heBiologist - King Edward VII...

TheBiologistThe socieTy of biology magazine ■ issn 0006-3347 ■ socieTyofbiology.org Vol 60 no 3 ■ JUne/JUly 2013

how arboreta can protect the UK’s forests

touchwood

RESEARch

GEt INVoLVEd The 10 best citizen

science biology projects

INtERVIEw

BRucE hood Psychology, neuroscience

and our sense of self

PhARMAcoLoGY

RAdIoActIVE REMEdIES Fighting cancer with rare radioisotopes

TheBiologistthe SOCIetY OF BIOLOGY MAGAZINe

Volume 60 No 3 June/July 2013

Th eBiologistTHE SOCIETY OF BIOLOGY MAGAZINE ■ ISSN 0006-3347 ■ SOCIETYOFBIOLOGY.ORG VOL 60 NO 3 ■ JUNE/JULY 2013

How arboreta can protect the UK’s forests

touchwood

RESEARch

GEt INVoLVEdTh e 10 best citizen

science biology projects

INtERVIEw

BRucE hoodPsychology, neuroscience

and our sense of self

PhARMAcoLoGY

RAdIoActIVE REMEdIES Fighting cancer with rare radioisotopes

Vol 60 No 3 / the BIOLOGISt / 1

9 where have all the botanists gone?

Botanist Sarah Whild

explores the apparent decline

in plant identification.

12 Seeing the wood for the trees

Simon Toomer explains the

modern day arboretum’s role

in managing our forests.

Regulars3 nelson’s column8 opinion10 Policy update 32 spotlight37 reviews45 biofeedback46 museum piece47 crossword48 final word

20

News4 society news34 member news40 branch events42 branch news

16 the eureka amoeba The single-celled organism

helping to fight epilepsy.

20 the nuclear option Dr Ulli Köster explains how

rare radioisotopes help

treat cancer.

24 ten great citizen science projects James Borrell’s top 10

projects from around

the world.

28 Professor Bruce hood The experimental

psychologist on why our

identities are an ‘illusion’.

12

contents

IN thIS ISSuE

24

A wINdow oN thE LIfE ScIENcES

BIOPhYSICSQUANtUM BIOLOGY

MAKING thE QuANtuM LEAP

12 / the BIOLOGISt / Vol 60 No 2

More than 60 years ago

Erwin Schrödinger, one

of the founding fathers of

quantum mechanics, insisted that

certain aspects of biology were

inexplicable by classical laws.

In his book What is Life?,

published in 1944, Schrödinger

considered the question of why the

macroscopic world obeys classical

laws (thermodynamics, Newtonian

mechanics, etc) despite the fact that

macroscopic objects are composed

of fundamental particles obeying a

very different set of rules: quantum

mechanics. Schrödinger pointed

out that the large objects behave

classically because their dynamics are

governed by the dynamics of trillions

of randomly moving particles whose

quantum properties are averaged out

to zero; from the averaging of all that

random motion emerges the classical

laws: order from disorder.

Schrödinger’s revolutionary

insight was that living organisms

might be different because some of

their macroscopic properties are

driven by small numbers of particles

in highly structured confi gurations

that might preserve aspects of

their quantum character; what he

termed order from order. Life’s

sensitivity to the dynamics of small

numbers may allow quantum

mechanical features to loom large

in the biological world.

the classical laws break down

completely, corresponding to our

intuition that stochastic fl uctuations,

rather than classical laws, govern

the dynamics of objects composed of

small numbers of particles.

Although the physical nature

of heredity had not yet been

established in 1944, it was known

that genes were very small and

thereby, Schrödinger argued,

composed of insuffi cient numbers

of particles to be subject to the

classical laws. The stability of

heredity, Schrödinger

insisted, could not be

founded on the

statistical laws.

Schrödinger proposed

that genes were some

kind of organic crystal,

but a “more complicated

organic molecule in which

every atom, and every group of

atoms, plays an individual role...”

Or, order from order. He called

these novel structures aperiodic

crystals and proposed that they

obeyed quantum laws. He further

suggested that gene mutations

were caused by quantum jumps

within the crystals; and went on

to speculate that biology was

governed by new laws, rooted in

the quantum world (Fig. 1).

Was he right? A decade after

What is Life? Watson and Crick


Nowhere is this more apparent

than in heredity, where the colour

of a person’s eyes, their propensity

to disease, perhaps even their

intelligence or personality, depends

on the dynamics of just a single

inherited molecule of DNA. Nothing

in the inanimate world approaches

this extreme sensitivity to quantum

level events. Yet all living cells

manipulate atoms and molecules

according to quantum laws. One of

the biggest questions of 21st century

biology is the extent to which this

matters. How much of biology

depends on non-trivial

quantum laws?

when laws break down

Classical laws are

limited by the ‘1/√ N

rule’: fl uctuations scale

according to the reciprocal of

the square root of the number of

particles involved. For example, gas

laws accurately predict the volume

of a balloon (at fi xed temperature

and pressure) fi lled with, say, 1020

particles of air, because fl uctuations

from the laws will be of magnitude

1/1010 (1/√1020) of the predicted

volume, which is clearly negligible.

However, if the balloon contains only

100 particles then fl uctuations will

be of magnitude 1/√100, one 10th

of expected values – and no longer

negligible. With even fewer particles,

ILLU

St

RA

tIO

N: J

ON

At

hA

N e

DW

AR

DS

Famed for the

‘Schrödinger’s

Cat’ thought

experiment, which

demonstrates the

problems of

quantum physics,

Erwin Schrödinger

(below right) was

an early

proponent of the

use of quantum

laws in biology.

Professor Johnjoe Mcfadden reveals how

quantum physics could help explain some

of biology’s most mysterious phenomena

22/04/2013 15:55

ANIMAL BehAVIOURNeStING hABItS

fEAthERING thE NESt


fests were built afd hzw they fufctizfed. Geferal zbservatizfs suggested that the fests zf these familiar birds varied if size but it was ufclear why. ) fest is much larger thaf the bird (Fig. 1), which suggests that the time afd physical effzrt tz czllect all this material is efergetically demafdifg (fest mass is a fufctizf zf female bzdy size4, afd fzzd supplemeftatizf caf shzrtef the perizd zf fest czfstructizf5), afd we have fz idea zf hzw zr why such a variety zf materials are chzsef.If this article I relate studies that my czlleagues afd I have ufdertakef tz try tz afswer these questizfs with the emphasis zf a better ufderstafdifg zf hzw the efvirzfmeft affects fest

czfstructizf afd fufctizf. We study species zf tits largely because they are czmmzf afd czfvefieftly fest if artificial bzxes, which are easy tz fifd afd mzfitzr.

Nest building in blue and great tits Great tits afd blue tits take arzufd 14 days tz czfstruct a fest withif a festbzx5. Durifg the sevef days leadifg up tz clutch ifitiatizf, lififg materials are added afd the bird mzulds afd lifes a cup at the efd furthest away frzm the eftrafce hzle (Fig. 1).)t Risehzlme Park, blue tits weighed arzufd 10g, yet they built fests that averaged 26g (rafge = 16–43g). Larger great tits (18g) were alsz przducifg 26g fests6. This similarity implied that size zf the bzx


dr charles deeming explores the subtle factors that will determine the size and shape of individual bird nests this spring

Birds building in early warm periods are likely to construct a light, poorly insulated nest

B ird fests rafge frzm simple scrapes zf the grzufd tz czmplex wzvef hafgifg structures. The rzle zf a bird’s fest is usually seef as a receptacle fzr the eggs zr chicks, but receft research is czfsiderifg the fufctizfal characteristics zf fests if zrder tz better ufderstafd their rzle if bird reprzductizf.

If geferal, bird fests tefd tz be characteristic zf the species that built them if terms zf lzcatizf, shape afd czfstructizf materials1,2. Nests caf be lzcated zf rzck ledges, withif vegetatizf, zf zr abzve the grzufd, zr withif cavities if trees zr the grzufd. But variatizf if fests built by the same ifdividual bird was shzwf receftly tz be czfsiderably greater thaf first thzught3.We have little quaftitative data zf just hzw much zf a particular fest material, such as grass zr mzss, is used if a fest zf afy particular species afd whether this shzuld be czfsidered as a defififg characteristic zf that species.

Much to learn)fter 30 years wzrkifg zf ifcubatizf afd embryzfic develzpmeft if birds afd reptiles if a labzratzry czftext, I came tz realise just hzw little I kfew abzut hzw bird fests wzrked. Havifg established a small pzpulatizf zf great tits (Parus major) afd blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) breedifg if fest bzxes at Risehzlme Park, Ufiversity zf Lifczlf, I decided tz ifvestigate hzw these particular

a blue tit feeding its chicks in a tree hole nest.

Dr charles Deeming cbiol fsb has been studying various aspects of incubation and development in birds, particularly ostriches, and reptiles for over 30 years. a senior lecturer in the school of life sciences, University of lincoln, charles won an ig nobel Prize in 2002 for his work looking at ostrich courtship behaviour directed towards humans.

BIOGRAPhY

26_BIO_60_2_GREAT_TITS.indd 26-27

the BIOLOGIStVol 60 No 3 June/July 2013

contacts

TheBiologist

The Biologist is a bi-monthly magazine (published six times per year) that carries the full richness and diversity of biology. Science is brought to life with stimulating and authoritative features, while topical pieces discuss science policy, new developments or controversial issues. Aimed at biologists everywhere, its straightforward style also makes it ideal for educators and students at all levels, as well as the interested amateur.

Submissions of interesting and timely articles, short opinion pieces and letters are welcome. Articles should be aimed at a non-specialist audience and convey your enthusiasm and expertise. Instructions for authors are available on the Society’s website or on request from the editorial office. Contact [email protected]

EdItoRIAL StAffdirector of Membership, Marketing and communicationsJon KudlickEditor Sue NelsonManaging Editor tom Ireland MSB [email protected] Assistant Karen Patel AMSB [email protected]

for membership enquiries call 0844 858 9316 [email protected]

for subscription enquiries call 020 7685 2556 [email protected]

EdItoRIAL BoARdJ Ian Blenkharn MSB FRSPh

Phil Collier MSc PhD CBiol FSB FLS Fhe

Cameron S Crook BSc MPhil CBiol MSB MIeeM FLS

Rajith Dissanayake MSc PhD FZS AMSB

Catherine Duigan BSc PhD FSB FLS

John heritage BA DPhil CBiol FSB

Sue howarth BSc PhD CBiol FSB

Allan Jamieson BSc PhD CBiol FSB

Catherine Jopling BSc PhD MSB

Susan Omar BSc PGCe CBiol CSci MSB MRSPh FRGS

Leslie Rose BSc CBiol FSB FICR MAPM

AdVISoRY PANELIan Clarke, horticulture Research International, UK

Clive Cornford, Unitec, Auckland, New Zealand

Sharon Grimster, BioPark, UK

Marios Kyriazis, Biogerontologist and anti-ageing physician, UK

Alan Lansdown, Imperial College London, UK

Walter Leal Filho, hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Don McManus, Bancroft Centre, Australia

Peter Moore, King’s College London, UK

Brian Osborne, Australia

John Scott, University of Leicester, UK

Robert Spooner-hart, University of Western Sydney, Australia

Kathleen Weathers, Institute of ecosystem Studies, USA

Steve Wilson, Pfizer Animal health

Th eTHE SOCIETY OF BIOLOGY MAGAZINE ■ ISSN 0006-3347 ■ socieTyofbiology.org

Vol 60 no 1 ■ feb/

'People have cast me as a sort of snarling attack dog. Which i'm not'

Th eBiologistTHE SOCIETY OF BIOLOGY MAGAZINE ■ ISSN 0006-3347 ■ socieTyofbiology.org

Vol 60 no 2 ■ aPr/may 2013

TV's alice roberts

talks anatomy and archaeology

dIGGINGdEEP

INtERVIEw

BIoPhYSIcS

QuANtuM BIoLoGY

Cutting-edge physics for

biological problems

RESEARch

BuILdER BIRdS

Factors aff ecting

nest sizes

GENEtIcS

cRAcKING thE codE

A decade on from the

human genome project

00_BIO_60_2_COVER.indd 1

26/03/2013 10:01


Society of Biologycharles darwin house,12 Roger Street,London wc1N 2Jutel: 020 7685 2550Fax: 020 3514 [email protected]

Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editorial Board or the Society of Biology.

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The Society permits single copying of individual articles for private study or research, irrespective of where the copying is done. Multiple copying of individual articles for teaching purposes is also permitted without specific permission. For copying or reproduction or any other purpose, written permission must be sought from the Society. exceptions to the above are those institutions and non-publishing organisations that have an agreement or licence with the UK Copyright Licensing Agency or the US Copyright Clearance Centre. Access to the magazine is available online; please see the Society’s website for further details.

The Biologist is produced on behalf of the Society of Biology byThink Publishing Ltd.124-128 Barlby RoadLondon W10 6BLwww.thinkpublishing.co.uk020 8962 3020

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for advertising information contacttom tiffin, [email protected] Carter, [email protected] 7183 1815

I love lists and charts – be it the

UK singles top 40 from 1976,

naming and shaming the

world’s most obese nations, or

10 surprisingly brutal facts

about dragonflies. I’m not making

that last one up either. Somehow

certain facts from these shortlists

always stick in the mind (dragonflies

are much more efficient at catching

prey than sharks) and I hope that’s

exactly what will happen with James

Borrell’s personal choice of 10 great

citizen science projects on page 24.

After once presenting a Radio 4

series on citizen science, featuring

everything from orchid hunting to

tracking comets, I thought I was

pretty clued up on what’s currently

around. Indeed I did recognise a few

projects on James’ list but, excitingly,

most of them were new to me and are

totally inspiring. Let’s hope it

encourages even more people to get

involved in citizen science projects as

nowadays many areas of biology,

from botany to developing new

drugs, depend on it.

The increasing popularity of

citizen science prompted scientists

from the NERC Centre for Ecology &

Hydrology and London’s Natural

History Museum to review more

than 200 citizen science projects

from the UK and around the world.

It culminated last year in a practical

guide on how to develop, implement

and evaluate these projects –

especially useful when citizen science

is growing in use. A few months ago,

for instance, an amateur botanist

(and microbiologist by training) in

the US discovered more than 100

previously ‘lost’ plant species with

a team of volunteers.

Citizen science obviously helps

scientists and, as far as I’m aware,

certainly doesn’t put them out of a job.

So what Sarah Whild, a senior

lecturer in plant ecology at

Manchester Metropolitan University,

wants to know is where all the

botanists have gone? (page 9). It’s a

valid question and a worrying trend

– one that, I’m reliably informed, could

also apply to bacteriologists. This may

well be the first of similar questions

covering different areas of biology

over the coming months.

As always, this issue of The

Biologist covers an impressive range

of subjects: from the importance of

arboreta in protecting forests (page

12) and how an amoeba can help

treatment for epilepsy (page 16), to

cognitive neuroscience (page 28) and

a James Bond themed article on

neutron special agents in the war

against cancer (page 20).

Incidentally, citizen science can

also be applied to cancer. In

February, Cancer Research UK

announced it was collaborating with

several other organisations to try to

find ways for people to use their

home computers to search for

mutations in DNA that lead to cancer.

We are all scientists now.

Many areas of biology depend on citizen science

Nelson’s column


sue nelson, editor

Tributes paid to IVF pioneer


Society news

Vaughan Memorial School in

London, was one of 450 innovative

young finalists chosen to showcase

their work to a world-class panel of

judges. She captured their attention

with her project, ‘Crested crisis:

Determining the microhabitat

preferences of Great Crested Newt

Larvae’. The project was inspired by

Cecylia’s passion for newts and her

determination to prevent the loss of

this valuable species.

the Society enjoyed a busy

three days at The Big Bang

Fair in March, as 65,000

visitors flocked to London’s ExCeL

centre for the largest celebration of

science in the UK.

One young biologist, Cecylia

Watrobska, is celebrating after

receiving The Society of Biology prize

at the fair’s prestigious National

Science & Engineering Competition.

Cecylia, from The Cardinal


Sir Robert Edwards Hon FSB,

physiologist and pioneer of

in vitro fertilisation (IVF),

has died aged 87.

Edwards is credited with

bringing as many as 4 million

children into the world following

his successful development of IVF

with gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe

in the 1970s. A Fellow of Churchill

College, Cambridge, Sir Robert

was awarded the Nobel Prize for

Physiology or Medicine in 2010

and knighted in 2011 for services to

human reproductive biology.

frequent oppositionIn a Cambridge laboratory in

1968, for the first time, Edwards

successfully fertilised a human

egg. Later he remarked that he

would never forget the moment

he discovered the technique had

been successful. “I looked down the

microscope,” he recalled, “and what

I saw was a human blastocyst gazing

up at me. I thought, ‘we’ve done it’.”

As Edwards refined the technique

and Steptoe developed ways to

extract eggs from women with

fertility problems, the pair’s

research was met with frequent

opposition. The Medical Research

Council initially refused to fund the

research, the Vatican was critical

and a number of lawsuits were

launched to obstruct them. Despite

this, in 1978, Louise Brown – the

world’s first ‘test tube baby’ – was

born at Royal Oldham Hospital

to worldwide media attention.

According to the BBC, Edward’s

most famous work was inspired by

his belief that “the most important

thing in life is having a child”.

A remarkable manProfessor Martin Johnson, emeritus

professor of reproductive sciences

at the University of Cambridge,

was among Edwards’ first graduate

students between 1966-69. “Bob was

a remarkable man who changed

the lives of so many people. He was

not only a visionary in his science

but also in his communication to

the wider public about matters

scientific in which he was a

great pioneer,” said Professor

Johnson. “He will be greatly

missed by his colleagues,

students, his family and all

the many people he has helped

to have children.”

Born in Yorkshire in 1925,

Edwards served in the British

army during World War II before

returning home to study first

agricultural sciences, then animal

genetics. He married Ruth Fowler,

the granddaughter of physicist

Ernest Rutherford and daughter

of physicist Ralph Fowler, in 1956,

producing five daughters and 12

grandchildren. He died peacefully in

his sleep following a long illness.

www.societyofbiology.org/news

All the fun of the Fair

aboVe: edwards pictured in 2003 with louise brown, the world’s first ‘test tube baby’.


oBItuARY Sir Robert Edwards 1925-2013

The prestigious judging panel

included particle physicist Professor

Brian Cox, renowned space scientist

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Nobel

Prize-winning biochemist Sir Tim

Hunt, and the Science Museum’s

inventor in residence, Mark

Champkins, among others.

Students aged 11-18 from across

the UK were given the chance

to enter the National Science

& Engineering Competition by

completing a project or activity in

any field of science, technology,

engineering or maths.

The UK Young Scientist of the

Year, Emily O’Regan, also focused

on species preservation, with a

project on the breeding and mating

habits of Chilean flamingos.

