Science in Society
POSTS FROM 2025
The Dawn of a New Scientific Revolution?
Imagine the year 2075. As we look back on the 2020s, this decade would stand out as a pivotal moment...
Sunday, 7 December 2025
POSTS FROM 2024
Can Art Change How We Communicate Climate Data?
Emily Goniea explores interpretations of climate data and the role of arts in the future of public outreach for climate science.
Wednesday, 4 September 2024
Empathy In 2024 : Brains, Media And AI
Spatika Jayaram questions what it means to empathise in today’s age and considers the implications of AI and social media.
Tuesday, 9 July 2024
You Won’t Believe The Insane Reason We’re Drawn to Clickbait
Oliver Macauley discusses how online media headlines can capture our attention and draw us in.
Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Light skies, dark world: backyard stargazers reveal increase in light pollution
Lizzie Knight discusses the impact of increasing light pollution from artificial light sources.
Tuesday, 25 June 2024
The Very Hungry Catastrophe Solution
Phillipa Samella asks if moth larvae and microbes could be the answer to our plastic prayers?
Thursday, 6 June 2024
Can Language Be Abstracted?
Shikang Ni reveals the rules of communication and asks whether they can be captured by a computer.
Monday, 15 April 2024
Chipping In: Are the Benefits of Neurolink All Inside Our Head?
Maciej Gabrysiak explores the current state of neural implant technology and examines the claims of its leading proponents
Thursday, 4 April 2024
The Magic in Mushrooms: A Quick Dose of The History of Psychedelics
Isabella Bentham-Clark explores psychedelically altered states of perception and cognition.
Thursday, 21 March 2024
The consequence of connection: how human travel impacts global disease.
Alice Sparks discusses the impact of globalisation on the spread of diseases and how our increased connectivity impacts our response to pandemics.
Monday, 11 March 2024
An Interview with Jessie Hall: The Philosophy of Virtual Reality
Pauline Kerekes speaks to scientist and philosopher Jessie Hall about materialism and consciousness, and which criteria can be proposed to...
Tuesday, 27 February 2024
Social Scientists: Our Favourite Online Influencers
Libby Brown highlights some great Instagram accounts for scientists
Friday, 12 January 2024
POSTS FROM 2023
ASCUS: Society at the Heart of Science
Pauline Kerekes talks to Keira Tucker, the General Manager at ASCUS Art and Science that provides the only publicly accessible lab in the UK, aiming at strengthening the necessary cross-talk between society and science.
Wednesday, 20 December 2023
An Interview with Dr Catherine Galloway: Translation and Innovation Lead at the Kavli Centre for Ethics, Science, and the Public
Merissa Hickman explores the pioneering ways that the Kavli Centre for Ethics, Science and the Public involve and engage the general public in science
Tuesday, 12 December 2023
Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants
Laura Chilver explains how birdsong could benefit people living in urban areas
Thursday, 26 October 2023
The ‘low threshold high ceiling’ approach to nurturing young mathematicians
Ems Lord reviews NRICH, the University of Cambridge's website of mathematical school resources that are both challenging and accessible
Monday, 29 May 2023
POSTS FROM 2022
The Toys That Made Us
Maria Julia Maristany delves into how toys make us who we are
Sunday, 25 September 2022
Pro-Science? Fight Anti-Science Compassionately
Naomi van den Berg explains how guarding against misinformation helps us fight imminent crises more effectively
Friday, 23 September 2022
Sticking to the Science? The Role of Climate and Conservation Scientists in a Polarised Political World
James Ball explores the delicate boundaries that delineate research, advocacy, and activism in the scientific community
Thursday, 22 September 2022
Pavilion: the Eye of the Beholder
Laia Serratosa walks along the fuzzy, dreamlike borders between science and everything else
Wednesday, 21 September 2022
Acculturation in the Life of an International Student
Manuel Morales Alvarado shares his experience of acculturation in four different countries during his four years of postgraduate study
Thursday, 1 September 2022
Exploring the Zooniverse
Julie Tang discusses how citizen science facilitates scientific research and has potential benefits for both citizen scientists and professionals
Tuesday, 30 August 2022
Seeds of Change: A Diverse History of Agricultural Practices in the UK
Tim Birkle delves into the history of crop rotations in the UK, modern farming practices, and the role of collective action in allowing important changes to take root
Thursday, 23 June 2022
The Power of Statistics: A Myth of Objectivity
Charlotte Hutchings asks if statistics really makes science objective
Thursday, 5 May 2022
Flexibility or Restriction: Five Ways Fixed-Term Contracts Reduce Diversity
Bethan Charles explores the dominance of temporary contacts in academia and what this means for diversity
Tuesday, 19 April 2022
Crash Course Big History – CrashCourse
Sarah Lindsay reviews a science communication YouTube channel
Thursday, 7 April 2022
The Codebreaker – Walter Isaacson
Hazel Walker reviews a book by Walter Isaacson
Thursday, 31 March 2022
Nipponium: An Element Lost in Time
Anthony Phung explores the story of a Japanese chemist’s lost element
Wednesday, 30 March 2022
What cooperation in climate conservation looks like
Donovan Sim discusses the need for scientific and political unity for climate action
Thursday, 3 February 2022
The popularisation of science
Chloe Li weighs up the implications of differing views on simplifying and disseminating scientific findings
Thursday, 27 January 2022
Decolonising Natural History Museums
Daniel Lim showcases stories from the colonial origins of the Natural History Museum collections
Thursday, 6 January 2022
Hidden Figures: The Erasure of Scientific Labour and the Hope of Decolonisation
For the FOCUS article of Issue 52, Gianamar Giovanetti-Singh, Rory Kent, and Swathi Nachiar Manivannan discuss who is excluded from the narratives surrounding scientific practice - and who benefits from this exclusion.
