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RSB Gopher Science Lab online training course for teachers now available
An interactive online training course covering hands-on science activities is now available through the RSB myLearning portal. An interactive online training course covering hands-on science activities is now available through the RSB myLearning...
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The Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt
Gene Kritsky Oxford University Press, £19.99 In Egyptian mythology, it was believed that "when the god Re cried, his tears turned into bees upon touching the ground". Little did I know before reading The Tears of Re how important bees were to ancient...
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Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life
Peter Godfrey-Smith William Collins, £9.99 (paperback) What happens if you put a philosopher in scuba diving kit? It sounds like the set-up for a joke, but it is in fact the basis of this incredible book on cephalopods by Peter Godfrey-Smith. The...
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The Coral Kingdom
layer by layer, hard as bone") and how the structure supports wider marine ecosystems ("As turtles cruise among the weed, upon their backs the cleaners feed"), before looking at the effect of climate change on coral health ("The warming seas don't suit...
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Hiding in plain sight
There must be more transparency and openness in research aided by scientific instrument makers, writes Carsten Bergenholtz, Sam MacAulay and Inge Seim The Biologist 65(4) p6 Within academia and industry, scientific instruments are at the core of daily...
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Unconscious Vision
Melvyn Goodale and David Milner describe the extraordinary case of patient DF, a woman whose bizarre perceptual deficits led to a new understanding of how the brain processes visual information The Biologist 65(4) p20-23 Thirty years ago in a small...
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Astrobiology, Discovery, and Societal Impact
Steven J Dick Cambridge University Press, £54.99 An evocative front cover indicates the nature of Astrobiology, Discovery, and Societal Impact, looking at what would happen should humans discover life other than that on Earth. The author asks if humans...
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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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Biology Week 2018: Jobs will not be replaced by AI and the world will not be overrun by robots, state experts at this year's Biology Week debate
Human jobs will not be replaced by AI and the world will not be overrun by killer-robots, an expert panel categorically told the audience at last night’s Biology Week debate at the Royal Institution. Human jobs will not be replaced by AI and the world...
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The Tangled Tree: A radical new history of life
David Quammen Simon & Schuster, £9.99 To a person already interested in molecular evolution, The Tangled Tree is a gentle and thorough history of life on Earth and how molecular phylogeny has changed our understanding of evolution. It sweeps through...
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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...
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From Addiction to Alzheimer's
Barra Ward and Mohammed Shoaib explain how the much-maligned chemical nicotine is being investigated as a way to counter the symptoms of disorders such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia The Biologist 66(2) p20-23 Nicotine, the main active ingredient in...
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Safe and Sound
How and why do plants sense sound and vibration? Heidi Appel and Rex Cocroft explain The Biologist 66(2) p24 Sedentary and green, plants are perennially underestimated. Because they lack specialised organs for sensing their environment, it is often not...
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In the wrong place at the wrong time
How do we define if a species is native or non-native? Anne Goodenough looks at the challenges ecologists face when deciding what 'belongs' where The Biologist 63(4) p20-23 The translocation of species from their native range to new environments is an...
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2011
Society of Biology to the Science and Technology Select Committee inquiry on Science and International Development 21 December 2011 A brief contribution from the Society of Biology to the Science and Technology Select Committee inquiry on Science and...
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RDC Activities
Creative Commons Licenses As open access policies develop around the world, authors will increasingly need to comply with mandates regarding copyright. Since this can be difficult to navigate, the Royal Society of Biology’s Research Dissemination...
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Fighting for Birds: 25 years in nature conservation
Mark Avery Pelagic Publishing, £12.99 Mark Avery Pelagic Publishing, £12.99 In Fighting for Birds author Mark Avery draws upon his 25 years at the RSPB (most recently as conservation director) to illustrate some of the challenges facing conservation....
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How to Prepare a Scientific Doctoral Dissertation Based on Research Articles
Björn Gustavii Cambridge University Press, £14.99 Björn Gustavii Cambridge University Press, £14.99 A piece of independent academic research which is considered to expand knowledge within the discipline being studied can be accepted as a doctoral...
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Lost opportunity in A level review
SCORE has serious concerns about the decision by Ofqual to push ahead with introducing new science A levels for first teaching in September 2015. The decision is based on evidence presented in Professor Mark Smith's report on A level reform, published...
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Once and Future Giants
Sharon Levy Oxford University Press, £11.99 Sharon Levy Oxford University Press, £11.99 Across the world, species are disappearing at an extraordinary rate, with many population declines linked to human activity. Once and Future Giants considers the...
