Author Archives: Natasha Little
Escape to the rainforest
By Fergus Kennedy, Royal Society of Biology travel grant recipient The Danum Valley Field Centre is nestled on the fringe of Danum Valley Conservation Area, one of the largest areas of protected lowland dipterocarp rainforest in Malaysian Borneo. To the east is secondary regenerated forest, and to the west is ancient primary forest, both home … Continue reading
Lords recommend field trial for GM insects
By Jackie Caine, policy manager at the British Ecological Society. This blog was originally posted on the British Ecological Society blog. In December, while the British Ecological Society was busy at our Annual Meeting in Edinburgh, the Lords Science and Technology Select Committee published their report on GM Insects, an inquiry to which the BES … Continue reading
Bovine TB – should we kill the badgers?
Opinion piece by Professor Nigel Brown FRSB, President of the Microbiology Society. The control of bovine TB (bTB) in farm animals is complex. We have heard a lot about the role of badgers as a reservoir of bTB, which is then transmitted to cattle. This is the argument for culling badgers and several trials have … Continue reading
Tackling the underrepresentation of women in science
By Dr Zenobia Lewis, Senior Lecturer and Co-Chair for University of Liverpool Institute of Learning and Teaching Athena SWAN Team As many in the Higher Education community are aware, the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) Athena Swan Charter has been a driving force supporting women in science in the UK for the past decade. The Charter … Continue reading
The evolution of Big Biology Day
By Ian Harvey FRSB and Amanda Burton, Cambridge biologists The seed In early 2012 the (then) Society of Biology announced the first Biology Week and invited us all to devise events to celebrate all things biological. For my colleague Amanda Burton and I it was an instant ‘light bulb’ moment! We’d both been heavily involved … Continue reading
Teaching: first resort or last resort?
By Ben Connor, Policy Officer, British Ecological Society Does the UK Government have a joined up strategy for teacher recruitment and training? According to Chris Waterman, speaking at the recent Education Policy Lunchbox, the simple answer is ‘no’. Waterman, the former Executive Director of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), whose educational experience … Continue reading
SOS: Support Our Scientists – Science is still vital
By Deborah Roebuck MRSB, BBSRC policy fellow at the Royal Society of Biology. Supporters of Science rallied together at the most recent Science is Vital event, held in London and broadcast live online. Scientists and non-scientists were united in their campaign to promote awareness and highlight the critical importance of upholding a strong UK science … Continue reading
Choosing between ‘life’ or research – survey data shows the outlook is good for returners
By Dr Indrayani Ghangrekar, fellowship advisor at the Daphne Jackson Trust Currently, academic researchers in science, technology, engineering, and maths (the STEM subjects) face a life of fierce competition for grants from a limited budget resulting in anxiety about career progression. This happens despite the recognition that investing in STEM research is beneficial for the … Continue reading
Podcast: Creating synthetic life
Synthetic biology is a new, intriguing technology that could have a huge impact on humans and our environment. At our Biology Week 2015 debate, chaired by Dr Adam Rutherford, a panel of experts outlined the process of designing and building new life forms and discussed the ethical challenges we will face. What impact could synthetic … Continue reading
Podcast: Celebrating great biology books and photography
What are the secrets of taking a great wildlife photograph, writing an entertaining and informative science book, or engaging children with cutting edge research? Amelia Perry spoke to judges and winners at the Royal Society of Biology Annual Awards Ceremony during Biology Week 2015 to find out. Find out more about our Awards Ceremony and … Continue reading