Author Archives: Stephen

Yesterday morning I awoke in crumpled clothes on a strange sofa, my mouth feeling furry and unwashed. I’d crashed there at about 5.30 am and only snatched a couple of hours of fitful sleep. As I gazed blearily at unfamiliar … Continue reading →

Here is the second of two guest blogs from my tutorial students, completing my inverted blogging challenge. This one is from Louie Barnett, who provides an entertainingly seasonal take on the murky world of G-protein coupled receptors. Take it away, … Continue reading →

I know, I know—the challenge is supposed to be about getting more senior people into blogging but I turned it on its end and set a mini-challenge of my own to my new batch of Biochemistry undergraduate tutees. I asked … Continue reading →

Gazing at the very first model of a protein structure determined by X-ray crystallography Max Perutz, one of the founding fathers of the technique, was disappointed. It may have gone unspoken at the time but the initial coiled, worm-shaped creation … Continue reading →

Blogging is mainly writing and writing—according to one informed source—is like having a poo. I have just seen the excellent Screenwipe, hosted by Charlie Brooker on BBC Four (that’s the TV, not the radio). It doesn’t appear to be on … Continue reading →

I’ve rolled my rock to the top of the mountain and sat down for a rest. Tonight I will allow myself a brief respite from my labours. I’ve been working very hard of late but the job is now done … Continue reading →

In the past couple of weeks I have been trying to convey to my students something of the glory of thermodynamics. It’s not an easy or popular subject, especially given the mathematical content. But I do love it so! I … Continue reading →

Quick! Look! This is a coucil flat in Southark but it’s cool and blue and rather beautiful. There was a brief report about it last night on Channel 4 News, which you can watch here. They explain how the artist … Continue reading →

The inestimable Dr Rohn has, on more than one occasion, sung the praises of the engineering prowess of her lab-mates. But in this week’s Nature music and ingenuity were combined to produce a new high note of technical wonderment. A … Continue reading →

Taking my cue from Martin’s excellent suggestion, and following Henry, Steffi, Eva and Maxine, here’s my tuppence-worth: 1. What is your blog about? Usually about 500 words… on the subject of the underbelly of science. The guts and bolts, so-to-speak. … Continue reading →

Cath Ennis wrote back in June about the reluctance of some of her colleagues to write lay summaries of their work when applying for grants. Clearly for some scientists the effort of casting their work into a form that is … Continue reading →