Tuesday, 4 January 2022
POSTS FROM 2021
Following the Science
What do we mean by evidence-based decision making? Andrea Chlebikova tackles misconceptions about the phrase.
Thursday, 23 December 2021
The ‘Leaky Pipeline’: Is Diverse Representation in STEM a Pipe Dream?
Lizzie Knight discusses diversity in STEM and how the metaphor itself might perpetuate problems
Thursday, 16 December 2021
Science ‘Walks on Two Legs’ in Maoist China
Eugene Chia explains how the popular narrative of science under Mao brushes over a complex relationship between science and politics
Thursday, 9 December 2021
What Have We Learnt by Searching for "Gay Genes"?
Chay Graham argues that research into the DNA ancestry of gay sex is really a study of the relationship between LGBT+people, STEM and profit.
Thursday, 2 December 2021
The Myth of Objectivity
Zak Lakota-Baldwin questions whether objective science is possible, or even desireable
Thursday, 25 November 2021
The People in the Trees - Hanya Yanagihara
Bethan Clark reviews The People in the Trees
Thursday, 18 November 2021
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Susanne Mesoy reviews the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Thursday, 4 November 2021
The Ties that Bind the Mind: Exploring the Limitations of Thought
Tom Wilkins discusses seeing the forest for the trees
Tuesday, 24 August 2021
Visualising Science
Bethan Clark tackles the problems and pitfalls of data visualisation
Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Pavilion: Seeing the Supernatural?
Grace Exley explores how photography helped to expose a war-time witch
Tuesday, 27 July 2021
Collapsing Ecosystems and Melting Permafrost in a Warming World: Is This The Future We Choose?
Mahlaqua Noor discusses the effect of climate change on permafrost ecosystems
Tuesday, 29 June 2021
Nature Live Online, Natural History Museum
Nature Live Online — bringing science to your home
Tuesday, 8 June 2021
Southern Reach Trilogy
William Guo reviews the popular science fiction trilogy - and is left pondering some big questions
Tuesday, 1 June 2021
Winter Birds, Lars Jonsson
Kate Howlett tells us all why we need a copy of Winter Birds
Thursday, 18 March 2021
A Life on Our Planet Narrated by Sir David Attenborough
Dean Ashley reiterates an emotive and hard-hitting message from Sir David Attenborough
Thursday, 11 March 2021
Healing medicine from its gender bias
Sofia Weiss Goitiandia tells us about a new initiative, "Medical Herstories", that aims to rid medicine of its gender bias
Thursday, 4 March 2021
Investing in scientific diversity: Why theoretical arguments aren’t enough
Charlotte Zemmel, Section Editor at Bluesci and co-editor of the Minorities in Science Series, explores why theoretical arguments for diversifying science aren't enough
Monday, 15 February 2021
Stalin and the Scientists
Tom Wilkins gives an in depth review of Stalin and the Scientists written by Simon Ings
Thursday, 11 February 2021
Reflecting on a year of pandemic for women in academia
Julia Maristany, co-editor of the Minorities in Science series, explores the impact COVID-19 has had on women in academia
Thursday, 11 February 2021
The Value of Being Precautious?
Charlotte Zemmel discusses the precautionary principle and how it shaped the UK response to COVID-19
Thursday, 21 January 2021
A Vaccine for Your Mind
Joanna Lada and Jake Rose look at the increasing prevalence of ‘fake news’ and discuss ways to combat misinformation with inoculation theory
Thursday, 14 January 2021
Science at Speed: Publishing Amidst a Pandemic
Juliana Cudini speaks with Nature Editor-in-Chief Magdalena Skipper and eLife Deputy Editors Anna Akhmanova and Detlef Weigel about the rapidly rising tide of COVID-19 publications
Thursday, 7 January 2021
POSTS FROM 2020
Pangolins, Pigs, and Pets: A Recipe for Another Pandemic
Tatjana Baleta, Hazel Walker, and Anna Tran discuss the biorisk due to zoonotic diseases originating from the dependence of humans on animals, and how these can be sustained in light of their impacts on socioeconomic stability and public health
Thursday, 24 December 2020
Pavilion: Bacterial Art
Pauline Kerekes interviews Dr Berkmen about his vision of art and science
Thursday, 17 December 2020
Green Space and Public Health
Kate Howlett highlights how access to the great outdoors is key to mitigating the health inequalities produced by COVID-19
Tuesday, 8 December 2020
Schrödinger, biology and incredible wit: A physicist’s influential ponderings on life itself
Savanna Leboff reviews Schrödinger's book
Tuesday, 10 November 2020
Dying of Ignorance: The History of British Public Health Campaigns
Jessica Knight looks at the long history of mass media public health campaigns, comparing our current representation of COVID-19 to public health crises since World War I and beyond
Tuesday, 20 October 2020
Pavilion: Be Better, Not Banned
‘Ladies and Gentlemen-’ No. Scrap that. See how easy it is to just throw something away. See how quickly those...
Tuesday, 13 October 2020
From pandemic to syndemic: have we been thinking about coronavirus in the wrong way?
As we enter a possible second wave of COVID-19, Richard Horton of The Lancet encourages us to think beyond pure...
Thursday, 1 October 2020
Science Fact, or Fiction?
