Insights

Science in the dock

October 23, 2012
Should you serve a prison sentence for being wrong about something? Monday 22 October marked a worrying time for science; six Italian seismologists and an ex-government official were accused of...

Is that a laboratory in your pocket…?

October 3, 2012
Tweeting pictures of your lunch? Is that the best you can do with your smartphone? Russ Swan argues the devices have untapped potential as pocket labs. Is that a laboratory...

Drug development with Paul Workman

October 1, 2012
We chat to Professor Paul Workman fromThe Institute of Cancer Research - winner of a global award recognising his success at taking pioneering drugs out of the laboratory and into...

The hubris of humanity

October 1, 2012
The hubris of humanity is something that, in our current role as apex predators, can almost be forgiven. Evolution has armed us well, not with the obvious weaponry of tooth...

A seed is sown, a lesson is learnt

September 28, 2012
Life is all about learning lessons. And here on the Science Lite desk we have just learnt a very valuable one. Never try to impress someone with your insight into...

Cosmetics con?

September 14, 2012
Anti-wrinkle creams are a con – full of ingredients claiming to make your skin look and feel younger, but none of them really work…do they? As I begrudgingly prepare to...

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 –...

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