Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 →

Taking my cue from Ben Goldacre’s comments at SciBlog08, I’d like to unleash the power of the blogosphere. I want to see if Nature Networkers can shed any light on the interview that I heard early this morning on the … Continue reading →

My co-stars and I are €400 richer thanks to this blog becasue I am delighted to report that our recent video was awarded first prize in the competition run by the organisers of the EuFMD Meeting on the Global Control … Continue reading →

Most days you can call me Mr Molecule for I am to be found with my head buried in a thicket of atomic bonds. But every so often I pull myself free of my protein structures and take a look … Continue reading →

I couldn’t not do a quick post about this – today’s Futures story in Nature which provides an interesting medical twist on Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, a tale that resonated with me a couple of weeks back. … Continue reading →