Liam Ives investigates the spread of fake science
Tuesday, 22 September 2020
The Undercover Hero of the Sea
Ellie Wilding explores how seagrass can help to fight climate change
Tuesday, 15 September 2020
In2Science: The Student's Perspective
Students Aleena Paul, Matthew Kwok, and Autumn Goddard discuss their experience of the programme
Thursday, 27 August 2020
In2Science: Navigating the next step
Susannah McLaren and Anna Yakovleva discuss their experiences as in2science mentors
Tuesday, 25 August 2020
Cut-Throat Science: The Less Documented Cases of Scientific Malpractice
Anonymous anecdotes reveal harassment, bullying and sabotage in academia
Friday, 14 August 2020
A Career in Science; Living the Dream?
Lucy Hart explores research culture and its impact on the wellbeing of academics
Tuesday, 11 August 2020
Fire and Water on a Warming Planet
Evan Wroe and Annika Schlemm explore the links between climate change and extreme weather events around the world
Tuesday, 28 July 2020
Big Data in Psychology
Gnothi seauton – know thyself. Whether it is for us as a species, or for ourselves as individuals, the imperative echoes through the centuries and many academic fields
Monday, 22 June 2020
Helping on the homefront: homemade face masks and how to make them better
Jago Strong-Wright considers the key factors in what makes an effective homemade face mask
Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Turning Over an Old Leaf
Bryony Yates discusses the value of herbaria with Dr. Lauren Gardiner, Curator of Cambridge University Herbarium
Monday, 15 June 2020
Seeds of Change
Alice McDowell discusses Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement
Monday, 25 May 2020
How to Avoid Promoting COVID-19 Misinformation When Trying to Debunk It
Itamar Shatz explains why misinformation is so abundant and what could be done to avoid it
Thursday, 14 May 2020
Mushrooms, Modern Therapeutics and the Psychedelic Renaissance
Jonathon Turnbull and Andrew Malcolm discuss the history and potential of psilocybin from the cultural to the medicinal
Thursday, 14 May 2020
To Do "No Harm"? the Rise of Paternalism in the Era of a Pandemic
Charlotte Zemmel explores the concepts of paternalism vs autonomy in combating COVID-19, but warns that it may give greater power to governing states in dictating the actions of its people
Friday, 24 April 2020
How the Cambridge Philosophical Society Shaped Modern Science
Zak Lakota-Baldwin discusses the history of the Cambridge Philosophical Society and its role in shaping modern science.
Thursday, 9 April 2020
The Other in Science Fiction
Alex Bates and Billy Gyngell ask why we see too many hominids in science fiction.
Thursday, 26 March 2020
Charting the Skies, Land and Seas
James Craig reviews the history of map making.
Thursday, 19 March 2020
Trash talk: Tackling Waste in Science
Ruby Coates discusses the issue of plastic waste in science, with Martin Howes.
Monday, 16 March 2020
A Look at the Modern Interactions between Humans and Crops
Eleanor McCartney highlights the importance of agrobiodiversity in our changing world.
Thursday, 12 March 2020
Reviewing the Narrative of Dr. Rosalind Franklin
From a female scientist to a scientist who was female - explored by Hannah Kossowska-Peck.
Sunday, 8 March 2020
En Clair - Adam Rodman
Abigail Dutton shares an interesting podcast on forensic linguistics.
Thursday, 5 March 2020
Gender, Race and Power in Science - Angela Saini
Shanice Bailey outlines the key messages from Angela Saini's lecture on why it is important to avoid bias in scientific research.
Monday, 2 March 2020
The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells - A Review
Is climate change just about the bees? Let David Wallace-Wells convince you otherwise, says Hazel Walker
Friday, 28 February 2020
POSTS FROM 2019
FOCUS: The Earth as a Natural Living Laboratory
BlueSci presents three perspectives on how scientists have expanded our understanding of science using the greatest laboratory of all – planet Earth.
Thursday, 4 July 2019
Review: Chemistry
“Under various pressures the American-Chinese narrator quits her chemistry PhD and struggles with her long-term relationship...”
Thursday, 30 May 2019
Review: Adventures in the Anthropocene
“For many of us, the effects of the Anthropocene may feel far off, but as human activity continues unabated, this book is an important journey we all should take“
Thursday, 16 May 2019
Let's Talk About Soil
Kasparas Vasiliauskas looks under our feet at some of the Earth's most overlooked material.
Thursday, 9 May 2019
POSTS FROM 2018
Pharmaceutical Companies Unite to Advance Nucleotide-Based Medicines
Scientists work together to create more effective medicines
Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Review: Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy
“... reveals the insidious impact that Big Data algorithms
– in her words, ‘Weapons of Math Destruction’ - have on our society“
Thursday, 13 September 2018
Charting the Unknown: Crowdsourcing the Maps for Overlooked Villages
Cara Louise Woods discusses how we are putting places on the map using technology and the power of people, with Dr Bjoern Hassler
Monday, 20 August 2018
The BlueSci Mental Wellbeing Survey: Interview with Geraldine Dufour, Head of the University Counseling Service
Through Lent term and Easter 2018, BlueSci conducted a survey on mental wellbeing at the University of Cambridge. Our aim...
Sunday, 27 May 2018
The BlueSci Mental Wellbeing Survey: Interview with Keir Murison
Through Lent term and Easter 2018, BlueSci conducted a survey on mental wellbeing at the University of Cambridge. Our aim...
Sunday, 27 May 2018
Cambridge Science Centre: Science For All
Emma Werner discusses the Cambridge Science Centre and its role in inspiring a new generation of scientists with Lisa-Marie Cahill
Sunday, 27 May 2018
The BlueSci Mental Wellbeing Survey
Through Lent term and Easter 2018, BlueSci conducted a survey on mental wellbeing at the University of Cambridge. Our aim...
Sunday, 27 May 2018
A Laser Game Controller for the Cambridge Science Festival
James Macdonald describes designing a system to control video games with lasers.
