Latest posts

Ultramarine

Posted on 25 July 2021 by Henry Gee

One or two of you might have read By The Sea, my Gothick Bodice Ripper with Detectives, which was originally serialized by my Occam’s Typewriter Compadre Jenny Rohn on her LabLit website, but now published in book form and available on all good e-book platforms, and even as a paperback. One of the readers was my friend Mr J. W.-V., a fellow Norfolk resident, musician and newsroom journalist. Continue reading →

Posted in adapted screenplay, by the sea, Jenny Rohn, Lablit, tolkien, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Ultramarine

Today’s Curiosity is Tomorrow’s Cure: The Case for Basic Biomedical Research

Posted on 4 July 2021 by Steve Caplan

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I am very excited to finally have my most recent book, “Today’s Curiosity is Tomorrow’s Cure: The Case for Basic Biomedical Research” in press and now available for preorder. 

For a very long time I have been concerned that there is decreasing appreciation (and hence investment) for very basic, curiosity-driven research, with many political leaders and the public (and even Continue reading →

Posted in basic research, book, CRC, curiosity-driven research, disease-related research, education, Francis & Taylor, great discoveries, History of Science, Research, Routledge, science, Today's Curiosity is Tomorrow's Cure: The Case for Basic Biomedical Research, translational science | Comments Off on Today’s Curiosity is Tomorrow’s Cure: The Case for Basic Biomedical Research

Nautilus

Posted on 2 July 2021 by Henry Gee

I really can’t believe it.

I’ve been writing books for thirty years, but have never seen the anticipation that’s buzzing around my fifthforthcoming tome, A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth.

When a book of mine is published, it’s usual for me to receive translation offers in one or two languages, but only after it’s been out for some time. This time, it’s ra Continue reading →

Posted in a very short history of life on earth, David Attenborough, flabbey road, Korg Nautilus, Life on Earth, Music, Picador, St Martins Press, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Nautilus

In which summers shrink

Posted on 27 June 2021 by Jennifer Rohn

Academics talk nostalgically about rosy-tinted times of yore when summers meant a lull in lecturing duties.

The months would unfold before you, a vast landscape of research possibilities. It was a time to write papers, craft grants, catch up with the technical literature, come up with new hypotheses, spend more time chatting with your team. It was a time to dream big, and then work out how to m Continue reading →

Posted in academia, careers, Nostalgia, Research, students, Teaching, The ageing process, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which summers shrink

Picture a Scientist – Who Do You See?

Posted on 26 June 2021 by Athene Donald

I am often asked who inspired me. I feel embarrassed to admit the answer is no one, it seems like the wrong answer. Certainly there was no female scientist who triggered my love of science at an early age; I was far more inspired by my reading matter. In this category I would single out The New Science of Strong Materials by JE Gordon, I’ve written about the significance of this book at length bef Continue reading →

Posted in discrimination, Equality, harassment, Jane Willenbring, MIT, Nancy Hopkins, Raychelle Burks, Women in science | Comments Off on Picture a Scientist – Who Do You See?

The Imperative of Skills

Posted on 15 June 2021 by Athene Donald

Whereas academic scientists too often only think in terms of producing the next generation of academic scientists like them, the reality is many would-be PIs would be lost without the technicians who keep the equipment running, train newcomers and generally make sure the lab is in a fit condition for work. They aren’t always visible, but they are crucial in many areas. Last week an article appeare Continue reading →

Posted in BEIS, careers, Chatteris, education, Further Education, technicians, training | Comments Off on The Imperative of Skills

Pride

Posted on 12 June 2021 by Henry Gee

Here’s a story about Pride, and the best party I ever attended.

It started in 2017, when the Gees had a wonderful family holiday in Northumbria. The fact that I could never seem to find Hadrian’s Wall, no matter how manically I drove along country lanes trying to find it, became a family joke. I had somehow expected some imposing structure like the Great Wall of China when, in fact, mu Continue reading →

Posted in Apparitions, Apsperg-O-Meter, camp, dirtyfilthysexy, Hadrian's Wall, LGBTQ+, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you'll always find me in the kitchen at parties | Comments Off on Pride

Page charges and OA policies

Posted on 11 June 2021 by Frank Norman

Much of my time in the past 12 months has been committed to preparing for compliance with the Coalition S / Wellcome open access policies. Because we have core funding from Wellcome this means that all research papers submitted on or after 1 Jan 2021 must comply with their new OA policy.

So I have been buried in transformative deals, transformative journals and the Rights Retention Strategy, tryin Continue reading →

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Getting the Design Right

Posted on 7 June 2021 by Athene Donald

This blogpost is stimulated by two bits of reading matter of very different sorts, but between them they have taken my thoughts in somewhat multifarious directions. Apologies if the net result is a slightly disorganised and diverse post.

It started with an article in the Guardian about architecture, and how a group of women in the 1980s got fed up with the idea – originating with modernist Le Corb Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Cavendish, design, Equality, maintenance, Science Funding | Comments Off on Getting the Design Right

A wonderful life

Posted on 5 June 2021 by Steve Caplan

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Last week, the family and I were devastated to have to say goodbye to our 12 year old rescue dog, Ginger. All dogs are wonderful, perhaps, but Ginger was WONDERFUL and EXCEPTIONAL in so many ways. Sure, she was intelligent and fun-loving and affectionate, but she was the dog-of-my-life, the kindest, sweetest, noblest and most loving of creatures, who never once exhibited the slightest aggression, Continue reading →

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