BioBlog

Featured image: Supermarkets and nutritional advice

Supermarkets and nutritional advice

Alison Campbell • Aug 17, 2017

I rather like our local supermarket. Lovely staff, generally excellent products, and close to home as well.  But I really wish the organisation would stay out of giving nutritional advice – or at least, that they do the right sort of consultation about their claims. For example, under ‘recipes’ there’s a post about ‘hyper-functional’ beverages A. These, it’s stated, … Read More

Featured image: Leech ‘therapy’ redux

Leech ‘therapy’ redux

Alison Campbell • Aug 14, 2017

Back in 2012 the Herald ran a series on alternative ‘therapies’ that included a somewhat uncritical piece on the use of leeches – the practitioner concerned claimed, for example, that they could be used to ‘treat’ diabetes. I blogged on this back then, as did fellow Sciblogger Siouxsie Wiles, &  the criticisms we made then still stand. However – colour … Read More

Featured image: Human evolution – how do we accommodate new discoveries in our teaching?

Human evolution – how do we accommodate new discoveries in our teaching?

Alison Campbell • Jul 31, 2017

What follows is loosely based on a workshop I ran at this year’s Biolive/ChemEd secondary science teachers’ conference. (A most excellent conference, by the way – kudos to those organising & presenting.) I’ve added a bunch of hotlinked references. Back when I was in 7th form (or year 13 – i.e. a rather long time ago), the description of … Read More

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Featured image: A close encounter of the antivaccine kind

A close encounter of the antivaccine kind

Alison Campbell • Jul 12, 2017

It’s a bit concerning to hear of outbreaks of mumps in Auckland & the Waikato, as this suggests that in some areas the number of vaccinated individuals in the population has fallen below what’s needed to maintain herd immunity: see Siouxsie Wiles’ excellent post on this. One of the admins on my local suburb’s Facebook page … Read More

Featured image: Nomenclature nonsense, chemical fail

Nomenclature nonsense, chemical fail

Alison Campbell • Apr 11, 2017

On the stuff page today, Dr Libby was asked how someone could reduce their exposure to chemicals. While she distinguished between ‘natural’ & ‘synthetic’ chemicals, sadly, ‘natural’ doesn’t always equate to ‘safe’ or ‘good for you’ (as the list of plants growing in the Poison Garden in the UK makes clear). Similarly, there may be no difference … Read More

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Featured image: The ‘fishing’ chimps of Bakoun

The ‘fishing’ chimps of Bakoun

Alison Campbell • Jan 09, 2017

I’m currently supervising a graduate student who’s writing a review of the literature on tool use in wild chimpanzees. This has become a most enjoyable interaction: it’s a topic I’ve been interested in for quite a while now, so the supervision role is an excuse to extend my own knowledge, and it’s great helping the student to enhance their own … Read More

Featured image: Melibe Engeli – the strangest thing I’ve seen in ages

Melibe Engeli – the strangest thing I’ve seen in ages

Alison Campbell • Dec 20, 2016

I mean, really – have you ever seen something like this before? Melibe engeli is a type of sea slug, and a most unusual one. Its body is partly translucent, and has projections called cerata, themselves covered with smaller projections called papillae, down both sides. The animal is an active hunter – but what a hunter. It lacks the … Read More

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