If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Purple, and variations thereof - mauve, indigo, violet, magenta, crimson and claret - are ubiquitous nowadays. But it was not always so.
Last month Cern, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, held a three-day conference between some of Europe's most renowned scientists and a few groups of people whose understanding of particle physics is probably dubious at best; namely theologians and philosophers.
Opium poppy extracts and their chemical derivatives were and still are invaluable in relieving the suffering of the wounded. It is therefore safe to say that both the opium poppy and the red poppy, or least the artificial variety, have been employed to bring immense relief to members of the armed forces, albeit in totally different ways.
Dr. Eben Alexander - who has worked at some of the most prestigious US medical institutions - has spoken of the need for a different "picture of reality" after he nearly died during a seven-day coma. His book "Proof of Heaven" has just been published.
Sexism in science reinforces an outdated message. It underlines the fact that, for young women, sexist attitudes are a barrier to their involvement in science and technology.
The provision of safe water is a global challenge today and has been so throughout history, not least during periods of war. And that applies to both civilians and armed forces.
For the past seven years, the Serpentine Gallery Marathon series has been an enlightening and thought-provoking contribution to the art world during the Frieze Art Fair Week focussing upon a specific theme (ie. the Map Marathon in 2010, the Poetry Marathon in 2009, etc.)
For Lady Geek, Ada Lovelace day is a bit like Christmas. Lady Geek was set up in 2010 with the aim of bringing women and technology closer together, and our most recent campaign 'Little Miss Geek' is working to inspire the next generation of women to join the technology industry.
What the RSPCA is doing amounts to a back door attempt to sabotage the Badger Act. This blog tries to explain the circumstances that have lead to this situation and to embarrass senior executives in the RSPCA into reversing their position.
The recent floods in Manila reminded me that we are at the whim of natural disasters and our changing climate
Many people still don't believe that women are equipped to understand tech. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are all considered natural 'boys'' subjects. Women break computers, men fix them. Women use technology, men create technology.
The chemistry of the First World War proved to be a double-edged sword. It not only killed, maimed, and destroyed, it also helped to protect troops and heal the sick and wounded.
Perhaps the poor panda's problem is that it is neither directly useful to humans like cows, sheep, potatoes and apples (whose populations have thrived alongside those of humans), nor has it ever been simply domesticated. Does another species need to be directly useful to humans in order for us to justify its survival?
Recently, I was listening to the story of Felix Baumgartner as I was getting ready to go to work. Baumgartner is an Austrian extreme athlete who was aiming to break the sound barrier in a supersonic skydive over New Mexico. He was planning to jump from a capsule floated 23 miles into the stratosphere by a huge helium balloon, and Chris Evans was getting very excited about it all.
Let me take you back to the year 1988. Thatcher was still in Number Ten, Kylie's 'I Should Be So Luck'" had just been knocked off the Number One spot, and Reading Football Club were officially the 43rd best team in England. On a good day, with a following wind. I remember standing on the terraces at Elm Park during a dour 1-0 victory, singing "You must have come in a taxi" to the visiting Shrewsbury Town fans, who - it transpired - had come in a taxi.
Giant pandas are charismatic, fascinating creatures. From a biological perspective, I find them so very interesting. I really like them. And yet, I think it may be the time to let them drift off into extinction or, at the very least, reconsider our approach to their conservation. I do not say this lightly.
