Category Archives: Uncategorized

Getting into the Christmas feel, I feel I’d be remiss if, as a biologist, I didn’t link to this particular Smaller Than Life Advent Calendar: Can you work this one out?

Where do you get your inspiration? For me, the most difficult thing about writing is getting that initial germ of an idea. My Futures piece this week came about after the phrase “The suicide note of the world’s first immortal” … Continue reading →

What happened? Are you all too busy? The “Science as Sport”:http://network.nature.com/people/UE19877E8/blog/2008/09/29/in-which-science-becomes-a-sport-–-hypothetically-speaking experiment seems to have fizzled out. Although a few people (nowhere near enough) enthusiastically joined up for the trial, they seemed to lose interest. Which is a shame because … Continue reading →

I started answering some questions but realized that the margin wasn’t big enough for both of us. London isn’t big enuff for both of us Here’s the skinny. Yes I am currently a post-doc. For a while I’ve been “thinking”:http://network.nature.com/people/rpg/blog/2008/09/14/on-depression—a-personal-perspective … Continue reading →

It started, as things often do in this age, with an email. Their project is exciting, and one I had admired from afar. But then there was the conversation over Skype—my night, their morning—the chairman saying more than I did, … Continue reading →

Here I am, in the Great Metropole, being ripped off like nobody’s business for internet access (I am so getting an iPhone), jet-lagged out of my tiny little mind, and it’s all to do with a rather interesting project that … Continue reading →

Thanks to everyone who donated to Movember. I am now clean-shaven, smooth as a lounge lizard and looking about 18 again. Have a wonderful time in London, wish you were here.

It’s no secret that I’m no fan of P Z Myers. In fact, I think he’s a bit of a drongo (as the shackle-draggers might have it). So it’s a bit of a shock to find myself agreeing with him. … Continue reading →

Why did you become a scientist? This weekend my sister–I could, with justification, say my ‘kid’ sister–retires from the Royal Air Force. She has served in the Falklands and nearly been blown up in Iraq. Her husband has served in … Continue reading →

Trolling over to my good friend Jonathan Sanderson’s website last week (disclaimer: I’ve never actually met the chap in real life), I read about something called Why is Science Important?. That looks interesting, I thought, what’s going on? I was … Continue reading →