Society of Biology

HEAR, HEAR!

2011-12-08T11:18:00.000Z

Guest blog from Mark J. Plotkin, ethnobotanist and President of the Amazon Conservation Team www.amazonteam.org

The recent debt ceiling negotiations here in Washington DC disgusted people throughout the country. And the endless media bloviating has not ceased to explicate the lack of comity and compromise: gerrymandering, uncontrollable budget deficits, political polarization, Rupert Murdoch—all of these factors and more have been picked over endlessly. But a solid potential reason for at least some of this ill feeling has not even been considered: these politicians could not seem to hear each other because they could not hear each other.

According to neurobiologist Dr. Hamilton Farris of Louisiana State University, we aging Baby Boomers and our offspring may represent the deafest humans in the history of our species. Our hearing has been under multiple assaults since childhood: massive doses of antibiotics (which can destroy auditory receptors), rock and other music (whether we were sitting next to the speakers at Woodstock or wearing ear buds adjacent to the eardrum for hundreds of hours), chemotherapy, impaired blood flow … the list of causes is long.

But recent work by Dr. Farris and his colleagues at the Smithsonian and the University of Texas are creating new possibilities for understanding hearing by studying unlikely and often unlovely subjects: rainforest frogs.

Because the physics of sound is the same for any organism, brains from crickets to frogs to humans must solve the same complex auditory problems, such as sorting sounds into groups and assigning them to their correct sources, something Baby Boomers often have trouble doing at a cocktail party. If one wants to learn how hearing happens between the ear and the brain, the lowly frog represents an excellent starting point because understanding a simple system (the frog) reduces complexity and facilitates the understanding of a more complex system (the human).

The similarities and difficulties in being able to hear at our cocktail parties and the frogs’ jungle mud puddle notwithstanding, the key to restoring hearing in hearing-impaired humans may be a better understanding of hair cells, which are the crucial components for translating vibrations in the air into electrical signals in the brain. There are over one million receptors in the eye, but only about 3,500 inner hair cells in the inner ear, meaning the loss of each hair cell is proportionately a far greater loss. Damage to or loss of our hair cells is what causes most of our deafness – and these cells do not regenerate. However, other more “primitive” creatures, like fish, turtles, birds, and frogs, can regenerate hair cells, something our greatest biologists and physicians cannot yet accomplish nor even fully comprehend.

Nor are the medical lessons that could be learned from these slimy batrachians limited to understanding hearing loss and healing deafness. The world’s coolest amphibian, the hallucinogenically-skinned giant green monkey frog of the western Amazon, has yielded compounds being studied as novel treatments both for lowering blood pressure as well as potential cures for drug-resistant strains of fungi, protozoa, viruses and bacteria—collectively, a much greater threat to our species than global recessions and gaseous politicians. A rainforest frog from Ecuador produces secretions helping us to develop new non-addictive painkillers. And the gastric brood frog from Australia was believed to hold the key to curing acid reflux, but it went extinct before it could be studied in the lab.

Sadly, frogs are disappearing faster than any other vertebrate group. Climate change, habitat loss, over-exploitation by the pet trade, and disease have led to sharp declines in amphibian biodiversity to a degree that has led researchers to dub this a “herpetological holocaust.”

How tragic, then, that we grow deafer and the frogs disappear faster. “If we continue to destroy our hearing at the current rate,” asserts Dr. Farris, “hearing aids are destined to be the eyeglasses of the 21st century.”

We all know someone who talks too much and too loudly to compensate for their hearing loss – how common is this on Capitol Hill? No less an authority than the late Helen Keller observed: “Blindness cuts us off from things, but deafness cuts us off from people.” What we (and, particularly, politicians) need to do, then, is show a bit more humility, listen more closely, protect our hearing—and better protect the frogs and other creatures that have so much to teach us.

Primatologist Jane Goodall is on the Advisory Board of the Amazon Conservation Team, and will be featured in the December Issue of the Biologist.

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Shoaling guppies project leads Franks to best biologist accolade

2011-10-03T10:37:00.002+01:00

On 23rd September Victoria Franks was crowned the Best Biology student in Europe, in this guest blog she writes about her experience winning the award.


Victoria Franks pictured with Dr Mark Downs, Chief Executive of the Society of Biology and her supervisor at Aberystwyth University Dr Rupert Marshall

When I chose to study Zoology at Aberystwyth University, I never expected the path would lead me to the glamour of a black tie award ceremony in Mayfair, and the prestige of being named as the SET award for Best European Biology Student. However, as I have loved everything that I have learned over the past three years of my course, being chosen as a representative this, and indeed biology as a whole, is a great honour.

I was entered for the award by my supervisor at Aberystwyth, Dr Rupert Marshall. The initial step in the entry process involved writing a 2000 word synopsis of a scientific project; in my case, this was my 3rd year degree project looking into social foraging behaviour in fish. After being shortlisted to one of only three applicants I then had to produce a presentation for an interview at the Society of Biology headquarters in London. I had never had to do anything like this before so I was very nervous, but nevertheless enjoyed presenting my project to biologists from different disciplines and walks of life; for some, animal behaviour was not something they normally encountered in day-to-day life so it was refreshing to have people viewing my project from a different perspective. The questioning which followed the presentation was challenging, but the judges must have liked the answers and overall impression I gave, because that evening at the award ceremony I was announced as Best Biologist!

Before being entered for the SET awards I was not aware that they even existed; however, I am so glad I was offered this experience as not only has it been a brilliant way to make contacts with those already in biological professions, but it has also given me an opportunity to gain an insight into the varied projects being undertaken by my peers across the biological disciplines, and the subsequent future of biology. Perhaps crucially, it has also given me the chance to help to inspire an interest in biology in younger generations, so that many more projects may continue to be presented for the SET awards.

Victoria’s project ‘Brains or daring? Shoaling fish follow the leader’ looked at food finding behaviour in tropical guppies. The judges felt that not only was her research project excellent, but that Victoria stood out as a great ambassador for Biology.

The SET awards provide a showcase for educational excellence by publicly recognising the exceptional achievements of both students and universities.

If you would like more information about the SET awards click here.

Ask for Evidence campaign

2011-09-29T11:46:00.001+01:00

This is a guest blog by Dr Mark Brook the Campaigns and Policy Officer for Sense About Science.

Every day, we are bombarded with scientific and medical claims that are not based on good evidence: in advertising material, product websites, advice columns, campaign statements, celebrity health fads and policy announcements. Even where there is some regulation, in advertising or trading standards, such claims keep reappearing.

Sense About Science, along with over 5,000 scientists, scientific bodies, research publishers and policy makers, don’t want people to continue getting away with making claims without supporting evidence. We want things to change, so that anyone making a claim expects to be challenged, and is made to stand by their words. The only way to do this is to get more people asking for evidence,

That is why we launched the `Ask for Evidence’ campaign, saying consumers, citizens, patients, and scientists, should demand evidence for claims. We don’t believe a scientific background is necessary to do this, but scientists should be taking the lead.

Jenna Stevens-Smith, Media and Events Executive at the Society of Biology

Photographer: Ruth Francis

To make a real difference, we need to reach as many people as possible. It is fantastic that the Society of Biology is joining many other organisations, learned societies, celebrities and patient groups in supporting this campaign. You can find photos and statements from some of them, including the Society of Biology’s Jenna Stevens-Smith, along with Derren Brown, Simon Singh, Jonathan Ross, and Dara Ó Briain, on our website.

We are collecting examples of people’s experiences of evidence hunting, which you can read here, and we would really like to hear your own stories. We have put together some advice if you’re unsure about what to do next. Putting the Ask for Evidence web-button on your own website or blog would be a great first step.

Species of the week: Geobacter sulfurreducens

2011-09-16T14:17:00.008+01:00

We hear about bacteria for lots of different reasons, and it’s unusual for many of them to be ‘good’. Indeed, the last time most people probably remember seeing bacteria make headlines was the contamination of salad vegetables with a deadly Escherichia coli strain earlier this year.

However, as any microbiologist will tell you, bacteria are an extremely diverse group of organisms, with equally diverse properties which make some of them indispensable for many aspects of our lives; including food production, digestion and water treatment.

Geobacter sulfurreducens is just one of many bacterial superheroes. In this case, its superpower is ‘bioremediation’; the use of its metabolism to remove pollutants from the environment. The bacteria make energy for growth by coupling the oxidation of organic acids (or hydrogen) to the reduction of metals, which therefore act as electron acceptors. When stimulated to grow specialised microvilli (tiny protrusions of the cell membrane), known as nanowires, G. sulfurreducens can actually use uranium as an electron acceptor. When the bacteria pass an electron to the metal, it disrupts its interaction with water, making it less soluble. The uranium then drops out of solution.

Uranium impurities can be generated at any stage of nuclear fuel production, and levels in UK soils are thought to be up to 18,000mg per kg of sediment in some areas, as a result of weapons testing. Prolonged exposure to uranium poses significant health risks; the prospect of being able to remove this chemical from our soils and water with relative ease is obviously an appealing one.

Researchers behind these most recent developments in uranium bioremediation attribute much of their work to the on-going development of genetic research tools. With the aid of these rapid advancements, the team (based in Michigan State University) were able to genetically modify a strain of the bacteria so that it had enhanced nanowire production, such that the bacterial cells’ catalytic properties were significantly increased.

In the future, the researchers see these bacteria being put to use to clear up areas with dangerously high radiation levels, such as Chernobyl and Fukushima; two cases where bacterial contamination definitely wouldn’t be seen as a ‘bad thing’.

The original paper can be viewed here.

Sources used: http://goo.gl/76g1y,http://goo.gl/VPKV3, http://goo.gl/fS4A9, http://goo.gl/kGOU9, http://goo.gl/W1o0U, http://goo.gl/xpbRB, http://goo.gl/qfWGf

Skydiving with a peregrine falcon

2011-09-09T13:26:00.002+01:00

While researching amazing facts to talk about with the visitors to BBC Bang Goes the Theory LIVE last weekend, we stumbled across this video, courtesy of National Geographic. We found ourselves recommending it to lots of people who were stunned by the birds ability to reach breakneck speeds. So here it is, in all its glory: a scientist skydiving alongside the world's fastest flying animal, the peregrine falcon.

Species of the week: The rhinoceros beetle

2011-09-09T13:00:00.002+01:00

Whether your response to the rhinoceros beetle (pictured below) is in admiration or fear, it is undeniable that the creature is wholly impressive in stature.

Image courtesty of quest4tvl5a on pixdaus.com

Though the beetle does not sting or bite, it does still possess massive power. This power comes in the form of its record-breaking weight-lifting skills. The beetle is the strongest animal on the planet (relative to size). The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is the strongest of the rhinoceros beetles, and the males are able to lift roughly 850x their own body weight. If a human were lucky enough to possess this strength, they could lift 6 double decker buses.

Male Hercules beetles can be up to 17cm long, and weigh up to 120g. The species exhibits ‘sexual dimorphism’, which means that females and males are very different in appearance. For a long time, scientists thought that they were actually separate species; only the males have horns (which make up to half of their body length). These horns are used to fight other males, burrow into wood and move obstacles (like sticks, rocks and small logs) out of its way.

Due to these wood burrowing tendencies, rhinoceros beetles are actually seen as a pest in many countries, as they can bore into young trees before they are strong enough to survive the damage. Various bio-pesticides, such as the Metarhizium anisopliae fungus, are used to control their numbers.

The Rhinoceros beetles feature in the Society of Biology’s ‘Animal Olympians’ activity, which will be showcased, along with a collection of other biological displays and experiments, as part of the Society’s interactive stand at BBC Bang Goes The Theory LIVE this weekend in Bradford.

Sources used: http://goo.gl/WkDTp, http://goo.gl/7HvyZ, http://goo.gl/F27Xx, http://goo.gl/A8IHC

Species of the week: The Arctic tern

2011-09-02T09:00:00.003+01:00

As summer comes to a close, the idea of flying off to distant lands before the chill sets in probably appeals to many of us. Of course, for many species of birds, this dream is a regular reality, as they migrate to either exploit the benefits or to escape from the dangers of living in a seasonal environment.

