Tagged With: biology
Your plant science questions answered
So many issues in plant science (and indeed in science in general) don’t have the simple answers we expected. Organic farming can cause environmental damage, GM crops have potential to increase food security, and some biofuels can increase rather than decrease carbon emissions. I can be hard to keep up with these debates, and reliable … Continue reading
Why the badger cull became a ‘Marmite debate’
by Rebecca Nesbit, press officer at the Society of Biology ‘Marmite debates’ were a common theme at the food security meeting hosted by the BBSRC last week. Just like reactions to Marmite, opinions in debates about GM crops and the badger cull tend to be polar opposites. This is in sharp contrast to the science … Continue reading
An assessor’s view on accreditation of ecology degrees
Rachel Stubbington, Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Sciences at Nottingham Trent University, writes about her experience as an assessor for the Society of Biology Degree Accreditation Programme As a lecturer in biosciences, I see my undergraduate students getting more and more career-savvy by the year. I want as many of them as possible to achieve … 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
I promise you really said that!
By Rebecca Nesbit, Society of Biology As this blog goes live, a record attempt is taking place for the world’s largest memory game. This is the climax of Biology Week and involves hundreds of children and adults. It is designed to be fun, but also has a serious side, collecting data for Professor Bruce Hood … Continue reading
What you said about Open Education Resources
Dr Eva Sharpe, HE Policy Officer at the Society of Biology, reports on the results of our survey into the use of Open Education Resources Earlier this summer, I blogged about a Society of Biology project to promote the use of Open Education Resources (OER) by the bioscience community. As one strand of the project … 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
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 countdown to Biology Week
Excitement is rising here in Charles Darwin House as we prepare for our first ever Biology Week. Taking place from 13th – 19th October, the week features everything from dolphin science to neuroscience, and we’re keen for as many people as possible to get involved.
The Virtual School: calling all biologists!
Guest blog by Frédéric Kastner from The Virtual School The Virtual School’s vision is to create an innovative, free education resource that allows children from all over the world to learn about biology. To help us achieve this we’re asking for support from passionate biologists, whatever their background.