Prizewinner cecylia Watrobska with TV science presenter greg foot and the society’s Jon Kudlick.

Pm David cameron chats to one of the young delegates.

the Society has named

Professor Tim Birkhead

its Higher Education

Bioscience Teacher of the Year.

Judges were particularly

impressed with Professor

Birkhead’s long-term commitment

to teaching and the range of

innovative methods he adopted.

As a coordinator

and lecturer on

undergraduate

courses

on animal

behaviour

and the

history

of science,

Professor

Birkhead is

passionate about teaching that

is informed by research and is a

strong advocate of field courses.

On the day of the awards, held

at the Heads of University

Biosciences (HUBS) spring

meeting in Buckinghamshire, he

had just returned from field work

in Costa Rica.

wonderful recognition“I am absolutely thrilled by

this award, which is wonderful

recognition for 35 years of

research-led teaching,” said

Professor Birkhead. “It wouldn’t

have been possible, however,

without the unstinting support

from my department (Animal &

Plant Sciences), the University

of Sheffield, and 35 cohorts of

amazing undergraduates.”

Professor Birkhead receives

the Ed Wood Memorial Prize of

£1,000, one year’s subscription to

an Oxford University Press (OUP)

journal of his choice and one year’s

free membership of the Society.

The runner-up in the award was

Dr Christopher Willmott from the

University of Leicester. The judges

praised his original and innovative

approaches to teaching bioethics.

The other shortlisted

candidates were Dr Anne

Goodenough (University of

Gloucestershire), Dr Jane Saffell

(Imperial College London)

and Dr Elizabeth Sheffield

(University of Manchester).

Bioscienceteaching award

6 / the BIOLOGISt / Vol 60 No 3 Vol 60 No 3 / the BIOLOGISt / 7

SOCIetY NeWSVOICe OF the FUtURe/BIOLOGY ChALLeNGe/Set WINNeRS/OLYMPIAD teAM/SOCIetY AGM

Voice of the Future goes live on air

for disagreeing with

Government policy.

The biggest

challenge facing

science is the

combined

demands of a

rising population

and climate

change, as well as the

threat of anti-microbial

resistance, he said.

Members of the Science and

Technology Committee said

the horse meat scandal was a

question of fraud prevention rather

than a public health issue, and

discussed how more rigorous

testing could be funded.

You can watch the full

proceedings at www.parliament.uk

Young scientists and engineers

swapped places with ministers

and MPs from the Science and

Technology Select Committee as part

of the Society’s second Voice of the

Future event in March.

Broadcast live on BBC Parliament,

the meeting allowed young scientists

aged 16-35 to probe MPs on science

policy, funding and education.

Science minister David Willetts

faced tough questions on tuition

fees, immigration and inequality

in UK science, while the UK

Government’s Chief Scientist

Professor Sir John Beddington

was asked about key issues such as

climate change, food security and

the recent horse meat scandal.

Willetts conceded more has to

be done to increase the number of

women in senior science positions in

the UK and was forced to defend the

recent rise in tuition fees. But he said

the UK is not comparable with EU

countries that do not charge tuition

fees, such as Germany, where fewer

people go to university.

Sir John reassured young

scientists about transparency and

independence in Government science

advice, prompted by questions about

Professor David Nutt, the former

chair of the Advisory Council on the

Misuse of Drugs, who was sacked

The society’s director of parliamentary affairs stephen benn (second from left) and young scientists and engineers from Voice of the future.


Society challenge answers more than 3 million questions

A record 31,000 school

students took part in

the Society’s 2013 Biology

Challenge competition,

collectively answering more

than three million questions.

Around 540 schools took

part in the competition, now

in its fifth year. Open to all

school students aged 14-15, the

competition encourages pupils

to take an interest in biology and

natural history topics beyond

the school curriculum.

tomorrow’s biologists Society chief executive Dr Mark

Downs said: “It is fantastic to

see so many young people

engaging with biology. Biology is

integral to tackling many of our

21st-century challenges, from

food security to disease, and we

need inspired young people to

support this.”

The number of participants

beats the previous record from

last year, when just over 29,000

students took part.

the Society marked its third

year and awarded three

President’s Medals at its Annual

General Meeting in May. Chaired

by Society president Professor

Dame Nancy Rothwell, the AGM

approved formal resolutions and

several changes of Council were

also announced.

Dr William Marshall was

thanked for his contributions as

honorary treasurer and

Dr Pat Goodwin (right)

was announced as

the new honorary

officer for this role.

President’s

Medals, awarded

to members and

Fellows in recognition

of a significant contribution to

the Society, were presented to

Professor David Coates, Dr Alan

Bedford and Mrs Veronica Smith.

All three shared a commitment

to the Society including prior

involvement over many years with

the previous Institute of Biology.

The charter lecture, given by

Professor Martin Humphries,

focused on his cell adhesion

research and the importance

of serendipity in making new

scientific discoveries.

For more details of changes

to Council, please see the

Society website.

AGM celebrates Society’s first three years

Dr alan bedford receives a President’s medal from Dame nancy rothwell.


science minister David Willetts faces questions (above), while (below) house of commons speaker John bercow introduces proceedings, as seen on bbc Parliament.

SET for Britain, a prestigious

competition to recognise

Britain’s most promising

scientists and engineers, took

place in the House of Commons

in March. The competition is

designed to support and promote

British scientists in the early stages

of their careers, and allows them to

present their work to MPs.

The 2013 gold medal went to

Joanna Brunker, 26, a PhD student

in the Department of Medical

Physics and Bioengineering at

University College London, for her

All SET for Britainresearch on a new technique to

study blood flow in tumours. Silver

was awarded to Nick Morant, 30,

a scientist in the Department of

Biology and Biochemistry at the

University of Bath, for his research

describing a novel DNA polymerase

for use in DNA detection.

Nicola Hemmings, 28, a

postdoctoral research associate in

the Department of Animal and Plant

Science at the University of Sheffield,

gained a bronze medal for research

on diagnosing fertility problems in

critically endangered birds.

the Society and volunteers

from UK Biology Competitions

are pleased to announce the

four students selected to represent

the UK at the 2013 International

Biology Olympiad (IBO) in

Switzerland in July. They are:

■ Scarlett Harris,

Godalming Sixth Form College

■ Matthew Johnston,

The Judd School

■ Katherine Lister,

Greenhead College

■ Anna Sozanska,

St Leonards-Mayfield School.

The first round of the British

Biology Olympiad this year had

4,200 students taking part. The

competitions involve both theory and

practical tests to identify some of the

top pre-university biology students

in the world from 60 countries.

Well done, Olympians!

Pictured with prizewinner Joanna brunker are Professor Jonathan ashmore, president of The Physiological society, bP’s John Pierce, the society’s chief executive mark Downs and director of parliamentary affairs stephen benn.

Anna Sozanska

Matthew Johnston

Katherine Lister

Scarlett Harris

check out the society’s new website, with a dedicated site for The Biologist coming soon

www.societyofbiology.org


OPINION COMPUteR VIRUSeS/the DeMISe OF BOtANY?


the demise of botany as a

subject is well known (Jones,

2010 and Drea, 2011) and

in 2013 one can no longer study

a botany degree in the UK. This

could, however, be a matter of

semantics: plant science is arguably

a more appealing name, and there

are plenty of plant science degrees

in the UK.

Yet several of the institutions

commonly associated with botanical

excellence do not offer any plant-

based degree titles at all (but do

offer zoology). And there does not

appear to be much plant biology

even in a plant-based degree. Take

the BSc in biological sciences

(plant biology) at one Russell

Group university, for example:

specialisation is allowed in the

second and third years with options

such as animal biology, ecology

or genetics, and field modules

studying Barbary macaques or

zoology in the US.

Jones (ibid.) described the

disproportionate number of animal

researchers to plant researchers at

Oxford, and it is true in most major

research universities, as

well as at teaching

institutions

such as my

Where have all the botanists gone?

own. It appears to be harder to get

funding for plant-based research

even though crop science is vitally

important.

Rise of the amateurBiochemistry, genetics, and

molecular ecology can all feed

into plant science without their

practitioners labelling themselves

as botanists. Harberd (2006)

laments the loss of connectivity

between laboratory-based

researchers and the natural world

– but does the science suffer as

a result, and does this mean all

‘traditional’ botanical activities are

in decline?

If this is so, who will document

changes in distribution and

abundance of species to assess

biodiversity? Who can confirm that

it is in fact Arabidopsis thaliana

having its genes sequenced and not

Capsella bursa-pastoris?

Thankfully, amateur naturalist

activity is on the increase. The

Botanical Society of the British Isles

(BSBI) has 3,000 members, many

active as field botanists making

botanical records. The

British Bryological

Society (BBS) has

had an increase in

membership in the

last 10 years,

REfERENcES

Forrest, S. & Beauchemin, C. Computer immunology. Immunological Reviews. 216, 176-197 (2007).

Lightfoot, N., Rweyemamu, M. & heymann, D. L. Preparing for the next pandemic. BMJ. 346, 364 (2013).

Murray, W. h. The application of epidemiology to computer viruses. Computers & Security 7, 139-150 (1988).

ian blenkharn cbiol msb is a consultant healthcare and environmental microbiologist. ceo of blenkharn environmental, he is a lecturer at the school of Psychology, social Work & human sciences and the college of nursing, midwifery & healthcare, University of West london.

A sniffle, a sneeze and a

headache are early signs

of a common cold. Do we

then take to our bed, or carry on

regardless and pass the infection to

work colleagues and others? Basic

hygiene measures can restrict the

spread of a virus but we are not

always successful – generally, we

do not try hard enough.

Computer viruses are no

different. Our basic computer

hygiene standards are lax. At-risk

files are exchanged via email, file

sharing, smartphones, and other

unprotected storage devices. This,

combined with the use of websites

compromised with malicious code,

conspires to create a persistently

high risk of infection.

Like biological viruses, computer

viruses also exhibit precise target

specificities, with a closely defined

vector and host range, variable

latent period and virulence,

marked polymorphism and the

ability to respond to attacks (by

antivirus software), as well as a

demonstrable ‘pathology’ to devices

or networks. The paradigm is clear,

the damage extensive.

Applying epidemiological

principles to computer viruses

is not new (Murray, 1988). In an

hospitable but vulnerable computing

environment, a virus can spread

rapidly and do much damage.

Nothing has changed except the

abundance and diversity of threats,

and the ever increasing potential

for disruption and data loss. Murray

could not foresee an all powerful

panacea, no general vaccine and no

defence against bad code. But he was

aware that good hygiene helps.

It still does, and simple measures

can break the chain of infection. It

necessitates great care, a full and

clear understanding of the risks

involved, and universal antivirus

software installation. This may be

rather obvious but we continue to

fall into the most elementary traps.

In the 1990s, the Melissa mass-

mailing macro virus spread widely

when users clicked on an email

attachment, allowing it to copy

itself to 50 contacts in the victim’s

address book. Within a short time

Melissa had spread globally, causing

damage estimated at around $80m,

and its variants still circulate.

Last summer, the Shamoon virus

targeted Windows PCs operating

in the energy sector and is thought

to have originally been released

for industrial espionage. As winter

approached, a virus attack crippled

the turbine control system of a US

power company after a technician

inserted an infected USB computer

drive into the network. It kept the

plant offline for three weeks.

Shivering through winter power

cuts, we may have missed the merged

SpyEye and ZeuS code that began to

circulate in 2011, attacking mobile

phone banking security systems and

raising concerns about the safety of

our now ubiquitous smartphones.

Successful herd immunity,

when vaccination reduces the

amount of infection circulating

in a community and thereby

the probability of exposure of

unvaccinated individuals, could be

achieved with computing systems

as it is for biological infection.

This would require universal and

continued antivirus software use.

Yet it is common to find computers

lacking operating system and

programme updates, with outdated

or disabled antivirus software.

The increasing diversity of small

but powerful privately owned

computing devices, linking daily to

major academic and commercial

networks, mostly lack antivirus and

other malware protection.

Epidemiological studies will

continue to support the new

discipline of computer immunology

(Forrest & Beauchemin, 2007) and

may be our saviour, though perhaps

not in the near future. Lightfoot &

colleagues (2013), calling for

cross-sector collaboration to

improve preparedness to new global

biological viruses, echoed a need

for increased effort in prevention of

computer virus outbreaks.

Applying the principles of

epidemiology and immunology,

with a good measure of hygiene,

to the study, prevention, and

management of computer virus

infection provides an imperfect and

incomplete defence. However, as

with the management of infectious

diseases, this may ultimately prove

successful in preventing widespread

virus proliferation. There are few

more important tasks.

Sarah Whild looks at why a once cherished subject seems to be disappearing

Ian Blenkharn explores how the study of infectious diseases has lessons for the prevention of attacks on computers and smartphones

Binary bugs

sarah Whild is senior lecturer in plant ecology at manchester metropolitan University and chair of the Training and education committee, botanical society of the british isles.

REfERENcES

Drea, S. The end of the Botany Degree in the UK. Bioscience Education, 17 (2011).

harberd, N. Seed to Seed – The secret life of plants (Bloomsbury, 2006).

Jones, S. Where have all the British botanists gone, just when we need them? The Daily Telegraph, 14 September, 2010.

particularly among the under-40s.

While undergraduate degrees in

botany or plant science have all but

disappeared, part-time courses in

field botany, biological recording or

vegetation science are flourishing.

This year an online botany course

sponsored by the BSBI and the

Field Studies Council was fully

subscribed and could have been

filled at least twice over. Short

courses and day schools are offered

at a number of higher education

(HE) institutions and through

wildlife trusts, records centres and

professional organisations.

funding shortfallIn 2008 the House of Lords Select

Committee on Taxonomy reported

that the need for botanists and

other field taxonomists, in order to

audit biodiversity change, was part

of our responsibilities under the

Rio Convention.

The Joint Nature Conservation

Committee has a European

obligation to monitor for change

in biodiversity, delivered mainly

through voluntary recording

schemes and societies such as the

BSBI and the BBS. Forward thinking

HE institutions are providing

continuing professional development

training in field taxonomy via

postgraduate programmes or short

courses, but funding is virtually

nonexistent, with student loans only

available for undergraduate degrees.

If we are to sustain our supply

of botanists, one of the biggest

impediments is funding for this

training, requiring a serious

commitment by Government.

So where have all the botanists

gone? There may be few botanists

in the lab, but the good news is

they are being trained and seem

to have migrated out into the field.

Hopefully, if the sun is shining, they

are out there botanising.

Turn to page 12 for our feature on how

arboreta safeguard our forests.

a liverwort from ernst haeckel’s Artforms of Nature, 1904.

Policy update

It has a complex, controversial impact on international publishing

www.societyofbiology.org/policy www.societyofbiology.org/policy10 / the BIOLOGISt / Vol 60 No 3 Vol 60 No 3 / the BIOLOGISt / 11

the UK has made significant

steps towards extending

access to publicly funded

research in the last few months, with

the Research Councils UK (RCUK)

implementing its policy on open

access from April onwards.

Open access has proved

controversial due to the complex

financial and practical repercussions

it will have upon the international

publishing system (The Biologist

Vol 59 (3) p12). With this is mind, the

Society’s Research Dissemination

Committee has been working with

members, member organisations

and external partners to engage with

Government and funders in advance

of its implementation.

Processing chargesThe Government states a preference

for the ‘gold’ open access route, where

authors pay for publication through

article processing charges (APCs). If

an open access option or APCs are

not available, authors must follow

the ‘green’ open access route, where

articles are made openly available

through an institutional repository or

Troubled water

humans have always needed

water to survive yet the

amount of water we use has

altered drastically over time. This

amount varies wildly across the

globe, dependent not so much on

local climatic conditions, but lifestyle.

In industrialised, urbanised

countries most of the water we use

is never seen or drunk – it is

consumed in the course of producing

our food, clothing and services.

The bulk of our imported water is

not in plastic bottles but embedded

within the products of overseas

agriculture and industry. Worldwide,

agriculture is the big ticket item,

accounting for about 70% of water

use, most of that domestic.

The problems of supplying clean water to an ever increasing population are just as urgent as the demand for food

similar after an embargo period of

six months.

At a February conference on open

access at the Royal Society, Dr Tony

Peatfield spoke on behalf of the RCUK

and emphasised its view that making

research openly available is a ‘journey’

rather than an event, and that

implementation of the policies would

be flexible in these early stages.

David Willetts, Minister for

Universities and Science, outlined

the Government’s preference

for the gold open access route,

stating it “unambiguously achieves

the objective of open access to

taxpayer-financed research when

it is published … and it honestly

recognises that there are some costs

to publishing”. A green approach

would not be a financially sustainable

business model, he said.

A flurry of consultations was

launched earlier in the year before

the RCUK open access policy was

implemented on 1st April. One, by

the House of Lords Science and

Technology Select Committee, asked

RCUK for greater clarity on various

aspects, including embargo periods.

RCUK has since published a revised

policy that attempts to provide some

clarification and has committed to a

policy review next year.

The Higher Education Funding

Council for England is also developing

its open access policy in light of the

RCUK’s developments.

Membership feedbackRCUK-funded researchers will begin

to experience this policy shift in the

coming months as universities start

to administer APCs and articles are

made openly available. Following

this, the Finch Group is planning a

review meeting in September.

The Society will feed back evidence

from our membership on what

impact the open access policy has

had on research within the biological

community, plus the thoughts of

learned society publishers, industry

and others. We rely on member input

to inform our policy work.

If you wish to report your

experience of changing research

publication policy, please email

[email protected]

We are by now used to hearing

that world population increases

will mean that we need 50% more

food by 2030, but the anticipated

need for 30% more water gets

less attention. Along with reducing

our carbon footprint we must

seriously consider how to reduce

water footprints.

One obvious route is through

changes to food production and use.

Post-harvest losses and wastage of

food continue to be high – farm gate

to market water wastage can be as

high as 30% in some less developed

economies. In the UK and other

industrialised economies we throw

away about 30% of purchased food.

These are big statistics with a

variety of underlying causes, but

many are open to scientific analysis

and solution. The ‘Green Revolution’

in agriculture in the decades after

the Second World War occurred

without water as a limiting factor,

but our next required step up in

crop productivity will have to be

water aware.

Irrigated agriculture covers 18%

of cropland worldwide and produces

40% of all crops. Drought and water

stress-tolerant crops will be needed

as groundwater becomes depleted

and rainfall is insufficient. Livestock

production, too, is heavily dependent

on water, and not only for fodder.

Many campaigns to reduce the

proportion of meat in diets invoke

the water savings as an important

factor. Indeed, a diet rich in red meat

is generally cited as being the cause

of consuming the most water.

The quality of available fresh water

is also in the spotlight, particularly

in population-dense countries.

Provision of clean water and

sanitation have undoubtedly brought

great improvements in human health

but a further 1.5 million deaths

could be prevented annually by the

extension of those services globally.

