarities of the jellyfish nervous system
Guest post from Joseph Jebelli, a PhD student at UCL What is it like to be a jellyfish? These beautifully mesmerising creatures are so bizarre, so alien to us in so many respects that one can easily be forgiven for struggling to come up with a good answer. Biologically, jellyfish have long been thought of … Continue reading
Podcast: views after the #policylates debate
At the first #policylates debate, held on the 29th November at Charles Darwin House, the panel discussed whether or not the UK Parliament could do with more scientists. With the online poll initially showing 96% ‘yes’ votes, this was reduced to about 60% ‘yes’ amongst audience members by the end of the debate. The debate … Continue reading
Species of the week: Tenrecs
Guest blog by Sive Finlay, a PhD student from Trinity College Dublin Tenrecs are one of the most interesting and fascinating mammal groups yet many people have never heard of them. They are one of only four mammalian groups to have colonised Madagascar, a land filled with evolutionary curiosities. Tenrecs are a striking example of … Continue reading
Ecological adventures during Biology Week
As we start to plan Biology Week 2013 here at the Society of Biology we take inspiration from some of the successes of 2012. Here Nick O’Connor, a teacher at Highcliffe School, describes his A level field course in Dorset The Year 13 A level Biologists spent a superb 3 days along the Jurassic Coast … Continue reading
Fires threaten Indonesian Borneo
Susan Cheyne is Director of Gibbon and Field Research and Conservation Orang-utan Tropical Peatland Project (OuTrop) This is my first blog for the Society of Biology and I write it with a heavy heart. Indonesian Borneo, where I have spent the last 10 years working, was on fire again this year. While the rains have … Continue reading
Varroa – the trigger to the viral downfall of the honeybee?
Richard Wooding, a recent biological sciences graduate, studied Varroa for his dissertation What do many consider to be one of the key drivers of the planet’s concerning honeybee losses? Perhaps Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite that feeds on the haemolymph (basically the blood) of the honeybee. It is now found across honeybee populations globally, with … Continue reading