Algal biofuels

Everlasting life: the ‘immortal’ jellyfish

The supposedly 'immortal' jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii has captivated scientists since it was discovered decades ago. One of the first researchers to study it, Ferdinando Boero, looks at whether this amazing organism really can live forever The...

Can we fix it?

For more than 40 years, scientists have attempted to engineer cereal crops that can fix atmospheric nitrogen. With more mouths to feed than ever, a breakthrough may finally be within reach, writes Jack Parsons The Biologist 64(4) p12-15 The first...

The mega mangrove

In one area of Thailand, the mangrove tree A.marina grows far larger than anywhere else on the planet. Ecologist Gordon Maxwell says granting this unique ecosystem World Heritage Site status could help highlight the importance of other mangroves around...

15 Conservation Topics to Watch in 2020

For the past eleven years, a panel of researchers - led by the conservation biologist Bill Sutherland – have convened to produce a ‘horizon scan’ of issues that could have a substantive effect on global conservation in the coming year. Towards the end...

Closing the digital loophole

Adam McCarthy looks at how to link open and widely-shared digital genetic sequences with the ecosystems and nations where they are found in nature September 12th 2022 Adam McCarthy is the RSB’s policy intern and a PhD student at the University of...

The digital loophole

Adam McCarthy looks at how to link open and widely-shared digital genetic sequences with the ecosystems and nations where they are found in nature September 12th 2022 Adam McCarthy is the RSB’s policy intern and a PhD student at the University of...

Spotlight on: Systems biology

The Biologist Vol 62(3) p30-31 The aim of systems biology is to understand vastly complex biological systems in a way that enables us to model and predict how they will behave. It often uses mathematical and computer modelling to define the rules and...

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...

Beetle photo taken on Isle of Wight coast by retired engineer wins the RSB Photography Competition

66-year-old retired engineer and RNLI volunteer Nick Edwards has scooped the top prize in this year’s Photography Competition. The Royal Society of Biology has announced the winners of this year’s Photography Competition, with two amateur photographers...

How to… write a lab handbook

Samuel Mehr has studied what makes a good lab handbook so you don’t have to – and says a good one could improve your team’s science and save time April 2nd 2020 When joining a laboratory, trainees become part of a scientific organisation with an array...

Wild Coast

Marianne Taylor Bloomsbury Natural History £20.00 This photographic extravaganza applauds the wealth and variety of splendour "where the sea embraces the land". From the far north of Scotland to the southern extent of these isles, the shoreline...

RSB announces the Photography Competition 2017 shortlist

The Royal Society of Biology is pleased to announce the shortlist for their 2017 Photographer of the Year and Young Photographer of the Year competitions. The Royal Society of Biology is pleased to announce the shortlist for their 2017 Photographer of...

RSB announces the winners of their Photographer of the Year competition 2017

Over 600 entries were narrowed down to a shortlist of two for the Young Photographer of the Year award and a shortlist of 11 for the Photographer of the Year award, with the winners announced as part of Biology Week 2017. Over 600 entries were narrowed...

Outstanding science communication and photography celebrated at the RSB Annual Awards 2017

Members and supporters of the Royal Society of Biology last week celebrated the winners of the annual Photography Competition and Science Communication Awards at the Annual Awards Ceremony in London. Members and supporters of the Royal Society of...

Florida Manatees: Biology, Behavior, and Conservation

John E Reynolds III Johns Hopkins University Press, £29.50 If the image on the cover does not entice the reader, a look at page 50 surely will: it shows a manatee hugging a human diver. The book focuses on the beauty, grace and vulnerability of these...

Beyond Extinction: The Eternal Ocean

Wolfgang Grulke At One Communications, £40.00 Beyond Extinction is Wolfgang Grulke’s personal exploration of life in the oceans. It is beautifully illustrated with pictures from his field trips around the world, from sponges that are two metres tall to...

Photography Competition Winners 2017

The theme for the photography competition in 2017 was The Hidden World. The Society would like to congratulate the winners and shortlisted photographers, who were celebrated at the Biology Week annual award ceremony. Photographer of the Year 2017:...

Member profiles: Deep-sea worms, malaria and policy

Dr Laetitia Gunton MRSB on life in the remote waters of the Southern Ocean Marine ecologist Dr Laetitia Gunton studies deep-sea annelid worms. She is currently based at the Australian Museum, Sydney, on the Chadwick Biodiversity Fellowship. My day...

The plastic eaters

Evidence that some microbes have evolved the ability to metabolise plastic waste has raised hopes they could help clear up our oceans and landfill sites. James Romero explores the difficult realities of this approach Microbes are Earth’s great...