Category Archives: Guest posts

The March of the Beekeepers

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Philip Strange

In Parliament Square in London today a diverse group of beekeepers and environmentalists are gathering; some will be wearing beekeeping suits, some will be dressed as bees, some will be carrying fruit or vegetables and you may even spot Winnie-the-Pooh … Continue reading →

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Street Science in Paris

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Philip Strange

I recently returned from a week’s holiday in Paris. It’s a beautiful place for just walking and looking and while we were there, spring finally arrived. On our last day, we were invited to a rehearsal of the Orchestre Philharmonique … Continue reading →

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Bad Pharma, Good Pharma, Bad Pharma

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Philip Strange

I was surprised and saddened to hear the news that the pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca were closing their R and D facility at Alderley Park in the North West of the country.  This is an iconic research site, set among lakes … Continue reading →

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Sympathy or schadenfreude? – the ENCODE consortium gets the hatchet job.

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Philip Strange

A paper was published earlier this week making an extraordinary attack on the integrity of the work of the ENCODE consortium, an international group studying the human genome.  Scientists don’t normally go in for this type of public blood letting, … Continue reading →

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The “bute” in horsemeat

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Philip Strange

The horsemeat scandal in Europe continues to surprise and shock.  Henry Gee has written about the controversy for this site and for Occam’s Corner but I wanted to comment on one of the safety issues. It seems that a drug, … Continue reading →

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Mind your language

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Philip Strange

I enjoy going to art galleries.  I enjoy looking at art and I can recall vividly the thrill of seeing the “Impressionists” in Paris for the first time.  For me, visiting a gallery is still something of an occasion and … Continue reading →

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On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, eight waxwings trilling ……

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Philip Strange

I’ve had bird books for many years: pocket-sized books with pictures and descriptions of the common British birds.   Not that I am a bird enthusiast.  I just want to be able to identify the birds around me.  If I am … Continue reading →

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Let’s hear it for Thomas Newcomen!

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Philip Strange

I first heard of Thomas Newcomen soon after we moved to the West Country. I’d been looking around for the names of famous scientists from Devon and quickly came across Newcomen. I was surprised to find out that a man … Continue reading →

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The Captured Thought

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Nicola Clayton

Nicky Clayton and Clive Wilkins Do you know what happens when a behavioural scientist interested in how humans and animals think gets together with an artist whose prime interest is in the nature of imagination and consciousness? Are you interested? … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Guest posts | 2 Comments

Week 7, in which we discover that Ricardipus perhaps isn’t quite as good at this hockey pool malarkey as he’s always claimed, but doesn’t quite learn to get over it yet.

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Richard Wintle

An absolutely horrid week in the hockey pool. Sigh. Continue reading →

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