While some birds only migrate locally in response to extreme weather conditions, others undertake seasonal long-distance migration between land masses and sometimes hemispheres.

The most impressive avian migrator is, by far, the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea). Weighing an average of 100g, with a wingspan of 75-85cm, the birds sometimes nest just once every three years, as so much of their 30 year life span is spent in flight. The bird has the longest seasonal movement than any other animal, and move so consistently with the seasons that they only ever see long days; they experience more sunlight per year than any other creature.

Image courtesy of LindsayRs

The Arctic tern begins its 70,000km round trip in the Northern hemisphere. Several tagged birds (migrating from Iceland or Greenland) have been seen to make a key ‘fuel stop’ in the North Atlantic Ocean, before continuing on their epic journey south to their wintering grounds. Here, they take advantage of the seasonal high marine productivity by feeding on small fish and zooplankton. Strangely, these birds did not follow their same flight path home again, but made a detour of several thousand kilometres by instead flying in a northbound ‘S’ route. It is thought that this pathway takes advantage of the prevailing wind system; while following this flight path racks up more air miles than retracing the original, it is more energy efficient.

The Arctic tern features in the Society of Biology’s ‘Animal Olympians’ activity, which will be showcased, along with a collection of other biological displays and experiments, as part of the Society’s interactive stand at BBC Bang Goes The Theory LIVE this weekend in Cwmbran, Wales and next weekend in Bradford, England.

Sources used: http://goo.gl/Yl5nf, http://goo.gl/aZ8ry, http://goo.gl/y3beb and http://goo.gl/37BVx

The Selfish Gene: The Musical

2011-09-01T14:25:00.000+01:00

As this year’s Edinburgh Festival comes to a close there are not just remnants of art, music, theatre and comedy in the air. Science also had a part to play.

This year, BEX Productions brought biology to the stage with their musical based on the classic Richard Dawkins book The Selfish Gene. Written by Dino Kazamia & Jonathan Salway with music from Richard Macklin, the show's creators do not have a background in biology. So, was the science communicated well and was it entertaining?

The show features Salway playing a professor (unambiguously Dawkins), preaching his evolutionary theories to a slightly dysfunctional Adamson family who are played by a troop of Salway’s former drama students. Much to the family’s annoyance, he analyses their behaviour as a range of events unfold, relating it to the selfishness of their genes and evolutionary survival strategies.

The show is cleverly written with excellent timing that constantly left the audience in hysterics. Songs and upbeat dialogue bring key parts of the book to a variety of everyday scenarios, making the show accessible and interesting to the non-scientist. The expert will not be bored either as concepts like the battle of the sexes, altruism and the prisoner’s dilemma are all expertly entangled in the story, brought alive in creative and humorous ways. Whilst it may not be a new learning experience for the most scientifically savvy members of the audience, it is certainly an enjoyable one.

A packed audience at the final performance of their two week stint at Zoo Roxy theatre reflects the glowing reviews the show received. Kazamia and Salway plan to bring a slightly rewritten version to Edinburgh again next year. If the show gets enough support they would like to take it beyond Scotland’s capital. If the opportunity presents itself then it is a show worth watching.

Writer/Director Dino Kazamia's website

BBC Bang LIVE

2011-09-01T13:04:00.000+01:00

Now entering its fifth series, this popular BBC science magazine show has bought science back onto mainstream TV, quite literally with a Bang. This summer, BBC Bang Goes the Theory continues its tour of the UK with its unique science festival, Bang LIVE.

Jenna and Chloe will be representing the Society of Biology at the events, along with several dedicated volunteers from across the UK. Showcasing an array of hands on biological activities and experiments, whose themes range from nutrition to genetics to ecology, the enthusiastic team are geared up and ready to get stuck into science with you: the Great British public.

Fancy dabbling in the fascinating world of genetics? It’s easy when you know how, and we’ll show you! Have a go at extracting DNA from various squishy fruits.

Are you a keen sports enthusiast? Come and see how your sporting heroes compare to nature’s very own Animal Olympians.

Which common vegetable doubles up as a pH indicator? We’re getting messy with cabbage and household products.

Image courtesy of BBC

There are three dates left for the festival this year, and it’s free for everyone. Come along and get involved in Cwmbran (2^nd-3^rd September), Bradford (10-11^th September) or Manchester (22-23^rd October).

Image courtesy of BBC

For more information about the Society of Biology’s activities at Bang Live contact Jenna.

For more information about Bang goes the Theory live tour and TV show click here. You can also book tickets for the free live shows here.

Bang goes the Theory is currently showing on BBC1 on Monday’s at 7:30pm, you can also view past episodes on iPlayer.

You can place your order for an "I <3 Biology" t-shirt here.

Species of the week: The Tammar Wallaby

2011-08-25T17:05:00.009+01:00

Renowned worldwide as Australia’s iconic animal, the kangaroo is also of particular interest for a number of scientific reasons.

This week, the first sequence of a kangaroo genome was completed. The species chosen for this project was the Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii). The marsupial is the smallest wallaby species; when they are born, they are barely any larger than a single grain of rice, and they grow to be just 45cm tall. More significantly perhaps, the animal has a relatively small genome for a marsupial. Like other model species, such as the common mouse (Mus musculus) and thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) they are also easy to maintain.

So why study kangaroos? Mice are of use to many researchers who are studying human diseases and conditions, as their genome, physiology and development is very similar to ours. Alternatively, kangaroos vary enormously from humans, and so arguably are of little use to biologists studying human genetics. However, they do represent a major branch on the evolutionary tree, where mammals and marsupials diverged 130 million years ago (though the recent discovery of an unusual fossil has put this time period under scrutiny). For obvious reasons, this is particularly fascinating for evolutionary biologists.

In addition, the genome sequence of the wallaby is of interest to immunologists and biochemists alike. Like all marsupials, the Tamar Wallaby gives birth to under-developed young, after just 4-5 weeks of gestation. New-born joeys crawl across their mothers’ front to reach her pouch, within which the infant latches onto a teat while it matures. Therefore, unlike mammals, marsupial infants are exposed to the environment whilst they are still in a very vulnerable condition. The content of the kangaroos’ milk has to compensate for this, and boost the joey’s immune system appropriately. Indeed, several years ago, a compound isolated from kangaroo milk was found to be 100x more effective than penicillin, and was effective in killing 99% of the micro-organisms it was tested against, which included bacteria as well as fungi.

Image courtesy of bradypus

Sources used: http://goo.gl/PYFS3, http://goo.gl/HC70p, and http://goo.gl/1i1lW

Species of the week: The sand bubbler crab

2011-08-19T11:31:00.000+01:00

Found burrowing along the coastlines of the Indo-Pacific region, the tiny sand bubbler crab may initially look like an extremely fussy eater. Furiously gathering sand into its mouth, the creature then egests its ‘food’ from the top of its head at almost the same rate as it is eaten. In fact, the crab is filtering off the microscopic creatures and nutrients from the surface of sand particles, and egesting the grains which have been ‘licked clean’. These feeding habits bring a whole new meaning to the term ‘micro-diet’.

Emerging only at low tide, the creature works radially from the entrance of its burrow to gather its food, leaving a beautiful pattern of ‘sand bubbles’ in its wake. The crab is prone to predation from above by various sea birds, and so it always leaves itself a clear escape route back to its burrow, ready for use in times of emergency. However, some portions of crab populations have been observed abandoning their burrows. Studies have shown that these differences in behaviour can be due to individual crab size and whether or not they are pregnant. The more vulnerable individuals (ie those who are small or egg-bearing) are restricted to the typical radial patterning activities, whereas others can chose to move away from their burrow if the organic content of their surrounding sand is low.

Whatever the crab chooses to do with its precious little time at low tide, it works quickly before disappearing back inside its burrow, where it creates a small bubble of air to survive on while the tides rise once more.

Image courtesy of ISAKA Yoji

NB The name 'sand bubbler crab' typically refers to crabs of the genera Scopimera and Dotilla in the family Dotilidae.

Sources used: http://goo.gl/iK3p7, http://goo.gl/Zrss6, http://goo.gl/TU6ca

Living fossils

2011-08-17T16:55:00.003+01:00

A recent paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society adds a newly discovered eel species, Protoanguilla palau, to the list of known ‘living fossils’. This term was first used by Charles Darwin to describe species which have survived for many millions of years. This survival is made possible by their exploitation of niches which are stable enough for there to be no selection pressures significant enough to drive further evolutionary adaptation.

Protoanguilla palau was found just off the Western Pacific state of Palau, in an undersea ridge 35m below the surface of the water. Phylogenetic analysis of the animal suggests that it has been evolving independently for 200 million years; since the Mesozoic Era or ‘the Age of the Dinosaurs’. Intriguingly, the creature shares some of its morphological features with recent eels, some with fossilised eels (from the Cretaceous period), and some are primitive compared to eels from both these periods; modern and ancient. The fish therefore represents the most basal lineage of the ‘true’ eels, and as such, a new taxonomic family and genus have been created to make room for the animal in the evolutionary tree.

Image courtesy of Natural History Museum & Institute of Chiba

For the enthusiastic taxonomists among you, you can access the original paper here.

Here are some more examples of living fossils…

Orycteropus afer (the aardvark) is the only extant representative of the order Tubulidentata.

Image courtesy of Scoto Bear

Cockroaches have existed for over 350 million years.

Image courtesy of Cyron

Varanus komodoensisor (the Komodo dragon) is the largest living species of lizard.

Image courtesy of Midori

Sources used: http://goo.gl/IAlmu, http://goo.gl/UHeUZ and http://goo.gl/yfFLB

Excuses and exercise

2011-08-16T13:41:00.000+01:00

Never far from the focus of the media, the benefits of exercise have been well publicised since the 2007 UK Government predictions that, if no action is taken, 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children will be obese by 2050. Four years later, these concerns still stand strong as sedentary lifestyles remain a prominent feature in our modern culture, where little physical effort is required to lead a ‘normal’ daily routine. The use of transport and the completion of chores and jobs are rarely energy demanding activities. Access to information, goods, entertainment and even our social lives is instant and on-demand. Far from being similarly ‘instantaneous’ however, regular exercise is part of a valuable and life-long commitment.

In the UK, the NHS recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week in order to improve and maintain a healthy standard of living. However, a report published today helps to emphasise that even those with the busiest of lifestyles will find it hard to make excuses not to get active enough to make a positive difference in their health. According to the report, as little as 15 minutes a day (90 minutes a week) of moderate intensity activity can increase life expectancy by up to three years. The findings are based on an extensive study (published in The Lancet) with over 400,000 participants whose health and exercise habits were monitored and analysed for a period of just over eight years.

Though many scientists and health professionals agree that the UK exercise recommendations are the bare minimum for a healthy lifestyle, this report may help to send another message. Namely, that, however small a change you can make in ensuring that exercise is a regular part of your routine, the outcome will be advantageous. The now certified 15 minute ‘benchmark’ is as good a place a start as any to start reaping the rich benefits of regular exercise today.

Sources used: http://goo.gl/LLBqz, http://goo.gl/L3HLV, http://goo.gl/shzkU

Species of the week: The corpse flower

2011-08-12T09:52:00.003+01:00

Native to the tropical rainforests of Bengkili, Sumatra Island, Indonesia and Malaysia, Rafflesia arnoldii is one of the world’s most unusual plants, mainly because of its peculiar identity crisis.

Otherwise known as the ‘corpse flower’, it is so called due to its overwhelming stench, similar to that of a rotting corpse. The plant can not only be compared to animals (albeit, dead ones), but fungi. Parasitic to the Tetrastigma vine, the corpse flower obtains water and nutrients via thread-like strands which penetrate its host’s tissue, in a manner comparative to fungal mycelia.

