Nature
Environmentalism- what are our motivations?
Lauren is a recent graduate in microbiology interning at the Society of Biology until June 2013. She is interested in a career in science communication and writes for her own blog, Science Says as well as for the Student Hubs blog. When probed on my motivations for trying to live sustainably, my standard reply is … Continue reading
Feeding Life – Photography Competition 2013
Jenni Lacey from the Society of Biology explores inspiration for this year’s photography competition Like most people my taste and eating habits have dramatically changed over the years. Influenced first by family habit, tradition and what was put in front of me, and later by new surroundings, culture and choice, I’ve thankfully now developed a … Continue reading
Are neonicotinoids distracting us from the bigger picture?
by Rebecca Nesbit, Society of Biology The much awaited vote by EU member states on the potential neonicotinoid ban takes place on Monday. There has been strong environmental lobbying to encourage Environment Minister Owen Patterson to vote in favour of a ban, but to what extent is the fate of bees really hanging on this … Continue reading
Badger bats
by Jackie Caine, Senior Science Policy Adviser at the Society of Biology New species of animals and plants are discovered on a surprisingly regular basis; in Europe alone, around 700 species are being discovered each year, and that doesn’t take into account the hugely rich diversity of tropical forests including the Amazon. Insects account for … Continue reading
Flying Ant Survey – spread the word!
The weekend’s sunshine made it almost possible to imagine the summer flying ant season, so we’re gearing up for a second flying ant survey and are hoping to enlist even more support. We need data from multiple years to help us understand whether the pattern we saw in 2012 (two peaks in flying ant activity) … Continue reading
A Society of Biology travel grant to Madagascar
Guest blogger Alex Cole from Swansea University talks about receiving the Society of Biology Travel Grant to attend a field course in Madagascar Madagascar’s dry deciduous forests are highly threatened and unfortunately Kirindy forest qualifies as one of these endangered forests. In previous years logging has taken place in Kirindy, threatening many of its species, … Continue reading
Alien species – where are you from?
by Tatiana Moreno, freelance journalist, @Tatiana_Moreno Domestic cats, the common wall lizard and horseradish are all found in England, but in fact they were once alien species. Britain alone has over 3,000 non-native species, as stated by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Where have our hedgehogs gone?
by Amy Whetstone, Qualification and Skills Officer at the Society of Biology The European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, has long been a welcome visitor to our gardens and green spaces in the UK. Our unmistakeable spiny friends were once frequent guests to my back garden, but over the years I’ve noticed a definite decline in sightings. … Continue reading
New Guide to mosses and lichens of English orchards
Guest bloggers Helene Coleman and Mari Whitelaw, from the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) East of England team based at the University of Hertfordshire, talk about their recently produced guides to orchard mosses and lichens. In the UK, orchards are a disappearing habitat. It is estimated that there has been a 63% reduction in the area … Continue reading