Tuesday, 13 February 2018
Regulation and Foresight
Harry Lloyd ponders our duty to think ahead of technological progress
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Is the Evolution of Language all Talk?
Steve Samuel ponders whether it is worth tackling the central question of how language has come to be
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Judged by your Genes
Katherine Dudman introduces genetic discrimination, the sly cousin of racism and sexism
Sunday, 11 February 2018
No Time for Hot Air
Lauren Broadfield reflects on the state of climate change policies in an increasingly hostile political environment
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Just Your Cup of Tea
Sophie Protheroe examines the global history of tea and its effect on our health
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Why care about the Polar Bear?
Rachael Beasley reveals how there is more to polar bears than meets the eye
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Ambling in the Arctic: a geological expedition in remote Greenland
Victoria Honour discusses Arctic camping, bear alarms, and the solidification of magma on her recent expedition to the Skaergaard intrusion
Sunday, 11 February 2018
POSTS FROM 2017
A Look Behind the Ice Sheet: The Polar Museum's Greenland Exhibit
Uummannaq: A Century of Exploration
Thursday, 23 November 2017
Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded for Detection of Gravitational Waves
Theo Steele explores the science behind this year's Nobel Prize
Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Cambridge’s Latest Nobel Prize
Max Wilkinson explores the science behind this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Wednesday, 11 October 2017
FOCUS: Speak More, Act More
With ongoing political and public apathy surrounding sustainability and development, Kelsey Reichenbach and Paul Cohen ask the experts Professor Simon Schaffer,...
Friday, 7 July 2017
Standing on the Gene: an interview with Professor Wolf Reik
Jiali Gao and Salvador Buse discuss the emerging field of epigenetic modification, and ask Professor Wolf Reik where it might take us.
Friday, 7 July 2017
Lord Martin Rees: the Future and Catastrophe
Lord Martin Rees is a former Master of Trinity College and an accomplished cosmologist and astrophysicist. He has been Astronomer Royal since 1995, and was President of the Royal Society between 2005 and 2010. Lord Rees spoke to Gabija Maršalkaite and Deyan Mihaylov.
Friday, 7 July 2017
Planting Ideas: an Interview with Professor Beverly Glover
Ramya Gurunathan and Caitlin Walker talk to Professor Beverly Glover about communication, collaboration, and botanical research.
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Understanding the Irrational
Laura Nunez-Mulder discusses psychiatry's future with Professor Paul Fletcher
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Food for Thought: Fake News and the Diet Industry
Zi Ran Shen talks fad diets and pseudoscience with Cambridge's Dr Giles Yeo.
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Shakes and the City
Seán Thór Herron talks to Dr Emily So about preparing for earthquakes in urban areas
Sunday, 18 June 2017
The Last Lunar Explorer: An interview with Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon
Jackson Howarth (from LUUSci at the University of Leeds) chats with Gene Cernan
Tuesday, 11 April 2017
The World Is What We Eat
Jacob Ashton tackles one of the biggest challenges facing mankind.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Come Flu with Me
Holly Giles tracks the spread of post-World War II collaborations within international research communities
Sunday, 19 March 2017
No Time for Hot Air
Lauren Broadfield reflects on the state of climate change policies in an increasingly hostile political environment
Sunday, 19 March 2017
Big Bucks for Big Bugs
Zoë Carter considers the role of commercial research in the global fight against antibiotic resistance
Sunday, 19 March 2017
Science, Fiction
Hannah Thorne reveals the alchemy between science and literature
Saturday, 18 March 2017
When Citizen Science Works
Kimberley Wiggins gives us the story of an email that led to a medical breakthrough
Saturday, 18 March 2017
Engineering in Time
Martha Dillon discusses why civil engineers should care about the past
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
POSTS FROM 2016
The world’s worst 2 for 1 deal: Co-extinction
Have you ever seen a crayfish with tentacles as well as pincers? Well your opportunity to do so is slowly slipping away, as is the very existence of Australia’s magnificent Mountain Spiny Crayfish along with it’s flatworm symbionts, temnocephalan.
Saturday, 28 May 2016
Making a Difference in Conservation
Why do we do conservation research? Is it purely for scientific publication or to save species (including our own)? Although...
Sunday, 17 April 2016
Interview: Survival International
Conservation, the effort of protecting other species and ecosystems from over-exploitation, is almost universally considered a necessity. Far less accepted,...
Monday, 11 April 2016
Interview: Ed Miliband & George Monbiot on Climate Change
A well-known defender of the natural world, George Monbiot has championed such scientific initiatives as ‘re-wilding‘ and the de-carbonisation of...
Friday, 1 April 2016
Interview: Prof. Tim Benton
Global Food Security (GFS) Champion Tim Benton is both a governmental policy advisor and interdisciplinary researcher in agriculture-environment interactions. In...
Thursday, 24 March 2016
POSTS FROM 2015
Postcards from Pluto: Blue skies, red water ice, and more
If we ever travel to Pluto, we might be greeted by blue skies. (This is, of course, assuming we came...
Thursday, 22 October 2015
Is our marine food chain collapsing?
A first-time global analysis looking into the way ocean habitats respond to projected effects of climate change finds that marine...
Friday, 16 October 2015
Scientists call for measures to improve research quality
Cases of scientific misconduct and unreplicable results, such as the infamous study (now debunked) linking MMR vaccines to autism, have...
Thursday, 2 July 2015
Earth organisms survive under low-pressure Martian conditions
Methanogens are among the oldest and simplest organisms on earth having evolved approximately 3.5 billion years ago. They are highly resilient microbes...
Monday, 15 June 2015
POSTS FROM 2014
Jim Al Khalili – The Edge of Life
Professor Jim Al Khalili, science communicator and voice of BBC’s The Life Scientific makes the case for quantum biology in his lecture Life on the Edge, part of the Cambridge Festival of Ideas.
