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Bioscientists take home medals at this year’s STEM for Britain
Three bioscientists took home medals from this year’s STEM for Britain, the Parliamentary poster competition that gives researchers the chance to present their work to policymakers and politicians and discuss their work with local MPs. Three...
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Standing up for science means standing for election
In the US, scientists are running for office in record numbers. Julia Biggins explains why she has her sights set on Congress in Virginia's 10th district The Biologist 65(2) p7 I have been interested in pursuing a career in science for as long as I can...
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The Power of Poison
Botulinum toxins are among the most deadly substances known to man, yet have a remarkable range of therapeutic uses. David Feld, who has received injections of the toxins for 20 years, and his doctor, Richard Grünewald, explore this fascinating...
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Why I'm running for office
In the US, scientists are running for office in record numbers. Julia Biggins explains why she has her sights set on Congress in Virginia's 10th district The Biologist 65(2) p7 I have been interested in pursuing a career in science for as long as I can...
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Biology and Conservation of Musteloids
David W Macdonald, Chris Newman and Lauren A Harrington (eds) Oxford University Press, £45.00 The 90 or so species of musteloids, the most diverse super-family within the order Carnivora, share "an inherent weaseliness" according to the preface of this...
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Sharks of the Shallows: Coastal Species in Florida and the Bahamas
Jeffrey C Carrier Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore, £25.99 Although the author, who has a distinguished background in marine biology, states that this book is not an ID guide, it would certainly aid in preparation and confirmation of the...
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Echinoidea: with bilateral symmetry - Irregularia
Heinke A G Schultz De Gruyter, £200.00 When most people think of sea urchins, they picture a rounded, symmetric and circular animal with five-fold symmetry that lives in the sea. Although it is certainly correct that all sea urchins live in the sea,...
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RSB and Heads of University Biosciences name HE Biosciences Teacher of the Year 2018
The Royal Society of Biology and Heads of University Biosciences have named Dr Dominic Henri as HE Biosciences Teacher of the Year for his dedication to pedagogical research and innovative teaching. The Royal Society of Biology and its Special Interest...
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RSB and UBMA HE Bioscience Technician of the Year announced
Gill Scott, teaching laboratory manager at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick, has been recognised as Technician of the Year for making a positive impact and inspiring others through her work. Gill Scott, teaching laboratory...
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Crazy horses
Seahorses have a unique breeding mechanism that involves males becoming pregnant. Francisco Otero-Ferrer and William V Holt FRSB explain how this unusual arrangement can help scientists conduct studies that would otherwise be impossible The Biologist...
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Life At The Edge Of Sight: A Photographic Exploration Of The Microbial World
Scott Chimileski and Roberto Kolter Belknap Press (Harvard University Press) £25.95 Much has been done in the UK by scientific societies, including the RSB, to promote understanding and interest in the beneficial and harmful actions of microorganisms....
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RSB Fellows respond to ECJ decision on genetically modified organisms
The European Court of Justice has announced that organisms produced by directed mutagenesis techniques are considered genetically modified organisms in EU law, and will be subject to the same regulatory obligations. The European Court of Justice has...
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Human Errors
Nathan H Lents Weidenfield and Nicholson, £16.99 As Alexander Pope said: “Trust not yourself, but your defects to know” – after all, “perfection is a trifle dull”. Human Errors is a description of some of our ‘defects’, many of which are peculiar to...
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Me And The Biospheres: A Memoir By The Inventor Of Biosphere 2
John Allen Synergetic Press, £40.00 This is the autobiography of the visionary behind the Biosphere 2 project, a huge closed-system research facility built in Arizona and sealed in 1991 with eight ‘biospherians’ living inside it. To dream up such a...
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The End of Epidemics: The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It
Jonathan D Quick and Bronwyn Fryer Scribe Publications, £14.99 As another Ebola outbreak hits the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the world is reminded that we are never far from the next epidemic. The battle against infectious disease is far from –...
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No Uncertain Terms
Shaun D Pattinson and Vanessa Kind say the term ‘somatic cell nuclear transfer’ has led to widespread misunderstanding of how cloning works. Is it time to change it? The Biologist 65(5) p6 Few scientific developments are truly revolutionary, but the...
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How did Hannibal cross the alps?
Could ancient DNA and modern microbiology help answer a question that has puzzled historians and archaeologists for 2,000 years? Chris Allen explains The Biologist 65(5) p16-19 A much-encouraged trend in scientific research has been the emphasis of...
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Cats on Camera
For the last 10 years, Susan Cheyne and her colleagues have been setting camera traps to find out more about Borneo’s elusive cat species. She tells The Biologist about the highs and lows of trying to capture images of these rare and endangered species...
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Who was...Arthur Milnes Marshall?
A skilled zoologist and communicator, Arthur Milnes Marshall died in an accident in 1893, aged 41. His absorbing lectures offer a fascinating snapshot of the era’s biological knowledge, writes Martin Luck. Portrait of Marshall (above) courtesy of The...
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No Uncertain Terms
Shaun D Pattinson and Vanessa Kind say the term ‘somatic cell nuclear transfer’ has led to widespread misunderstanding of how cloning works. Is it time to change it? The Biologist 65(5) p6 Few scientific developments are truly revolutionary, but the...