Increasingly, the build-up

of pharmaceuticals and

personal-care products in rivers

is drawing concern and calls for

improved extraction near source,

or the substitution where possible

of more biodegradable compounds.

The challenge may be greater

in areas with ageing, medicated

populations but much is yet to be

discovered about risks as well as

solutions in this field.

It is fair to say that we need to find

a way to produce more food with

less water and produce less bioactive

effluent or run-off at the same time

if we are to even maintain current

standards. The thinking caps are

on but how soon will the practical

changes we need begin to take effect?

Jackie caine msb, senior science policy officer

Dr laura bellingan fsb, head of science policy

Hard to Open

The ramifications of open access are still not fully understood as funders put policy into practice

The best tweets from the annual conference of the UK Plant Sciences Federation

April’s PlantSci 2013 conference in Dundee witnessed plenty of discussion on how plant

science can help feed a growing global population, a debate where technology, science, money and politics collide. Speakers included the University of Oxford’s Charles Godfray, David Baulcombe from the University of Cambridge and Jonathan Jones from the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich.

here are just a few of the tweets. @anneosterrieder Charles Godfray: population possibly going to peak at 9 bill. People will demand high-quality diet needing more resources to produce.

@markatsocbiol Starting to see population increase flatten out. But food demand increasing as China and others shift to western diet.

@rebeccanesbit People go hungry not because we don’t produce enough food but because they can’t afford it (or can’t reach it, eg war zones).

@mimiTanimoto Sustainable intensification should take the best from agroecological and organic – Charles Godfray.

@rebeccanesbit At least 30% of food is never consumed. We need to reduce this but the reasons are complex.

@plantscience Important that we don’t lose sight of ‘discovery in science’. Without basic science there will be no impact – David Baulcombe.

@weedinggems David Baulcombe: science is apolitical. But its application is very political. Your world view is important.

FOReStRYARBORetA


of pests and diseases that we have

seen in recent years. A growing

awareness of this has prompted a

21st-century hunt for new species,

to replace those now considered

unviable, and more species (and

genotypes within them) to create a

diverse and resilient species mix.

Unlike most agricultural crops,

trees live for a very long time

and species choice has long-term

implications. Experience over the

last few decades has told us that

we do not know which diseases will

arrive over the life span of even a

short lived tree, let alone what a

changing climate may throw at it in

the way of drought, heat and new

pests. Therefore, one of the richest

sources of these ‘new’ species is the

network of arboreta, in which the

UK is particularly well endowed.

The origins of most arboreta

may lie more in pleasure and

recreation than science and study, but

nevertheless their diversity, maturity

and (often) well-recorded history give

them a head start over new trial plots.

the arboretumThe concept of the arboretum as

a place for the cultivation, display

and appreciation of trees developed

from the late 18th and 19th centuries

as a distinctive side shoot from the

European tradition of landscape

gardening. Early private arboreta,

through the inclusion of species from

newly discovered (or conquered)

parts of the globe, demonstrated the


Last year was remarkable

for the UK’s trees and

woodlands, both ecologically

and politically. It became clear

that the threat to our trees and

forests is more acute than the most

pessimistic plant pathologists had

been predicting. Alongside sudden

oak death, Asian longhorn beetle,

oak processionary moth and a long

list of other recently discovered or

invading pests and diseases, an even

more worrying addition arrived:

Chalara dieback in ash.

The arrival of Chalara fraxinea

in the UK made national news, and

gave rise to accusations of political

complacency and calls for bans on

imported planting stock. While

2012 saw a spate of tree disease

incidents, for observers of UK

forestry and arboriculture over the

last decade it was nothing new. The

combination of climate change and

indiscriminate plant movement by

collectors and traders has led to a

steady rise in tree diseases.

Both groups have tended to rely

heavily on a favoured palette of

relatively few species. While a few

North American conifers dominate

our commercial forests, such as Sitka

spruce and Douglas fir, our streets

are often planted with cloned planes,

limes and other familiar species.

As a consequence of this

species conservatism and genetic

narrowing, our forests and urban

treescapes are highly vulnerable to

the kind of catastrophic invasions JAN

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The forestry commission’s Simon toomer explores the importance of arboreta in

protecting the UK’s forests

SEEING thE wood foR thE tREES

simon Toomer is director of Westonbirt, the national arboretum. originally trained in environmental biology and forestry, he has worked as a practical forester, woodlands advisor and arboriculturalist in the private and local authority sectors.

BIOGRAPhY

Westonbirt, now the national arboretum, was created in the 1850s using trees and shrubs from north america and the far east.


worldly and ambitious status of their

owners and creators.

Westonbirt (now the National)

Arboretum in Gloucestershire,

is a good example. The wealthy

entrepreneur Robert Holford

“painted” the arboretum’s

sumptuous treescape using the

latest trees and shrubs arriving from

North America and the Far East in

the 1850s. Most arboreta at this time

were planted with recreation and

pleasure as their main functions,

but during the Victorian age many

also claimed a ‘scientific’ purpose;

a response to the desire to bring

understanding and order to the

unruly chaos of the natural world.

These were often planted in a

systematic (taxonomic rather than

ornamental) arrangement; pines in

one place, oaks in another. Even so,

whether these arboreta had any real

function beyond the amusement of

their wealthy creators is debatable.

It was not until the mid-19th

century, when civic pride prompted

the creation of a number of city

arboreta, that clear objectives

informed planting style and choice

of species. Derby Arboretum,

planted in 1840, was the first

example, sponsored by the

industrialist Joseph Strutt “for the

recreation and instruction of the

inhabitants of Derby”.

Strutt commissioned the creation

of an arboretum that would serve as

a standard of nomenclature “with

a degree of correctness scarcely

to be found in any other garden”.

Ironically, its planter chose an

aesthetic ‘gardenesque’ planting

arrangement despite this clear

intention for botanical rigour.

Although recreation remained

an important objective of Derby

and other civic arboreta, they did

raise learning and understanding

of trees as objectives, comparable

with those of much earlier physic

gardens planted for the study of

medicinal plants.

A new role for arboreta In the early 20th century, many

private and civic arboreta fell

into dereliction. Others passed to

charitable or public owners, and

have been maintained for their

heritage and recreational value, but

inevitably they have had to respond

to new demands and the need to find

relevance in a new age. New arboreta

have been planted with much clearer

and more specific objectives.

The key to the value of the early

public arboreta and all subsequent

ones that claim some scientific

relevance is in their meticulous

attention to records.

Their collections of reliably

identified specimens are

fundamental to the sustainable use

and conservation of biodiversity,

similar to the role played by zoos.

Many state forest services have

adapted the arboretum concept to

trial new species for forestry and

for scientific research, education

and conservation. These are often

in regular plots that mimic

plantation conditions.

forestry and climate changeBritain has only one major native

timber producing conifer species

– the Scots pine. Consequently, we

rely on introduced conifers and

a mix of native and non-native

broadleaves for timber production.

Diseases such as red band needle

blight (Dothistroma septosporum)

on Corsican and lodgepole pines and

Phytophthora ramorum on Japanese

larch have given a new urgency to

the need to select new species.

Climate change is also now

projected to have a serious impact

on our forests over this century,

particularly in more southern and

eastern parts of the country where

Do yoU haVe an oPinion on This arTicle? CONtACt US At [email protected] Vol 60 No 3 / the BIOLOGISt / 15

more drought tolerant species

may be needed.

Introducing a wider portfolio of

species is key to adapting our forests

and woodlands to climate change

or the impact of pests and diseases.

Arboreta such as Westonbirt play

a key part in the tree selection and

improvement process. From the

1960s to the mid-1980s trials were

set up at Westonbirt for selecting and

improving larch (especially hybrid

larch), western red cedar, lodgepole

pine and southern beeches. Many

of these trial plots still exist and

have become integrated into the

arboretum landscape.

As in the past, climate adaptation

of our forests is not just about

developing new species but about

testing and selecting appropriate

provenances of our existing species

that might be better adapted

to the future climate. The term

provenance is often confused with

origin. Strictly speaking, it refers

to the location of the plants from

which the reproductory material

(usually seed) has been collected,

whether grown naturally or

cultivated. Origin describes the

natural range from which the plant

material is derived.

In species with wide geographical

distributions, populations of

trees tend to become adapted to

their local climatic and ecological

conditions, and it is suggested

that planting a proportion of more

southerly provenances could help

certain species adapt to future

climate change. However, more

information is needed on how such

provenances are likely to grow

in Britain as there are risks: for

example, trees raised from seeds

collected further south tend to have

a higher risk of spring frost damage.

Pan-European species trialTo help increase our knowledge

about alternative species and

provenances, a new series of trials

has recently been established that

will pick up some of the research

threads from the 1980s, particularly

for species that might substitute

for currently used ones that are

susceptible to new pests and diseases.

We are also trying some new

approaches to overcome some of the

problems of trying to test species

for the future climate while the

present climate is still changing.

One way is to grow particular

species and provenances across a

FOReStRYARBORetA

Climate change is projected to have a serious impact on our forests this century

range of different climates at the

same time, and measure how they

respond to climatic variables such as

temperature and water availability.

Westonbirt is participating

in an EU-funded project called

REINFFORCE (REinforce

INFrastructure for monitoring

and adapting European Atlantic

FORests under Changing climatE),

which aims to establish a network

of species trials in different climates

along the Atlantic rim of Europe.

As well as the Forestry

Commission, there are 10 other

partners in the project – from

Portugal, northern Spain, and

France. A total of 37 sites will

be planted throughout the region,

three of which will be in the UK.

Each site will be planted with

the same three provenances of

30 species, including familiar trees

such as Douglas fir and Scots pine,

as well as others that might have

potential in the future such as Atlas

cedar and some alternative pines.

There are also species such as

carob and cork oak that are mainly

of interest to the southern partners

and which are not expected to do

too well here.

In Great Britain, the Forestry Commission and Natural

Resources Wales manage around 20 tree collections of varying size and composition. As well as creating collections, the Forestry Commission inherited Westonbirt Arboretum in the 1950s, about 100 years after its creation.

Through many years of verification, mapping and recording, the arboretum has been transformed from a private arboreal folly into a modern, multifunctional plant collection with recreation, learning and research as its objectives.

Its scientific value is now measured by the range and number of taxa represented, and by the quality of curation in terms of reliability of identification, documentation, and standards of maintenance.

The Forestry Commission’s collections are accessible to a range of users including botanists (particularly compilers of field guides), horticulturists, arboriculturalists, foresters, conservationists and pharmacology researchers, as well as interested and informed members of the public.

Recent examples of the

value of the collection as a resource for science include screening for chemical compounds in conifers for pharmacological research, and providing reliably identified samples for comparative studies by european scientists on the drought resistance of conifers.

The arboretum’s database is also used as an authoritative source in developing other databases and tools such as the London’s Right trees for a Changing Climate decision support system, which can be found online at www.righttrees4cc.org.uk

thE NAtIoNAL ARBoREtuM

red band needle blight has affected corsican and lodgepole pine plantations in the UK.

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MeDICAL ReSeARChePILePSY


enable researchers to rigorously

analyse the function of defined

proteins in cell function or in

development (Fig. 3, over).

Dictyostelium can also be used

to quickly and easily monitor the

effect of therapeutic drugs, or other

chemicals, where the behaviour of

cells can change rapidly following

drug exposure, and this can be

used to dissect the biochemical and

molecular mechanisms controlling

how the drug works.

What has often held back the

wider application of Dictyostelium

as a model in drug related research

is the concern that discoveries are

unlikely to successfully translate to

more complex systems (such as the

mammalian brain during seizures).

However, in recent years, a range

of studies has highlighted the use

of this amoeba in the analysis of

how valproic acid works in

preventing seizures and therefore

contributed to the development

of improved treatments.

Epilepsy’s holy grailTo analyse how epilepsy treatments

control seizures using a model

system, the first question to ask

is ‘does the antiepileptic drug

have an effect on your model?’ In

Dictyostelium cells, the formation

of the fruiting body is blocked at

concentrations of valproic acid

“My child has regular seizures and we can’t find a treatment to stop them – what can we do?”

drug-resistant epilepsy, in both

children and adults, presents

a frightening situation for

sufferers and their families. It

also raises difficult but important

questions for research scientists

to solve. Not only are the seizures

frightening, restricting, stigmatising

Professor robin Williams is head of the centre for biomedical sciences at royal holloway University of london, where he is professor of molecular cell biology. he first used Dictyostelium in 1998 to explore bipolar disorder drugs. he has set up a research group to explore the molecular mechanisms of valproic acid.

BIOGRAPhYinvolved in cell movement and

differentiation, and subsequently

to transfer these discoveries to

mammalian systems (eg immune

cell movement). Dictyostelium has

also recently proven an excellent

model for understanding molecular

aspects of altruistic behaviour,

various aspects of disease signalling

and infection, and as a model for

exploring the cellular functions of a

range of proteins.

A series of important

characteristics gives rise to the

diverse range of experimental uses

for Dictyostelium. This includes

the ability to rapidly delete a target

gene – since the organism is haploid

(one set of chromosomes), mutants

lacking the encoded protein can be

readily constructed. Because the

single cells can then be isolated and

propagated (Fig. 1, left), genetically

pure cultures of these mutants can

then be used in research.

Conversely, the expression of any

gene can be elevated, creating cells

with an increased level of a defined

protein and, again, genetically pure

cultures of these mutants can be

created. These two approaches

aboVe fig. 1. A field of individual Dictyostelium cells, around 10 um in diameter, labelled with a fluorescent protein to visualise the cell wall and filopodia. (Photograph courtesy Nicholl Pakes).

and disempowering, they can also

cause damage to the brain.

An estimated 50 million

people worldwide have epilepsy.

Approximately a third of those

diagnosed have uncontrolled seizures.

Improved, more effective treatments

are desperately needed and would

provide a significant step forward for

world health (Bialer & White, 2010).

Drug discovery for epilepsy

has progressed rapidly in the last

clear how valproic acid works,

stifling the design and testing of

new compounds.

Epilepsy researchers are generally

looking for new drugs that block

the elevated electrical activity that

leads to seizures. Standard models

for seizure and epilepsy research

involve stimulating and recording

electrical activity in rat neurons

in slices of (rat) brain kept alive

in a dish, or in whole live animals

(normally rats).

However, there is increasing

social concern about the use of

animals in research, reflected in

changing funding and legislation

(eg Home Office licences). As a

result there is a greater adoption

of the ‘3Rs’ approach (reduction,

replacement and refinement) in

biomedical research to minimise

animal use. Research in this area is

costly (US$850m per drug), time

consuming (clinical development

and approval takes on average 8.8

years) and has a low success rate,

8.2% (Miller, 2010).

A new modelDictyostelium discoideum (Fig. 2,

over) is a social amoeba occurring

naturally in the leaf litter of

forest floors in temperate

climates (Williams et

al, 1996). It survives

by consuming

microorganisms

and multiplying

by binary fission.

Its common

name (social

amoeba) comes

from its unusual

behaviour when

exposed to starvation

conditions: the normally

single-cell amoeba move

towards a single point

to form a mound of cells,

triggering cells to differentiate

and form a multicellular fruiting

body over a 24-hour period.

This life cycle has enabled

researchers to closely examine the

cellular and molecular processes

thE EuREKA AMoEBA

Professor Robin SB williams explains how a simple amoeba has proved a perfect replacement for animals when researching new epilepsy drugs

half-century, mainly due to the

availability of animal models, where

seizures can be artificially induced

and used to test the efficacy of

potential new treatments. It was

using this animal-based approach

that a group of French scientists,

Meunier et al (1963), serendipitously

identified valproic acid as a potential

epilepsy treatment when using

it as a solvent to dissolve other

antiepileptic compounds.

The following year valproic acid

was used in clinical trials and it

remains one of the most highly

prescribed seizure-control treatments

used today (branded variously as

Convulex, Depakene, Epival,

Epilim, and Valcote). But despite

years of research, it is still not

research organisations increasingly attempt to ‘reduce, replace or refine’ research on animals.


production compared to valproic

acid, but small chemical changes

in these active compounds caused

a loss of activity. Excitingly, this

suggested a ‘chemical target’ may

exist for these compounds and, like

a lock and a key, only some chemical

structures may fit the lock and

inhibit the target.

But are any of these active

chemicals more effective than

valproic acid in seizure control? One

of the active chemicals was decanoic

acid, a fatty acid that is a major

component of a special diet used in

the treatment of children with drug-

resistant epilepsy (the medium-

chain triglyceride (MCT) ketogenic

diet, Kossoff et al, 2009).

Until recently, the best theory

about how the diet works was that

it increases production of ketone

bodies (small breakdown products

of fatty acids) in the blood, and this

helps inhibit seizures. However,

subsequent experiments have cast

doubt on this theory.

A series of studies conducted

more than 30 years ago on children

using the diet found high levels of

decanoic acid in their blood. This

observation proposed the tantalising

idea that it was this fatty acid in a


near therapeutic levels in humans

(Xu et al, 2007).

This result suggests that valproic

acid does have molecular targets

within the amoeboid cell. Further

analysis found that this effect was

caused by a rapid block in cell

movement, and that this unknown

target was affected by the drug in a

similar short time period over which

seizures were blocked in animal

models (Xu et al, 2007).

This tantalising discovery,

however, did not identify how

valproic acid blocked cell movement

or whether the effect was related

to valproic acid’s clinical role in

epilepsy treatment. The next step

was to identify what molecular

changes the drug caused to affect

cell movement in the amoeba.

Dictyostelium has proven one

of the best models to study the

complex biology of cell movement.

In this simple organism, a

key family of molecules called

phosphoinositides are produced

at the front of cells, helping them

to move forward. Analysing

the effect of valproic acid on

phosphoinositide levels in moving

Dictyostelium cells showed the drug

rapidly reduced phosphoinositide

production (Xu et al, 2007). Since

these phosphoinositides play a

conserved signalling role for cell

function throughout multiple

kingdoms of life, this identified for

the first time an inhibitory effect of

valproic acid on phosphoinositide

production that may be conserved

from amoebae to humans.

Identifying which enzyme(s) may

be the target of valproic acid among

a large array of proteins is a hard

task. Answering this question using

the most common epilepsy research

model, brain slices, makes the

problem even more difficult. In these

traditional (mammalian) research

approaches, chemical inhibitors

that are designed to inhibit specific

enzymes are often used where, for

example, you can block the effect

of a drug by inhibiting the specific

protein that the drug targets.

But these inhibitors often inhibit

multiple proteins within a cell and

rarely completely inhibit the specific

target enzyme.

Alternatively, the biological

function of the protein can

be blocked, by reducing the

transcription of the gene, using

RNA interference technology. This

again does not completely remove

all of the gene transcripts. Neither

does it affect all cells equally. So,

here is where another advantage of

Dictyostelium is revealed, because

researchers can easily and rapidly

delete any gene of our choice

(providing that the protein product

is not vital). A pure strain of the

knockout mutant can be grown and

tested for changes in its response to

valproic acid.