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
Arts and Science: The Dolphin Whisperer
Joanna-Marie Howes talks with director Christopher Riley about his latest documentary
Monday, 13 October 2014
Science and Policy: The Pint is Right
Robin Lamboll debates whether the price of alcohol should be raised
Monday, 13 October 2014
Focus: GM crops: Feeding the nine billion
BlueSci explores the debate surrounding GM crops and whether current legislation hinders progress
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Westminster versus the Lab
Evidence-based policy sounds like a common sense idea which no-one could object to, yet the reality of translating research into...
Thursday, 22 May 2014
What is science for? Part II: Making sure we fund the right science
How is public funding structured so as to achieve the best net outcome?
Thursday, 22 May 2014
Science and Policy: Stem Cells: with great power comes great responsibility
Alessandro Bertero discusses the controversy behind stem cell therapies
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
New metal-eating plant discovered in the Philippines
Researchers from the University of the Philippines, Los Banos, have discovered a new plant species that accumulates enormous amounts of...
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
What is science for? Part 1: The economic argument
Clearly that's a bit of a simplistic question with a multitude of possible and valid answers. But I'm thinking here...
Monday, 7 April 2014
Why write about science policy?
Science is sometimes portrayed as a rational scepticism, its practitioners as Doubting Thomases who constantly question and seek more evidence...
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Perspective: Cost and Conservation
Martha Stokes discusses why it pays to conserve biodiversity
Monday, 3 February 2014
Arts and Science: Counting Out Loud
Matthew Dunstan explores the complex interplay between language and numbers
Monday, 3 February 2014
Science and Policy: Designer Babies
Maria Mascerenhas discusses the issues surrounding Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis
Monday, 3 February 2014
Feature: Tapping into New Water Sources
Digory Smith discusses the issue of water shortage and the technology employed to meet demand
Monday, 3 February 2014
POSTS FROM 2013
Arts and Science: Game (R)evolution
Matthew Dunstan examines how science has impacted the development of gaming
Monday, 25 November 2013
Science and Policy: The Bee All and End All
Greg Mellers analyses the background and consequences of the neonicotinoid ban
Monday, 25 November 2013
Initiatives: The End of Extinction?
Emily Pycroft summarises decisions of the CITES meeting on animal trading practices
Monday, 25 November 2013
Focus: Whatever the Weather
BlueSci explores the origins of the ever- changing weather and how it affects us
Monday, 25 November 2013
New theory to propagate seeds of life in asteroids
A new look at the early Solar System has introduced an alternative to the long-taught and accepted theory that explains...
Friday, 22 November 2013
Life on Earth has 1.75 billion years left on the clock.
Our home planet will remain habitable for a further 1.75 billion years new research suggests. During this time, Earth will...
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Solar panels as affordable as paint?
Solar panels have been hailed as one of the best ways of harnessing renewable energy in homes but purchasing, installing,...
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Extensive glacial retreat in the Mount Everest region
Researchers from the University of Milan have found that glaciers in the Mount Everest region are shrinking. Glaciers are large...
Friday, 24 May 2013
Arts and Science: On a Scientific Note
Christoforos Tsantoulas explores the relationship between music and science
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Science and Policy: Waste of Research
Maja Choma discusses the environmental impact of biomedical research
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Feature: Commemorating a Commission
Felicity Davies celebrates the centenary of the Medical Research Council
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Feature: The Myriad Genes
Chin-Chin Chen discusses the implications of a Supreme Court ruling on BRCA cancer gene patents
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Feature: Have You Heard the Northern Lights?
Shane McCorristine examines the eerie sounds made by the glowing sky
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Supermarkets seriously misinforming customers about health risks
In an open letter to ten supermarket CEOs, early career researchers have called on supermarkets to stop misleading customers about health risks. They accuse the supermarkets of playing on unfounded fears about health effects from GM, MSG, parabens and aspartame.
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
BlueSci Film: How to Look Inside a Volcano
Cambridge University volcanology PhD student Tehnuka Ilanko takes us to the top of Mount Erebus volcano in Antarctica where studies on plume gases are helping scientists understand what goes on beneath the crater's surface.
Friday, 1 March 2013
A sea of possibilities for new antibiotics
The collaborative project PharmaSea aims to combat the growing problem of antibiotic resistance by looking for new drugs in our ocean trenches.
Friday, 15 February 2013
History: HMS Challenger
Amelia Penny explores the expedition of the HMS Challenger which marked the beginning of oceanography
Friday, 25 January 2013
Science and Policy: Anything but Elementary
Matthew Dunstan looks back at the history of the naming of elements
Friday, 25 January 2013
Feature: Digging for Dinosaurs
Amelia Penny discusses the importance of the fossil record, and the impact of fossil-hunters on our historical knowledge
Friday, 25 January 2013
The world beneath our feet
Ecologists have used a state of the art technique known as ‘metagenomic sequencing’ to unlock the genetic secrets of the microbial underworld that lies within the world’s soils.
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
POSTS FROM 2012
Discovery of a geological ‘sombrero’ on the Earth’s surface
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, found beneath the Earth’s surface and which often collects in chambers to feed...
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
‘Super- Earth’ likely to be made from diamonds
A planet twice the size of Earth orbiting a sun-like star, 55 Cancri e has been described by researchers at...
Thursday, 25 October 2012
Oxygen and Ice – how geochemistry revolutionised life on Earth
The evolution of multicellular animals, or metazoans, was made possible by a huge increase in oxygen levels after a major global warming episode, a new study suggests.