The organism lacks leaves, stems and roots, yet it is still classified as a vascular plant. Indeed, it’s only typical plant-like feature is its flower, though how ‘typical’ the flower is, is somewhat debatable. Rafflesia arnoldii have the largest individual flowers on Earth; they grow up to 1m in diameter, and some have been recorded to weigh over 7kg. They only blossom for a few days during which time, the corpse like stench acts to lure in pollinating flies. The flies then have to visit both a male and female flower in order for pollination to be successful, as they are unisexual; proximity is essential for survival.

Image courtesy of ma_suska via Wikimedia Commons

Sources used: http://library.thinkquest.org/27257/rafflesia.html and http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/Rafflesiaceae/Raff.arn.page.html

Sexual Nature at NHM

2011-08-11T11:09:00.002+01:00

Open until the 2^nd October at London’s Natural History Museum, the Sexual Nature exhibition offers a defiantly quirky representation of the biology, ecology and psychology of reproduction throughout the animal kingdom. As is the modern tradition with public science communication projects, isolated and silent display cabinets are no longer acceptable, and Sexual Nature is a showpiece of this exact sentiment. Visitors can engage with a variety of specimens, creative videos, wildlife footage and interactive resources.

Soft lighting and silhouettes, opaque curtains and swooning love songs dictate the atmosphere of the exhibition, as they serve to create a surreal bubble set apart from the ambience of the rest of the museum. This feeling of separation may also owe something to the lack of young children in this particular area. Indeed, parents are advised of the sexual content, and a ‘sneak peek’ booklet is on hand at the ticket desk for those with concerns about age-appropriateness. Considering the controversial subject matter at hand however, the execution of the display minimises shock (and stifled giggles) by the juxtaposition of fact with honest yet risqué humour. In addition, the scientific nature, as well as the explicit nature, of the exhibition is made more accessible through comparisons between sex in nature and sex in a ‘human’ context.

Offering an intriguing perspective on sex as it occurs across various species across the globe, Sexual Nature serves as a refreshing complement to traditional sex education.

Image coutesy of the Natural History Museum

Species of the week: The African crested rat

2011-08-05T12:48:00.005+01:00

African Crested Rat, photo titled Lophiomys imhausi, Maned Rat by Kevin Deacon courtesy of Creative Commons

For most mammals, including elephants, the toxin from the poison arrow tree (Acokanthera schimperi) causes lethal heart attacks. However, researchers have recently discovered that the African crested rat can not only tolerate the toxin, but it can utilise it for its own defensive purposes.

The rat gnaws on the roots and bark of the tree and then smears the compound onto a tract of highly unusual black and white striped hairs on its flank. These hairs have a specialised microscopic structure which has evolved with the purpose of absorbing and retaining maximal volumes of the poison. When threatened, the rat exposes these hairs and then responds to attacks by moving appropriately to ensure that its flank of poison soaked fur is the first area to be bitten.

This discovery of the African crested rat’s unusual defence mechanism is significant for many fields of biology, raising questions and opportunities. If the physiological mechanism of the rat’s resistance to the poison could be identified, it could perhaps be harnessed for advances in cardiac research. In addition, the evolution of both the hair structure and of this unusual relationship between a tree, a rat and the rat’s predators is fascinating and unique in itself.

Sources used: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14366481 and http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2011/07/29/rspb.2011.1169

WWOOFing a gap or snap year away

2011-08-03T16:41:00.000+01:00

With intense competition for university positions and harsh times for those in search of career prospects, many young people are turning towards gap years or, increasingly, 1-2 month ‘snap years’, for a break from the stress of college and university. Taking time away from conventional institutions can facilitate a head start for competing in the harsh job market environment by generating opportunities for vital work experience.

Picture by Simon De Salis, 2010

For young (and not so young) individuals with an interest in conservation or sustainable food production, ‘WWOOFing’ on a gap or snap year can provide a means to reduce travel budgets, as well as a chance to expand horizons, experiences and perspectives. WWOOFing is a work/ homestay exchange programme, whose fond acronym originated from ‘World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms’. However, it has now evolved into a more extensive scheme, with hosts offering work in not just agriculture, but also conservation, land management and sustainable living practices. With participating farms, homes and organisations in over 30 countries, hosts offer food and accommodation in exchange for 4-6 hours’ work from their visiting ‘WWOOFer’. This work can vary enormously, from fruit picking to fence building and habitat conservation to wildlife management.

If you are interested in finding out more about WWOOFing, click here for a list of participating countries. Directories of hosts can be viewed online or in a booklet, and access of these is granted upon purchasing of membership, which varies between countries but is generally around £30 for the year.

Publishing Data?

2011-05-03T14:06:00.000+01:00

There is debate about and interest in making the archiving of research and monitoring data at universally accessible locations both easy and common. Here Peggy Schaffer presents information on the work of the Dryad initiative to promote this. Read on and why not join the debate - post a comment about your views on universal data archiving below.

When you publish your research, do you also publish the data behind it? A digital repository known as Dryad (datadryad.org) enables authors publishing in all branches of biology to archive and publish their data.

Depositing your data files in a data repository ensures that they will be permanently preserved and publicly available for other scientists. Data archiving enables scientists to validate published findings, explore new analysis methodologies, repurpose data for research questions unanticipated by the original authors, and perform synthetic studies.

The goals of Dryad are:

To preserve the underlying data reported in a paper at the time of publication, when there is the greatest incentive and ability for authors to share their data.
To assign globally unique identifiers (DOI's) to datasets, thus enabling data citations.
To allow end-users to perform sophisticated searches over data (not only by publication, but also by taxon, geography, geological age, biological concept, etc).
To allow journals and societies to pool their resources for one shared repository.
To enable bidirectional search and retrieval with data repositories from related disciplines.
To lower the burden of data sharing by providing one-stop data-deposition via handshaking with specialized repositories.

Many prominent journals have adopted the Joint Data Archiving Policy (JDAP) requiring data archiving at publication, and many UK funding agencies have mandates about making data publicly available. Dryad supports and facilitates the implementation of these policies.

Dryad is currently accepting voluntary submissions of data associated with any article in the biosciences that has been published, or accepted for publication. The advantages to authors of depositing data in Dryad include:

Visibility: Making your data available online (and linking it back to the publication) provides a new pathway for others to learn about your work.
Citability: all data you deposit will receive a persistent, resolvable, identifier that can be used in a citation, and listed on your CV. Data citation and re-use can be tracked in the same way as for print publications;Citable data is associated with increased citation rate [1]
Workload reduction: if you receive individual requests for data, you can simply direct them to the items in Dryad.
Preservation: your data files will be permanently and safely archived in perpetuity.
Impact: you will garner citations through the reuse of your data, and you can monitor the use of your data through Dryad's usage statistics (available for each data file in the repository).

Dryad is governed by a consortium of journals that collaboratively promote data archiving and ensure the sustainability of the repository. Additional societies and journals are invited to join the consortium at any time.

For more information please:

check out the Dryad Website
peruse the Dryad project wiki
read the Dryad Blog
follow Dryad on Twitter
contact the Dryad team or subscribe to the Dryad users mailing list: help@nescent.org
contact Todd Vision, Dryad project director or Peggy Schaeffer, Communications Coordinator

[1] Piwowar HA, Day RS, Fridsma DB (2007) Sharing Detailed Research Data Is Associated with Increased Citation Rate. PLoS ONE 2(3): e308. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000308

Species of the week: The money spider

2011-04-01T18:55:00.001+01:00

Money spiders (family Linyphiidae) are pretty common, there’s thousands of described species, over 270 in Britain, with a distribution that is pretty much worldwide (they have even been found walking in snow at –7 degrees). While they might not be that rare or glamorous, they do have a particularly amazing way of getting themselves around, namely ‘ballooning’ - travelling by shooting a strand of silk into the air, and then using it to ride the wind.

Picture taken by Olaf Leillinger on 2005-08-07

To get airborne a spider climbs to the top of a platform such as a blade of grass, and then faces the wind. They stand on ‘tiptoes’ point their abdomen to the sky, and then release a stream of silk from its ‘spinneret’. Once the stream catches the wind the spider will be lifted into the air, sometimes traveling over 100s of miles - perhaps one of the reasons for the wide geographic distribution of the Linyphiidae family. David has some nice footage here.

While ballooning is most often observed in young spiders, smaller adults and "immatures" of larger species can also position themselves to travel with the wind using a number of techniques. Adult females have been observed ballooning using rising thermals on hot days, and some spiders use tens or hundreds of silk strands, formed into a triangular sheet about 1m in length, to catch the wind.

One interesting aspect of this behaviour is that it seems to be influenced by the presence in some spiders of endosymbiotic bacteria such as Rickettsia and Wolbachia. These bacteria exist as endosymbionts, and have co-evolved with the spiders resulting in a relationship that benefits both species; infected female spiders have been shown to be more successful in reproduction, for example. Infected females are less likely to display ballooning behaviour, and as communities of spiders don’t become as geographically dispersed as a result, bacteria are able to spread through populations with less difficulty.

Ballooning spiders aren’t the only insects taking the aerial route to travel; recently radar technology has been used to look at the migratory patterns of insects, and found that in any given month in Britain as many as three billion insects pass overhead at a range of altitudes (termites are the highest known ‘flyers’, having been found at an altitude of 19,000 feet!) The insects are even thought to maximise the migratory distances travelled by selecting favourable winds at high-altitudes.

Budgeting for the Bio-economy

2011-03-25T16:12:00.001Z

The 2011 national budget was announced this week by the Chancellor George Osborne. Science appeared to be high on the agenda for growth, with Mr. Osborne stating that science ‘is central to our future as a place to create businesses’. The treasury’s Plan for Growth called for the country as a whole to become a world leader in ‘advanced manufacturing, life sciences, creative industries, green energy and non-financial business services’. Increasingly the life sciences interact with the creative and advanced manufacturing industries and a broad range of businesses. Life sciences not only contribute to the green economy, but evidence the need for it, in short biologists can contribute across a spectrum potential growth areas.

A detailed list of budget changes relevant to biology can be found in our news item here.

There were implications for science and biology across the board, including an additional £100 million of targeted science capital investment and a simplified tax system to encourage multinational industries, such as the pharmaceutical companies, back to the UK, announcement of a new research regulatory agency and moves to improve the pathway for clinical trials. There were several ‘green’ policies including a carbon price floor for the power sector.

We would welcome your comments on what the 2011 Budget announcements mean for you. Will the extra capital investment in science help relieve some of the burden felt by the comprehensive spending review? What will be the impact on the clinical research? What will the changes in planning laws mean for development and ecosystem services? Is this government living up to its ‘Greenest Government Ever’ promise?

Please post any comments below.

Species of the week: Leafcutter Ants

2011-03-25T16:00:00.003Z

Its Species of the Week time again with Ciaran O'Neill.

A Hondurian leaf-cutter ant, caught on film in the jungle close to La Ceiba by Malin Björnsdotter Åberg courtesy of Creative Commons.

Borrowing the theme of cuts from Wednesday’s budget, the species (plural) of the week this week are the leafcutter ants. There’s actually 47 known species, endemic to South and Central America, which live in colonies of up to ten million individuals organised into a complex social structure.

The leaf cutting ants don’t actually eat the leaves they harvest – this is part of an elaborate process of cultivating a mutualistic fungus, which in turn provides the ants with the nutrients on which they feed. Efficiency of fungal cultivation is dependent on roles played by distinct ‘castes’ of ants, based mostly on size. Large workers forage for leaves and defend the colony, while smaller workers farm the fungus and tend to the nest. There’s even a designated waste removal team.

Leafcutter ant Acromyrmex octospinosus on a stick carrying a leaf coutesy of Creative Commons

Determination of caste appears to be dependent on both nature and nurture; once caste is determined individuals develop physical adaptations that enable them to perform their role efficiently. The sharp mandibles of the larger forager ants that allow them to cut the leaves are one example, captured in action here. When these ants age and their jaws become too blunt to cut leaves, they are allowed to retire into the less strenuous role of transporting already cut leaves (how’s that for ‘big society’?).

The cultivation process is precise – leaf cuttings are chewed into small pieces and manured with ant faeces, the resulting mixture is used to grow the fungus in underground ‘gardens’. Once fresh deposits of plant material have been made, the ants deposit small tufts of fungal mycelium from established parts of the garden to encourage new growth. Recent studies have found that the ants may even play an active role in sourcing bacterial antibiotics to maintain the health of the fungi.