Using this gene knockout

technology in Dictyostelium we

examined a family of enzymes most

commonly associated with the

production of phosphoinositide,

called PI3Ks (phosphatidylinositol

3-kinase)(Chang et al 2011).

In humans, there are 14 PI3K

(catalytic and regulatory) proteins

present in cells. It is therefore

extremely difficult to work out

if any of these proteins are the

target of valproic acid.

In Dictyostelium there are six

genes encoding these proteins,

and all these genes were deleted

in a single cell line, enabling the

resulting mutant to be exposed

to valproic acid and assessed

for resistance. What was hoped

for in these experiments was

that the mutant would now be

immune to valproic acid effects

on phosphoinositide production.

Unfortunately, valproic acid

still blocked phosphoinositide

production in these cells in the

absence of the PI3K enzymes.

This indicates that valproic acid

does not work by changing the

activity of these enzymes. Although

this helped to narrow down the

possible targets of valproic acid,

it did not identify what the

protein target is. The search for

the target, the holy grail of epilepsy

research, continues.

Improve screening While Dictyostelium has not yet

led to the discovery of how valproic

acid works in the cell, an offshoot

of this research was the ability to

screen for better seizure-control

chemicals that have the same

effect of reducing phosphoinositide

production. This approach – called a

structure-activity relationship study

– was then used to test a wide range

of compounds chemically similar

to valproic acid. This study found

some chemicals gave rise to a strong

reduction in phosphoinositide


MeDICAL ReSeARChePILePSY

Some of this group of new, active compounds lack the teratogenic effect of valproic acid

REfERENcES

Bialer, M. & White, h.S. Key factors in the discovery and development of new antiepileptic drugs. Nat. Rev. Drug. Discov. 9(1), 68-82 (2010).

Chang, P. et al. The antiepileptic valproic acid and other medium-chain fatty acids acutely reduce phosphoinositide levels independently of inositol in Dictyostelium. Disease Models and Mechanisms 5, 115-124 (2011).

Chang, P. et al. Seizure control by ketogenic diet-associated medium-chain fatty acids. Neuropharmacology 69, 105-14 (2013).

Kossoff, e.h., Zupec-Kania B.A., & Rho, J.M. Ketogenic diets: an update for child neurologists. Journal. Child. Neurol. 24, 979-988 (2009).

Meunier, h. et al. Pharmacodynamic properties of N-dipropylacetic acid. Therapie 18, 435–438 (1963).

Miller, G. Is Pharma Running Out of Brainy Ideas? Science 329 (5991), 502-504 (2010).

Ornoy, A. Valproic acid in pregnancy: how much are we endangering the embryo and fetus? Reprod. Toxicol. 28(1), 1-10 (2009).

acknowledgment This work was supported by an NC3Rs grant and represents a long-standing collaboration between RSBW and Professor Matthew Walker, Institute of Neurology, UCL.

fig. 2. The life cycle of the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. a) Single amoeboid Dictyostelium cell. b) Starvation leads to approximately 100,000 cells moving towards a single point in a process called

streaming. Cells then form c) a loose mound d) a mound e) a tight mound f) an early culminate and finally g) a mature fruiting body consisting of a round spore head held by a stalk and attached to the ground by a basal disk. The process of fruiting body formation takes around 24 hours.

thE LIfE cYcLE of thE SocIAL AMoEBA

fig. 3. A field of mature Dictyostelium induced to form fruiting bodies in laboratory conditions. each fruiting body is around 1mm tall.

NIC

hO

LL P

AK

eS

patient’s blood that may control

seizures in these children, rather

than ketone body formation.

translation, translation, translationTo convince clinical scientists of

the value of using an amoeba as

an animal-replacement model in

epilepsy research, we needed to

translate our results obtained in

Dictyostelium to traditional epilepsy

research models.

Using standard techniques

of inducing seizures in slices of

rodent hippocampus and applying

the medium-chain fatty acids we

identified in Dictyostelium, we

found that this group of medium-

chain fatty acids provided better

seizure control than valproic acid in

multiple in vitro seizure models and

an in vivo model of epilepsy (Chang

et al, 2011; Chang et al, 2013).

These highly active fatty acids

included decanoic acid, which

completely blocked seizures in just

over 20 minutes. This supported a

role for the MCT ketogenic diet in

elevating decanoic acid in the blood

to block seizures. In addition, these

experiments identified a range

of new medium-chain fatty acids,

with novel chemical structures,

that could provide alternative

new treatments for drug-resistant

epilepsy. Within this group of new,

active compounds are some that lack

the teratogenic effect of valproic

acid linked to the occurrence of

birth defects when used during

pregnancy (Chang et al, 2013).

As a tool for biomedical research,

the social amoeba Dictyostelium

provides an animal replacement

model that has a range of

advantages over traditional systems.

In addition it helps reduce the use

of animals amid concerns that such

models do not fully predict human

epilepsy progression and treatment

anyway. The adoption of a multiple-

model system with unique research

advantages provides an important

research tool.

In the case of Dictyostelium,

the well-characterised, genetically

tractable eukaryotic model, with

a life cycle consisting of both

independent single cells and

a multicellular developmental

structure, provides such a model.

The continued use and acceptance

of Dictyostelium as a model will

therefore provide both an ethical

and a valuable means to improve

human health.

MeDICAL ReSeARChCANCeR


ILL, to double up as factories to

support production of the rare

isotopes needed in these treatments.

If this seems surprising, that is

because it is. The ILL’s High Flux

Reactor was developed to provide

neutrons not for the production of

rare radioisotopes, but to study the

structure of matter. Yet biological

materials on the nanometre scale,

such as proteins, viruses and cell

membranes, which are naturally

rich in light elements, are ideal for

analysis with neutrons, and today

biologists work alongside neutron

scientists to decipher their structure

and work out how they carry out

their body functions.

homing beacons, time bombs and detonationsMost primary stage cancers can be

treated using surgery and radiation

therapy but, for some time, once

the cancer has spread the only

option has been chemotherapy.

An incredibly invasive treatment,

chemotherapy goes in all guns

blazing and destroys many cells

in the hope that healthy ones will

recover more quickly.

The search for alternatives has

led medical science to targeted

radionuclide therapy, which takes

a far more stealthy approach. The

radiopharmaceuticals used in this

treatment attack only cancerous

cells, which they can distinguish


Jaws, Oddjob, Dr No… in the

James Bond films we have

seen the famous British spy

eliminate some notorious villains.

In the medical world, the treatment

of cancer is turning to its own

group of special agents, displaying

a keen sense to seek out danger

and a deadly efficiency in bringing

down a very different, but equally

treacherous foe.

The source of interest is a new

generation of radiopharmaceuticals

based on a group of radioactive

isotopes with properties that make

them ideal for more targeted

cancer treatment. The hope is that

these powerful weapons could not

only improve the success rates of

treatment and diagnosis through

personalised medicine, but also

reduce some of the nasty side effects

associated with existing procedures.

This most critical of missions –

developing these specialised agents

to fight cancer – is being pioneered

by an unlikely collaboration of

research facilities: the Institut Laue-

Langevin (ILL), one of the world’s

leading centres for neutron science,

and CERN’s ISOLDE laboratory.

Together they are aiming to develop

their own ‘golden gun’.

The research is not only proving

the effectiveness of these new

radioisotopes in killing cancer cells

but also the potential for research

institutes, such as CERN and the CeR

N

dr ulli Köster explains how rare radioisotopes, made in world famous

physics labs such as cern, could provide new treatments for cancer

thE NucLEAR

oPtIoN

Dr Ulli Köster is a nuclear physicist at the institut laue-langevin in grenoble. his interests range from fundamental science to applied nuclear physics for cancer treatment.

BIOGRAPhY

a researcher at work on cern's isolDe laser, used in the production of terbium isotopes.


from healthy surrounding tissues by

the characteristic proteins on the

cancer cells’ surface.

The radiopharmaceuticals are

comprised of a bioconjugate (for

example, an antibody or a peptide)

connected to a radioactive isotope.

The bioconjugate plays the role

of a homing beacon to find the

cancer. This can be used in two ways

depending on the isotope selected.

Diagnostic imaging involves

adding a gamma or positron-emitting

radioisotope as a marker. Traditional

diagnostic isotopes include

technetium-99m (99mTc) or fluorine-18

(18F). Once attached to its target, the

radioisotope emits long range gamma

radiation (or short range positrons

that ‘annihilate’, to emit long range

gamma radiation) most of which

escapes the patient’s body and can be

detected by special gamma cameras.

The spread of the cancer can then be

mapped throughout the body.

The second application uses

radioisotopes that give off shorter

range radiation (such as low energy,

beta-minus radiation or alpha

particles or Auger electrons). These

isotopes, such as iodine-131 (131I),

yttrium-90 (90Y) or more recently

lutetium-177 (177Lu), act like a

time bomb that is carried by the

bioconjugate directly into the enemy

territory (the cancer cell), where they

can release their destructive energy.

A major advantage of this approach

is the potential for personalised

treatments, where doctors can use

the diagnostic phase to identify the

right homing beacon to find the

cancer cells in each individual patient,

before using that same bioconjugate

for the therapy later on.

The application of radio-

pharmaceuticals in both diagnosis

and treatment of cancer dates back to

the 1950s, with the use of radioactive

iodine to treat thyroid gland tumours.

While their use in diagnostics has

advanced quickly over the years,

today helping identify a wide range

of cancers and other illnesses, their

ability to treat hasn’t progressed

anywhere near as quickly.

Limitations and new agents The targeted approach of such

radiopharmaceuticals is also a

limitation: they are trained to go

after a very particular wrongdoer,

sometimes only one subtype of a

given form of cancer and therefore

cannot be deployed against a

multitude of other cancerous cells.

The first and second generation

radiopharmaceuticals showed

impressive results in treatment

efficacy and limited side effects,

but they are aimed at relatively

scarce enemies with low

incidence, such as thyroid cancer,

non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma1 or

neuroendocrine tumours2.

New agents have to be enlisted

to take up the fight against the

big killers3. The search for new

bioconjugates could benefit from the

wealth of targeted compounds that

are already under the microscope in

the biotech industry. For example,

there are bioconjugates that had


initially been developed to target

and kill certain types of cancer

cell by triggering an appropriate

biological action, such as in

immuno-therapy.

While on their own they may not

have demonstrated satisfactory

efficiency as cancer killers, they

could still become carriers of a

more potent radioactive payload.

This strategy can give new hope

to patients since valuable time is

gained “from bench to bedside”, but

also to biotech companies that could

salvage the efforts that went into the

development of the bioconjugate.

On the other hand, when a new

radiopharmaceutical is designed

from scratch4, an optimised

radioisotope can be selected at

an earlier stage. Previously the

radioisotopes were mostly chosen

for their commercial availability at

the time rather than their specific

physical properties. Therefore,

traditional therapy isotopes, such as

iodine-131 (131I), are not necessarily

optimised for all applications in

nuclear medicine. While these

radiopharmaceuticals invariably

get their ‘man’, better choice of

the radioisotope could do so more

efficiently, for example avoiding the

need to isolate patients in special

treatment rooms.

As a result, the search is on for

alternatives. There are over 3,000

known radioisotopes but most

can be ruled out straight away as

they decay too quickly, leaving

insufficient time for delivery to the

hospital and transportation to the

cancer cells. Another large chunk

can be struck off as they take too

long to decay, meaning they might

take too long to tackle the cancer,

or would involve keeping patients

in isolation for extended periods of

time while also potentially creating

a long-term issue of waste handling

after excretion.

Golden guns and magic bulletsThe number of isotopes with ideal

decay properties is in the low tens,

but one group is currently the focus

of research at three of Europe’s

leading research facilities. Four

isotopes of the element terbium

(161Tb, 155Tb, 152Tb and 149Tb) are

something of a golden gun in nuclear

medicine. Like the best gadgets

from Q’s lab, they are versatile,

multifunctional and can be used to

track and kill potential targets.

Interest in their potential for

The ILL and CERN’s ISOLDE lab are aiming to develop their own ‘golden gun’ [to fight cancer]

medical treatment is high because

they include both diagnostic

and therapeutic isotopes. Also

the fact that all four have the

same basic chemistry means

they can be delivered using the

same bioconjugate, perfect for

personalised medicine.

The case for terbium is being led

by research at the Paul Scherrer

Institute (PSI), in collaboration

with the ILL and CERN’s ISOLDE

facility. At the end of 2012 this

partnership reported on the first

comprehensive pre-clinical study

of these four terbium isotopes in

mice5. The results demonstrated

excellent tumour visualisation for

diagnosis and a significant inhibition

to tumour growth in therapy,

doubling survival periods compared

to subjects that weren’t treated.

Previous work the ILL published in

2011 showed how this isotope could

be produced in the quantity and

quality required for clinical use6.

Licensed to kill cancerWhile studying matter is still

a major focus of the ILL’s

work, its intense neutron flux,

developed to advance research

in this field, has inadvertently

made it one of few places in the

world capable of producing high

quality radioisotopes. Already

the ILL has demonstrated it can

produce lutetium-177 (177Lu), the

current ‘magic bullet’ in targeted

radionuclide therapy which is

already in use in several European

countries, Australia, and elsewhere,

in quantities to treat hundreds to

thousands of patients per week, and

a new irradiation system is planned

to perform the production of 177Lu, 161Tb and other innovative isotopes

routinely and efficiently.

While there may only be one

007, the hope is that the success

of lutetium’s and terbium’s special

agents – licensed to kill cancer cells

without collateral damage affecting

the surrounding tissue – could

kick-start a revolution in nuclear

medicine and see the development

of new, more targeted cancer drugs.

CeR

NMeDICAL ReSeARChCANCeR

REfERENcES

1 Morschhauser, F. et al. 90Yttrium-Ibritumomab tiuxetan Consolidation of First Remission in Advanced-Stage Follicular Non-hodgkin Lymphoma. J. Clin. Oncol. (2013) in press. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2012.45.6400

2 Kwekkeboom, D. J. et al. treatment With the Radiolabeled Somatostatin Analog Octreotate: toxicity, efficacy, and Survival. J. Clin. Oncol. 26(13), 2124-2130 (2008) .

3 Barbet, J. et al. Radiolabeled Antibodies for Cancer Imaging and Therapy. Methods. Mol. Biol. 907, 681-697 (2012).

4 Müller, C. Folate based radiopharmaceuticals for imaging and therapy of cancer and inflammation. Curr. Pharma. Des. 18(8), 1058-1083 (2012) .

5 Müller, C. et al. A unique matched quadruplet of terbium radioisotopes for Pet and SPeCt and for α and ß-radionuclide therapy: an in vivo proof-of-concept study with a new receptor-targeted folate derivative. J. Nucl. Med. 53(12), 1951-1959 (2012) .

6 Lehenberger, S. et al. The low-energy ß- and electron emitter 161tb as an alternative to 177Lu for targeted radionuclide therapy. Nucl. Med. Biol. 38(6), 917-924 (2011).

ABout cERN■ CeRN (the european Council for Nuclear Research) was originally set up in the 1950s and is now the biggest particle physics research organisation in the world.

■ Its most famous facility, the Large hadron Collider, opened in 2008. It can collide two opposing beams of protons with a force seven times greater than any other particle accelerator.

■ The World Wide Web project began at CeRN laboratories in 1989.

ABout thE ILL■ Grenoble’s Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) operates the most intense neutron source on earth.

■ Opened in 1971, it provides scientists with very high flux neutron beams for research in chemistry, biology, physics, nuclear physics and materials science.

■ The ILL’s high Flux Reactor can also be used to make rare radioactive isotopes for use in nuclear medicine.

The ill’s high flux reactor, used in the production of medical isotopes.

it may look like the secret lair of a villain from a James bond movie, but pictured is the isolDe experimental hall at cern where rare radioisotopes are used for fundamental research and medical applications.

ReSeARChCItIZeN SCIeNCe tOP 10

24 / the BIOLOGISt / Vol 60 No 3 Vol 60 No 3 / the BIOLOGISt / 25

an ornithology enthusiast takes part in the oldest citizen scientist project in the world, the audubon christmas bird count.

GREAt cItIZEN ScIENcE PRoJEctS10

The rise of citizen science has been meteoric: from school groups bioblitzing

their playgrounds and armchair conservationists sifting through camera trap footage, to the countrywide army of naturalists meticulously recording wildlife and submitting observations.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count

http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-countIf you thought citizen science is new,

then think again. The Christmas

Bird Count is in its 113th year and

weighs in as the longest-running

citizen science project in the world.

Every winter tens of thousands

of Americans brave all manner of

conditions armed with binoculars

and checklists, completing surveys

right across the USA.

With more than a century of

data now available, this has offered

researchers and conservationists an

unparalleled insight into the long-term

health of bird populations in North

America. Its success has spawned

other programmes abroad, as well

as more specific surveys focusing on

breeding birds or rare species.

The only thing more astounding than the popularity of citizen science is the variety of projects available to participants.

here James borrell, a conservationist promoting 2013 as ‘the year of citizen science’, picks some of his personal favourites from around the world.

1 Wildflower Countwww.plantlife.org.uk/

things_to_do/wildflowers_countEvery year Plantlife runs a huge,

nationwide wildflower count in

the UK. It is good fun and helps

keep track of common and rare

species alike. Plantlife works hard

to make this accessible to anyone

who wants to get involved, and

it does a great job.

Participants are allocated a 1km

grid square close to their home

and sent an ID guide with 99 of

the UK’s wild flowers and a simple

recording form. Particularly

keen folk can revisit their site

throughout the summer and

include extra species if they wish.

All the data eventually goes in to

the National Biodiversity Network

database, which is freely available

for all to access.

Old Weatherwww.oldweather.org

Completely different from any

other project I have come across,

Old Weather aims to recover vast

amounts of weather data from old

ship logs to help refine predictions

of our climate future. Clive

Wilkinson of the Climatic Research

Unit, University of East Anglia,

describes it like this: “If we wish to

understand what the weather will

do in the future, then we need to

understand what the weather was

doing in the past.”

To this end they have studied

logbooks from the famous voyage of

the Beagle, historic expeditions to

the Antarctic and the vast English

East India Company. Interpreting

handwritten records poses a

significant challenge to computers,

and that is why crowdsourcing to

volunteer citizen scientists online

has been crucial to the success of

this project.

All the data extracted is digitised,

then used to reconstruct the past

climate and refine models. Yet, with

more than 250,000 logbooks in this

country alone, there is undoubtedly

plenty more work to do.

Whale.fmwww.whale.fm

The Whale Song Project

(aka Whale.fm) is a research

collaboration between Woods

Hole Oceanographic Institution in

Massachusetts and the University of

St Andrews in Scotland.

Scientists want to understand

more about the way whales and

dolphins communicate with one

another. Sophisticated sensory

organs have allowed cetaceans

to communicate in a surprisingly

complex manner, with family or

closely related groups appearing to

develop certain calls or dialects.