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Perspective: Science for All
Leila Haghighat discusses the recent revolution in academic publishing
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Initiatives: Big Issues in Science – UKCSJ
Ian Le Guillou reports from the 2012 UK Conference of Science Journalists
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Science and Policy: Minority Report
Vicki Moignard examines exactly where scientific information is coming from.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Issue 25 Specials: [POPULAR Science]
Helen Gaffney discusses BlueSci’s series of science communication talks.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Feature: Whose Training is it Anyway?
David Kent wonders whether doctorates have gone stale.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Do dry soils attract rain?
New research indicates that rain storms are more likely to form over drier than wetter soils.
Friday, 14 September 2012
X-Rays shed new light on mantle plumes
New studies using highly focused X-Rays have moved one step closer to explaining hotspot volcanism by investigating how huge plumes of hot mantle rock could form deep inside the Earth.
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Reaffirming Rio
Rio+20 marked 20 years since the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, which made early progress in recognising climate change and...
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Nuclear weapons give climate change research a helping hand
Testing nuclear weapons and researching climate change seem to be at opposite sides of the scientific spectrum; the former seeks...
Friday, 10 August 2012
Fool’s Gold- not such a fool after all?
Researchers have found that Fool’s Gold plays an important role in governing atmospheric oxygen concentrations.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Lichen can survive in space
Lichens can survive journeys through space – even when exposed to potentially lethal radiation levels and temperature changes.
Friday, 29 June 2012
Arctic warming linked to Antarctic ice
New findings suggest that the Arctic may be subject to very warm ‘super-interglacials’ linked to the loss of the Antarctic ice sheet on the other side of the world.
Monday, 25 June 2012
Plastic-eating fungus discovered in the Amazon
Undergraduate students from Yale University have discovered a fungus capable of degrading the common plastic polyurethane. With low costs and high demand, the volume of plastics produced overwhelms waste management systems and threatens ecosystems and human welfare globally.
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Gates Foundation and Big Pharma unite to combat neglected tropical diseases
The largest yet collaborative effort towards the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) was unveiled in London earlier this year....
Friday, 8 June 2012
Away from the Bench: Science on Ice
Hugo Schmidt talks to Pierre Dutrieux and Paul Holland about science at the South Pole.
Friday, 27 April 2012
Science & Policy: Preparing for the Unknown
Tim Middleton examines risk and uncertainty in policy-making.
Friday, 27 April 2012
Feature: Powering East Africa from below
Tom Bishop explores the potential of geothermal energy in Africa.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
DNA analysis may be open to interpretation
The genetic sequence encoded within the double helical strands of an individual’s DNA has long been considered decisive evidence for...
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
A human wind turbine
At 12 noon on Friday 10th February, Cambridge University students gathered on Parker’s Piece to rally for renewable energy.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Energising Cambridge
A new student campaign, Energise Cambridge (http://www.energisecambridge.org/), has been launched to try and persuade the University of Cambridge to buy a larger proportion of its energy from renewable suppliers.
Friday, 3 February 2012
A Day in the Life: The Science Diplomat
Ian Le Guillou interviews David Clary
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Behind the Science: Computers, Codes and Cyanide
Jordan Ramsey explores the persecuted genius of computing pioneer Alan Turing
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Science & Policy: The Race to the Edge
Beth Venus discusses the future of manned space missions
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Perspective: Capturing Change
Tom Bishop discusses carbon dioxide capture as one solution to climate change
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Feature: Neglecting Vets
Peter Moore explores the importance of Veterinary Medicine for mankind
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
POSTS FROM 2011
Genetically engineered E. coli could be used to make biofuels
In a discovery that pushes the dream of worldwide implementation of renewable energy towards reality, researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in Berkeley, California have synthesised three advanced biofuels using genetically engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Friday, 23 December 2011
Interview: Dr Rupert Soar - Fungus Farming to Freeform Construction.
Nick Crumpton talks to Rupert Soar about termite-inspired buildings, sustainable architecture and the future of construction.
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Review: The First Chief Scientific Adviser in the Foreign office
Government and Science. The two often have an interesting relationship; long term predications and concerns, such as those associated with...
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Interview: Filming Frozen Planet - Capturing the Public Imagination
Frozen Planet director Adam Scott talks to Nick Crumpton about one of the most extreme environments on Earth.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Review: Parasite Rex (Carl Zimmer)
Sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis and hundreds of other parasitic diseases plague millions of people across the world. We have no clear...
Monday, 14 November 2011
Review: Ten Top Tips for Televisual Triumph
Why do journalists often get their facts wrong when they report on science stories?
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Feature: Life on Air - Listening in on Natural Science
Some sort of bubbled ‘moo’: that’s what I assumed manatees were going to sound like. A muffled Chewbacca would have...
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Review: The Future - A Mini-retreat
Where does the Future lie for PostDocs and Graduate Students? This was the focus of the 2011 Biochemistry Mini-Retreat organised...
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Review: Virtual Water (Tony Allan)
How much water do you need to make a cup of coffee? According to Tony Allan, Professor of Geography at...
Monday, 24 October 2011
Feature: Conference - Threats to the University
In recent years, despite generating an historic amount of research in fields barely imaginable a generation ago, science has hit...