To further investigate the relationship between ant, fungus and bacteria involved in this intricate ecosystem, several groups are working to sequence the ‘community genome’ of the organisms involved. Shedding light on the mechanisms making this process so efficient in breaking down plant material into usable energy could well lead to innovations in the biofuel production industry.

Leafcutter ants in Colombia by the MacAllenBrothers courtesy of Creative Commons

Despite their huge size, ant colonies are headed by a single queen who only needs to mate for a short period in early life to secure enough sperm for a lifetime. Once collected, sperm is stored for as many as 20 years, with only a few sperm cells per egg on average required for fertilisation - an extreme adaptation of sperm survival and viability over long periods.

For a (really) close look at a colony of leaf cutter ants there’s a live video feed here, along with a thankfully short-lived attempt to convince us that the ants are on twitter.

Its good to talk...about science

2011-03-22T18:14:00.001Z

This is a guest blog by Dr Lucy Harper the Communications Manager for the Society for Applied Microbiology.

On the 7 February my email and twitter feed came alive! The Honorary General Secretary of SfAM (Dr Mark Fielder @markusmicrobius) had made a comment in an article which appeared on the front page of that day’s Guardian. This story was written by an excellent science correspondent, Alok Jha (@alokjha) and was about scientists in Oxford who have done some preliminary research into a new type of vaccine against influenza. The results of their data are promising and if they hold true in larger clinical trials, could have an enormous impact on the burden influenza currently has on healthcare infrastructures and economies worldwide.

I believe that scientists should engage with non-scientists and explain what they do, so to me this story was brilliant in a number of ways:

1. It generated interesting comments from scientists and also from those who aren’t scientifically trained but who see this story as important. The comments varied: from the emotional responses of members of the anti-vaccination movement, to comments of encouragement and congratulations directed at the scientists doing the work. But the point is, the story generated dialogue – a conversation between science/scientists and non-scientists.

2. It showed science as it really is. The story didn’t project an image of the work as scary, intimidating, far-removed and undertaken by white-haired old men in equally white coats amongst conical flasks of various coloured liquids (most of them steaming and bubbling) in science labs at the top of tall turreted buildings. Instead, it explained, very well, that the (female) lead scientist was encouraged by the results of her work and she was looking forward to taking it to the next level. She felt she’d made progress and this made the science relatable and human.

3. It showed science as a process of (mostly) tiny discoveries which could, with further work and evidence, lead to something which could benefit the world in which we live. Not a huge scare story, nor an enormous breakthrough. But a promising set of preliminary results which need to be tested many times in experiments and trials before they are available to the likes of you or me. Often in the media the process of science is lost amidst the need for a ‘sexy’ story. But here, the process was clear.

4. The science hadn’t yet been peer reviewed (yes I am stating this as a positive thing). Some of the comments asked: why is this being publicised without undergoing the scrutiny of peer review? My answer to this question is that science makes progress, but the majority of the hundreds of thousands of scientists in the world are making progress in their super-specialised areas in tiny tiny steps. One of these steps is getting results. All scientists know that peer review, though markedly improved since my days in the lab, can be a lengthy process. And the fact this article states the science has yet to be peer-reviewed introduces this concept to those who don’t yet know what it is, and, in equal measure, shows complete transparency in reporting.

The formation of organizations such as the Science Media Centre and Sense About Science have helped enormously in ensuring the accurate reporting of science in the media. When I asked Dr Fielder what was his main motivation for talking to the media, he said: “Because if I don’t someone else, who could be potentially less qualified, will.”….and as we’ve seen, the consequences of this could be very real.

Species of the week: Chambered Nautilus

2011-03-18T15:10:00.001Z

Welcome to our first Species of the Week Blog brought to you by Ciaran O'Neill.

The Chambered Nautilus is something of a living fossil; a relic of the Cambrian explosion of species diversity, they have remained largely unchanged in the 500 million or so years since they first flourished. Although you wouldn’t guess by looking at them, their closest living relatives are octopus, squid and cuttlefish – the diverging evolutionary paths of these cephalopods saw the internalisation, or loss, of the shell that remains exterior in the Nautilus.

Nautilus pompilus live in dimly lit waters, at a depth of around 300m, where the countershading of their shells affords them suitable camouflage from predators; blending in with the murky depths if seen from above, matching the light from the water’s surface if seen from below. To feed, they rise to shallower waters to forage for crustaceans and fish, which they capture with their tentacles (of which they have up to 90).

The Nautilus is quite ungainly in its movement (see here, probably with the sound down), however their mechanism of locomotion is as elegant as the end result is unwieldy. The Nautilus controls its buoyancy by changing the amount of gas present in the chambers of the shell, much like a submarine, adjusting this osmotically in order to rise or descend. The hyponome, a siphon that draws water into the living chamber and expels it out again, provides a jet propulsion mechanism.

Although they have rudimentary eyes, the primary sensory system used for foraging seems to be the ‘rhinopores’ – fleshy pores which have chemoreceptive cells allowing the Nautilus to detect food up to distances of around 10m.

Nautilus brains are simpler than octopus and squid, and despite the lack of developed neural structures that are present in their cephalopod cousins, recent research suggests that the animals are capable of a similar level of learning and memory. As a result they might prove important in helping to understand fundamental concepts in the evolution of the brain. One reason then for trying to protect the Nautilus from over-exploitation; harvesting of their shells as ornaments has contributed to a rapid decline in localized populations, and the species’ low fertility, late maturity and long life span could render populations unable to recover.

Are women changing science?

2011-03-16T17:35:00.000Z

Are women changing science asked Vivienne Parry at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on 9th March.
Yes and no were the answers from Vivienne’s panel of esteemed female scientists. In a candid and entertaining loose women style discussion the panel hopped around the issues of the position of women in science and more broadly in society.

The panel was made up of:

Professor Dame Sally C Davies (Chief Medical Officer and Director General of Research and Development for the Department of Health and NHS)
Professor Carol V Robinson (Dr Lee Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University)
Professor Uta Frith (Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development at UCL)
Professor Mary Collins (Director of MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology)
Liliane Lijn (Artist in Residence at NASA)
Vivienne Parry (Broadcaster, Journalist and passionate Science Communicator)

The event also celebrated the centenary of international women’s day originated in 1911 from the suffragette movement. With jewellery and textiles designed by first and second year students at St Martins presented to the celebrated female scientists. A stroke of Parry genius has transformed the presentation of the beautiful brooches and pendants into scientific heirlooms to be passed down from the current holders to future great female scientists encouraging the leading lights of today to mentor and inspire the leading lights of tomorrow. One of the most beautiful blends of science and art I have seen.

Although the event was angled at how women are changing science the conclusion was more balanced recognising that it is scientists that are changing science not men or women individually. Sally Davies emphasised that it is key that good brains do good science.

However, the entire panel agreed that women bring different attributes to the table compared to men. Most noticeably to the panel was their leadership style. Mary Collins described it as women nurturing their teams, enabling their teams to gel. Uta Frith added that women are very good at pulling two or more different ideas together and are not naturally confrontational. Liliane Lijn the only non-scientist on the panel described women as “naturally intuitive with scientists using this characteristic alongside their rational and logical approach to work and life.” What was clear was that scientists by nature are curious, they open one door and then many more doors open and questions to ask, it’s this curiosity of science that drives so many scientists.

But the real take home message for me was the inspiration and more specifically the drive. What drives these successful women to be as successful as they are? Uta Frith held her hands up to say that none of them would say their journey to where they are now was easy or without complications. But as the saying goes it’s not what obstacles that are put in front of you, it’s how you overcome them. These women have sailed through adversity and come out as inspirational role models for the next generation.

How nature lends a helping hand to economic prosperity

2011-03-07T17:51:00.000Z

Last week, the UK Network of Environmental Economists held their annual conference ‘Envecon’ at The Royal Society in London. Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Officer of Defra gave the keynote speech, reporting on the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA); the first analysis of the UK’s natural environment in terms of the benefits it provides to society and continuing economic prosperity.

The assessment is now coming to a close after commencing in in 2009, involving many government, academic, NGO and private sector institutions. The future research agenda was introduced by Professor David Raffaelli, the Director of Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability Programme; a five year research programme starting this year, which aims to contribute to our understanding of the functional role of biodiversity in key ecosystem processes.

Professor Ian Bateman presented on Economics for Ecosystem Services, introducing the Valuing Nature Network ; a NERC interdisciplinary network for valuing biodiversity, ecosystem services and natural resource use. The VNN in part aims to develop valuation methods for the contribution of natural capital and ecosystem services make to human well-being. This development complements the work of the Natural Capital Initiative with which the Society of Biology is a founding partner, which provides an inclusive independent forum for discussion to identify practical ways to account for the human benefits of natural capital at the ecosystem scale.

The rest of the day held a series of presentations on the aspects of environmental economics including economic appraisal, governance and resource management, energy and climate change and economic valuation. One highlight was a presentation by George Mackerron of LSE, on his research that uses an iPhone app to map how people's happiness is affected by their local environment. ‘Mappiness’ has already provided extensive data on the state of well-being in relation to environment across space and time in the UK. To hear more about it, visit www.mappiness.org.uk.

Regenerative medicine...at the heart of future medicine

2011-02-25T12:34:00.001Z

Today in the Journal Science, researchers have illustrated for the first time that a mammal can regenerate its heart. The mammal in question is a new-born mouse but the researchers have found that this is not a lasting effect.

The regenerative capacity observed in these 1 day old mice is not present in mice only 6 days older. Nevertheless the regenerative capacity of a mammalian heart for that brief period has stirred a lot of interest. Not least for the potential treatments that could be created once the mechanisms underlying this regenerative capacity are better understood.

Other research in this area of heart regenerative medicine has focused on fish such as the zebrafish which has a robust capacity to regenerate its heart throughout life. The British Heart Foundation has highlighted the capacity of zebrafish to regenerate their hearts in their Mending Broken Hearts campaign for more information click here.

Regenerative medicine and the growing applications of stem cells are of great interest to the public and journalists alike and scientific findings such as those in the mice mentioned above. Scientists continue to work hard growing stem cells in culture, on scaffolds and in bioreactors to encourage previously irreparable organs to heal themselves and replace damaged organs. From creating cartilaginous tracheas, to bone for jaw reconstructions or tissue engineered skin for burn victims. Regenerative medicine holds a lot of promise for the future of modern medicine and it will be interesting to see how things develop over the next few years.

Mending Broken Hearts Appeal - British Heart Foundation from British Heart Foundation on Vimeo.

Is Science a Democracy?

2011-02-10T17:34:00.000Z

Guest Blog by Faith Mayer who is a PhD Student at Imperial College London.

Over the years the implications of science and technology research have had a growing tendency to impact directly upon the general public such as GM foods and synthetic biology. There is a growing feeling that the public should be involved in helping to shape and contribute towards UK science and technology policy. Last night Sciencewise, a project launched by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to develop public dialogue, hosted an event to address the question of who should be involved in deciding which direction research in the UK should take. Could ‘people’s panels’ be a feasible way of feeding the public’s aspirations and concerns into the future of science research and policy?

Speakers included representatives from BIS, the European Commission and the BBSRC. Their opinions on the impact of a potential public panel were given and we had the opportunity to comment on key areas:

Who – just the public or involving scientists, politicians and industry
How – a virtual panel or a more traditional face-to-face discussion
Why – what would be the value for both the public and the scientists

Perhaps the most important aspects discussed were the fears and potential pitfalls for this project; similar projects have been tried before and safe guards will be needed to avoid tokenism and bias and follow-through will be essential.

It has been some time since the phrase ‘democratise science’ was first used by the UK government and it looks like the debate is set to come to a head in 2011.

A FAIR COP? Reflections on the Cancun Climate Negotiations

2011-02-10T17:13:00.000Z

Guest Blog by Prof Hugh Montgomery FSB who is a medical doctor and Director of the Institute for Human Health and Performance, UCL. He reflects on his experience at the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP16) negotiations on international action on Climate Change at Cancun in December 2010.

