Lucky dip

EUSci now has a fairly extensive archive of fascinating articles- use this page to show you a random selection.

What happens when a scientist becomes a manager?

Submitted by admin on Sat, 2011-10-01 00:00
Akshat Rathi debates why being a successful supervisor is not just about research skills

The skewed world of academia presents a perplexing scenario for the scientists of today. After spending more than a decade gaining expertise in a scientific field and developing remarkable practical skills to gain the ability to think independently, they finally land up with their dream academic job. Then all of a sudden, they find themselves in the role of a manager!

To a scientist, curiosity helps spark innovation and make unknown con-nections. It allows joy to be derived from the smallest achievements, as long as it answers questions. Crazy ideas feed the curious mind leading to discovery. They also help a scientist take risks and not just sit by the fence (like our politicians!). A truckload of ambition helps scientists get through the many failures they encounter day after day and keep ‘the bigger picture’ in sight. Read more »

The hottest model around

Submitted by admin on Thu, 2010-04-01 23:19
Matthew Hartfield delves into the topical science of climate prediction

To almost all scientists, climate change is a reality and one that will have a drastic impact on the Earth’s environment. The potential ramifications of it are so dire that governments from around the world now feel obliged to meet and decide how to counter the problem; although with little success so far, as the limp agreement emerging from Copenhagen has shown. Read more »

The Dead Still Do Tell Tales

Submitted by admin on Sat, 2011-04-09 01:31
Kirsten Shuler visits the artefacts of our medical past

The University of Edinburgh is world-renowned for its medical programme and has a long and distinguished history of innovation. What people may not be aware of however are the two unique pathology collections that have played a role in both medical teaching and research. The first is held at the University itself, while the other is in the care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

The University’s anatomy collection, now known as the Anatomy Resource Centre, was founded by the Munro family. The Munro ‘dynasty’ consisted of three generations who collectively held the Chair of Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh for 126 years. The collection truly flourished under Sir William Turner, Professor of Anatomy from 1867 to 1903, who as particularly interested in comparative anatomy, anthropology and craniology. Read more »

Patenting Your Genes

Submitted by admin on Fri, 2010-01-01 01:00
Frank Dondelinger asks how patent law affects genetic research, and what can be done about it

Can you own a gene? The question may seem a bit nonsensical. Everybody owns their own genes, but how could it be possible to own somebody else’s genes? Yet the vagaries of patent law currently not only make it possible to own genes, they will also allow you to keep other people from reproducing any gene for which you hold the patent.

Before you start to worry that you might have to pay someone each time your cells divide, I should point out that EU patent law currently prohibits the patenting of “the human body [...], including the sequence or partial sequence of a gene.” However, if you isolate a product (including genes) from the human body, it may be patentable, though you won’t be infringing on the patent unless you also isolate the product. For instance, the hormone insulin was patented in the 1920s, but nobody asked your grandfather for money, unless of course he started extracting it from his pancreas and selling it to his diabetic friends. Read more »

Co-creator of the MP3 talks about why we hear what we hear

Submitted by Alex Shedlock on Fri, 2012-04-27 00:26

 

In skeptical circles especially, it is well known that eyewitness (or earwitness, to coin a word) observations of certain events are quite often fatally flawed. Read more »