• Swan (Dive) Song

    On leaving laboratory science and why it’s going to be awesome (but first a rant) A few years ago, I went on this residential course for postdocs whose years’ experience was greater than their output of Nature/Science/Cell papers. We made paper bridges for hamsters and drew our innermost...
  • When Bad Bugs Go Badder

    The Beijing lineage of M. tuberculosis is the villain in a movie sequel. Nastier, scarier, harder to kill. You thought tuberculosis (TB) was bad? Think again. The Beijing lineage is that little bit worse, associated with a speedier disease progression and increased antibiotic resistance. I’ve...
  • Bingo doesn't get tougher than this

      My theory? Gregg Wallace and John Torode have been replaced with automata programmed with a set number of nonsensical phrases and the ability to construct strings of adjectives that would be better suited to an erotic novel. But Masterchef is a bit like the boy who cried...
  • Genega, or how we require all of our genes to survive

    I went to a birthday gathering in a pub the other day to which someone had brought along the game Jenga. Putting aside any conclusions you may want to make as to just how exciting it must be to party with my friends and me, the game actually illustrates an interesting point about evolution. Sort...
  • Dark Matter: What’s Science Got to Hide?

    Scientific data is more freely available than ever. But does the push for openness help or hinder science? A panel debate at Imperial College London on 6th December sought to answer this question, launching the latest edition of Index on Censorship magazine—a special issue focussing on...
  • Running away is not an option, or how plants fight infection

    Like animals, plants can be infected by a range of pathogenic organisms. And, like animals, plants possess an immune system to fight off attacks from pathogens. The plant immune system is analogous to the innate immune system in higher eukaryotes but does not involve mobile immune...

Sunday, 4 December 2016

The Beijing lineage of M. tuberculosis is the villain in a movie sequel. Nastier, scarier, harder to kill. You thought tuberculosis (TB) was bad? Think again. The Beijing lineage is that little bit worse, associated with a speedier disease progression and increased antibiotic resistance. I’ve always had a thing for studies...