The reality of anthropogenic Climate Change is accepted by all serious scientists. Only a few days at COP16 confirmed that the political community has a similar level of acceptance. Why, then, does a meaningful deal seem so far away?

Well, firstly, negotiators seem to see Climate Change in purely fiscal terms. What would be the cost in dollars of acting? What is the cost in dollars of not acting? What is the cost of adaptation (‘patching up the wounds’) compared to mitigation (‘preventing injury in the first place’)? Any ecological impacts are also viewed in these terms (‘what is loss of rainforest worth?’). In this regard, the concept that ecological damage may go beyond a few tree frogs and polar bears (and that this should even matter in anything other than aesthetic terms) seems lacking.

Secondly, any human impacts seem not to be considered at all. In talking to delegates and negotiators, few (if any) were aware of the scale and severity of the impacts of Climate Change on human health and survival. Most felt that, even if there was an impact, it was likely confined to ‘some disease, some drought, and some migration’ and that (as one told me) ‘The World Health Organisation will be able to deal with that’. Of course, we face health impacts through drought, flooding, loss of habitat from extreme weather events, crop failure and starvation, altered disease vectors, direct heat injury, poverty, mass migration and possibly war.
Thirdly, there is a rhetoric which suggests that all such impacts will be manageable by spending money. They won’t be. Outside science fiction, the lives or animals (or humans) can’t be recreated through molecular biology.

Finally comes the issue of ‘equity’. The developed nations say that they cannot and will not strangle their economic wealth by action, thereby giving advantage to competitors. The developing nations, meanwhile, point to the fact that historical emissions from the developed world far `exceed their fair share’. Even if the West ceased all emissions, goes the argument, this would not be enough: developing nations should be allowed to rise from poverty, and the only scalable energy sources are fossil fuels.

And there we have the nub. The political class all agree that we face a calamity. They all agree that urgent action is needed. But, somehow, there is a sentiment that we can ‘negotiate with physics’, and that such action might be deferred, or left to others. The only difference is that it won’t be they who suffer. It will be the world’s ecosystems- of which their own people are part.

Do you question what you see?

2011-01-28T15:13:00.002Z

Things are not always as they seem, and today’s video(s) of the week is no exception. It’s a mini experiment by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons about selective attention.

Along the gorilla theme you may well have seen Ambam the gorilla in the news this week videoed and photographed standing and walking like a human. If not? Then I suggest you watch the video below…

Ambam, walking gorilla
Uploaded by Howlett1992. - Discover more animal videos.

The thing that struck me when I first saw this video was how mesmerising it was to watch Ambam walking and standing around. He looked so human and it emphasises how closely linked we are to gorillas and other apes.

Dr Charlotte Uhlenbroek who is a primatologist has written a great article in the Mail about Ambam and her personal experiences with gorillas to have a read click here.

The Chabris and Simons experiment illustrates that not only are we missing a lot of what goes on around us, but we have no idea that we are missing so much. We live in an incredibly sensory world and what we see, hear, feel, taste and smell making a big impact on us.
From a scientific perspective Richard Feynman’s Ode on a Flower beautifully illustrates how scientific understanding and knowledge only adds to beauty of the world around us.

For more information about the Chabris and Simons experiment click here.

Application of genetic modification to control bird flu

2011-01-27T17:48:00.000Z

This is a guest blog by Professor Helen Sang from The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh.

My colleague, Laurence Tiley from the Cambridge University Department of Veterinary Medicine, with members of our research groups and in collaboration with the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, published a paper describing the production of genetically-modified chickens that, when infected with bird flu, do not pass the infection on to other chickens in a flock.

This is the first step to using genetic modification to make chickens completely resistant to bird flu. Genetic modification is a process where we use precise molecular biology techniques to introduce a new gene into the chicken chromosomes. In our work we added a novel gene that causes synthesis of a small molecule that mimics part of the bird flu virus genome and stops the flu virus reproducing after infecting a chicken, halting the spread of the disease.

This could significantly reduce the spread of bird flu in large production flocks, cutting economic losses and reducing the animal welfare issues associated with bird flu, as if a flock is infected with bird flu all the birds have to be slaughtered. It also has the potential to reduce the chances of bird flu infecting people working with chickens, a potential risk that could start a novel flu pandemic.

This research is early stage and this genetic modification will not be used in poultry for human consumption until it has been licensed by the food regulatory authorities.

For the BBC report about GM Chickens click here.

The sting of homeopathy as a treatment for malaria

2011-01-21T10:48:00.000Z

This is a guest blog by Julia Wilson who is Communications Officer and VoYS Coordinator at Sense About Science. Sense About Science is a small charity that equips people to make sense of science and evidence.

In 2006, following on from investigations by Sense About Science into homeopathic pharmacies, BBC’s Newsnight showed footage of homeopaths not only recommending homeopathy as a protection against malaria, but also failing to encourage appropriate measures to protect against insect bites. The footage showed one homeopath explaining to the undercover researcher that the remedy would “fill a malaria-shaped hole in her living energy”.

In the first Newsnight programme of 2011, they showed that at least one of the pharmacies in question in 2006 continues to market ineffective homeopathic “protection” against malaria.

Less than a week after the programme aired, we heard that the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which has a statutory responsibility to regulate pharmacists, has dropped two cases against pharmacies offering homeopathy to protect against malaria. These were cases they were investigating since we reported on the pharmacies in 2006.

Homeopathy, though marketed as a “safe”, “natural” and “holistic” treatment can cause huge harm when recommended as an alternative to a life saving treatment. This “medicine”, with no active ingredient, no scientific explanation of how it could work and no evidence that it does work should be clearly labelled with a public warning explicitly stating that it doesn’t work.

It is so important that the scientific and medical community speaks out about the promotion of cures and treatments that are not based on evidence. In August 2009 our Voice of Young Science (VoYS) network were shocked to discover that homeopaths are setting up clinics in Africa and claiming to treat HIV, malaria, TB, infant diarrhoea and influenza. In response, VoYS wrote an open letter to the World Health Organisation (WHO), calling on the body to condemn the promotion of homeopathy for the treatment of these diseases.

They received comments from individual disease departments at the WHO stating that they do not recommend homeopathy for the treatment of these diseases. This was a fantastic response and VoYS sent these comments to every Health Minister in the world hoping to raise awareness of the WHO’s position and support people who are trying to take a stand against these dangerous practices. If no one speaks out about these issues, people will think it is acceptable to carry on promoting untested medicines for life-threatening disease.

For further information about Sense About Science’s investigations into homeopathy and malaria click here.

A question of flu…

2011-01-18T12:31:00.001Z

It is that time of year again, sadly I am not referring to post Christmas health kicks or the January sales, but flu. Flu and its ability to hit the headlines has been a regular component of our winter news for a number of years.

This year, the headlines have surrounded the limited amount of flu vaccine available, with doctors worried that some high risk patients may not get vaccinated.

Research published recently in the Journal of Experimental Medicine suggested the possibility of a flu vaccine which would work on multiple strains. Click here for more information.

The issue with the influenza virus every year is that it changes, with the famous variations of bird and swine flu over the last few years to other less exotically named strains. Therefore, a vaccine which could protect a patient against multiple strains would be both cost effective and superior to protection against a single strain of flu.

The big public interest angle this month has been the availability of vaccines for high risk groups. The Government has been blamed for not running its ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ campaign in the run up to flu season for the poor uptake of the flu vaccine.

A good source of information on swine flu can be found on the Society for General Microbiology website including a podcast about ‘Swine flu: communicating with the public’ and through their publications which can be found here.

Is red tape holding back medical research in the UK?

2011-01-12T17:38:00.001Z

This post is a guest blog by Becky Purvis who is Policy & Public Affairs Manager for the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC).

The UK is brilliant at medical research, but doing medical research in the UK is a very complicated process. We have a very complex regulatory system which has been developed to protect all those involved in research and ensure the very best practice is used. But the process is so complex and there is lots of duplication and a lack of joined-up thinking which means that it can take ages to get the go ahead to do a piece of research. Cancer Research UK found that, after it’s funding for a study has been agreed, it takes an average of 621 days to recruit the first patient. This is a big disincentive to doing research in the UK which, if it carries on like this, could mean investors choose to fund research elsewhere and the UK will slip from being a brilliant place to do medical research.

Last year, the government asked the Academy of Medical Sciences to conduct a detailed review, taking a snapshot of the system as it is operating now, identifying the big problems and recommending how we can solve them to create a lean, streamlined system worthy of the high calibre research we want to do.

This was kicked off under the Labour government, but the new coalition government built on this project when they announced reforms to the National Health Service. They reviewed the NHS arm’s length bodies, several of which, such as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which regulates research using embryos, and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) which regulates research using human tissues, are involved in regulating research and announced plans to streamline the system, creating a single regulator of research. But they held off from bashing out the details of how they were going to do this, awaiting the Academy’s findings to inform and shape their approach.

The Academy’s recommendations which came out on Tuesday are going to be very influential in how the government changes the regulation of research in the UK. Their solution is effectively to redesign the pathway of regulation that research proposals travel through and includes:

Creating a single Health Research Agency as a one-stop-shop regulating research which will work closely alongside the MHRA as it regulates clinical trials.
Making the NHS more research-friendly
Taking action to streamline the regulation of clinical trials and working to revise the EU Clinical Trials Directive which governs the regulation of clinical trials across Europe and has lots of problems which need ironing out Developing a system where patient data can safely and securely be used for research

The proposals are very detailed, you can read the report here – the exec summary is very clear - and I’ve done a quick summary here.

The government welcomed the report and will now be considering how to implement its recommendations. A lot of the proposals can be started on before any legislation is put in place, but many others will require primary legislation, meaning it will have to be debated and agreed by Parliament. Some things will move faster and some slower over the next few years, all with a plan to iron out some of the challenges facing researchers at the moment.

This is where we, as the funders and doers of research, are going to need to get stuck in to make sure the government’s eventual plan really does achieve this; putting the interests of the people who stand to benefit from research at its very heart.

If you want to know more about what medical research charities are doing to raise these issues, keep an eye on here at the AMRC Policy Blog or the AMRC CEO Blog or do get in touch at b.purvis@amrc.org.uk.

It’s going to be interesting, there will be a lot of debate and disagreements along the way and we’ve got our work cut out but over the next few years we can expect to see dramatic changes to the way medical research is regulated and governed in the UK.

What do you think is the top breakthrough in Biology?...the results.

2011-01-11T13:52:00.001Z

Inspired by Robert Winston’s “How Science has changed our world” on BBC1 the Society of Biology decided to ask you what you thought the top breakthrough was in biology from our selection.

In a close run contest with two front runners from an early stage the theory of evolution topped the poll with the discovery of DNA coming a close runner up.

Remaining votes were spread between decoding the human genome, stem cell research, smallpox vaccine, photosynthesis, bioimaging, and GM foods. No one who voted chose cell cycle or IVF as their top breakthrough in biology.

What we at the Society of Biology found interesting when considering the top 10 breakthroughs was the prominence of genetics. The discovery of DNA and decoding of the human genome are two hugely influential breakthroughs in biology, but the decoding of the human genome would not have been possible if Watson and Crick had not solved the structure of DNA.

The results of Robert Winston’s “How Science has changed our world” where he selected his top 10 scientific advances of the past 50 years were as follows:

The microchip (37.3%)
The Internet (18.7%)
Stem cell research (14.3%)
Decoding the Human Genome (10%)
The laser (6.2%)
Evidence for the Big Bang (6.1%)
MRI scanning (3.9%)
IVF (2.8%)
The Contraceptive Pill (2.7%)
Bio-mechanics (2.1%)

The 10 top breakthroughs in Biology...

2010-12-24T11:37:00.000Z

Inspired by Robert Winston’s “How Science has changed our world” on BBC1 yesterday we have come up with a poll of our own, about breakthroughs in Biology. The 10 breakthroughs we have chosen are not an exhaustive list, if you think we’ve missed a crucial biological breakthrough out then please comment at the end of this blog.

