It’s now been over two months since against all odds, NASA’s InSight landed safely on the Red Planet, demonstrating a massive triumph for human achievement. Although the entire journey from Earth to Mars lasted 6 […]
Chytrid Chaos
Chytrid disease is one of the greatest threats to amphibians worldwide and a problem that is only increasing as it spreads across continents. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, shortened to Bd, is the species of fungus responsible for […]
Caecilians – The Amphibian worm monsters?
Best described to sci-fi enthusiasts as looking like a scaled-down version of the worm monsters in Tremors, Dune and (most accurately) The Empire Strikes Back, caecilians are probably some of the strangest creatures out there. […]
Who will feature on the new £50 banknote?
After 2020 the £50 banknote will be issued in plastic and the Bank of England are asking the British public to nominate prominent scientists to feature on it. Since the nomination announcement in November there […]
The woman behind the double helix – forgotten scientists
The structure of deoxyribose nucleic acid, or DNA, is famously attributed to Francis Crick and James Watson, who supposedly had a brain wave while having a few drinks in the pub – who doesn’t? It’s […]
Our appendix: A contributing factor in the development of Parkinson’s Disease?
We all learnt it growing up: the appendix is a useless relic from our evolutionary past, only used to help digest the bark we consumed as cave men and women. But research has now identified […]
Over 200,000 Animals Used for Research in 10 Years at the University of Leeds
From 2007-2017, the University of Leeds used 210,103 animals for experimental research under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Of this figure, 94.3% were rats and mice, 1.5% were pigs, and the remainder consisted of […]
Red Tractor – Assured Food Standards no more?
You’ve probably all seen those red tractor logos on a large amount of food you walk past in the supermarket. You can find it on meat, dairy, grains, fresh produce, and pretty much anything else […]
Just 0.5 °C temperature increase has a detrimental effect – the recent IPCC Report
Last week you will no doubt have heard about a powerful report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that highlights some alarming realities of the future of our planet. Interpretations of the […]
Bad Luck Benny: The Unlucky Beluga stranded in the Thames
Benny the Beluga is all alone in the Thames. Potentially having been in the river since as far back as July, the beluga whale affectionately named Benny (despite a lack of information on the actual […]
Spice up your life: A Nationwide Hysteria?
You’ve probably seen the photos – people zonked off on Spice in zombified states, slumped on benches all over the News. More importantly, your parents have seen it – and they’re asking questions. An 11 […]
A Brain of Two Halves
‘Split brain patients’ are individuals who have had the major connection between the two hemispheres of their brain severed, usually in an attempt to lessen the frequency of fitting in extreme cases of epilepsy. Since […]