Latest posts

On the up [11]

Posted on 27 November 2011 by rpg

Having a chat with Henricus croxii this morning, it suddenly struck me that I have been rather quiet of late. So quiet, in fact, that even H. croxii, with whom I normally share everything (except underpants and family members), wasn’t privy to my latest—albeit now three weeks old—piece of news. Statistically, therefore, the chances are that y Continue reading →

Posted in CME, job, Me, publishing, Remedica | Comments Off on On the up [11]

Cultural Differences?

Posted on 26 November 2011 by Athene Donald

How does the French academic environment differ from the British, particularly for women? Each year a group of us convene at ESPCI  (the École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris in France) in the form of the International Scientific Committee (ISC). Our role is to assist the Director by providing advice about the Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, ESPCI, France, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Cultural Differences?

Playin’ Possum? Impossumble…

Posted on 25 November 2011 by Steve Caplan

An opossum, recently

For some time now, I have been treading carefully when mowing the lawn (which is now no longer necessary despite our mild weather this year) and raking the leaves. The reason for this is that a mysterious creature had been leaving rather smelly bundles of scat scattered (love that alliteration!) throughout the yard.

Continue reading →
Posted in gun culture, hunter, neighbor, opossum, possum | Comments Off on Playin’ Possum? Impossumble…

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 24 November 2011 by Richard Wintle

That was, and I believe this is the correct way to put it, The Week of TEH SUCKAGE™.

Looking over the weekly stats, it seems that Beth smoked everyone, even the reliably excellent Lavaland. Mr. E Man (cleverly disguised here as “arkmennis”) is doing a bit better than usual, Cath’s in the middle, and the rest of you are here, there Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Guest posts, hockey, hockey pool, lameness, let the trash talkin' begin, poor performance, VWXPool | Comments Off on 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.

Real and False Economy [16]

Posted on 24 November 2011 by Stephen

Last week I went to Germany to talk to a pharmaceutical company about my work on the blood protein, human serum albumin. It set me thinking. But first I need to tell you about albumin.

Albumin is a surprisingly abundant protein in the human body; you have about 200g of the stuff coursing through your veins and more still in the fluid that lubricate Continue reading →

Posted in impact, Protein Crystallography, science, Science policy, Scientific Life | Comments Off on Real and False Economy [16]

It’s a book, but not as we know it [3]

Posted on 24 November 2011 by Frank Norman

A series of 21 online books has been launched as part of an initiative to provide a bridge between the humanities and the sciences. The aim is to create:

a resource for researching and teaching relevant science issues across the humanities

The project is interesting in a number of ways. The range of topics covered is broad, from straightforward sci Continue reading →

Posted in avant garde, Books, ebooks, Humanitiies, media studies | Comments Off on It’s a book, but not as we know it [3]

Incoming [1]

Posted on 24 November 2011 by Stephen

I gave a talk a couple of weeks ago at a Biochemical Society meeting on the subject of the Research Excellence Framework, the process that will assess UK academic research quality for the purpose of determining how a large tranche of public funding will be distributed between universities. I dealt in particular with the impact component, which will Continue reading →

Posted in impact, REF, science, Scientific Life | Comments Off on Incoming [1]

Things to do in ‘couver when you’re weird

Posted on 24 November 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

These ads that appeared in my Facebook feed the other day confuse and frighten me:

I hadn’t realised that breeding grotesquely oversized kittehs was A Thing in Vancouver… or maybe that’s just what happens when you buy breakthrough peptide-based treatments from the internet…

I’m very excited to hear about this new alte Continue reading →

Posted in bad people, freakishness, furry friends, Medicine, Pseudoscience, screenshots, shopping, Silliness, Vancouver | Comments Off on Things to do in ‘couver when you’re weird

Another Excerpt

Posted on 23 November 2011 by Henry Gee

Since posting an excerpt of my third fifth forthcoming tome The Beowulf Effect: Fossils, Evolution and the Human Condition I have been deluged by a Dr I. B. of Tennessee, notwithstanding inasmuch as which Dr J. G. of Sussex, and no doubt other people, for more. Continue reading →

Posted in Beowulf Effect, creationism, ebu gogo, extinction, hominin, Homo floresiensis, i will not buy this record it is scratched, Research, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Another Excerpt

All about shes (and hes) [9]

Posted on 23 November 2011 by Sylvia McLain

I recently watched the wonderful classic All About Eve – Best Picture at the Oscars in 1951. Its a great film if you like the classics, the language is spectacular ( I am always amazed at the language in good films before CGI where the script was the only thing to really keep your attention), Bette Davis a triumph. I am a not a film critic Continue reading →

Posted in Bette Davis, Stereotypes, stereotypes in science | Comments Off on All about shes (and hes) [9]