The top 10 breakthroughs in Biology are as follows…

Discovery of DNA
Decoding the Human Genome
Cell cycle
Stem cell Research
Theory of Evolution- Darwin
Smallpox Vaccine
Photosynthesis
GM Foods
Bioimaging
IVF

To vote for your top breakthrough please click on the poll to the right of the blog post.

Why not give the gift of Biology this Christmas?

2010-12-23T17:34:00.001Z

Christmas is fast approaching, and if you haven’t got all your presents yet…or are looking for one or two more stocking fillers why not give the gift of science? From books to microscopes, CSI and explorer kits to skeletons...here are our selection of the science toys out there.

Books
The newest addition to the New Scientist series:
Why Can’t Elephants Jump
One of the best books I’ve ever read:
Bill Bryson-A short history of nearly everything
The children’s version of the book is also available.

Microscopes
The science museum stocks a selection of child friendly microscopes…
Under £50 or Over £50

Human Body
Build, learn and have fun with the Hamley’s skeleton and anatomy sets

For the Explorer
Optical Illusions
Forensics

For the Chemists
For the Physicists

…and just because I’ve always wanted one

If you have suggestions of other great biology toys and/or books post your comment below.

Merry Christmas from the Society of Biology!

Do they know its Christmas/ hibernation time at all?

2010-12-23T12:12:00.000Z

The smell of mulled wine, the writing, wrapping and receiving of Christmas cards and presents, decorating your Christmas tree, Christmas parties, secret Santa, snow, Christmas carols, watching Christmas films like Elf, eating too many mince pies, the coca cola advert, the switch on of Christmas lights and the hustle and bustle of Christmas markets are just some of the signs that show me that Christmas is coming.

But just before Christmas another big event is occurring in the animal kingdom…hibernation. Just as many humans immerse themselves in the Christmas spirit hibernating animals such as squirrels, dormice and hedgehogs prepare for hibernation.

Hibernation is an extended period of deep sleep, which allows animals to survive winter extremes when food is scarce or has little energy value. During hibernation the metabolic rate and body temperature are reduced to enable survival through cold periods.

The big difference between hibernation and Christmas is biological. Hibernation is induced by a Hibernation Induction Trigger (HIT) in the plasma of the blood of winter-hibernating animals.

Like Christmas, preparation for hibernation can take some time, in autumn as the leaves on the trees are changing colour and the temperature begins to drop hibernating animals will begin to stock up on food, building up their fat reserves which they will feed off over the hibernating period. One hibernating animal, the arctic ground squirrel will double its normal body weight in preparation for hibernation, which it needs as it has been shown to drop its body temperature to minus 3 degrees centigrade!

In the final few days in the run up to Christmas spare a moment to think of our hibernating mammal counterparts, who if all their preparations have gone to plan should be in a deep sleep right now.

The story of the children and the bees…

2010-12-22T12:17:00.000Z

Once upon a time there was a school not so for away where children were inspired by science and a scientist called Beau Lotto to do some research. One magical day the research got published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters crowning the children of Blackawton Primary School the youngest ever published scientists.


Children at Blackawton Primary School and authors of the recent Royal Society paper about vision of bumble-bees.

This may sound like a fairytale but it is actually a true story.

The research undertaken by the 8-10 year olds investigated the vision of bumble-bees by utilising coloured games created by the children and training the bees with a sugar syrup. The study is both novel in its science and its conception, with no references to past literature and written in ‘kids speak’. The study was driven by the curiosity of the children in understanding the world around them. Curiosity as a motivation for scientific research can be lost as research becomes more complex and grant application deadlines loom, so it's nice to get a reminder of the basic curiosity which has driven science for thousands of years.

This study, complete with hand drawn diagrams, is an example of how school science can be truly innovative. The children of Blackawton School wrote in their paper:

“We discovered that bumble-bees can use a combination of colour and spatial relationships in deciding which colour of flower to forage from. We also discovered that science is cool and fun because you get to do stuff that no one has ever done before.”

This insightful nature carries on throughout the paper; here are some of our favourite quotes…

Of the origins of the research:
“We see bees in the natural habitat doing what they do, but you do not really see them doing human things—such as solving human puzzles like Sudoku.”

“…So it makes you wonder if they could solve a human puzzle. If they could solve it, it would mean that they are really smart, smarter than we thought before, which would mean that humans might have some link with bees. If bees are like us in some way, then understanding them could help us understand ourselves better.”

Of coming up with hypotheses:
“We came up with lots of questions, but the one we decided to look at was whether bees could learn to use the spatial relationships between colours to figure out which flowers had sugar water in them and which had salt water in them.”

Of the context of their study:
“This experiment is important, because, as far as we know, no one in history (including adults) has done this experiment before.”

“It tells us that bees can learn to solve puzzles (and if we are lucky we will be able to get them to do Sudoku in a couple of years' time).”

To read the paper in full click here.

NB Things to put an even bigger smile on your face…the introduction to the paper ‘once upon a time’ and the ‘duh duh duuuuhhh’ in the methods section.

To fund or not to fund? That was the Government's dilemma....

2010-12-21T16:55:00.001Z

Two months ago the Government announced the fate of science funding in the comprehensive spending review. Yesterday, while the rest of society may have preoccupied with snow and last minute Christmas preparations, the science community eagerly awaited details of the allocation of science and research funding.

Image from the Science is Vital campaign held in the run up to the science funding announcements in October.

The allocation of research funding was largely expected but the detail hides some nasty surprises with financial support for gender equality in science slashed and “science and society” funds heavily hit.

David Willetts MP, Universities and Science Minister said of the announcement:

“This is a strong settlement which demonstrates the importance the Coalition Government places on science and research.”

The announcement detailed the distribution of funds among the seven research councils, HEFCE, National Academies, UK Space Agency and other programmes such as Science and Society. The Society of Biology has particular interests in the MRC, NERC and BBSRC (medical, natural environment and biotechnology and biological sciences).

Compared to the previous CSR which was in 2007 all research council funding was down in real terms. The cash cut of 3% for NERC and BBSRC represents a real terms cut of 12%, whilst the welcome 5% cash increase for MRC still needs to be off-set against inflation.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, times of austerity have encouraged interdisciplinary research across Research Councils with novel, multidisciplinary approaches seen to be key in solving many of the big research challenges over the next 10 to 20 years.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) have highlighted six priority areas, which are:

Global uncertainties: security for all in a changing world
Living with environmental change
Digital economy
Ageing: Lifelong health and wellbeing
Energy
Global food security

NERC and MRC play a major role in the priority areas of interdisciplinary research with NERC contributing £305m to the Living With Environmental Change (LWEC) programme and MRC contributing £83m to Ageing: Lifelong health and wellbeing. BBSRC contributes £102m funding across these two priority areas of research.

The impact that the allocation of funding announcements will have on biology will become clearer in due course with research council administration allocations still to be made and further details still to emerge. Overall the allocations have reflected the Government’s recognition of the role of bioscience in tackling major challenges, which the Society of Biology wholeheartedly supports. However, the impact of higher than expected capital funding cuts will remain to be seen.

Dawn Chorus ...with a difference

2010-12-17T11:49:00.000Z

This video is an example of the artistic interpretation of science and nature. Marcus Coates has recorded bird song then slowed it down by 25 times, played the slowed down version to human singers, recorded them singing the slowed down version before speeding the human recording back up to the 25 times original of the birds.
...et voilà a Human Dawn Chorus!

Differences in science communication around the world and 10 years on...

2010-12-16T13:55:00.000Z

Wellcome trust hosted the British Council’s Science and Society event. Delegates came from all over the world including Africa, Brazil, Turkey, Lithuania, New Zealand, Japan and the UK to discuss debate and share experiences of public engagement.

The meeting marked the 10 year anniversary of the publication of the highly influential report by the House of Lords’ Science and Technology Committee. The report acknowledged the critical relationship between science and society, a relationship which still rings true today.

The four themes highlighted in the House of Lord’s 2000 report, the 2010 expert group report and the conference were:
1.    communicating uncertainty and risk
2.    engaging the public
3.    science and education in schools
4.    science and the media

In his plenary speech Rt Hon Lord Jenkin of Roding the president of the House of Lord’s report talked of the importance of both your ears and voices in good public engagement. Emphasising the necessity of two-way conversations about science and society but also the need for a certain level of scientific literacy, saying that it is not possible to ask lay members of the public about specialist subjects such as synthetic biology without an understanding of science.

More details of the themes of the sessions will follow but my take home messages from the conference were that the issues that we encounter in the UK are occurring globally, and I hope this realisation and the contacts made at the conference will continue to encourage cross pollination and sharing of ideas and best practice of public engagement of science worldwide.

Video of the week: Is it a fish, is it a snake? No it is definitely a mimic octopus

2010-12-10T15:17:00.001Z

Master of disguise and of interest to marine biologists, the mimic octopus can impersonate a number of different animals.

The octopus draws on its mimic capabilities to protect itself from the dangers of the deep sea. The animals that it can impersonate include a venomous lion fish, a sea snake and a poisonous fish called the flatfish.

Scientists think that the mimic octopus’s (Thaumoctopus mimicus) unusual response to danger has evolved over time. The impersonation traits are advantageous to the octopus, enabling them to fool predators, at least for a short while, that they are a poisonous marine neighbour such as a venomous lion fish.

Where are all the female scientists?

2010-12-09T16:02:00.000Z

30% of researchers and only 8% of professors are female

This is the fact which is worrying the UKRC whose aim is to advance gender equality in science, engineering and technology. The UKRC have recently funded research to investigate how women in SET are portrayed in online media. The report titled Monitoring the presence and representation of women in SET occupations in UK based online media found that women were a statistical minority in online texts and that they had a muted representation on websites such as Wikipedia.

The UKRC have today posted a list of 34 female scientists who could be considered as the female version of Brian Cox. Professor Brian Cox has stirred a lot of media interest following his enigmatic presenting style and incorrigible love of physics.

The response from UKRC comes after Alom Shaha‘s Guardian Blog asking ‘Where's the female Brian Cox?’ The apparent absence of female scientists on TV is of paramount importance if we are to capitalise on the current Golden Age of science on TV.

One of the top contenders in the UKRC list and applauded in the Guardian Blog is Dr Jenny Rohn a cell biologist at University College London. Dr Jenny Rohn has written a thought-provoking piece in Nature News today encouraging the need for women to speak up. From internal meetings as a PhD student to international conferences female scientists need to be confident to ask questions, encourage and contribute to debate standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts.

Whether Dr Jenny Rohn or an undiscovered female scientist will reach the heights of science celebrity that Professor Brian Cox has remains to be seen. However, the overarching message from all of these articles and lists is that there are young aspiring female scientists out there who need a female role model.

Could starfish slime inspire new inflammatory medications?

2010-12-09T14:28:00.004Z

Spiny Starfish whose slime is of medical interest

Today it was reported that a species of starfish found in Scotland could inspire new medicines. The starfish in question is the spiny starfish (Marthasterias glacialis), and the slimy goo that it produces.

Starfish produce this protective slime to stop marine life, bacteria and viruses sticking to them. The reason this non-stick property is of interest to scientists is the potential application to the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as asthma.

Inflammation is a natural response to injury or infection, with white blood cells recruited to the areas of damage. In inflammatory diseases such as asthma the immune system response is exaggerated.

The way that the function of the starfish slime could benefit those suffering from inflammatory conditions is by coating their vessels with the active ingredient of the slime thus discouraging white blood cells and other inflammatory cells to attach to the vessel walls.

Further research is underway to investigate what molecule is causing the non-stick effect in starfish so it can be harnessed for future medical usage.

The marine biologist behind these findings is Dr Charlie Bavington based at the Scottish Association for Marine Science. The Scottish Association for Marine Science are a Member Organisation of the Society of Biology.

To view a video and the BBC report of the Starfish Click Here.

What’s black and white and not found all over?