Through an online project,

citizen scientists are shown a

spectrogram of a certain call

collected via non-invasive tags

attached to the animals, or

hydrophones deployed on ships.

A map of the world’s oceans

identifies the location at which

the call was recorded and, after

listening, participants attempt to

match it with other calls from the

project’s extensive database.

A project such as this not only

answers questions about the size

of whale repertoires, but also shows

how well volunteer judgements

agree or differ, improving accuracy

in the future.

2

3The logbook of charles Darwin’s ship HMS Beagle, above, is one of those studied as part of the old Weather project’s attempt to build a climate database.

say what? orca calls are among the communications being analysed to build up the whale.fm project database.

4

26 / the BIOLOGISt / Vol 60 No 3 Do yoU haVe an oPinion on This arTicle? CONtACt US At [email protected] Vol 60 No 3 / the BIOLOGISt / 27

Human analysis may be more efficient than existing computer programs

ReSeARChCItIZeN SCIeNCe tOP 10

a camera trap image of a genet, part of the mammalmaP project managed by Dr Tali hoffman, pictured below.

Folditwww.fold.it

From counting species and

monitoring climate right down to

cellular processes, citizen science

projects cover it all. Foldit, from

the Department of Biochemistry

at the University of Washington,

is a computer game allowing

participants to contribute to

important research by solving the

structure of proteins.

Humans are good at puzzle solving

and the game takes advantage of

this trait to competitively predict

how proteins fold. It can even design

new proteins in an attempt to

prevent or treat important diseases.

Despite advanced computers,

identifying protein structure can

be incredibly challenging and is

described as one of the hardest

problems in biology today.

The scientists behind Foldit are

collecting data to find out if humans

and their abilities might be more

efficient than the existing computer

programs, to perhaps offer insights

into future methods.

MammalMAPhttp://mammalmap.adu.org.za/

One way in which citizen researchers

can help science and conservation

is by providing eyes and ears across

a vast area, that would otherwise

be too large or costly to study.

MammalMAP is doing just this.

The result of collaboration

between the University of Cape

Town and University of Pretoria

in South Africa, this project aims

to update the distribution maps of

all African mammal species.

By collating reliable records

such as camera trap images or

photographs contributed by citizen

scientists, wildlife authorities,

conservation organisations and

more, they hope to create an

open-access digital database.

This will provide a fantastic

resource not only for conservation

and landscape management, but

also for education and outreach.

The wonderful thing about

MammalMAP is how easy it is

to contribute. All you need is a

photograph with the date and

location, then upload it to their

virtual museum website. While

you are there, you might like to

check out FrogMAP, ReptileMAP,

OdonataMAP or even EchinoMAP.

The Big Butterfly Count

www.bigbutterflycount.orgProudly proclaimed by the Butterfly

Conservation charity as the world’s

biggest survey of butterflies, more

than 25,000 people took part in

2012, counting 223,000 individual

butterflies and day-flying moths

right across the UK.

In keeping with the spirit of citizen

science no specialist knowledge

is needed. Simply download their

handy ID chart then spend

15 minutes watching for butterflies

and submit your results online. Not

only are butterflies a great indicator

species, but many also appear

to be in decline. So dust off your

deckchair, enjoy the sunshine and

count some butterflies this summer.

Bat Detectivewww.batdetective.org

Of the 1,200 or so species of bats

around the world, around one in five

is threatened with extinction over

the coming decades. Bat Detective

is an international collaboration

with the aim of monitoring

bat populations. Indicators

of ecosystem health, bats also

provide valuable ecosystem

services such as crop pollination

and controlling pests.

However, surveying or monitoring

bats can be difficult with traditional

methods so scientists are now using

special ultrasonic microphones

to pick up bat calls from the

environment as they hunt or

socialise. These are turned into

sonograms that allow users to

view a visual representation of the

5 6

calls and pick out different types.

Yet again, humans seem to be able

to do this much better than many

computer programs. The goal of

this project is to utilise human

classifications to build a new and

improved automated program

to help monitor bat populations

around the world.

don’t forget this summer you

can join in with the society’s flying ant survey. last year we received over 6,000 reports to help research when and in what conditions the ants emerge and take flight.

This year the society is also studying when house

spiders come indoors. information on how to identify females and males, as well as an app

to record your sightings, can be found online at:

www.societyofbiology.org/housespiders

Snapshot Serengetiwww.snapshotserengeti.org

One of the problems of camera trap

data is that there is so much of it.

A few hundred cameras over several

months can easily generate millions

of images, which are exceptionally

time consuming to analyse.

Enter Snapshot Serengeti, an

online project to study some of

Africa’s most iconic and elusive

species in Serengeti National

Park, Tanzania. It allows users

to view images and identify the

species from a list provided.

Users can also narrow down the

list using characteristics such as

horns, colours and build, to make

identifying the species easier.

Not only is the data from this

project helping researchers

understand intriguing questions

including how carnivores coexist

with other carnivores, and predator-

prey relationships, but it is also

dangerously good fun. The response

has been staggering, with thousands

of citizen scientists cataloguing

millions of images in just a matter

of days. Calling the project a success

would be an understatement.

Galaxy Zoowww.galaxyzoo.org

Citizen science is not just

Earthbound and no list would be

complete without mentioning the

incredible Galaxy Zoo.

This project tries to make

sense of some of the estimated

100 billion galaxies scattered across

the observable universe. It does this

by using an online interface that

allows users to catalogue the shape

and structure of galaxies from deep

space images, all from the comfort

of their home computer.

The shape of a galaxy tells

scientists a great deal about how it

formed and events in its lifetime.

The vast collection of images

utilised in Galaxy Zoo comes from

the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, one of

the first and largest of its kind.

With more than 70,000

classifications per hour being

received within a day of its

launch, and more than 50 million

submitted to the project during

its first year, it just goes to show

that the potential of citizen science

is truly astronomical.

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more than 25,000 people took part in the big butterfly count last year, recording species such as this tortoiseshell.

a cheetah and her cubs become part of snapshot serengeti, an online project to log species in Tanzania.

Society Science

INteRVIeWPROFeSSOR BRUCe hOOD

ME, MYSELf ANd I


understanding the neuroscience

of eye movements. The trouble is that

the more complex the function,

the harder it is to disentangle the

various mechanisms.

In The Self Illusion you describe holding a human brain. It was clearly a profound experience. what was so special about it?Psychologists like to build hypothetical

models to understand processes. These

are usually box diagrams with lots of

arrows and feedback loops joining up

all the separate modules that must exist

and coordinate to produce complex

thoughts and behaviours. When you

hold or dissect a brain, there are no

arrows or wiring diagrams. So you are

immediately impressed by the

magnitude of the difference between

understanding how the mind works

and the physical system that generates

the mind. Then there is the shocking

realisation that the 1.5kg of tissue

you are holding in your hands once

dreamed, fell in love, told jokes and

all the other personal experiences

that make up the individual.

That’s a profound moment.

how much can neuroscience really tell us about how a lump of neurons creates self-awareness and consciousness?I do not have an answer, neither does

anyone, though there are a number of

ideas flying about. The main problem is

substance dualism. The brain is

material and the mind is immaterial.

They are of different substance so how

could one arise from the other? This is

usually the standard objection to my

materialist stance. I don’t have an

answer but I know that if I alter your

material brain through drugs, disease

or damage, then your mind will be


Holding a 1.5kg brain in your hands you realise it once fell in love, told jokes, and dreamed … it’s a shocking realisation

Bruce Hood is an experimental

psychologist specialising in

developmental cognitive

neuroscience. Best known for his work

on infant development, superstition

and identity, he delivered the 2011

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.

In his latest book, The Self Illusion,

he suggests the ‘you’ inside your

head is not really in charge of your

actions at all.

Is there a schism between psychology and neuroscience or do they work well together?

It really depends on who you ask. There

are some psychologists who think that

brain imaging can’t tell you anything

you don’t already know. Then there are

also some neuroscientists who think

that psychology is just common sense.

In general most recognise that complex

biological systems, such as humans,

have different levels of explanation,

from the molecular level to social

groups. Bridging the gaps between

these levels is the tricky part.

As a psychologist whose work comes from a ‘neuroscience perspective’, is it fair to assume you felt that neuroscience offered more interesting insights than ‘classic’ psychology?Yes, I think that’s true. Looking at the

biology helps to constrain the sorts of

explanations you can generate. My

early work on infant perception was

initially influenced by models with little

or no reference to how they may be

implemented in the brain. When

cognitive neuroscience took off in the

late 1980s, it seemed that we might be

understanding how the brain actually

performs the operations that make

perception possible. My thesis on infant

visual attention benefited greatly from

Professor Bruce hood tells Tom ireland how the kilogramme of neurons in our head creates an illusion of identity and consciousness

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altered as well. I think that

consciousness is not a state but a

continuous process of interpretation.

When we are unconscious, we are

simply not registering the world at the

same level of inspection. When we

dream, we are conscious – just not

conscious of the external world but

rather of our internal memories. When

we are unconscious and not dreaming,

we have no self-awareness but we know

the brain is registering information. So

for me, consciousness is a continuum of

experience, which I think is the output

of neural processes that work on both

internal and external information.

Not exactly falsifiable so not really

testable – but an intriguing idea.

having read and discussed your book with colleagues and friends, their reaction to its central idea seems to be either a terrified denial that this could be the case, or “well, that’s obvious”. what has been the

reaction in the scientific community and among the general public?Yes, indeed it has divided opinion in

both communities. Many colleagues are

quite comfortable with the idea that the

mind is generated by the brain and, as

such, it is the output of separable

mechanisms. There is no point where it

all comes together as a unified self. After

all, that is the framework of cognitive

neuroscience. And yet some colleagues

disagree that it is an illusion because

we function as individual selves.

That’s where I think that they are

wrong. Vision appears to function

like a video camera but this is

completely wrong – which is one of the

reasons that early attempts to build

artificial vision failed miserably. The

experience of self is very real and, yes,

it functions like an independent,

integrated individual, but that is not

how it could possibly operate.

As far as the general public is

concerned, I think they have found this

perspective the most shocking because

the experience of a unified self is so

compelling and inescapable. That’s the

thing about illusions – even when you

know that they are not what they seem,

you cannot change the experience.

Your book contains some clever experiments to support your theory that we very often don’t behave as we’d expect our ‘self’ to. do you have a favourite?It has to be Dan Ariely’s experiment,

which I cannot believe he got through

an ethics committee. He had males

rate their attitudes to dubious sexual

practices including unprotected sex,

group sex, kinky sex, sex with elderly

partners and even if they would drug

someone for sex. Not surprisingly, they

generally thought these acts immoral.

They were then given pornography

to view and asked to pleasure

themselves while they again gave their

attitudes to these various acts.

Do yoU haVe an oPinion on This arTicle? CONtACt US At [email protected]

dangerous is not responsible for their

actions. The problem is, what is an

acceptable brain disorder?

If someone has been traumatised as a child so that they lack empathy, something that shows up as abnormal brain responses, does that make them less culpable? The more we discover about the

brain, the more we will be able to

identify biological abnormalities

between those who commit crime

and those who don’t. If you believe that punishment is a

deterrent, and I am not convinced it is

at the moment, then arguably it is a

factor that plays into the mix of factors

that are responsible for whether or not

someone commits a crime. I guess that

it is for society to decide whether they

believe punishment works. It also

depends on whether they believe in free

will – something that I personally don’t.

daniel Bor’s book on consciousness, The Ravenous Brain, notes a fascinating case of Siamese twins joined at the head who were able to delve into each other’s memories and experiences. do you think technology could ever tap into other people’s experience in this way to see life through another person’s perspective?No, and not just from a technological

limitation. As I noted in the book, it is

impossible to know what it would be

like to think like a bat – a famous

philosophical thought experiment.

You cannot think like a bat with a

human mind because you cannot be

both a human and a bat at the same

time. Likewise, you cannot have

someone else’s mental experiences and

maintain your own at the same time.

You would become them.

Bor also describes a thought experiment in which each neuron of a man’s brain is replaced, one by one, with a silicon chip with identical connections and functions. Most people agree that the man would remain the same person, even when his brain is entirely silicon chips. do you think humans will ever build a computer that has consciousness and a sense of self?Yes, but it would be the consciousness

and sense of self I described above – a

state of continuous interpretation of

information. The closer you approach

the same level of human information

processing in your computer, the closer

it will be to human consciousness.

which current areas of research and technology in neuroscience really excite you?I have just finished my next book

about the effects of domestication on

human evolution, so I am increasingly

interested in the influence of others

on how our brains operate. This is

actually a very old area of social

psychology but recent neuroscience

developments in our understanding

of self and others make this territory

really exciting.

I also think that social networking

is fascinating, as clearly the next

generation is interacting in ways that

are completely new. Anyone with

teenage children can see that

happening before their very eyes.

Unlike some, I am not overly

concerned about new technologies

but I do believe they have and will

continue to have a significant impact

on human behaviour. It is an exciting

time to be alive.

how does working on the science of the self, consciousness and development affect your own life?I find it challenging and enriching.

Even though I regard my self as an

illusion, it does not change my

experience. I still interact with

others as a self and treat them as

such. But I am able to stop agonising

over my flaws to some extent.


When they were in this state of arousal,

they found the sex acts much more

acceptable. Which just goes to show

that our emotions can sometimes

override our moral reasoning. I think

we all could have guessed that, but still,

it has to be one of the more bizarre

studies in the book.

If a society fully understands why it behaves the way it does and, potentially, that the self and free will are illusions, could it lead to people ‘giving up’ attempting to make rational decisions or taking responsibility, and are there implications for the concept of legal responsibility?This is a really interesting question as

neuroscience is increasingly entering

the courtroom as an extenuating

circumstance in criminal proceedings.

Most of us can readily accept that an

individual who suddenly develops a

brain tumour which makes them

Even though I regard my self as an illusion, it does not change my experience

Professor bruce hood msb is an experimental psychologist specialising in developmental cognitive neuroscience. he is a professor at the school of experimental Psychology at the University of bristol, and has been awarded an alfred sloan fellowship in neuroscience. he has also worked as a research fellow at the University of cambridge and University college london, and as a faculty professor at harvard.

BIOGRAPhY

Professor bruce hood delivers the royal institution christmas lecture in 2011, and at his home, left.

INteRVIeWPROFeSSOR BRUCe hOOD

Aerobiology is the study of airborne biological particles and their movement and impact on human, animal and plant health.

why is it important? Allergens in airborne pollen or fungal spores are the cause of hay fever or allergic rhinitis in more than 20% of the UK population. Many fungal spores carried in the air are pathogens of UK crops or cause allergies in animals, so tracking these particles is also important to the agriculture industry.

what careers are available?Aerobiology is a multidisciplinary field. Careers mostly involve sampling air quality and public health, immunology research, environmental protection or agriculture. Research and forecasting organisations around the world advise the general population and the medical and farming industries, and many commercial companies are developing allergen detectors or products to counter the symptoms of allergies.

Aerobiologists often work closely with medical doctors, plant pathologists, mycologists and meteorologists. Aerobiological observations are used in many other disciplines: palynology (the study of dust), ecology, botany, phenology, climatology, meteorology and forensics.

how do I get into a career involving aerobiology?Many working in aerobiology will have specialised in microbiology. There are masters degrees available that focus on allergies and infections from universities such as Worcester and King’s College London. Many biology undergraduate courses run modules specifically on allergens. Basic and advanced aerobiology courses are also organised by the International Association on Aerobiology (IAA) – the next one is being held in Ukraine in July.

where can I get more information? For more information and links, check out the IAA’s website and the UK’s National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit.■ https://sites.google.com/site/aerobiologyinternational■ pollenuk.worc.ac.ukThe IAA organises the Quadrennial Congress (International Congress on Aerobiology – ICA) which will be held in Sydney, Australia, in September next year.

AERoBIoLoGY

SPOtLIGhtAIRBORNe ALLeRGeNS


what does your research involve? We are best known for our pollen

forecast, which we do in March,

from the beginning of the season,

through to October. We’ve been

doing it for nearly 20 years. Pollen

concentration is dependent on

vegetation coverage and phenology –

when grasses and flowers are opening

and releasing their pollen – but also

the weather, so it’s a collaboration

with the Met Office.

We also work closely with

Worcester acute hospital and

tweet our pollen forecasts to their

respiratory doctors, many of whom

are honorary members of the unit.

If you know in advance you can start

to take your medicine earlier and

lessen the effects of the allergens.

what other applications are there for your aerobiology research? Many fungal spores carried in the air

are plant pathogens. So farmers can

minimise their pesticide use if they

are able to track when particular

pathogens will pass over their crops

and when they won’t.

We also recently found the amount

of allergen within the pollen varies

and research suggests it could be to do

with climate change. We are working

with physicians at Worcester Acute

Hospital on using immunotherapy

treatments for controlling allergies

and there is even research looking at

products to harden the lining of the

nose so it is less sensitive. Don’t forget,

there’s also the indoor aerobiology

environment – house dust mites and

pets, and the materials they give off,

that many people are sensitive to.

did you help to track the spread of ash dieback? We were involved with reviewing

the information on ash dieback and

the techniques that could have been

used to alleviate it.

Many believe it only takes one or

two spores to create an epidemic but

this is generally not the case.

We are not just talking

about detecting

spores but the

likelihood of there

being enough

to establish

an infection.

Similarly, there

are threshold

levels of specific

allergens required for

sensitisation in humans.

how do you sample air for biological particles? About 20 stations across the UK

send us data. They are mostly other

universities and hospitals, where the

amount of pollen is measured on a

daily basis. That is then sent to us

and fed into our daily forecast.

The two major allergens that cause


INtERVIEw

At A GLANcE

Name Professor Roy KennedyProfession Director, National Pollen & Aerobiology Research Unit, University of WorcesterQualificationsPhD in plant pathology, University of Sydney, Australia; MSc in mycology, Queen’s University Belfast; BSc (hons) in botany, Queen’s University BelfastInterests Pollen and fungal spore-related allergies, infectious agents, fungal genomics and population studies

We tweet our pollen forecast to doctors in Worcester

hay fever come from birch tree pollen

early in the season and grass pollen.

I think people would be surprised

by what you find over a 24-hour

period. Air samplers vary. The ones

from the 1950s, when aerobiology

really had just started, were the

industry standard for a long time and

particulates were basically impacted

on a bit of sticky tape and then looked

at under a microscope.

Now we have high-volume

samplers that can sample 500 litres

of air per minute and separate

particulates into different sizes;

or pregnancy test-style kits that

give you a colour reading in

the presence of particular

allergens – a lab on a stick.

You can even get an

app that calculates the

concentration of certain

airborne particles using

an iPhone. You don’t

need a lab any more.

where is aerobiology research heading?