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Away from the Bench: Skeletons and Flame Tornadoes
Aaron Barker explains how certain types of CHaOS can be fun and informative
Monday, 3 October 2011
Science & Policy: Reactive Politics
Rose Spear analyses the varying global stances on nuclear energy
Monday, 3 October 2011
Perspective: Colliding at Colossal Costs
Richard Thomson gives his opinion on whether the Large Hadron Collider is worth its substantial investment
Monday, 3 October 2011
History: Science in Print
Helen Gaffney explores the rise of popular science magazines
Monday, 3 October 2011
Behind the Science: The Father of Forecasting
Lindsey Nield reflects on the life and voyages of Admiral Robert Fitzroy
Monday, 3 October 2011
Focus: Beneath the Surface
BlueSci looks at an endlessly fascinating and increasingly useful world deep below
Monday, 3 October 2011
Feature: A Bolt from the Blue
Simon Page reveals the colourful side of one of chemistry’s more dangerous reactions
Monday, 3 October 2011
Feature: The Age of Endeavour
Vicki Moignard recalls the captivating history of the Space Shuttle
Monday, 3 October 2011
iGEM 2011: Squid to E. coli - Bactiridescence
Squids and octopi (cephalopods) are renowned for their stunning ability to change their skin colour, as a means of camouflage...
Monday, 19 September 2011
A man-made mountain in the Netherlands?
A Dutch journalist has proposed the idea of creating a mountain in the Netherlands, believing it will benefit the nation’s athletes and become a top attraction.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Rivers of ice discovered in the Antarctic
The ice flow of the Antarctic ice sheet has been mapped in high resolution for the first time.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
BlueSci gets Creative
The BlueSci committee are pleased to announce that from now on we will be placing all material published by BlueSci,...
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Symptoms of climate change become apparent in European oceans
A species of plankton, Neodenticula seminae, has returned to the North Atlantic for the first time since going extinct 8 million years ago. This is the latest example of how changing climate conditions cause species to move or change their behaviour.
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Fjords revealed under Antarctic ice sheet
Recent surveying of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet reveals a landscape of mountains and fjords, with dynamic ice sheet configurations.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
A new method to harness solar energy
Scientists reporting in Nature Materials have built a prototype to show that the thermoelectric effect might provide an alternative way to generate electricity from sunlight.
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Atlas of the stars
An amateur astrophotographer has travelled over 60,000 miles to capture images of the stars and produce a stunning interactive atlas of the night sky.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
BlueSciFilm: Understanding ocean currents
BlueSciFilm interview Natalie Roberts, PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge University, about her work as a paleoceanographer, studying circulation of water around the Atlantic and its association with climate change.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Away from the Bench: Medical Writing
Andy Shepherd talks to Richard Thompson about working at Caudex Medical
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Technology: Computationally Challenged?
Anders Aufderhorst-Roberts examines the demands of the digital economy
Saturday, 7 May 2011
History: Immortal Hearts and Henrietta
Nicola Stead looks back at the beginnings of cell culture
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Perspective: Common Knowledge
Tim Middleton gives his perspective on access to data and the recent scandals
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Behind the Science: Women Who Led the Way
Jessica Robinson uncovers some of the pioneering female scientists
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Feature: Bird’s Eye View
Ian Le Guillou finds out about the ‘biological compass’ of cows, crocodiles and migrating birds
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Feature: The Challenge of Chocolate
Rachel Berkowitz looks at the science that will allow us to make chocolate better: healthier, cheaper and as tasty as before
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Feature: Mountains - Go with the Flow
Alex Copley explains how fluid dynamics can help us understand geology
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Feature: The ‘Map of Life’
Further to our recent news story, Tim Middleton interviews creators of the new ‘Map of Life’ website ((http://www.mapoflife.org/index/)) and looks into the apparent absurdities and controversies of convergent evolution.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Puddingstone film
In this short film, Dr Bryan Lovell, President of the Geological Society of London, tells us about his favourite rock:...
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Earliest non-marine multicellular life seen in Scottish fossils
Large populations of diverse microfossils from lochs in the northwest of Scotland indicate that the evolution of multi-cellular organisms may have commenced on land far earlier than previously thought.
Saturday, 16 April 2011
New maps of Earth's gravity unveiled
Models illustrating the most accurate measurements ever recorded of the variation in gravity across the Earth have been unveiled at an international conference at the Technische Universitat in Munich, Germany.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Mass extinction imminent?
A mass extinction on a scale only witnessed five times in the last 540 million years could be just around the corner, scientists warn.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Eggs show arctic mercury cycling may be linked to ice cover
A team of researchers has used seabird eggs to suggest that the level of mercury cycling in the flora and fauna of the Arctic is related to the amount of ice cover.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Away from the Bench: In the Driving Seat
Rosie Robison recounts her experience working at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
Saturday, 29 January 2011
History: The Great Trigonometrical Survey
Tim Middleton explores how India was mapped and the world’s tallest mountain named
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Perspective: Test Tube Babies
Sara Lejon gives her perspective on Nobel prize winning in vitro fertilisation technology
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Cover: Of Minerals and Meteorites
Richard Thomson looks into the story behind this issue’s cover image
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Feature: Bringing Science and Politics Together
Nina Klein reveals what she learnt as an intern with the Centre for Science and Policy
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Small-scale earthquakes hit Britain
Mention earthquakes and most people will think of places such as Japan and California, where major damaging earthquakes happen once...
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Tsunami warning systems
Six years have passed since the Boxing Day tsunami disaster which claimed 5,400 victims and devastated coastlines of Thailand, Indian,...
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Hope in the water
2010 was a year for extreme weather including some of the strongest illustrations of the global environmental crisis. As the country recovers from the “big freeze” it is reassuring that, at least in small ways, we are improving the world around us.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Scientific balloons launched from Antarctica
NASA and the National Science Foundation of the United States are launching a series of large high-altitude scientific balloons on...
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
POSTS FROM 2010
How many lightbulbs?
Cambridge University physicist, David Mackay, offers a passionate yet simple, quantitative analysis of the energy crisis in the UK. The film is based on his book "Sustainable Energy without the hot air", which is available free on his website.
Friday, 31 December 2010
A sustainable Christmas?
