Conservation
Why I’m nuts for red squirrels
By Joe Woodman, wildlife photographer and student at Magdalen College School. Read blogs about the other mammals in the #UKMammalPoll and vote for your Favourite UK Mammal. The red squirrel is perhaps one of the most iconic British mammals. These little red rodents can be seen hopping from branch to branch in pockets of select … Continue reading
Being positive about conservation
Opinion piece by Billy Mills, Biology Week intern at the Royal Society of Biology With the utopian goal of saving the world’s species it is inevitable that nature conservation should be an uphill struggle. Having read the news recently you could be forgiven for thinking of it as an altogether worthless affair. It was reported … Continue reading
What makes a good conservation photograph?
By Davide Gaglio, amateur photographer and student at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology Describing what photography is for me is already a very difficult task. When we narrow the topic to ‘conservation photography’ it becomes even more challenging. Is not easy to judge when a photograph including wildlife or a natural resource is … Continue reading
The macro-problem of microplastics
By Matt Turley AMRSB, NERC-funded PhD student at the University of Brighton and policy intern at the Royal Society of Biology The presence of plastics, particularly microplastics, in the environment has received increasing attention in recent years, with the UK government launching an inquiry last month (closing 15 April). Microplastics are particles of plastic smaller … Continue reading
The ‘EU effect’ on our environment
Opinion piece by Matt Turley AMRSB, NERC-funded PhD student at the University of Brighton and policy intern at the Royal Society of Biology A panel debate held this week by WWF-UK, RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts, following the release of their commissioned report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy, aimed to draw attention to … Continue reading
Actions for plant science in the UK
By Dr Sandy Knapp FRSB, head of the Plants Division of the Natural History Museum, London Plant science has a broad reach – from molecules to ecosystems, and from blue skies to near-market research and practical applications. The UKPSF was formed to bring the plant science sector together and to harness the power of our … Continue reading
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
Hooke, my hero. Micrographia, my Bible.
By Cath Hodsman, entomological artist. The Royal Society of Biology is running an insect life-cycles microscopy art course in partnership with Cath Hodsman on 23rd October 2015. This year celebrates a landmark anniversary that has helped define me as both a person and a professional. It is 350 years since the scientist Robert Hooke published … Continue reading
Bees are a political issue
Dr Barbara Knowles MBE FRSB is senior science policy adviser at the Royal Society of Biology, and an active conservation volunteer working to protect biodiversity in farmed landscapes. These are her views, not necessarily those of the Society. Bees and neonic insecticides are in the news again as the Secretary of State for Defra decided … Continue reading
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