For a long time aerobiology

has concentrated on microscopic

tests and we need to focus more on

genetics and applying the science

of genomics to airborne biological

material. As well as whole cells, we

want to look at which individual

genes are present and causing

allergy, and what’s going on within

populations of fungal pathogens and

allergen producing pollens.

SPotLIGht oN Professor Kennedy’s research includes pollen count forecasting with the met office.

clouds of pollen leaving the male cones of an umbrella pine, a source of hay fever.

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For the last 14 years I have taught

biology at Caterham dchool in

Surrey and am currently head of

biology and head of science. Our

department has won 15 Good School

Guide Awards for its A-level teaching.

My passion for biology was

ignited during the sixth form at

Loughborough Grammar School

by my inspirational teacher, Geoff

Witts. Since then authors such as

Richard Dawkins, Jerry Coyne and

Steve Jones have fuelled my passion

for biology. Charles Darwin is, of

course, number one.

I studied biology at dt Peter’s

College, Oxford. Twenty-five years

on, evolution remains my passion;

in particular, trying to get people

to understand the misconceptions

member Profiles

I have held various finance

director roles within the

biotechnology industry since

1999, joining Syntaxin as chief

financial officer in 2007. Syntaxin

is developing a new class of

compounds to treat diseases in a

range of therapeutic areas.

My background is in plant

molecular biology, with a degree

in biotechnology and a PhD in

genetics from the University of

Leeds. My PhD thesis involved

growing moss tissue at scale in an

airlift fermenter and then looking

for differential gene expression at

protein, RNA and DNA levels.


Member newsOur regular round-up all about you, our Society members

I work in ornithological studies

on a variety of different projects

undertaken by NGOs, museums,

universities and a private foundation.

For several years I worked in the

laboratory of botany and ecology

at the University of Chile with

Dr Juan Armesto and Dr Carolina

Villagrán. My research was on seed

dispersal and plant-animal interaction

in the uninhabited and pristine

Islands of Chiloé in Chile. I also spent

three years at the Museum of Zoology

in Barcelona with Dr Francesc Uribe

working on taxonomic identification

of hummingbirds of South and

Central America.

From an early age I was interested

in the animal kingdom, particularly

in population ecology of birds and

processes of speciation. When I was

14 years old, I read On the Origin

of Species by Charles Darwin, which

made a big impact on my thinking

and vocation.

I think England, the Ud, Germany,

and Canada will have a prominent

role in the ornithological sector in

the next decade.

I like the seriousness and

professionalism of my colleagues

in the discipline. I love the

enthusiasm that the Society shows

around the world and its dedication

to issues related to biology.

I enjoy reading about evolutionary

biology, bird behaviour and

population ecology. I also love

to observe and identify birds in

different natural ecosystems.

For instance, I identified a male

specimen of Piranga rubra outside

of its recorded distribution range in

January 2009, north of Chile.

Chief executive Dr Mark Downs is to hold informal sandwich lunches with groups of 40-50 members, or 10-15 Fellows. Places are available on a first-come, first-served basis. to book, call 020 7685 2564 or email [email protected] 17 July Fellows’ Lunch, London 12:30-14:00 Charles Darwin house 17 september Fellows’ Lunch, Bristol 12:30-14:00 Bristol Zoo24 october Members’ Lunch, London 12:30–14:00 Charles Darwin house

Social Notices

In my current role I analyse

clean water samples for

Cryptosporidium and other

organisms to ensure water reaching

customers’ taps is safe to drink.

I studied microbiology at

the University of Liverpool.

Before that I went to Priestley

College in Warrington, and studied

biology, chemistry, psychology

and IT at A-level.

I’d always been good at science

at school, and found I was better

at biology-based topics, which

made me carry on with science

through college and then on

to university. The event that

triggered me pursuing a career

in science was coming second

highest in the year for one of my

science exams at school.

There seems to be a lot of

investment in automation at

the moment, particularly in life

sciences, which is exciting to be a

part of, as it should make our lab

processes more efficient and

cost-effective.

The Government recently

published its water White Paper.

It will introduce competition into

the water industry – probably the

biggest challenge to the industry

since privatisation.

I joined the dociety as it provides

information and support from

people who work in the same

profession that I do. It also allows

me to be part of an organisation

that influences Government

opinion in the industry I work in.

I enjoy the gym, swimming and

follow Warrington Wolves rugby

league club at home and away.

daniel Giblin AMSB

about it and the enormity of what

it is telling us. The Douglas Adams

quote – “Isn’t it enough to see that a

garden is beautiful without having

to believe there are fairies at the

bottom of it too” – says it all.

The world of DNA and genetic

engineering holds such

extraordinary potential. I am so

jealous of pupils just about to start

their biology studies at university.

The future is so exciting. One area

I am researching at the moment

is epigenetics – simply amazing

biology unheard of during my time

at university.

In my spare time I play the

double bass in jazz clubs – I

spent 15 years touring the

world as the bass player in the

Otis Grand Blues Band – or

at right-mid for Oxted Vets’

hockey team.

I discovered I enjoyed solving business problems and knew I had found an alternative career path

dan Quinton fSB

dr Phil Boyd fSB

I thoroughly enjoyed molecular

biology but didn’t have the

‘green fingers’ some people had

in the laboratory. When I was

offered a place on an exposure

to business course during my

PhD, I discovered I enjoyed

solving the business problems. I

knew I had found an alternative

career path. Now I have the

benefit of combining my broad

business experience with my

original scientific background,

which is perfect.

My early career was a mix of

finance jobs at Unilever and

Kraft Foods, where I completed

my accountancy training,

followed by five years as a

management consultant with

PricewaterhouseCoopers.

To ensure I continue to have

wider industry exposure

I chair the finance and

taxation advisory committee

of the Biotechnology Industry

Association and I am a

non-executive director of

Oxfordshire Bioscience Network.

To relax I like nothing better

than riding or working on

my motorbikes – I have three at

present, only constrained

by garage space.

Alejandro correa MSB

member Profile career flight of a bird buff

dr Anna hine fSB wins innovation award

member neWs

Dr Anna Hine FSB has been

awarded Commercial Innovator

of the Year by the Biotechnology

and Biological Sciences

Research Council. Dr Hine,

senior lecturer at the University

of Aston in Birmingham,

won for her development of

molecular technology for protein

engineering in the biotechnology

and pharmaceutical industries.

alejandro spent three years in barcelona working on identifying hummingbirds in south and central america.

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eR

the East Midlands branch would like to thank dr Pat horton for her contribution to the Society of Biology. Pat, who retired from the east Midlands branch at Christmas, has held various

branch officer posts both in the east Midlands and previously at the thames Valley branch. her work for Society of Biology (Institute of Biology) branches has spanned several decades.

East Mids branch says thanks, Pat


MeMBeR NeWSNeW MeMBeR LIStS

Affiliate Zainab Abubakar, Thomas Adams, Michael Adu, Yazi Al’joboori, Jarome Ali, Zoe Allen, hannah Allum, Yusra Alsammarraie, Natasha Alsop, Mf Altay, humayra Anjum, Jake Atkin, Iris Barbier, Anna Barnes, David Barthorpe, Sarah Bartle, Jonathan Bate, Katherine Berry, holly Black, Matthew Bowdich, James Bradley, Christie Breen, Matthew Brennan, Charlotte Bright, Natasha Bryant, James Buck, hayley Butcher, Shaynesia Byfield, Imogen Campbell-Black, Benedetta Carbone, timothy Carden, Maria Carr, Lucy Chadwick, elizabeth Charles, Mandy Chee, Frances Cheesman, Ibtesham Chowdhury, Ka Chun Chung, Paulina Ciepla, Victoria Clark, toby Clements, elizabeth Coker, Daniel Copeland, Marzia Coslan, Rona Costello, Anne Coulson, Olivia Cropper, Anna Cullen, Gabrielle Cummins, Bartosz Cwikla, Thomas Davey, Thomas Davies, Nicola Davis, Charlotte Deall, Jason Dexter, Ravinder Dhaliwal, Kate Dianat, Laura Draper, Georgia Drew, Roxane Dunbar, Faryal ejaz, Camilla eldridge, Rachel elston, tom endacott, Ieva eringyte, Kirsty Ferguson, Mark Firth, Peter Flint, Jennifer Freer, Anna Frej, Stephanie Frost, Daniel Ganszky, James Gardiner, Anna Gardner, Véronique Gebala, Lauren Geddes, Suborno Ghosh, Jasmine Ghotbi-Ravandi, Connor Gibson, Rowan Golding, Sophie Gordon, Lucy Graham, Jessica Grannon, elisabeth Gregory, Scott Gregory, Thomas Guest, Yogesh Gupta, Pouria hadjibagheri, Carl halford, Verity hall, Sarah hamilton, Arran hamlet, tania hancock, Yasmin hansrod, Rob harbour, Jemma hardy-Goddard, emily harrison, Azusa hatakeyama, Jamie hayes, Craig heath, Jonathan hedwat, Stuart heggs, Sam hempenstall, Chris hepworth, Scott hesford, Catherine hickford, Thomas higginbottom, Charlotte hill, Rachel hills, Rebecca hirst, Caroline hobson, emily holmes, Xinyang hong, Andrew hope, Jennifer house, Benjamin Iles-Smith, Amowie Imasuen, Kevin Inglis, Jennifer Ings, Folayemi Isaac-Bamgboye, eva Islimye, Rachel Jagger, edward James, emma Jones, Victoria Jones, Mahilini Kandasamy, Kabindra Kandel, Amandeep Kaur, Anjuli Kaur, Adedoyin Kayode-Ogun, taline Kazandjian, Vivienne Kear, Felicity Kempson, edgaras Kiela, San ha Kim, Wendy Kirkman, Joanne Knight, Rachel Knight, Thomas Knight, Shaun Latham, Aimee Lee, Bethany Levick, estelle Lewis-Burd, Daniel Lilley, Frederick Lilley, Yadav Limbu, Kirsty Lloyd, Andrew Lunel, Seodhna Marie Lynch, Sophie Maddock, Alethea Madgett, Alice Marples, Natasha Marram, Jennifer Martin, Bryony McCallum, Luke McClean, Roderick McNeill, Rebecca Mellor, Karen Middlemiss, Charmaine Millar, tania Milne, Iffah Mohd Nawi, Rebecca Molden, Jake Morris, Michael Muir, Lauren Murphy, Colette Mustard, Georgiana Neag, Alex New, Catherine O’Riordan, Paul Ogbuigwe, Vanessa Oliver, Rinene Oshaka, temitayo Owoka, Claudia Palmer, Amy Parsons, Naresh Patel, Lucy Patterson, Marina Pavlou, Angus Petrie, Corinne Phillips, Andrew Plygawko, Sheng Kai Pong, Megan Poole, Nicholas Poulson, Kathryn Powell, Nathan Price, Nicola Rae, Priya Ramakrishna, Konstantin Rapoport, Devon Redfearn, Thomas Reed, Rachel Reeves, Jonathan Reid, William Reynard-Bowness, Luke Reynolds, Sophie Reynolds, Gabriela Roberts, Natasha Roberts, James Robertson, harriet Robson,

New, Transfer & Chartered MembersaPril 2013 elecTion

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Associate (AMSB) Sabir Afzal, Richard Agyekum-Sakyi, Nneoma Akaniro, Rene Ankrah, Karen Banton, Joanne Betts, Natasha Billett, Laura Boyden, Oliver Brady, Rashida Bridges-Way, Steven Briley, David Carroll, Jonathan Chamberlain, Fiona Cox, Richard Davis, Sharon Davison, Megan De Ste Croix, Alexander evans, James Furniss, Louise Gamble, Jade Gough, Sarah harvey, Patrick hayes, Laura highy, Cher hodgkins, Matthew hooper, Natasha hurril, Frances Jackson, William Kay, Krzysztof Kozak, Rebecca Kyle, Michael Kyriakides, Maxx Livingstone, Scott McCallum, Frances Medaney, Jenni Moss, elvis Ansah Nyame, emma Parry, James Paviour, Mehak Rafiq, James Redfern, Rachel Rendell, George Rowe, emma Royle, Isobel Smyth, Guy Stephens, Carlanne Stone, Frederick Sutton, Mohammad taliefar, helena tate, Lorena Viladomat Davila Galindo, Matthew Ward, Peter Weir, Mark Weston, Stephanie Wright.

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chartered Biologist Member (cBiol MSB) Shaukat Abdulrazak, Martin Baker, Ian Birch, Austin Brown, Angela essex-Lopresti, Jose Fariñas, Anne Goodenough, Kay Greenshields, Simon higginbottom, etinosa Igbinosa, Philip Jones, Georgia Kapatai, Claire Lonsdale, Deirdre Marsh, Paul Maxwell, Lee Morrisroe, Ryan Oakley, Minal P Pandya, Joanna Parkinson, Philip John Prosser, Lynn Roy Graham Raw, Steffan Robbins, Jo-Anne Sewlal, Richard Spencer, William Symonds, hei-Man tang, Kathryn Walls.

chartered Scientist Member (cSci MSB) Deby Arthur, Claire Baluci, Karen heaton, Frances Jean Presland, Vydeki Shanmuganathan, Rachel Skidmore, Karen topping, Peter Wilson.

fellow (fSB) Fatma Al-Qudsi, Richard Bayford, Richard Beedham, Ariel Blocker, Lynne Boddy, Sue Brain, Alexandra Brand, James Bron, Gillian Brown, Kevin Cox, Vaille Dawson, edith Dempster, Liam Dolan, David Fell, Mark Fellowes, Julie Flood, eliot Forster, Jelena Gavrilovic, Iain Gillespie, Richard Grencis, Angela hall, Ian head, Martin heath, Rosemary hipkins, William hughes, David Johnson, Derek Jones, Mark Kilby, J Kilgore, Graham Lappin, Ralph Levinson, Clare Lloyd, Geoffrey Lockwood, Nicola Marchant, Fiona Marshall, Keith Matthews, Johnjoe McFadden, Jonathan Nguyen-Van-tam, Anthony O’Donnell, David Parfrey, Bettina Platt, Ann Rajnicek, Christopher Reynolds, David Robertson, Sonia Rocha, Caroline Rymer, Robert Scott, eunice Simmons, John Sinden, Michael Smyth, Corinne Spickett, Michele Stanley, Rosa taylor, Michael topping, Sarah tozer, Jean van den elsen, Stephen Visscher, Patrick Walsh, tim Wess, Alison Woollard.

chartered Biologist fellow (cBiol fSB) Shaukat Abdulrazak.

chartered Scientist fellow (cSci fSB) N Irabanta Singh, Susan Shawcross, Andrew taylor-Robinson, Clifford Warwick.

Support your local branchour branches rely on your support. if you would like to give a careers talk at your local school or help with public engagement activities then get in touch with them – contact details on page 44.

hPV and cervical cancer: Achievements in Prevention and future Prospectsfranco Borruto and Marc de Ridder (Eds)springer, £135.00

Described as the “sum of the current

available information on HPV”, this

book is indeed that, and then some.

Every page in this compendium is

crammed with information, from the

history of how the HPV virus was

identified, to the present use of

therapeutic HPV vaccines. Laden

with data, it should be every PhD

student’s bible.

However, it is bound to disappoint

those who appreciate good visual

illustrations. Most of the

accompanying figures are of poor

quality and some are barely legible.

Nevertheless, there are chapters in

this book that some parents

(particularly of teenage girls) might

find interesting: such as that

dedicated to the prevention of HPV-

associated diseases in the USA which

gives an insight into the benefits of a

cytological screening programme,

the dangers of aggressive advertising

by drug companies and the debate

over whether it is cost effective to

vaccinate males.

Likewise, policymakers may learn

a lesson or two about the introduction

of vaccination programmes –

from the ethics associated with

implementing them to the use of herd

immunity in tackling lower-income

populations. Warts and all, this book

appears to be a must for anyone

working in the HPV field.

Dr c loughton

the Value of SpeciesEdward L Mccordyale University Press, £18.99There is an

increasing

awareness of

the economic value of biodiversity

and the ‘ecosystem services’ it can


Reviews our regular round-up of books published in the fields of biology and related sciences

NAtuRE’S hERo

Shaping Ecology “Tansley embraced plant geography, ecology, psychology, philosophy, biology, and politics”

Shaping Ecology: the Life of Arthur tansleyPeter AyresWiley-blackwell, £19.99Walk through the ancient yew

woodland of Kingley Vale nature

reserve in West Sussex on to Box Hill,

and you will come across a monument

to a remarkable botanist and

ecologist: Sir Arthur George Tansley

(pictured in the portrait above).

Designated in 1952 as one of the

first official ‘places for nature’ by a

fledgling Nature Conservancy (which

Tansley chaired), the reserve exists

because of his personal lobbying.

No mere academic scientist, Tansley

was at times breathless in his ability

to embrace plant geography, ecology,

psychology, philosophy, biology,

politics and conservation. He

recognised, ahead of his time, the

complex and changing relationships

between nature and people.

This elegantly crafted biography

by a Tansley enthusiast and former

executive editor of the New

Phytologist (a journal that Tansley

launched in 1902 and edited until

1931) is a mixture of scientific

insights, archive research and

oral interviews with family

members and former students.

So important was the need for

such a reflective biography, the

research was co-funded by the

New Phytologist Trust and the

British Ecological Society.

As the Tansley Stone at Kingley

Vale proclaims, he “during a long

lifetime, strove with success to widen

the knowledge, to deepen the love

and to safeguard the heritage of

nature in the British Isles”.

To all of us who cherish such wild

places in modern Britain, as this book

reveals, we owe Tansley a great debt.

Dr rob lambert

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The Rutland Water Ospreys “Eloquently describes the trials, tribulations, successes, failures and triumphs of a pioneering attempt in Europe”

some comparison with Leonardo da

Vinci when it comes to van Grouw’s

amazing observational skills.

After an introduction there is a

brief note on avian taxonomy

followed by part one, which deals with

the anatomy of the bird’s body,

considering separately the trunk,

head and neck, hind limbs, wings

and tail. This generic section

examines design associated with

function such as structural

adaptations to flight.

Part two deals with six orders of

birds: the Acciptres, Picae, Anseres,

Grallae, Gallinae and Passeres. There

is a short, dictionary-style paragraph

devoted to ‘defining’ the order at the

start of each chapter before detailed

drawings of representative species

begin to adorn the pages.

This is a fascinating book that

is written and prepared by an

exceptional observer, who possesses

a thorough understanding of the

subject material.

Jean Wilson mbe cbiol fsb

No time to Lose: A life in pursuit of deadly virusesPeter Piot, with Ruth MarshallW W norton & co, £17.99Most of this book is

about the desperate bureaucracy

surrounding the HIV/AIDS

pandemic and how the author,

Peter Piot, has managed to resolve it

pretty successfully. Piot started as an

adventurous medical scientist and

ended up as chairman of UNAIDS,

the UN programme fighting HIV and

AIDS. Along the way Piot meets and

identifies the Ebola virus (named

after a local river, to avoid reducing

tourism to villages) and, despite his

modest Flanders background, finds

himself getting higher and higher up

the administrative ladder.