Tucking into second helpings of turkey? Why not treat yourself to another glass of Chardonnay and turn the thermostat up...
Sunday, 26 December 2010
Space observations show warming of Earth’s lakes
Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have used satellite nighttime thermal infrared imagery to measure the surface temperature of inland lakes over the period 1985 to 2009. The data show an average rate of warming of 0.045oC per year.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Oldest known salt mine found in Azerbaijan
Rock salt deposits at Duzdagi, in the Araxes basin in Azerbaijan, have been found to have been exploited as early...
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Perspective: Saving Species
Imogen Ogilvie gives her perspective on conservation and asks whether it is worth trying to conserve species at all
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Feature: The Transformation of Archaeology
Maggie Jack digs into the techniques of archaeology, how they are evolving and how this may help us to answer questions like “who killed King Tut?”
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Feature: Ocean Acidification
Matthew Humphreys examines the impact of carbon dioxide on the oceans
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Icy Mars mystery - solved?
Scientists believe that they have finally found a theory to explain the phenomena of disappearing ice on Mars, also shedding light on the planet's water cycle.
Monday, 11 October 2010
New mathematical model to aid biodiversity conservation
A new theory of species diversity has been developed that predicts the number of species in an ecological community by mathematically accounting for the interdependent properties of individual species as well as those of the environment.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
A break-down in communications
Climate change. Nuclear power. GM crops. Vaccines. Why is it that the general public is so often divided on issues that scientific experts largely agree on?
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Song of a distant star could solve mysteries close to home
By eavesdropping on far-away stars, scientists hope to better understand the Sun's magnetic properties and its influence on our lives.
Monday, 13 September 2010
The Environmentalist's Paradox: Why are we still doing so well?
Humankind is responsible for causing considerable damage to many of the planet's ecosystems. According to environmentalists, this degradation should also be having a negative effect on our own well-being. But it's not. What's going on?
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Global CO2 emissions on the decline
Recent measures show the global financial crisis leading to this decade's first drop in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel consumption.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Sun + Plastic Sheet = Energy
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a major improvement for organic solar cells, reporting their results in the...
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Species in the Soil
Research in the Panamanian rainforest shows that soil-dwelling organisms promote local species richness and keep the rare trees rare.
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Carbonate rocks and life on Mars?
Scientists writing in Earth and Planetary Science Letters ((Adrian J. Brown et al., “Hydrothermal formation of Clay-Carbonate alteration assemblages in...
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Pigeons carry harmful pathogens
Feral pigeons could be asymptomatic or subclinical carriers of the pathogens Chlamydophila psittaci and Campylobacter jejuni, responsible for acute diarrhea in humans.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Natural selection in favour of specialisation
Despite outliving the Ice Age, the Hundsheim rhinoceros rapidly disappeared without any effective changes to its environment, becoming foe to...
Monday, 21 June 2010
Life on Mars? New evidence reinvigorates old questions.
High-levels of carbonate minerals suggest a more favourable environment for life in the Red Planet's past.
Friday, 18 June 2010
Call for citizen scientists
An international team with researchers fthe UK, Australia and China consider how our views of biodiversity can be distorted by the data we look at.
Monday, 7 June 2010
How nature's colours could cut bank fraud
Scientists have discovered a way of mimicking the stunningly bright and beautiful colours found on the wings of tropical butterflies. The findings could have important applications in the security printing industry, helping to make bank notes and credit cards harder to forge.
Monday, 31 May 2010
History: Increasing the Yield
Alex Jenkin looks at the past, present and future of agriculture
Monday, 3 May 2010
Away from the Bench: Fluids and Foggaras
Djuke Veldhuis descends into the watering holes of the ancient Garamantes
Monday, 3 May 2010
Perspective: Funding in Crisis?
Gemma Thornton gives her perspective on the future of scientific funding
Monday, 3 May 2010
Feature: I Think, Therefore I Am?
Rupak Doshi investigates how scientists hope to find an answer to an ancient philosophical debate
Monday, 3 May 2010
Feature: The High Stakes of Earthquakes
Owen Weller reports on the devastation of seismic activity and the work invested in preparing for the fallout
Monday, 3 May 2010
History: The Nature of the Beast
Lindsey Nield traces the contributions and controversies in the history of animal research
Monday, 4 January 2010
Away from the Bench: An Ancestor's Tools
Kathelijne Koops roams the African rainforest to study chimpanzee culture
Monday, 4 January 2010
Perspective: Faith in Science
Ian Fyfe gives his perspective on why rejecting religion is bad for science
Monday, 4 January 2010
Focus: The End of Ageing?
BlueSci looks at the biology of ageing, how research is helping us to understand and overcome it and the impact on society if we could live longer.
Monday, 4 January 2010
Feature: Have We Got a Pill For You?
Warren Hochfeld explores the inadequacies of prescription drugs
Monday, 4 January 2010
Cover: Habitat Hopping
Katherine Thomas examines how frogs are responding to conservation efforts
Monday, 4 January 2010
POSTS FROM 2009
Focus: The Manhattan Project
As the UK government continues discussion on the renewal of Trident, our missile-based nuclear weapons arsenal, Bluesci looks back on the only two bombs ever to be used in war and Britain’s role as a nuclear power.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
POSTS FROM 2007
Museums and Galleries month
Cambridge offers the chance to discover some of its hidden gems this National Museums and Galleries month
Friday, 11 May 2007
POSTS FROM 2006
Indecisive River
The course of the River Nile changes more than previously thought, sweeping rapidly across its valley at rates of up...
Friday, 6 October 2006
It's Official: Cambridge People are Swots
Cambridge scientists were celebrating this week, with both students and academics winning awards for excellence in research
Friday, 6 October 2006
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