Royal Society of Biology
Will antibiotics be useful in the future?
Professor Nigel Brown FSB, President of the Society for General Microbiology, is writing an article each month for The Bridge, a local magazine delivered to every home in the villages of Corsley and Chapmanslade in Wiltshire. Readers will be familiar with going to their GP and expecting a prescription for medicine – quite often an … Continue reading
The value of the patent system
Robert Andrews is a European patent attorney and has worked for Mewburn Ellis LLP since 2006. Robert is running the patently valuable workshop at the Society of Biology on March 10th 2015. Innovation in biological science has allowed for unprecedented improvements in public health: all the way from processes we now think of as basic … Continue reading
Diversity and blogging
Rebecca Nesbit is one of the tutors on the upcoming Society of Biology Writing for a non-specialist audience course. Diversity was a long way from my mind when, during my PhD, I made my first explorations in writing popular science. At first, my writing simply a way to discover new science and share it in … Continue reading
Genetic testing – how much would you want to know?
By Emma Kelson AMSB, training officer at the Society of Biology Given the choice, would you want to know whether you are likely to suffer from a deadly disease in the future? For those who are curious, you can now get some insights by using the genetic testing kit ’23andme’, which has recently launched in … Continue reading
Easy Guide to Fossil Hunting
By Grace Paget, science writer and interim communications officer for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Fossil hunting is a hobby that can be engaged in by all, expert or enthusiast you just need to know where to go and what to look out for! If you fancy a day at the beach the Jurassic Coast is … Continue reading
Prioritising dementia in an ageing population
By Ariana Gatt, a Neuroscience PhD student at King’s College London The world is ageing, and at a pretty fast rate. On a global scale the human race is living longer. We have better health care, for example we have eradicated smallpox, and are close to getting rid of other deadly diseases such as Polio … Continue reading
Conspiracy theories and the rise of anti-science
By Tom Ireland, managing editor at the Society of Biology and freelance journalist When I was a teenager I loved a good conspiracy theory. I was obsessed with the X-Files and watched dodgy American documentaries about Roswell and Watergate and Kennedy’s assassination. I even had the famous ‘I want to believe’ poster on my wall. … Continue reading
Science and Innovation strategy: proceed with care
By Dr Laura Bellingan FSB, Director of Science Policy at the Society of Biology Research in the UK attracts public and private investment because it is seen, and a high proportion of it can be measured, as excellent. This is a judgement that takes time to develop and is acceptable as robust because it is … Continue reading
Policy Lates: Dodging a Biological Bullet
The Society’s latest Policy Lates event ‘Dodging a Biological Bullet: What can we learn from the US and Europe about Biosecurity?’ saw international experts come together to discuss what should be done about dual-use research, which has the potential to be misused for harmful purposes. For an introduction to dual-use and biosecurity read ‘Dual-use for … Continue reading
How does current research culture affect science and scientists?
By Dr Laura Bellingan FSB, Director of Science Policy at the Society of Biology The Nuffield Council on Bioethics have published the report of a project that explored the wide range of influences that act upon science researchers and affect their practice. For researchers, the expectations that they place upon themselves and feel are applied … Continue reading