2010-12-07T13:52:00.002Z

Playing dress up is usually reserved for kids birthday parties or one spooky night a year but one group of scientists are defying the laws of fancy dress. I'm sure most of you have had plenty of opportunity to coo and chuckle at the Chinese human-pandas splashed across the news. Whilst images like these certainly bring a smile to even the most hardened face, what exactly is the scientific reason (or excuse) for sporting a Giant Panda suit?

The conservationists from Hetaoping Research and Conservation Centre pictured are going to extra lengths to prepare this panda cub for release into the wild. The black and white suits are a method employed by the centre to try and ensure human contact remains as limited as possible to help with successful integration of the panda into its natural habitat. The centre also uses other interesting tools to train pandas to breed successfully such as DVDs about sex and rearing young.

Photographs like this remind the public about the importance of conservation and help endangered species like the panda gain some much needed support. There is no denying that pandas are adorable which makes this sort of media coverage relatively easy to obtain. The same could be said of other well known threatened species such as tigers and polar bears.

It is vital for the plight of other, more obscure, creatures to be recognised by a wider audience. One programme that aims to address this issue is the EDGE of Existence programme run by our member organisation the Zoological Society of London. This programme selects some of the most poorly known and neglected Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species for conservation attention in order to ensure their protection. Attenborough's Long-beaked Echidna and the Pygmy Hippopotamus are among the eleven focal species in the project. EDGE’s conservation efforts include supporting local researchers, monitoring and protection programmes and establishment of wildlife corridors.

So whilst these panda outfits are cute and send out a clear conservation message it is also worth thinking about other forgotten and at-risk species that don’t make you feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

For more information about Giant Pandas check out the WWF website here. To read the Guardian’s news story on the scientists and pandas click here.

What are stem cells and how are they giving hope to those with multiple sclerosis?

2010-12-06T11:49:00.001Z

Multiple sclerosis sufferers have been given hope today by researchers. The brain’s own stem cells were encouraged to repair the damaged myelin sheaths around the nerve fibres of the brain.

The myelin sheath, a fatty insulatory layer around the nerve fibres, enables messages to be transmitted from the brain to anywhere in the body. The loss of the myelin sheath leads to the condition Multiple Sclerosis, symptoms of the disease include difficulties with balance and dizziness, fatigue, visual problems such as blurred or double vision, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, stiffness or spasms in muscles - sometimes called 'spasticity', tremor, and speech difficulties to name but a few.

MS is the most common disabling neurological disease among young adults and affects around 100,000 people in the UK. The onset of MS is between the ages of 20 and 40, and women are almost twice as likely to develop it as men. Once diagnosed MS is with you for life, and although current treatments can relieve and manage symptoms, currently there is no cure.

Stem cells are cells which can develop into a number of different cell types. Different types of stem cells have varying potential of the number of cells which they can develop into. In this research a signalling pathway was identified which encourages the brain’s own stem cells to repair damaged myelin sheath. The aim of this research was to slow the progression of MS with the eventual aim of stopping and reversing it. The researchers hope to do this by using the newly identified signalling pathway as a target for drugs which can stimulate the regenerative stem cell response.

It will be a good few years (10-15 years) before this research makes it to the clinic, but this study shows that researchers are taking steps in all the right directions.

For more details about Multiple Sclerosis go to the MS Society website.

Student blog and top career tips from the Life Science Careers Conference

2010-12-03T17:53:00.002Z

On the 24th November Steven Forrest attended the Society of Biology Life Science Careers Conference. The event, staged at Kings College London, was a meeting point for undergraduate biology students from across the country.

Students were greeted by a range of biology companies and learned societies in the main exhibition area. After stocking up on refreshments students headed to the main lecture theatre for a series of 15-20 minute talks from a range of interesting speakers. The event was chaired by Professor Ottoline Leyser (University of York). For a full list of speakers and companies that attended Click here. http://www.societyofbiology.org/education/careers/lscc/kcl

Steven Forrest, a 3rd year Science Communication Undergraduate at Royal Holloway University of London, pulled together the most useful websites he learnt about from the talks and his 5 Top Tips that he is taking away from the event.

Steve’s 5 Top Tips:

Biomedical Scientists are crucial to the NHS.
Getting Research Funding is hard and you will more than likely get rejected a few times before being successful.
You should develop a ‘vision’ of where you want to go BUT still be prepared to change your mind and take opportunities that come your way.
CV Referees should be asked and given a copy of your CV before you list them as references.
Bullet Points help emphasise key points in your CV and stop you from waffling.

Useful Links:
Vitae - Information on a Career in Research
Careers Tagged – Graduate Information
New Scientist
Information on Clinical Careers
Science Policy – Getting Involved with Scientific Debates
Kings College London Careers Advice
The Careers Group, University of London

For more information on careers check out the Society of Biology website.

Have the building blocks of life changed as we know it?

2010-12-03T15:44:00.004Z

A paper published in Science yesterday has stirred a lot of media interest…with initial calls of aliens and extraterrestrial life on Earth.

The bacteria found in Lake Mono, California are not the first discovered alien life-form but an incredibly interesting astrobiological finding. The bacterium in question is a strain of the Halomonadaceae family of proteobacteria known as GFAJ-1.

The new found bacteria thrives in the arsenic-rich waters of Mono Lake in California

The fascinating finding in this bacterium is the integration of arsenic, an element poisonous to humans, into the DNA and biochemistry of the bacteria. Prior to this research the existence of life had been based on the presence of some essential elements, namely carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus. These essential elements are disrupted by the replacement of phosphorus with arsenic.

Phosphorus plays a crucial role in the phospholipid bilayer present in cell membranes, as the mode of energy transport through the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and its conversion process from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and inorganic phosphate (iP) and in the maintenance of DNA and RNA structure.

Arsenic is in the same group of the periodic table as phosphorus which means that they have similar chemical properties. The proven replacement of elements by others in the same group in the periodic table is puzzling and intriguing scientists.

The questions that this microbe raises by surviving and growing without one of the essential elements of life are multiple. What other elements could be replaced? If more elements are replaced can we truly call them essential elements at all?

However, the question which has caught media attention is the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Previous searches for extraterrestrial life have focused on detecting the presence of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus on planets or in the atmosphere, but if they are not so essential has some ‘life’ been overlooked?

These questions remain to be answered, but the work by Felisa Wolfe-Simon, the geomicrobiologist and NASA Astrobiology Research Fellow behind this work is shedding light on the new body of questions.

For the Abstract of the paper Click here.

Cancer biologist wins Royal Society Accolade

2010-12-02T14:33:00.003Z

Yesterday, biologist Dr Stephen West FRS, was awarded the Royal Society GlaxoSmithKline Prize for his contribution to medical science. At the award ceremony, Stephen gave a presentation about his work on DNA repair and cancer.

DNA, due to its complex chemical nature, is unstable and prone to breaking but cells have mechanisms in place to repair these breaks and maintain the integrity of their DNA. Unrepaired or incorrectly repaired DNA can cause mutations, and accumulation of these mutations can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and cancer.

Dr Stephen West’s research has focused on DNA repair mechanisms, and the key role of the protein BRCA2. BRCA2 is known as a breast cancer susceptibility protein, and having a mutation in the gene that codes for BRCA2 leads to a 70% chance of developing cancer. Following the successful purification of the BRCA2 protein, research has focused on investigating how it functions in DNA repair. West's group found that BRCA2 binds to both DNA break sites and the enzymes needed to repair the break, meaning that BRCA2 acts as a ‘landing pad’ for the repair enzymes on the broken DNA.

Stephen concluded the lecture with a positive message, telling the audience that although mutations in BRCA2 lead to faulty DNA repair and cancer, this could be exploited as a potential cancer treatment. In tumours with BRCA2 mutation, DNA repair can be further disrupted using drugs to inhibit the repair processes, and DNA damage accumulates to the point where the cancerous cells die. This work is in clinical trials at the moment.

Dr Stephen West works at the London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK. For more details Click Here.

Finger length: What is the Science about?

2010-12-01T13:59:00.001Z

Finger length has now been linked to prostate cancer risk, a study suggests

The study published in the British Journal of Cancer suggested that men whose index fingers were longer than their ring finger were significantly less likely to develop prostate cancer.

A few weeks ago other research published in the Journal Personality and Individual Differences, suggested that the longer the ring finger compared to the index finger of a man’s hand the more chance the man is to be a risk taking, competitive alpha male.

But what is the science behind the associations between finger length ratio and prostate cancer risk and male personality traits?

The reason is testosterone, the male sex hormone. In both men and women levels of testosterone exposure in the womb is when finger length is determined. It is not surprising those male dominant characteristics such as aggression and competitiveness are associated with higher testosterone levels.
In the study where the link with prostate cancer was investigated, researchers compared the hands of 1,500 prostate cancer patients with 3,000 healthy men. Concluding that exposure to less testosterone before birth results in a longer index finger and may protect against prostate cancer later in life. Once these findings are confirmed by further studies, the simple test of finger length could become a useful tool in assessing prostate cancer risk.

This research adds to growing body of evidence that suggests that the balance of hormones we are exposed to before birth influences our health for the rest of our lives.

For more information on Prostate Cancer check out the Cancer Research UK’s Key Facts here.

Kids this is not an excuse not to wash, but...research suggests that extreme cleanliness could lead to allergies

2010-11-29T16:31:00.000Z

Research by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggests that over exposure to certain substances could increase the risk of suffering from allergies. The two substances in question were Triclosan and Bisphenol A. Triclosan can be found in antibacterial soaps, toothpaste and pens, whereas Bisphenol A is found in many plastics.

Triclosan and Bisphenol A are environmental toxicants and are classed as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDC), which mean they can negatively impact health by altering the hormonal and homeostatic systems that allow us to communicate and respond to our environment.

In 2009 following the growing interest in the possible health threat posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals The Endocrine Society published their first Scientific Statement on EDC. Where the evidence that endocrine disruptors have effects on male and female reproduction, breast development and cancer, prostate cancer, neuroendocrinology, thyroid, metabolism and obesity, and cardiovascular endocrinology was presented.
To read this paper in full Click Here.

The danger of being super clean stems from the lost benefit of some good micro organisms to our immune system. This benefit is especially prevalent in young people whose immune system is still developing.

An interesting finding from this study was the age dependent affect of the Bisphenol A and Triclosan. Triclosan tended to affect younger people with an increased diagnosis of hay fever and allergies reported. But higher levels of Bisphenol A exposure were reported in the over 18s suggesting that the immune system may not be able to function properly.

The presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals will continue to be a topic of scientific and popular debate but with more good scientific research and advisory documents such as those from the Society for Endocrinology the future is looking a much rosier place.

For the full article about this study and more links Click Here.

The First Video of the Week: Squid Worm

2010-11-26T16:14:00.000Z

There are a plethora of biological videos available online including those of weird and wonderful animals such as the squid worm featured in this video.

The discovery of the squid worm named Teuthidodrilus samae, came as quite a surprise to researchers who have identified it as a newly discovered species and genus. The worm feeds on plankton and was found in the Celebes Sea. The squid worm has an interesting swimming technique whereby it treads water by waving the hundreds of bristles that run the length of its body.

To read more about the research teams discovery check out their paper in The Royal Society's Journal Biology Letters.

Triumph for Biology Communication Online

2010-11-26T14:14:00.002Z

Today Dr Biology and his website Ask a Biologist was announced as the winner of the Science Prize for Online Resources in Education (SPORE). The website which was created by Charles Kazilek blends together scientific fact with interactive content and creative images to make for a really engaging resource for teachers and students alike. The website was awarded the SPORE award for its engaging question-and-answer approach, as well as the corresponding materials on the website. But I felt that this award and brilliant website raised a bigger question, the importance of communicating science online.

As many in the science communication business will well be aware online communication is becoming more and more prevalent and important. From Blogs such as this to the Twitter and Facebook accounts I will mention this post in online communication is here…and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Science journalism is also venturing to the World Wide Web with the Times and their pay as you view online content system reportedly going well and the public interacting with blogs and comments on articles.