Piot visits deprived AIDS victims,

usually prostitutes, and helps them.

Finally, he’s hobnobbing with the

great and the good: Secretaries-

General Kofi Annan and Ban

Ki-moon, Fidel Castro, Premier Wen

Jiabao. And the bad: HIV-denier

Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and

Colonel Gaddafi, who claimed that

HIV was invented by American

scientists to kill Africans.

All biologists, but particularly

those involved with STDs, should

read this book.

Dr Jack cohen fsb

the unfeathered BirdKatrina van GrouwPrinceton University Press, £34.95

The sheer mass of this book suggests

a quality document and one is

certainly not disappointed. Sepia-

coloured drawings on satin-finished

cream paper show that this is a

labour of love.

Author Katrina van Grouw is a

former curator of the ornithological

collections at the Natural History

Museum and a former student of the

Royal College of Art. It was her

lifetime ambition to produce a book

on bird anatomy that bridges the

disciplines of art, science and history.

The book was 25 years in the making,

with all 385 drawings from actual

specimens. Van Grouw is also a

skilled taxidermist.

The Unfeathered Bird was

originally intended as a book for

artists, perhaps those with a leaning

towards scientific illustration.

However, with the inclusion of sound

biological information, the book has

much wider appeal and would be

attractive to the general reader and

those with an ornithological

background.

Nothing below the bird’s skeleton

is included in the artwork, but it does

include some muscle systems and

occasionally unique structures

associated with some birds, such as

the coiled windpipe of the trumpet

manucode. I cannot help but draw

provide, from pollination to flood

defence. Edward McCord, however,

points out that there are some species

that will never provide economic

benefit and only a small percentage

actually serve our material needs. But

McCord argues that every species has

intellectual value and is inherently

worth saving. He believes that species

are so fascinating in their own right

that they are worthy of protection.

Curiosity is fundamental to our

consciousness and requires

intellectual honesty. As a result,

curiosity and honesty spark our

appreciation of other species and if we

lost these qualities what would it mean

for human existence? Sustainability,

he concludes, should not just be for

mundane human survival, but for a

flourishing human spirit, which

requires the Earth’s living heritage.

McCord goes on to highlight

reasons for the destruction of species,

including a view of private property

that allows owners to use resources in

ways that might not serve the public

good and protect species. The lack of

restrictions on the use of private

property, he argues, causes most

landowners to consider merely

monetary value. It is a stark reminder

that financial losses are temporary

while lost species are gone forever.

As a species we have evolved an

ability to contemplate the wonder of

life and, ironically, we are the ones

who are knowingly destroying it.

A recognition of the value of species

is essential to an outcome where

biodiversity is protected against

other aspects of human nature.

Dr rebecca nesbit msb


ReVIeWSBOOKS

The Unfeathered Bird “I cannot help but draw some comparison with Leonardo da Vinci when it comes to van Grouw’s amazing observation skills”


domestication of Plants in the old worlddaniel Zohary, Maria hopf & Ehud weissoxford University Press, £55.00

Our epic human story would be

incomplete without the subject of this

book: domesticated plants changed

the world. Botany, plant conservation,

agriculture, archaeology and the

ancient history of western civilisation

all meet in this invaluable book.

In this fourth edition the authors

update the classical taxonomic

evolutionary evidence by including

the latest genetic techniques to

further elucidate the history of our

crops. The bulk of the book gives a

systematic treatment to 12 cereal

species, 10 pulses, seven oil and fibre

crops, 18 species of fruits and nuts,

15 vegetables and tubers, four

condiments and five dye crops.

Some evidence has changed – DNA

now shows that barley, whose classic

wild distribution arcs through the

Fertile Crescent, had two separate

centres of origin – one in the Jordan

Valley and a second on the Iranian

plateau. A large chronological chart

shows how crops and cultures have

moved from the Proto-Neolithic in

south-west Asia north into Europe.

This is a hugely important

perspective for our own society and

culture. With its defined geography,

the scope of this book is of course

challenged by the plants that have

migrated in from outside. Of all the

citrus fruits, the citron alone was

known to ancient Greece; while only

after the expansion of Islam into Asia

did all seven citrus fruits come west.

In total, 24 pages are given to a

gazetteer of archaeological sites and

35 pages to full references. Where is

the comparable volume for the story

in the Indian subcontinent and China?

stephen P Tomkins cbiol msb

the Rutland water ospreystim Mackrillbloomsbury, £25.00In March

Rutland’s most

successful

breeding osprey ‘03(97)’ returned

from western Africa, only to be

met by bitter winds and blizzard

conditions. Marking the return of

these iconic birds this year was the

publication of Tim Mackrill’s The

Rutland Water Ospreys.

This beautifully constructed book,

with exquisite photography and

detailed illustrations by John Wright,

documents the personal, local,

national and international stories of

the re-establishment of the osprey in

the British countryside.

Mackrill eloquently describes

the successes, failures, trials,

tribulations and triumphs of the

project, a pioneering attempt in

Europe to translocate the birds. With

close connections to projects in

Scotland, it has inspired similar

programmes in Italy and Spain, and

directly influenced the Welsh osprey

population, providing an admirable

example of how important national

and international cooperation are to

conservation success.

Mackrill’s thorough and insightful

text is supported by the diaries of

various volunteers; placed in a

broader historical context by Tim

Appleton and Helen McIntyre;

and introduced by Roy Dennis.

It therefore offers a conglomeration

of the most passionate individuals

dedicated to the success of the

osprey in Britain.

As is to be expected, the text has a

tendency towards self-congratulation

and does not attempt to address the

wider conservation controversies of

reintroductions and translocations,

which many deem to be unnecessary.

Nevertheless, this book offers an

inspiring accompaniment to a project

that demonstrates the importance

of nature in bringing together

local and global communities.

lucy mcrobert

the Neuroscientific turn: transdisciplinarity in the Age of the BrainMelissa M Littlefield and Jenell M Johnson

University of michigan Press, £63.50The neurosciences, as many

biologists will have noticed, continue

to attract public attention – especially

with regards to neuroimaging in

the popular media. Less apparent,

perhaps, has been the emerging

engagement of humanities scholars

and social scientists with research

in this area.

Littlefield and Johnson bring

together an impressive range of

academics from a variety of traditions

to reflect on the (potential) import of

neuroscience into disciplines such as

economics, literary criticism and

moral philosophy.

In contrast to some commentaries

on neuroscience that either

uncritically accept its salience to

other spheres of research or

conversely fully reject its insights, the

contributions to this book cast a more

sober eye over neuroscientific

developments and their

rapprochements in the humanities

and social sciences. It is therefore a

useful read for anyone considering

interdisciplinary research, as well as

for a more general audience of

scholars intrigued by how disciplines

are picked up and put to work by

colleagues from quite different

academic realms.

A particular strength of this

volume is the great degree to which

the chapters speak to and engage with

each other. Likewise, the preface (by

a neuroscientist and ethicist) and

afterword (by an anthropologist) are

both thoughtful discussions on the

contributions to The Neuroscientific

Turn and provocations for further

reflection and research.

Dr martyn Pickersgill msb

all 385 drawings in The Unfeathered Bird are from actual specimens – the author being a skilled taxidermist.

East Midlands

biobliTz Saturday 13 July 2013 10:00Can we find a thousand species in a

weekend? A range of experts will be

coming along to help. Meet at Whisby

Nature Park visitor centre entrance.

Contact Marianne Overton at

[email protected]

or call 01400 273323 for details.

Kent, Surrey &Sussex

boTanical garDen ToUrWednesday 31 July 2013 11:00

Wakehurst Place is the

National Trust’s most

visited property, home to

botanical gardens, an

Elizabethan mansion

and the millennium

seed bank. Admission

is free for National

Trust members,

children under 16 and

Friends of Kew. Members’

prices will range from £8.50 to

£12 depending on attendance.

flora & faUna of rocK PoolsAugust 2013 Steven Savage, an expert from

Seasearch, will lead a rock pool visit

to the seashore. The pools along the

south coast are a wonderful source

of chalk-coast flora and fauna, with

the bare rocks yielding limpets,

periwinkles and anemones. Piddock

burrows also provide hiding places

for small fish, crabs and shrimps.

Old clothes are obligatory and

trainers can be better than

gumboots for grip.

More details on the

Events page of the

Society website.

For more details and to book a place on an event, see the Branch Contacts on page 44, or visit the events page of the Society website.

Beds, herts & Essex

Jimmy’s farmSunday 16 June 2013 10:30Visit the nature trail and meet pigs,

alpacas, sheep, goats and more on

Jimmy’s Farm – home to the TV

presenter Jimmy Doherty and the

Essex pig. Build dens on the

Woodland Walk and visit the

butterfly house, farm shop and

gardens. More details

www.jimmysfarm.com

B naTional frUiT shoWWednesday 16 & thursday 17 OctoberA key event for

horticulturists

and those interested

in fruit production.

For further information

and to book contact Dr Theresa

Huxley on 07785 700073.

devon & cornwalllUnDy islanD VisiTtuesdays 2 and 9 July 2013Members will be staying on

Lundy Island this summer and

welcome those who would like to

come along for this visit. The boat

goes over on Tuesday, Wednesday,

Thursday and Saturday of that week.

Vol 60 No 3 / the BIOLOGISt / 4140 / the BIOLOGISt / Vol 60 No 3

❱ Dates for your diary: what’s going on in your areaBranch events

North wales

fUngal foraySaturday 5 October 2013 14:00Dr Nigel Brown will lead the fungal

foray at Treborth Botanic Garden,

Bangor (SH 555712). The garden is

located two miles from Bangor, on the

banks of the Menai Strait, bordering

the Snowdonia National Park. From

the A55 turn on to the A487 in the

direction of Menai Bridge. The

entrance for the garden is on the left

before crossing over the Menai

Suspension Bridge.

North western

annUal schools QUiz Wednesday 19 June 2013Our popular quiz is back. This year it

will be held at UCLAN, Preston.

Communications will be made with

past participants; new schools to the

competition are always welcome.

Places are limited to 30. The event is

popular so booking is advised.

thames Valley

orchiD WalK Sunday 16 June 2013 Guided orchid walk at the Holies,

Streatley, with Dr Michael Keith-

Lucas. Full details are on the Events

page of the Society website.

UK laDybirD sUrVeytuesday 17 September 2013 19:00Dr Helen Roy will be speaking on

the UK Ladybird Survey: engaging

people in biological recording.

This is a free event at the Centre for

Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford,

Oxfordshire. Refreshments will be

available from 19:00 and the lecture

starts at 19:30.

wessex

neW foresTSaturday 14 September 2013Join us for a

guided walk

around the

New Forest

with the

rangers. The

walk will start

and finish at the

visitor centre in

Lyndhurst where there

is a museum and

information centre.

hogs bacK breWeryWednesday 4 September 2013 15:45A guided tour of Hogs Back Brewery

– with a shop that features hundreds

of beers from around the world. The

event is £10 and you will need to book

with our secretary by Wednesday

28th August. Arrive at 15:45 for a

16:00 start. The tour will include

tastings, so there is a minimum age

of 18 years.

B macro-fUngi (UK fUngUs Day)Sunday 13 October 2013 11:00-13:00Professor Maurice Moss will lead the

fungal foray to the Chantries in Surrey,

a wooded area north of Shalford with a

good reputation for fungal diversity.

Take the A281 south from Guildford,

then about a mile out of Guildford turn

east into Pilgrims Way. As you reach a

bend in Pilgrims Way (GU4 8AD) you

will find a track on the right which

leads to the car park.

London

WhaT maKes Us hUman? Saturday 13 July 2013 13:00Dr Isabelle De Groote from the

Natural History Museum will

explore the evolution of Homo

sapiens: What is it that separates us

from our animal cousins and makes

us human?

Northern Ireland

sTrangforD loUgh Saturday 15 June 2013 10:00Meet at the Grey Abbey for our

summer outing to Greyabbey and

Portaferry. Contact

organiser Dr D Roberts

d.roberts@qub.

ac.uk for

further

details.

www.societyofbiology.org/regional-eventswww.societyofbiology.org/regional-events

The Kent, surrey & sussex members will have the chance to visit the millennium seed bank at Wakehurst Place.

B events marked with this symbol are part of biology Week 2013

west Midlands

boDenham arboreTUmSaturday 15 June 2013 11:00Free guided arboretum walk and

talk by James Binnion. Dr Steve

Reynolds will lecture on the Plant

Trouble-Shooter. Bring your own

picnic lunch or join members at

the restaurant.

Yorkshire

WharfeDale Saturday 6 July 2013 10:00A day out in Wharfedale starting

with a visit to Kilnsey Park and

Trout Farm. In the afternoon we will

visit the Grass Wood Nature Reserve,

near Grassington. Attendees can

either meet in Grassington at 14:30,

walking approximately one½ mile to

the reserve, or at 15:00 at the

reserve, for a guided tour given by

representatives from the Yorkshire

Wildlife Trust. Cost: £4 adults,

children under 16 free. Contact Nigel

Musset at [email protected]

or on 01729 825948 by 28th June to

book your place.

seashoreSaturday 5 October 2013

Identifying seashore

organisms at Boggle

Hole, Robin Hood’s Bay.

An ideal event for

teachers and

professionals wishing to

deepen their knowledge or

amateurs with an interest in

the seashore. Booking is

limited but families are welcome to

come for a day at the seaside. Further

details can be found on the Events

page of the Society website.

boggle hole.

grass Wood nature reserve.

PasQUefloWers aT TherfielD heaTh20 April 2013On a rare sunny spring morning,

members enjoyed an Easter walk to

the south-facing chalk side of

Church Hill, Therfield

Heath, and were

delighted to see

hundreds of

pasqueflowers

(pulsatilla

vulgaris). This

stunning

low-growing

perennial has

downy, feathery

foliage and vibrant

purple bell-like flowers.

Jacqueline McPherson MSB was a

fantastic guide and we learnt that the

‘pasque’ in pasqueflower means ‘of

Easter’ or ‘of the Passover’ as it tends

to flower at Easter time. English

legend tells that it springs from the

blood of Romans or Danes, or grows

on the graves of Viking warriors, as it

is often found on old earthworks.

Today, only 18 populations of

pasqueflowers are known and it is

recognised as a priority species

under the UK Biodiversity Action

Plan. Historical losses are

attributable to ploughing, mineral

extraction and urban development

but the main cause of recent decline

Vol 60 No 3 / the BIOLOGISt / 4342 / the BIOLOGISt / Vol 60 No 3

east midlands schools competition winners. (left to right) senior winner ayesha girach, geneticist Dr Turi King, and junior winner Julia shearer-rivera.

Beds, Essex & herts

Vaccines – a neW aPProach18 April 2013Professor Dirk Werling of the Royal

Veterinary College entertained

and informed members with

an enthralling and lucid

presentation on a new

approach to vaccines.

There is a big push to

find a different sort of

antibiotic to fill the gaps

produced by changing

pathogen resistance.

Professor Werling’s work

looks not at the antibiotic but

the adjuvants that enhance their

potency. His premise is that most

adjuvants are outdated and were

developed using mice, despite

advances suggesting that species

specificity is a key factor in their

efficacy. It would seem variations

between Toll-like receptors in cell

walls between species and their

interaction with pathogens are key

to finding alternatives to current

adjuvants. If this works then

we could expect greater potency

for current antibiotics and a

significantly better understanding

of the cellular processes involved in

infection and immune responses.

Jacky mcPherson cbiol msb

Phoebe Hunt was awarded runner-up

prize in the junior section for her

impressive poster on prosthetic

limbs. First prize went to Julia

Shearer-Rivera, a year 10 student

who had tackled with genuine

interest and enthusiasm the

discovery of the antipsychotic drug

Chlorpromazine. Thomas Feakes

and Dylan Vadher’s ‘The Invention of

DNA Fingerprinting’, together with

their extraction of DNA from a

banana, was highly commended.

Ayesha Girach’s essay on The

Argus II Retinal Implant was the

unanimous winner of the senior

section. Second prize went to an apt

essay from Mark Page on ‘Richard III

– The Science behind the Discovery’.

Leicester geneticist Dr Turi King

provided another highlight as we

heard the riveting story behind the

recent discovery of the king in the car

park – as her analysis of the long

hidden DNA confirmed beyond all

doubt that it was indeed Richard III.

rosemary hall msb

Kent, Surrey & Sussex

ToUring bUsbriDge laKes3 April 2013Busbridge Lakes is a 40-acre,

grade two heritage garden just

outside Godalming in Surrey.

Owned and run since 1966 as a

managed wildlife park, it has lakes

formed from natural springs, old and

rare trees, and numerous species of

wild and ornamental birds.

Magnificent specimens in the

arboretum included a 30m ancient

tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), an

architectural cedar of Lebanon

(Cedrus libani), a massive coast

redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and

yew trees just coming into flower.

Within the grounds is a number

of caves, one of which has been

converted into an ice house and,

since 1756, into a tomb for the family

of the then owner. The four main

lakes and numerous ponds are home

to some 130 species of wildfowl, most

of which breed on the estate.

The young birds are clipped and

ringed and, when fully grown, are

used to maintain stocks on the lakes.

One great success of the breeding

programme are the Nene, or

Hawaiian, geese. They were highly

endangered in their natural habitat,

possibly down to 13 specimens, but

now breed well on the reserve.

Spring was late, the weather cold,

but we greatly enjoyed a morning

stroll around the lakes, led by the

owner and her apparently limitless

stock of information and anecdotes.

Dr David Ware fsb

naTUre’s inDesTrUcTible sPecies16 April 2013Professor Richard Fortey’s

stimulating lecture described how

particular animals and plants, often

referred to as living fossils, have

survived three major extinction

events during the past 300 million

years. These included the Permian

mass extinction, in which 95% of

species disappeared.

The maidenhair tree, Ginkgo

biloba, for example, is thought to

have survived the Cretaceous (KT)

mass extinction because of its

geographic isolation in a remote

valley in China. It is extremely

resistant to atmospheric pollution

and many even survived the

Hiroshima bomb.

Resistant spores and seeds

ensured the survival of numerous

plant species although fecundity may

have been the reason the horseshoe

crab, Limulus, has endured for some

450 million years: the female lays up

to 120,000 eggs in a season, with a

surfeit of males to fertilise them.

Famed for their adaptability,

crocodiles remain with us as they

can survive long periods of fasting

and are not particularly fussy

when they do eat. As for the

humble tortoise, whose origins

go back to the Triassic era,

perhaps tumultuous times just

passed them by. In the seas, the

sharks, lungfishes, the coelacanth

and the nautilus are with us still, at

least until the next mass extinction.

Dr David Ware fsb and Dr graham godfrey fsb

is reduced grazing of its grassland

sites. Natural England is working

with landowners to reinstate

appropriate grazing regimes on chalk

grassland to support populations.

