Monthly Archives: October 2009

In my life as a scientist, I am continually struck by the modest miracle of the microscopic writ large. I think about this every time I streak a solution of invisible bacteria onto a Petri plate and come in the … Continue reading →

A good scientist is never off-duty, which is perhaps why researchers throughout history have experimented on themselves. The 18th century anatomist John Hunter is said to have tested the infectious nature of gonorrhea by applying a patient’s pus to his … Continue reading →

For those of you following the previous conversation about my opinion that the Times’ new science magazine Eureka is male-centric, but who aren’t likely to wade through the 100+ comments, just to let you know that its editor, Antonia Senior, … Continue reading →

What is it like to be a scientist in the modern world, and how does the reality measure up to the average person’s view of the scientist? I’ve been fascinated by this question for years, and now I’ve been asked … Continue reading →

Ever since the Guardian axed its weekly science supplement a few years ago, there hasn’t been a single British broadsheet that considered the topic interesting enough to devote more than a few sporadic column inches in the main news pages. … Continue reading →

On Sunday evening I typed the words ‘The End’ after 129,488 preceding ones, thereby completing my third lab lit novel – the tale of a new group leader whose collaboration with a pair of strange epidemiologists soon leads to more … Continue reading →

Mired as I am in manuscript revision, the conversations of other people in the group office often float past unnoticed, deflecting off the bubble of concentration I try to maintain around my computer. But sometimes, the things people say are … Continue reading →