Latest posts

Broadening Horizons

Posted on 9 October 2012 by Athene Donald

Beyond the straight and narrow of their disciplines, there is far more that should form part of what every PhD student is exposed to during their doctoral (and indeed post-doctoral) years. I was reminded of this fact when I attended a symposium last week in my department, as part of the Winton Programme on Sustainability,  which touched on many dif Continue reading →

Posted in education, energy efficiency, Interdisciplinary Science, Jevons Paradox, Winton programme for Sustainability | Comments Off on Broadening Horizons

A Song of the Hunger Compass: it’s book review time!

Posted on 9 October 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(This got really long – sorry. You probably shouldn’t try to read all of it in one go).

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It was all Bean Mom’s fault. Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, book review, embarrassing fan girl, family, movie review, rants, television | Comments Off on A Song of the Hunger Compass: it’s book review time!

Prizes Straight from the Pits of Hell

Posted on 8 October 2012 by Bob O'H

This should make predicting this year’s science Nobels easier. Last month,
Republican congressman Paul Broun, who also happens to be a member of the US House of Representatives science committee, described evolution, the big bang theory and embryology as ‘lies straight from the pit hell’:

http://www.youtube.com/watch? Continue reading →

Posted in Silliness | Comments Off on Prizes Straight from the Pits of Hell

Alternatory

Posted on 8 October 2012 by Henry Gee

<rant>Now, I’m a Tory voter, that is, a supporter of the Conservative Party, currently enjoying their annual conference. I’m a Tory because I believe in the markets, in individual freedoms, and that the state should interfere in peoples’ lives as little as possible. But the antics of the Tories at the moment are making me te Continue reading →

Posted in Politicrox | Comments Off on Alternatory

“I’ll be the judge of that”

Posted on 7 October 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’ve noticed a recent increase in the number of emails I receive that say things like “this is a polite reminder” or “this is a gentle reminder”. While there’s never anything in the message to contradict the sender’s choice of adjective, I always think that the perception of courtesy and gentility is in the Continue reading →

Posted in communication, English language, grant wrangling | Comments Off on “I’ll be the judge of that”

Keeping up appearances: I’ve been boto(x)-shopped!

Posted on 6 October 2012 by Steve Caplan

It’s remarkable how hard it can be to keep up with the technology needed for success in science. It seems that almost weekly I am being forced to change software programs for manipulating DNA, proteins and so on. Part of it results from computer crashes, changes between PC and Mac, new updates and systems, etc. Other issues are the programs t Continue reading →

Posted in aging, botox, Ethics, humor, Photoshop, pictures, postdoc, Research, science | Comments Off on Keeping up appearances: I’ve been boto(x)-shopped!

Authorship

Posted on 5 October 2012 by Frank Norman

From time to time I have to go into our store to hunt through old (pre-war) reprints of medical research articles and I am always struck by the prevalence of single authorship in articles of that period. Single authorship in research articles is a rarity these days, and even review articles may have three or four authors. According to the National Continue reading →

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It Has Not Escaped Our Notice #47

Posted on 5 October 2012 by Henry Gee

Hmm. Perhaps I haven’t been blogging enough.
IMG_6468

Posted in aardwolf, Apparitions, Blog Norfolk!, Domesticrox, merriweather, reticulated splines, Silliness, zeuglodon | Comments Off on It Has Not Escaped Our Notice #47

Why is it Different for Girls?

Posted on 4 October 2012 by Athene Donald

Some horrible statistics to kick off today’s post: nearly half of English maintained (state) coeducational schools don’t send a single girl on to do physics A level.  That’s right, nearly half (strictly speaking 49%).  When I was first sent this data by the BBC asking for a quote, I just assumed that something had gone astray in their interpretatio Continue reading →

Posted in A level choices, education, Equality, physics, School, stereotype threat, Women in science | Comments Off on Why is it Different for Girls?

In defence of reviews

Posted on 4 October 2012 by Frank Norman

Doug Kell, chief executive of the BBSRC, published an enormous review article in 2009 on iron chelation and disease. The review had 2,469 references. (D. B. Kell BMC Med. Continue reading →

Posted in Journal publishing, reviews | Comments Off on In defence of reviews