How do our bodies know when to go to sleep?

A piece I wrote for the British Council Blog prior to FameLab International. | How do our bodies know when it’s night? In our eyes, there are photoreceptors: cells which can determine the difference between light and darkness. But how do the kidneys, liver or stomach know when it’s dark or light? During…

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What does the bird say?

A fascinating example of mimicry by the superb lyrebird, Menura novaehollandiae. I have taken this – somewhat shaky – footage in Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia, in December 2013. It’s the first time I have seen a lyrebird display outside of David Attenborough’s documentaries! Chain saw, shooting game, camera shutter, kookaburra, car alarm…

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Nature Blog: Science. Polish Perspectives

  When the organisers of the first Science Polish Perspetives conference (SPP) – held last year in Oxford – announced there was going to be a sequel, the expectations were running high. Those two autumn days spent in the neoclassical Magdalen Grove Auditorium, buzzing with popular science talks, panel discussions,…

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