Designing drugs on the London Underground

When you think of drugs and the London Underground, you probably don’t get a completely wholesome, let alone scientific image. I am going to tell you how we can use systems such as the London Underground to improve the design of new drugs. The London Underground map is an example of a mathematical network, or … Read more

FameLab UK Grand Final

I recently had the incredible experience of taking part in the FameLab UK Grand Final at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London. FameLab is a science communication competition that was started by the Cheltenham Science Festival in 2005. It has since grown into an international event, with 27 countries now taking part. Contestants have three minutes … Read more

Gut Reactions! FameLab UK North West Final

I recently competed in the FameLab UK North West Regional Finals with a talk all about mucus and the bacteria Helicobater pylori. I was fortunate enough to win the final and will now be heading to the National Finals in London in April! For more information about FameLab, please see http://www.famelab.org/uk Enjoy!

Henrietta Lacks: Immortal yet forgotten

This is a story about a woman named Henrietta. Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta was born in Virginia in 1920. She grew up on a struggling tobacco farm, living in the same building where her great-grandparents had lived as slaves years earlier. In 1951 Just 4 months after giving birth to her fifth child, Henrietta was diagnosed … Read more

Storm in a teacup

The British, as a people, are renowned for our non-confrontational and polite demeanour. That is until the topic of conversation moves on from the weather and, inevitably, becomes about tea. How should it be made? What material should the cup be made from? What temperature should the water be? Everyone has their own opinions regarding … Read more

Aerospace engineering, it’s not rocket science!

“It’s not rocket science, is it?!” This now clichéd phrase, used to imply simplicity, has often annoyed me. There are two reasons for this, firstly, there isn’t really such a thing as rocket science; secondly, if there were such a thing, it would be relatively simple. The subject often confused for rocket science is aerospace … Read more

U v. The Sun

Summer is upon us. Or, if you are British, it may already have passed. During the past few weeks of glorious, if unexpected, sunshine in the UK and Europe, sales of sun cream (or sun screen for the Americans) have soared. But how does sun cream protect your skin from the Sun’s unrelenting rays? How … Read more