Category Archives: Uncategorized

My heart is light. Several early indicators suggest that the UK science budget is to be spared. Although a freeze on funding will correspond to a cut in real terms of about 10% after four years, due to inflation, it … Continue reading →

I sometimes wonder if it is possible for a specialist to ever truly empathize what it feels like to walk in the shoes of the unindoctrinated – especially when it comes to the language. If you’re an adult practitioner of … Continue reading →

It happens suddenly, when you least expect it. It is a matter of utmost urgency, and requires the entire lab to drop everything else they’re doing and pull together. No one experiment is more important than this intermittent, yet inevitable … Continue reading →

Celebrated science bloggers are primarily male. Discuss. — *Note added retrospectively: I have been asked why I have not included self-organizing, grassroots blogging collectives, or indeed Nature Network itself, on this graph. The reason is because I was interested in … Continue reading →

Scientists in the UK today are starting to respond to governmental noises suggesting that, in a time when other countries are investing in science to rejuvenate the economy, funding for science and innovation here will have to be slashed. Only … Continue reading →

What is truth? After long stretches of time in the lab, I often wonder if we’ll ever really know. Science can be loosely defined as the search for truth, but this goal is often illusory. Every experiment we do hides … Continue reading →

Welcome to the new piece of kit on the lab block: Isn’t she lovely? OK, she is a bit of a prima donna. We had to sacrifice half our gel-running bench to make room for her arrival because she refused … Continue reading →

What is the golden ticket to scientific success in an oversubscribed, under-funded field? In my previous post, I set out my thoughts and fears about the final year-and-a-bit of what is likely to be my final fellowship opportunity in biomedical … Continue reading →

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but on this occasion it is not an entirely welcome one. It’s the time of year for this sort of reflection. The institute is in the process of awakening from … Continue reading →