“Because a plant can’t move away from predators, they’ve evolved to become fortresses, with a whole line up of defences from the obvious, like spines, to the subtle, such as poisons that render insects infertile. This article looks at some of the hidden plant defences against both pests and dieseases, and how plants can switch on defence-related genes. ” Download the article written by Stephen Day at Science and Plants for Schools: Article – Plants Fight Back – Science & Plants for Schools.
Check out this amazing Sushi Cell by “Scientist In Training”! The kidney beans are mitochondria, the Golgi bodies are made from spam and rice resembles the cytoplasm. I am hungry now!
I am writing this post in the blogging workshop of the Science Online London conference, taking place in the British library from 2-3 September 2011. The whole Saturday is devoted to using online tools such as blogs or social media in a scientific context. In this workshop we are trying to explore how we can go beyond the traditional publication format – a journal article – and for example use videos or link to websites or images. The umbrella theme for the whole day is Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a genetic illness generally affecting small children and leading to...
The Science Museum in London is an amazing place. There are so many things to discover, interactive exhibitions to explore and of course tons of knowledge to soak up. Or, you can just wander around and simply enjoy the collection of obvious, unusual and sometimes bizarre things – such as a lunch box for lunch and poo. Yes, you read that right: A lunch box with a divider to carry your lunch to school and bring your poo back. Why on earth would you want to do that, you might ask now. This fictional object explores the possibility of...
In the late 1990s, genetically modified crops were subject of a public debate which is often described as “public engagement gone horribly wrong”. Are we doing any better now in engaging the public with GM issues? This session (part of the Science Communication Conference 2011), chaired by Fiona Fox from the Science Media Centre, tried to answer this question with a line-up of three excellent speakers. Jack Stilgoe (@Jackstilgoe), Senior Policy Adviser at the Royal Society, opened his talk with lessons learned from the history of public dialogue on GM crops. In contrast to representation in the media, most...
“More Nature Songs, sung by Marais & Miranda, is part of the 6 LP set Singing Science. This set came out in the late 50s/early 60s and exposed kids to different science topics through fun and catchy little songs.”
If you lived in Victorian times and wanted to tell someone that you loved them, you would have given them a red rose. In the Language of Flowers, roses have always been a symbol for deep affection. Did you know however, that receiving a bunch of dill meant that the giver was looking for some casual “fun” with no strings attached? Garlic on the other hand was used as a direct insult by signaling the recipient that he/she was an evil force (think vampire) or illness which needed to be fended off. Also, it made the person stink –...
I have been to a lot of Biology conferences during my scientific career so far, ranging from very intimate meetings with around 30 people to bigger ones with just over 100 people. I have always enjoyed conferences a lot. I receive feedback about my research, I get to meet other scientists who work on similar things, often new collaborations arise, and I feel that my work is being put into a “bigger picture”. After having experienced the format of the Science Communication Conference, I have been thinking about how life science conferences are held. In my opinion, feedback, discussion...
On the 25th and 26th May the annual Science Communication Conference, organised by the British Science Association, took place in London. I was able to attend after receiving a bursary from the BSA and came home very inspired and motivated. One of my favourite sessions was the one about scientific games. Kim Blake from Blitz Games and Martha Henson from the Wellcome Trust talked about how games can be used to not only entertain but also educate a large audience (although you have to be careful, as labelling a game as educational might be the “Kiss of Death” for...
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