Insights

The quest for truth

September 10, 2012
Received wisdom can be a limiting factor – even in science, but beware - warns Russ Swan - the truth does not respect dogma or personal reputation… Oh, ye humble...

Where’s the wonder?

September 3, 2012
I think it is getting harder for science to impress. Whilst the LHC and now Curiosity undoubtedly grab the public’s interest – there seems to me to be a general...

Talking sci-novs and cancer with Dr Robin Hesketh

September 3, 2012
Dr Robin Hesketh sat down to write a novel about cancer – and coined the term sci-nov – but just where do you start?Dr Robin Hesketh didn’t want to write...

Curiosity reaches Mars

August 17, 2012
Mars – what is there left to learn about the big Red Planet? It’s red, it’s cold and it’s dry – that much we know. But what other secrets does...

Science goes to the movies

August 17, 2012
While reminiscing about his childhood version of Spider-Man, Russ Swan asks what type of spider would modern-day Peter Parker be bitten byYou know you’re getting old when a favourite fictional...

Returning bumblebees to Britain’s countryside

August 10, 2012
Bumble bees are important for pollination of plants and crops, but certain species are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss. For some – like the short-haired bumble bee –...

The colour of science

August 4, 2012
Last month, Lab News columnist and general science raconteur, Russ Swan wrote about the staggering lack of imagination from scientific equipment companies when it comes to their kit. In terms...

A tale of two discoveries

August 2, 2012
There are two discoveries I’d like to talk to you about in this month’s column. The first, perhaps unsurprisingly, concerns what has become the world’s best known elementary particle –...

To shave, or not to shave

July 25, 2012
“Since this is a bumper year for sport, I want you lazy lot to do something on the science and myths in sports” came the terrifying words from the Editor....

UK Biobank open for business

July 18, 2012
UK Biobank is now open for business, with researchers able to access biological samples from over 500,000 Britons. It is undeniably an amazing resource but there are still issues that...

The colour of the lab

July 17, 2012
When the world is such a colourful place, Russ Swan asks why is the lab so grey?When you think about it, a lot of traditional lab work involves one tiny...

There’s no story quite like our own – Jon Agar

July 12, 2012
There’s no story quite like our own – we catch up with an author who has tackled the history of science in the twentieth centuryScience since the beginning of the...

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