Dr Theresa huxley fsb

East Midlands

bacTeria Killing PaThogens26 February 2013Professor Liz Sockett from the

University of Nottingham delivered

our 2013 charter lecture on

predatory Bdellovibrio bacteria,

which kill pathogens. She discussed

whether these bacteria can be our

allies in a world of increasing

antibiotic resistance.

Gene transfer from antibiotic

resistant strains is increasingly

common, enabling the transformed

bacteria to cut up or modify

antibiotics, pump them out from

their cells or alter the target in the

cell that the antibiotics attack. Could

Bdellovibrio be our saviour? It breaks

into and kills other Gram-negative

bacteria, but does not harm animal,

plant or other cells. With her soft toy

version of Bdellovibrio to hand, Liz

outlined how it gains access into the

cells of E.coli and other Gram-

negative bacteria. A short video with

the bacteria backlit with green

fluorescent protein enabled the

audience to see the ease with which it

invades, grows, and then septates

into many bacteria that eventually

burst out from the remains of its prey.

Questions from the audience came

thick and fast and we left with the

exciting thought that Bdellovibrio

could be used as a living antibiotic.

rosemary halls msb

schools comPeTiTions16 March 2013Regional schools were invited to

submit entries for the annual

National Science and Engineering

Week competition at the GENIE

Centre for Excellence in Teaching

and Learning, University of

Leicester. All poster, essay and

podcast entries had to address the

theme of invention and discovery.

London

islingTon meDical hisTory WalK13 April 2013Sheelagh Heugh was our

knowledgeable guide for a walk

around Islington’s historic medical

sites. We visited sites of early

pharmacies and the first

freestanding GP surgery, followed

by the inspection of a hospital for

tuberculosis patients which, in spite

of its current conversion to flats, still

retains the original balconies where

patients were placed for ‘fresh air’

treatment. The walk then moved to

an area associated with the

Temperance Movement and ended

with a welcome hot chocolate before

the expected rain arrived.

Our thanks to Sheelagh for an

interesting and enjoyable event, for

imparting her knowledge and for

keeping us all under control on a

busy Saturday afternoon in London.

Vyedeki shanmuganathan msb, Pat baxell fsb and Ken allen fsb

Scotland

Pioneers of science 16 March 2013Duncan Robertson provided a truly

engaging and entertaining tour of

the Pioneers of Science

exhibition at the Scottish

National Portrait Gallery

in Edinburgh. This

remarkable building

contains portraits of

famous historical figures

such as Mary, Queen of

Scots; Prince Charles

Edward Stuart and Robert

Burns, as well as more recent

pioneers in science, sport and

BRANCh NeWS eVeNt RePORtS

Branch reports

www.societyofbiology.org/regional-events

❱ A round-up of our members’ activities

James Watt, one of the pioneers of science at the scottish national Portrait gallery.

busbridge lakes is home to some 130 species of wildfowl, most of which breed on the estate.


us through the reserve and recounted

the history of its development and

management. Starlings frequently

overwinter at Ham Wall but, of

course, when members

visited they had

decamped to the

nearby Shapwick

Heath National

Nature Reserve.

At dusk Mike took

the party to the

nearest vantage

point and we

waited. Then the

first cloud of birds

arrived, followed by

many, many more coming

from all directions. It is thought

around two million starlings arrive

in the area to roost in the reed beds.

In days gone by there were estimated

to have been up to six million. While

not great weather for photography, it

was a successful field meeting and a

truly spectacular sight.

roger symes cbiol msb

cracKing anD fracKing19 March 2013Professor Andrew Newby FSB,

professor of vascular cell biology

at the University of Bristol, described

his research into how plaques

attach inside arteries.

The plaque is a type of tissue; an

atheroma sealed in with a layer of

sclerosis. If the sclerotic cover

breaks, the contact of blood and

atheroma initiates coagulation.

Unattached plaques can lead to a

blood clot, blocking the artery and

bringing on a life threatening heart

attack. Professor Newby’s research

is looking at drugs that could

stabilise plaques, reduce clots and

prevent some heart attacks.

Dr Tom Johnson, consultant

cardiologist at Bristol Heart Institute,

described how two high-tech devices,

using intravascular ultrasound

and near infrared spectroscopy,

are used to get remarkable views

of arteries. The resolution enables

you to see the collagen in plaques

weakening, making it possible

to spot trouble before disaster.

Even with this research and

technology the speakers reminded

everyone that basic whole organism

behaviour is important – avoid being

overweight, be thoughtful about diet

and exercise, and look out for

common symptoms.

mark howard cbiol msb and Joan ashley cbiol msb

the arts. Duncan’s tour spanned from

James Watt to Professor Sir David P

Lane, crossing disciplines and

periods of Scotland’s history to

provide a great event. More

information about arranging a

visit can be found online at

www.nationalgalleries.org/visit.

Dr Jacqueline nairn cbiol msb

west Midlands

sTraTforD bUTTerfly farm15 February 2013On a spring Friday members and

guests visited the Butterfly Farm at

Stratford-upon-Avon – and found it

noticeably warmer in the glasshouse

than outside. Butterflies of all sizes

and colours, from all parts of the

globe, were flying around a pond

and luscious vegetation.

Our excellent guide showed us

unusual examples of the various

stages in the life cycle of a butterfly,

from an enormous caterpillar to

hundreds of pupae, explaining how

they were managed in the different

areas. In addition to the butterflies

we saw the other insects kept at the

farm, including praying mantis and a

colony of leaf-cutter ants. Finally we

saw their collection of arachnids –

tarantulas and fluorescent scorpions

– before lunch at the Academy

Restaurant at Stratford College.

lesley Payne msb

western

sTarling roosT sPecTacUlar anD reserVe WalK7 February 2013Despite the cold, members enjoyed a

walk through the RSPB’s Ham Wall

Reserve at Meare. Mike Johnson,

former assistant warden, identified

everything that flew past. He guided


BRANCh NeWS eVeNt RePORtS

millions of starlings at the rsPb’s ham Wall reserve make a spectacular sight.

BEDS, ESSEx & HErTS

Dr Theresa Huxley

[email protected]

DEVON & COrNWAll

Miss Christine Fry

[email protected]

EAST ANGlIA

Miss Amanda Burton

[email protected]

EAST MIDlANDS

Mrs Rosemary Hall

[email protected]

KENT, SurrEy & SuSSEx

Dr David Ware

kentsurreysussex@

societyofbiology.org

lONDON

Mr Ken Allen

[email protected]

NOrTH WAlES

Dr Rosemary Solbé

[email protected]

NOrTH WESTErN

Mr Glenn Upton-Fletcher

[email protected]

NOrTHErN

Dr Michael Rowell

[email protected]

NOrTHErN IrElAND

Dr David Roberts

[email protected]

SCOTlAND

Dr Jacqueline Nairn

[email protected]

THAMES VAllEy

Dr Ray Gibson

[email protected]

WESSEx

Ms Rachel Wilson

[email protected]

WEST MIDlANDS

Ms Debbie Dixon

[email protected]

WESTErN

Ms Joan Ashley

[email protected]

yOrKSHIrE

Mr Paul Bartlett

[email protected]

BRANch coNtActS


This butterfly, the clipper (Parthenos sylvia), is a native species of south-east asia.

a career primarily out of science

and, indeed, has made a major

contribution to evolutionary

biology. In writing a

vicious, ranting letter

criticising someone

for a “vicious,

unscientific rant”,

the writer provides

a breathtaking

example of hypocrisy

of the highest order.

The Biologist could

have found a rather more

earnest letter for inclusion in

its feedback section.

guido gybels, independent icT expert

HERBAL LOWThe report from the London branch

on a lecture by herbalist Simon Mills

was astonishingly uncritical

(The Biologist 60 (1) p45). Mills

is well known for eschewing

a scientific approach, and the

report seems to endorse that. He

apparently denigrated modern

approaches to health care, in

favour of an imaginary system of

four groups of illnesses. The word

‘evidence’ did not appear in the

report. Did not a single member of

the audience speak up for science?

If so, that should have been

reported. If not, what is happening

to standards in our Society?

les rose cbiol fsb, clinical science consultant

GREAT ExPECTATIONI’ve just had yet another excellent

read as my Biologist popped through

the letterbox this morning. But I

was saddened to see the ungenerous

comments from a couple of

members and thought I’d give a little

support from ‘the silent majority’.

I’ve been a member since my

student days so have seen with

interest and delight how The Biologist

has evolved over the last five decades.

It was fine in the old days with articles

of interest to dedicated biologists

but now it’s great. Its appeal has

widened enormously with a much

more eye-catching appearance.

Please keep going with the

interviews and especially controversial

topics. Biologists need provoking

on occasions so don’t be put off by

the odd grumbling letter. Producing

topical, thought-provoking articles

can do the Society nothing but good.

bruce selkirk, biologist, cornwall

MISMATCHED OPPONENT Re: Biofeedback, The Biologist

(Vol 60 (2) p52). While it is clearly

a statement of fact that there are

a great many people who loathe

Professor Dawkins, as well as a large

number who admire him, could

the team not have found a more

interesting and credible example of

an opponent other than the ranting

letter from Cedric Richmond?

Contrary to what Mr Richmond

states, Richard Dawkins has made

GENETIC TICKING-OFFI was dismayed by Tom Ireland’s

article on DNA in the

April/May issue of

The Biologist. His

timeline managed

to miss two of the

most important

milestones: the

development

of methods for

sequencing RNA

and, years later, DNA.

Moreover, he paid scant

attention to the importance

of the sequencing of proteins.

Chronologically, the sequencing of

proteins came first. That of insulin, by

Frederick Sanger and colleagues, was

perhaps the most important single step

in modern biochemistry. The structure

proposed by Watson and Crick for

DNA was elegant and suggested

theoretical mechanisms for replication

and so forth. However, in the absence

of any nucleic acid sequences, its value

was largely totemic. There is hardly

any aspect of modern biology that has

not been touched by the ability

to sequence DNA. These were

towering achievements the import

and originality of which cannot

be overstated.

Sanger’s method enabled the first

human genome sequences to be

deduced. How could Mr Ireland have

overlooked the only person to have

won two Nobel prizes in chemistry

for achievements that revolutionised

both the underlying concepts and

the practice of biology?

i c eperon fsb

Managing editor Tom Ireland’s

response: Thanks for reminding

us of these important contributions

to genetics and biochemistry. The

breakthroughs in DNA sequencing by

Sanger et al in the 70s should have

been in the timeline – they were of

course crucial to modern genetics.

The article’s focus was DNA, itself a

huge subject, hence the lack of focus

on protein sequencing – although

Sanger’s 1952 sequencing of insulin

was noted in the timeline.

Send your comments to biofeedback, society of biology, charles Darwin house, 12 roger street, london Wc1n 2JU or [email protected]

The Biologist reserves the right to edit letters where appropriate.

LetteRSSILeNt MAJORItY SPeAKS/DAWKINS VIeW/heRBALISt SCePtIC/DNA PIONeeRS

BiofeedbackLetters, news and views from our readers

Th eBiologistTHE SOCIETY OF BIOLOGY MAGAZINE ■ ISSN 0006-3347 ■ socieTyofbiology.org Vol 60 no 2 ■ aPr/may 2013

TV's alice roberts talks anatomy and archaeology

dIGGINGdEEP

INtERVIEw

BIoPhYSIcS

QuANtuM BIoLoGYCutting-edge physics for

biological problems

RESEARch

BuILdER BIRdSFactors aff ecting

nest sizes

GENEtIcS

cRAcKING thE codE A decade on from the

human genome project


Dna pioneer frederick sanger.

a herbalist makes a preparation … but where is the evidence for its efficacy?

Illustrations by the 19th century

German biologist and artist

Ernst Haeckel adorn the windows

(pictured right) of the Microcosm –

a spectacular exhibition of all things

microscopic. Designed in 1998,

visitors can investigate details of

butterfly wings, insect larvae, fleas

and seeds under microscopes, with

3D photos and even live on screen in

the ‘microtheatre’.

Haeckel’s drawings depict in fine

detail the strange and mysterious

structures of radiolara, and other

minute protozoa, that the introduction

of microscopes opened up to the

world. The room, designed as a walk-

in stage set, also contains antique

microscopes, a ‘kaiserpanorama’

(stereo photography viewer) and

modern illustrations, while large

models of microorganisms are

suspended from the ceiling.

Haeckel published over 100

colour illustrations of animals and

sea creatures during his career as a

zoologist and then as a professor of

comparative anatomy. His book of

extraordinary lithographs and prints,

Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms

of Nature), was published in sets of 10

between 1899 and 1904, with subjects

arranged to show patterns in shape,

structure and texture, to fit with

Haeckel’s theories of development and

evolution of the time.

www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en


BIOLOGICAL ExHIBITS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

MUSEUM PIECE

#002THE ERNST HAECKEL HALL

Natural history Museum, Vienna

The microcosm exhibit at

Vienna natural history museum.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9

10 11

12 13

14

15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22

23

24 25 26 27

28

29 30

31 32


Across1 top solar burst in the afternoon (10)

6 Look for it in wine store (4)

10 Drive on far side of lane (5)

11 enthusiastic reception for

performance around the middle of

July (9)

12 terrible palaver when parking taken

away (6)

13 I’m pieced together somehow (8)

15 One with no right to be upset (4)

17 Friendly and sympathetic.

About time (10)

20 Get neon and air mixture (10)

22 Freshwater fish return (4)

24 Viable variety - not without oxygen (8)

26 Sounds like a bivalve (6)

29 Beat gets out-of-date (9)

30 Couple of errors in total (5)

31 Superior sustainable strategy

interests leaders ... (4)

32 ... it even got leader in America

excited (10)

down1 Lad working with power in leg making

wheels turn (9)

2 Our holding function could get up

your nose (5)

3 Street, kind of okay, for kilometre is

new (3-3)

4 The result of pillaging, many seize

nothing (4)

5 test umpire grasps what is essential

to cricket (5)

7 Giant mice hybrid form that’s hard to

explain (9)

8 Note this will invigorate you (5)

9 east has grand assortment - the

place for botanical specimens (6)

14 Kind to arrange things (4)

this issueBack to the usual format with just

across answers from the world of

biology (in one case an acronym)

and clued without definition. The

remaining clues are the normal

combination of definition and

cryptic indication.

how to enterTo be in with a chance of winning a

£25 book token please send us your

completed puzzles by Wednesday

10th of July 2013. Please include your

name, address and membership

number with your entry – an email

address would be handy too. Post

your entries to: Crossword, The

Biologist, Society of Biology, Charles

Darwin House, 12 Roger Street,

London, WC1N 2JU.

winners Well done to last issue’s winners,

Dr Laurance Bellamy CBiol MSB,

and Peter Shaw CBiol MSB. Book

tokens on the way.

WIN A £25

BOOK TOKEN

Last issue’s solutionVol 60 No 2

16 Moonrise and start of vampire activity

- they’ll have a bite of anything (9)

18 A log construction providing secure

accommodation (4)

19 Boy is mean, surprisingly he attracts

the girls (6,3)

21 Squirrel is hibernating content to

savour the experience (6)

23 Disturbing abuses going on beneath

the surface (3-3)

24 Island best placed for what fisherman

wants (5)

25 Snare one’s put out caught nothing (5)

27 Dog coming first in Crufts? Owner’s

reputation greatly increased (5)

28 Side’s advantage (4)

crosswordGet clued up for this issue’s synapse-sizzling biology puzzle

Volume 60 no 3 compiled by Doug Stanford

➜

It is often said that mixing

business and pleasure is never

a good idea. But a recent

biodiversity debate I took

part in while on holiday in

Mongolia turned out to be extremely

rewarding. The natural beauty of

the countryside is outstanding, with

extremes of conditions – from the

summer heat of the Gobi desert

to the bitter cold of the mountains

and the temperate climate of the

grassland steppe. With a population

of around 3 million on a landmass

more than four times that of the UK,

Mongolia is one of the least densely

populated countries in the world,

with some beautiful and rare wildlife,

including the elusive snow leopard.

As a country that is still relatively

new to democracy, Mongolia is

starting to develop a wide range of

new laws and regulations to protect

the environment, while simultaneously

trying to avoid excessive restriction on

the domestic and international mining

operations underpinning a significant

part of its GDP.

At a dinner kindly hosted on my

behalf by the British ambassador

to Mongolia, both the minister for

culture and the minister for the

environment joined colleagues

from the Zoological Society of

London (ZSL), National Geographic

and biodiversity experts from the

National University of Mongolia.

It is the 50th anniversary of the

start of diplomatic relations between

the UK and Mongolia, providing

an ideal opportunity to celebrate

many areas of mutual interest,

not least the celebration and

protection of biodiversity.

The National University is

working closely with ZSL and others

to develop so-called ‘red lists’ for

rare and endangered species, using

internationally recognised standards

for recording biodiversity. Lists for

both birds and plants are already

completed and there now needs to

be continued recording to monitor

trends; a real challenge for such a

large, poorly resourced country.

One solution to the scale of

species recognition and recording

required might be the facilitation

of eco-tourism with (usually)

students paying to be trained in basic

methods in exchange for supported

access and travel within the country.

Ministers were keen for us to explore

the idea further and we are already

in dialogue with potential partners.

Enthusiasm for ideas is not

unusual among politicians, but

encouragingly, the Mongolian

Government was also able to take

policy decisions as a result of

our discussions. If only progress

could be as swift in the UK. The

first tangible outcome was a

commitment to consider using

the red lists as the basis for

assessing the impact of policies and

activities on biodiversity

as a formal part of

government policy.

The second, perhaps

more surprising, story

was the agreement

of the environment

minister to ban the

use of live wolf cubs

as bait at the National

Eagle Festival, where

Mongolians in traditional

outfits ride horseback,

demonstrating their

hunting skills with eagles.

The climax is a hunt

involving a pre-captured wolf or fox

cub, often disabled to slow it down.

It is often hard to draw the line

between cultural practice and

what is acceptable – in the UK

there remains a debate around fox

hunting. But it was difficult to see

the justification for this in terms of

local culture. We expressed concerns

to the environment minister and

she agreed, banning the practice on

animal welfare grounds.

Biology is a popular subject

with students at the National

University of Mongolia and its

academic staff are actively engaged

in a wide range of research, limited

as always by scarcity of resources.

However, they are undertaking

interesting work and developing

increasingly strong international

links. They would welcome

collaboration with many more

UK academics and perhaps can

use the extraordinary landscape

and natural beauty of Mongolia

to tempt more biologists to visit.

If you are keen on field biology

you could do worse than a trip to a

Mongolian steppe.


IN thE StEPPES of KuBLAI KhAN

FINAL WORDDR MARK DOWNS FSB, ChIeF eXeCUtIVe, SOCIetY OF BIOLOGY

As a country relatively new to democracy, Mongolia is starting to develop a wide range of laws and regulations to protect the environment

horsemen at the national eagle festival.

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