Latest research
Four-stranded DNA seen in human cells
By Jess Devonport, Marketing and Communications Officer at the Society of Biology 2013 is the 60th anniversary of Watson and Crick’s famous paper describing the helical structure of DNA. The Society of Biology plans to celebrate this landmark discovery with a series of genetics themed events and activities, called Genetics: where have we come from … 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
How does Chris Packham’s garden grow?
Since the completion of the human genome project, DNA sequencing has become much faster and cheaper, opening up exciting possibilities for medicine and our understanding of human biology. But it goes far further than that, as is demonstrated by this video, first shown at the Biology Week launch event in Parliament held in partnership with … Continue reading
bTB or not bTB? How to control it is still the question
Guest post by Catherine O’Connor, Epidemiologist for the Health Protection Services, discussing the badger cull As an epidemiologist, my job is to understand the how, what, when, where and whys of disease transmission. Though we now possess much fancier tools than those used by the father of epidemiology, John Snow (he of the Broad Street … Continue reading
Bumblebees’ gruesome parasites
Guest blog by Sive Finlay, a PhD student from Trinity College Dublin who recently won Best Biology Student at the 2012 SET awards for her undergraduate project Bee populations are in severe decline, an alarming and worrying trend when you consider their vital importance as commercial and ecological pollinators. Research and media attention often focuses … Continue reading
Ethical dilemmas: pest control
Guest post from Eve Potter, a health writer with an interest in the ethical debates that modern biology produces. In advance of the panda debate she looks at an environmental issue which she finds exciting but scary: biocontrol Biological pest control essentially refers to the use of natural enemies to control pests. Various predatory mites or … Continue reading
An American crayfish in London (and beyond!)
by Zara Gladman, PhD student at the University of Glasgow and intern at the Society of Biology In my last blog I waxed lyrical on the wonders of crayfish, those large freshwater invertebrates that grace our rivers, lochs and your M&S sandwiches. Today I’d like to discuss one of the biggest threats to aquatic biodiversity: … Continue reading
The many nests of the hairy wood ant
Guest blog from Samuel Ellis, a PhD student at the University of York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis There are an estimated 22,000 species of ants, and it is likely that the weight of ants on the planet is greater than the weight of humans. They are very important to ecosystems all over the world … Continue reading
Marmosets and research into Parkinson’s Disease
A fascinating video of a Parkinson’s sufferer’s visit to an animal research facility. The video was produced by Richard Scrase from Understanding Animal Research, and here is his insight into its making: