Biology Week
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
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
Tackling environmental waste by engineering microbes to clean up after us
Nikolaus Muldal, microbiology graduate from the University of Sheffield, sheds light on the exciting field of synthetic biology and how it might help us clean up our environment. Imagine the scene: 640 Olympic sized swimming pools overflowing with plastic rubbish. One group of researchers found this to be an unfortunate reality with over four million … Continue reading
The Hungry Games
Rachel Burnett, education and public engagement officer at the Biochemical Society discusses the success of ‘The Hungry Games’ at Big Biology Day in Cambridge, in celebration of Biology Week. Encouraging people to eat a healthy diet is nothing new; from eye-catching headlines announcing the latest ‘superfoods’, to documentaries such as ‘Super Size Me’, we encounter … Continue reading
The living soil: tread carefully
Professor James Prosser OBE FRSB, chair in molecular and cell biology at the University of Aberdeen, discusses the living world of soils. As you walk around your garden, you may not realise it, but you’re treading on a dense and diverse community of many different life forms. This community creates and sustains the soil and … Continue reading
The surprising power of celebrity stories for science communication
Robin Bisson, director of Genetic Expert News Service (GENeS), discusses the powerful combination of science and celebrities. Angelina Jolie is probably the most famous person to have had a double mastectomy and reconstructive breast surgery. An interesting little study recently found that media coverage of Angelina Jolie’s decision to go under the knife increased public … Continue reading
Fungal foes forge ahead
Dr Helen Fones, Associate Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, discusses fungi; the not-so ‘mundane monsters’. As part of Biology Week, the British Mycological Society‘s UK Fungus Day is hosting events across the UK and Ireland around 10th & 11th October. People are strange. A striking example of that strangeness can be seen in the … Continue reading
Fungi fight club!
Professor Lynne Boddy FRSB, Cardiff University, discusses one of her favourite subjects: fungus wars. As part of Biology Week, the British Mycological Society‘s UK Fungus Day is hosting events across the UK and Ireland around 10th & 11th October. Fungi rarely live alone, so they frequently encounter other fungi, bacteria and invertebrates, and sometimes vertebrates too. … Continue reading
Composting: recycling for the future
Dr Geoff Robson FRSB, senior lecturer at the University of Manchester discusses the role or fungi in composting. As part of Biology Week, the British Mycological Society‘s UK Fungus Day is hosting events across the UK and Ireland around 10th & 11th October. As I watched a JCB disassemble a 10m high compost heap so … Continue reading