Wellcome Image Awards 2009 « Richmondschoolbiology’s Weblog

The Wellcome Trust have anounced the winners of their Image Awards for this year. There are 19 winning images showcasing varying subject matter. You can view them here, or at the Wellcome Collection in London until Spring 2010.

NHS Choices: Behind the Headlines

Legal drug 'meow meow' probed March 17, 2010

The legal drug “meow meow” is being investigated in the wake of two teenagers’ deaths, says The Sun. The two boys from Scunthorpe are believed to have taken the stimulant, also known as mephedrone, shortly before their deaths. Several newpapers report that the synthetic drug is legally sold on the internet under names such as “M-CAT”, and “drone”, but is not […]

Vitamin D supplements and flu March 17, 2010

“Vitamin D is better than vaccines at preventing flu,” reported The Times. The newspaper said that children’s risk of getting flu could be halved if they take vitamin D, a finding that has implications for flu epidemics. This trial of 430 schoolchildren in Japan found that taking daily vitamin D supplements in winter decreased their risk of seasonal flu, com […]

Bad Science

Rentokil March 12, 2010

Ben Goldacre, The Guardian, Saturday 13 March 2010 “2,000 bugs taking a ride in every train compartment” said the Daily Mail. “Cockroaches cluster on trains“, scuttled the Telegraph. “Commuters share trains with 1,000 cockroaches, 200 bedbugs and 200 fleas” said the Evening Standard. The figures were all very specific and […]

Is it okay to ignore results from people you don’t trust? March 6, 2010

Ben goldacre, The Guardian, Saturday 6 March 2010 If the media were actuarial about drawing our attention to the causes of avoidable death, your newspapers would be filled with diarrhoea, Aids, and cigarettes every day. In reality we know this is an absurd idea. For those interested in the scale of our fascination with rarity, one [...]

The Naked Scientists

Where has all the Antimatter Gone? March 4, 2010

Antimatter can make anything - even anybody - vanish merely by touching it. But at the moment antimatter itself appears to have been the victim of an elaborate plot that has led to its own near-complete disappearance. So where are the anti-electrons, the anti-protons, the anti-people and their anti-cups of tea? Veronique Page hunts for clues to explain the a […]

What is Love? February 11, 2010

"Love is the drug and I need to score," sang Bryan Ferry in the seventies, earning him a smash hit and a small fortune. But apart from being a catchy song lyric, this line is also looking like a scientifically-accurate fact of life. So what is the real chemistry that happens when two people click? Chris Smith finds out...

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