As a science communicator myself, although one must proceed into online science communication with some caution there is an awful lot to be gained and a lot of people to reach out to.

When the internet was created I don’t think even Sir Tim Berners-Lee himself would have thought that the internet would turn into the world’s greatest science communicator. Through websites such as Ask a Biologist the potential of the internet as an outreach tool is beginning to be realised.

To check out the award winning website click here and if you want to read the report in Science click here.

Education White Paper...what's it all about?

2010-11-25T13:11:00.002Z

Yesterday the Department of Education published their White Paper on The Importance of Teaching. Some details of the report had already been leaked in the run up to yesterday lunchtime’s official publication. As the White Paper was available on the Department of Education website, Education Secretary Michael Gove presented the paper to the House of Commons.

The White Paper focused on 7 areas:

Teaching and Leadership
Behaviour
Curriculum, assessment and qualifications
The new school system
Accountability
School Improvement
School Funding

The key points from the report were raising the quality of entrants into teaching, reforms of Ofsted inspections to focus on ‘educational effectiveness’, improving reading, writing and arithmetic in addition to a review of the National Curriculum. The introduction of an International Baccalaureate and reforms of vocational education are two topics which have sparked media interest, in addition to the extension of the Academy programme to all schools.

Championing excellence was recognised to be essential to school improvement, with the aim of making it easier for schools to learn from each other, ensure they have access to best practice and support for schools identified to be performing below floor standards. School funding will be focussed on improving resources for deprived pupils as well as improved transparency of the current funding system.

What do you think of the Education White Paper? Any thing critical you think they missed? Or something you completely disagree with?

For more information on the White Paper check out our news post here, or for the full document go here.

Classrooms swapped for city streets

2010-11-25T09:34:00.000Z

Student action yesterday, in its various forms, has shown that there is a strong desire for improvements to higher education. Protesters walked out of their classrooms and united together in cities and towns nationwide. Large numbers descended on city centres in different locations including the streets of London, Sheffield, Bristol and Durham. Occupations took place in University buildings at University College London, Leeds Metropolitan University and the University of West England to name a few. School children were also well represented in the walkouts.

Reports so far have revealed a majority of peaceful protests but also some scuffles and small pockets of violence. In London there was a large police presence and the BBC coverage of Whitehall showed police kettling in an effort to control the crowds. Vandalism of a police van by a minority of protestors and small fires were also visible in the capital. There is clearly still some disagreement in where the line between acceptable behaviour and violence lies.

Whether or not this action will change government plans remains to be seen. Both Nick Clegg and David Cameron have said they will not go back on planned cuts. Students involved maintain it is their right to protest and it seems that many actively practiced this right yesterday.

#Demo2010 for reactions to the protests on twitter.

All eyes on students

2010-11-24T11:31:00.002Z

Today thousands of students across the country have planned to take part in a coordinated walkout in protest of rising tuition fees. After the NUS-organised demo in London evoked mixed reactions from the media and the public earlier this month, eyes will be on today's events to see how they unfold and are reported on.

Whilst the 25,000 or so attendees of the national walkout facebook event may mostly comprise of university students unlikely to be faced with paying fees of up to £9000, it is clear they feel solidarity with younger students from schools and colleges who are also taking part today. Organisers are keen to emphasise that today is not simply an excuse to skip classes but an opportunity to take to the streets to voice concerns about cuts, tuition fees and the Education Maintenance Allowance.

The nature of the protesting is likely to vary regionally and it will be interesting to see what the different groups will bring to the table and see how effective their efforts will be.

Click here for a press release from the National Campaign Against fees and Cuts and keep track of what's going on at the protests by having a look at the guardian's live feed.

Darwin and his Life Science Career

2010-11-24T11:03:00.001Z

Today is the anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection and also coincidentally the Life Sciences Careers Conference. Today’s event is full, but there will be another Life Sciences Careers Conference held on the 2nd March 2011. Registration will open soon.

To give you aspiring Biologists and Life Scientists a glimpse into the world and career of Darwin in the 19th Century check out the profile below…

Name: Charles Robert Darwin
Date of Birth: 12/02/1809
Place of Birth: Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Job Title: Naturalist, Biologist
Married: Emma Wedgwood
Education: Medicine, University of Edinburgh before changing to Divinity, University of Cambridge
Areas of Interest: Natural History, Geology, Entomology, Evolution
Favourite Job: Naturalist, Scientific expedition on HMS Beagle, 1831
Most Famous for: Theory of Evolution
Favourite Place: Galapagos Islands
Most famous publication: Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection published 24th November 1859
Famous Friends/Collaborators: Charles Lyell, Thomas Henry Huxley, Asa Gray, Joseph Dalton Hooker and Alfred Russell Wallace
Awards: Royal Society Royal Medal, 1853; Royal Society Copley Medal, 1864

Darwin’s Origin of the Species: a historical media frenzy

2010-11-24T10:55:00.003Z

Species change due to the laws of nature. This pool of scientific thought was upheld in 19th Century world, but the Theory of Evolution was a much more contentious topic. The most incomprehensible portion of Darwin’s theory, for scientists of this time, was natural selection partnered with inheritance of acquired characteristics. Darwin’s ideals were supported by many prominent contemporaries such as Charles Lyell, Thomas Henry Huxley, Asa Gray, Joseph Dalton Hooker and Alfred Russell Wallace. However, Darwin and his Darwinian champions were not without their critics. The church and religious scientists such as Richard Owen were great opponents to the theory of evolution by means of natural selection, as it detracted from the biblical stories of creation and the omnificent god. The beauty of Darwin’s discovery was the way in which is engaged the public, in addition to changing our understanding of where we came from.

Now 151 years on since Darwin’s Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection was first published, there is still disagreement of the origins of human creation. Although more accepted than in the past there are still groups who believe that a God created the world and that we didn’t evolve in the ways that evolution would have you believe.

Darwin’s considerable contribution to science was recognised by his burial at Westminster Abbey alongside other great scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton. Last year saw the celebration of 200th year anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection.

Moving whiskers, brain adaptation and synchrony

2010-11-23T16:51:00.000Z

The way that we perceive sensory information from the world is known to depend upon adaptation to external stimuli. The recent study published in Nature Neuroscience titled "Thalamic synchrony and the adaptive gating of information flow to the cortex" uncovers that a change in the level of simultaneous firing by neurons found earlier on in the brain pathway alters the nature of sensory information transmitted to higher areas.

The team of American scientists used the movement of a rat's whisker as the sensory input whilst recording single neurons in two areas of the brain, known as the thalamus and the cortex. The centrally located thalamus acts as a gateway for incoming sensory information on its journey to the cortex, the brain area responsible for higher functions. Measurement of cortical activity revealed that adaptation resulted in a poorer performance in the actual detection of the whisker deflections but did enhance performance in the discrimination between whisker deflections of different velocities and different angular directions. In the thalamus, however, a different change in activity as a result of adaptation was discovered. A change in the synchrony of the thalamic neurons was found to change instead, but in a way that mirrored the response of neurons in the cortex. Synchronous neurons are neurons in the same network that fire together at the same time. Changes in the level of synchronisation across neurons in the thalamus can change the function of a circuit of neurons and result in different activity of cortical targets.

Understanding how different areas of the brain are able to communicate is a major challenge for neuroscientists. This study shows that different coding strategies are used at different stages in the processing of sensory information.

The neural synchrony described in the thalamus is something that is thought to impact on various brain processes. For example, it has been suggested that the synchrony of networks of neurons could be a neural correlate for consciousness.

Blood never lies: DNA fragments an indicator of age

2010-11-23T15:10:00.002Z

When science catches the imaginations of science TV programme fans you know its going to be a news story. In this month’s edition of Cell’s Current Biology Journal Zubakov talked of Estimating human age from T-cell DNA rearrangements. In this article fragments of DNA from white blood cells known as T-cells which are found in the blood, were found to give an accurate measure of age through the detection of age-specific genes.

The role of genes in delivering certain characteristics has been acknowledged since Mendel’s early plant genetics which illustrated dominant and recessive genes for petal colour. Therefore, the estimation of age by genetics will not come as a surprise to many scientists. There have been other techniques suggested for predicting age from DNA such as telomere shortening and accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations. However, the new T-cell method is more accurate than previous methods. The applications in forensics are exciting with scientists able to extract DNA from blood found at a crime scene and develop an image of the suspect by using their genetic information such as eye colour and age.

The technique used in this study was qPCR which stands for quantitative polymerase chain reaction where a targeted DNA sequence can be amplified and measured. In the case of this article they were looking at a receptor on the T-Cell known as sjTREC which had previously been shown to linearly decline with increasing age. This coincides with a life-long process of thymus decline that starts shortly after birth by replacement with adipose tissue and consequent loss of thymic function.

As the detecting technology and knowledge of genetics improves, more and more applications of the technology will be found from crime to disaster victims and anthropological studies.

For more information check out the Nature or Cell: Current Biology links.

The Fat and Genes of Puberty Timing

2010-11-22T16:15:00.002Z

The effect of fat on the onset of puberty has caused quite a stir in the news today. The paper published in the November issue of Nature Genetics and titled: Meta-analysis identifies 13 new loci associated with waist-hip ratio and reveals sexual dimorphism in the genetic basis of fat distribution concluded that increased body fat accumulation affects sexual maturation in women.

The large international consortium used the fat distribution measure of waist-hip ratio (WHR) adjusted for body mass index (BMI). Waist-hip ratio is a predictor of metabolic consequences such as cardiovascular disease, independent of overall adiposity. It has been well reported that increased fat around the abdominal region leads to an increased risk of CVD compared to fat around bum and thighs. This research has drawn attention to the sex specific associations between genes which have previously been known to be involved in body weight regulation and fat metabolism. The research suggested the onset of puberty triggered in girls when a weight of around 45kg was reached. The earlier onset of puberty and the increased weight of the children could also put the children at risk of other diseases later in life.

Another interesting point to consider is the role of fat in this all. Fat is known to be a venue for hormone synthesis, such as testosterone and estrogen. It could be hypothesised that the increased fat accumulation in the children leads to increased hormonal activity characteristic of puberty.

What is certain is that the timing of puberty is controlled by a complex range of biological processes and the findings from this research provide evidence that multiple genes modulate body fat distribution independent of overall adiposity, revealing strong gene-by-sex interactions.

For more information check out the abstract from the paper or the Eureka press release

Professional standards for membership of the Society of Biology

2010-06-30T14:31:00.000+01:00

An editorial published in the summer Biologist (due to land on your doorsteps shortly!) asks the question: what standards should be applied when membership of the Society is awarded? The editorial, authored by four Fellows of the Society, highlights society's explicit need for professional standards; the difficulty the public and lay media have with understanding scientific method and distinguishing between good science and junk science; and the emergence of an increasingly anti-science movement.

Following the publication of two articles in the Spring Biologist which highlight the lack of scientific evidence for chiropractic and homeopathy (Ernst 2010, Sharp 2010), the editorial suggests that promoters of such practices should be barred from membership of the Society, regardless of their genuine scientific track record. Although the views expressed by the writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Society, we acknowledge that we are accountable for our standards to the entire community; scientific and lay, members and non-members. Thus we welcome members to share their thoughts with the community by commenting below.

A welcome message to the new Minister of State for Universities and Science

2010-05-26T11:29:00.000+01:00

A brief note to the effect that “the money is all gone” welcomed the new Chief Secretary to the Treasury to his desk.

In more constructive but challenging mode we wondered what welcome messages biologists might consider placing on the desk of the incoming Minister of State for Universities and Science, David Willetts MP to highlight areas for concern and opportunity in science.

Mr Willetts was previously the Conservative's shadow higher education minister, and said that he would like to delay the Research Assessment Exercise for up to two years in order to consider impact assessment. Mr Willetts will attend Cabinet meetings, but not as a member. His Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) is led by the Rt Hon Dr Vincent Cable MP, a supporter of campaigns for increased funding of bee health research in recent times but now required to reduce his department’s spending by £836 million. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs must save £162 million.

Please suggest your messages for Universities and Science in the new Parliament.