About the Irregulars
The Occam’s Typewriter Irregulars is a place for guest bloggers to write. Some of these writers might in time have their own blog on OT; others might simply have been invited (or they asked!) to contribute a one- (or two- or three-) off post. Enjoy!-
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Category Archives: Guest posts
Infectious opinions
It’s been a funny old 18 months as world events suddenly came crashing into my corner of science – the immune response to viral infections in the lung. One of the unexpected outcomes of the pandemic was that I wrote … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Education, Guest posts, Hobbies
Tagged COVID-19, Infectious, Vaccine, Virus
Comments Off on Infectious opinions
Blogging; totally worth a go
This is my first post to Occam’s Irregulars and when I was planning out what I wanted to write, I though that I needed something that was going to have a splash and get plenty of clicks. But that sounded … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts
Tagged Blogging, SciBlogs, SciComms, Writing
Comments Off on Blogging; totally worth a go
Some words when one is speechless
The current use of “no words” in its semaphoric online sense seems to date back to five or ten years ago. To you, there may seem to be a great difference between five and ten years ago. To me, two … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts, Politics
Tagged idealism, intellectual, ivory tower, obscurantism, Paris, terrorism
1 Comment
500 dead bumblebees – the chemical blitz of modern farming
Earlier this year, Sheila Horne was walking at Hacton Parkway, a public park and conservation area in Havering, East London. April is normally a good time to see insects in their prime so she was very surprised to find many … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts
Tagged buff-tailed bumblebee, buglife, bumblebees, common carder bee, conservation, epoxiconazole, flusilazole, fungicides, Hacton Parkway, imidacloprid, insecticides, neonicotinoids, pollinators, red-tailed bumblebee, thiamethoxam, tony gunton
Comments Off on 500 dead bumblebees – the chemical blitz of modern farming
Disturbing the natural order – the case of neonicotinoid insecticides and farmland birds
One of my favourite nature writers is Mark Cocker who has the ability to capture a scene or an idea in a few hundred words. Despite his immense knowledge he never loses his sense of awe and with clever … Continue reading
Lock up your hydrangeas, drug thieves about!
Plants are rich and varied sources of chemicals that change brain function, so-called psychoactive chemicals. For example, the coca plant, a shrub indigenous to the foothills of the Andes, was used for thousands of years by the local people because … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts
Tagged cannabis, cocaine, cyanogenic glycosides, flowers, hortensia, hydrangea, hydrogen cyanide, marijuana, mescaline, opium, peyote, psychoactive chemicals, tetrahydrocannabinol
4 Comments
A night at the opera – or how the myth of the love potion seduces both writers and scientists
The Glyndebourne Touring Opera visits Plymouth in the South West once a year and it’s a real treat to go to their productions. This year we went to see Donizetti’s frothy but very popular L’elisir d’amore. This was beautifully sung … Continue reading
The bitter wind of Brussels sprouts
It’s that time again; that most controversial of vegetables is appearing in UK shops. I am referring of course to Brussels sprouts, feared and hated by some, lauded by others. Not only is it peak growth season for sprouts but, … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts
Tagged bitter taste, brussels sprouts, christmas, francis crick, glucosinolates, vegetables, vitamin C, vitamin K, windiness of sprouts
2 Comments
