Biology Week
BioArtAttack: closing the gap between art and science
Jenni Lacey, membership marketing officer at the Society of Biology, finds inspiration for BioArtAttack – an art science competition being run as part of Biology Week 2014. Creative thinking is fundamental to problem solving and is often at the heart of great discoveries. At the Society of Biology we want to inspire people from a … Continue reading
Who gets your vote for changing the world?
by Natasha Neill, executive officer at the Society of Biology launches her online poll on biologists who have changed the world ‘Biology: Changing the World’ is the Society of Biology’s first project looking at biology heritage. Various activities and resources are planned over the next nine months, and the first of those is our poll … Continue reading
The endless quest for knowledge!
Mark Leach, the Society of Biology’s membership marketing manager, writes on interesting facts. As part of our planning for this year’s Biology Week, one of our (not infrequent) office conversations recently focussed on interesting science facts and quiz questions. Did you know, for example, that giant lime green stick insects (Diapherodes gigantea), such as Alfreda … Continue reading
A message told best by a talking sandwich
Philippa Skett is currently an intern at the Society of Biology, and worked in partnership with Global Food Security to make school resources for teachers about food security, food waste, and just where all our food comes from. Today, as part of Biology Week, schools are using these resources to spread the food security message. … Continue reading
Criminal genes: guilty as charged?
Following on from her last blog post, Dr Claire Hastings discusses how our increasing knowledge of behavioural genetics might influence the criminal justice system, ahead of the Royal Institution debate entitled: “The good, the bad, and the genetically predetermined” 0n the 15th of October, during Biology Week 2013. Follow #rilive on Twitter from 19:00 on … Continue reading
Dare you enter a fairy ring?
By Lily Brinn, an intern at the Society of Biology helping out with Biology Week 2013. UK Fungus Day kick starts Biology Week, beginning with a competition to find the largest fairy ring! A fairy ring is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms, they can be so small that you would hardly notice … Continue reading
Sometimes you need your own space – DIY for solitary bees
In advance of Professor Adam Hart’s 24 hour lecturethon, David Urry from the Society of Biology shares his experiences of building a bee hotel. I am not the most practically minded person in the world, but I do enjoy a bit of D.I.Y. After coming across an old picture frame and backing board in the … Continue reading
The petri dish dinner party – a solution served up by science
Philippa Skett is an intern at the Society of Biology helping out with Biology Week 2013. This year in partnership with the Global Food Security programme we have developed classroom resources about where our food comes from, and just how many resources our food production needs. The concept of food security may be an alien one to many, although it … Continue reading
Behavioural Genetics: who are you?
Dr Claire Hastings introduces the field of Behavioural Genetics ahead of the Royal Institution debate entitled: “The good, the bad, and the genetically predetermined” on the 15th October, during Biology Week 2013. Your genome contains all the instructions for building you. This includes genes that affect your behaviour: from learning and memory, eating and sleeping … Continue reading
Run for your life: the Saharan silver ant
Guest post by Mel Evans, a student at the University of Gloucestershire. Read carefully – hidden in here is an answer to one of the pub quiz questions which will be asked during Professor Adam Hart’s 24 hour lecture On the surface, ants don’t always seem like the most extreme of animals. Not so with … Continue reading