The Biochemist Blog

No weak evidence, it’s Evidence Week!

Leah Fitzsimmons, University of Birmingham

Monday, 25 June, saw the opening of the first ever ‘Evidence Week’ in the Houses of Parliament. Organised by Sense About Science in association with House of Commons Library, House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, POST – Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, and SAGE Publishing, the idea was to hold a week full of events, masterclasses and other sessions to help bring the public and parliamentarians into discussion about the use of evidence in public life.

June 19, 2018 Blog Posts / Journal content / Research / Uncategorized

New therapy helps your own immune system kill cancer cells

Emma Pettengale, Portland Press

You might have seen the recent news story about Judy Perkins – the woman cured of terminal breast cancer using her own immune cells in a world first. Some doctors believe that the pioneering development could mark a “paradigm shift” in cancer research and we’re going to take a look at the case, and explain the science behind it!

June 6, 2018 Biochemical Society / Blog Posts / Science communication & public engagement / Uncategorized

Science Communication Competition 2018 – Winners Announced

James Brown, Biochemical Society

We are pleased to announce the winners of our Science Communication Competition. Now in its seventh year, the competition attracted entries from all over the world which were reviewed by our panel of expert judges. The competition asks entrants to create an engaging, creative article or video explaining biomolecular topics to the general public. More information about the competition can be found on our website.

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IP and Me: My experience as an intern with an Intellectual Property firm

By Meg Booth, University of Cambridge

In January 2017, I attended a careers talk where I saw a presentation given by a Patent Attorney. I was immediately captivated by what sounded like the perfect career for me in that it would allow me to combine my technical background in molecular biology with my interests in science communication, writing and client relations.

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Are we the Baddies?

James Brown, Biochemical Society

On the 1 May, the Biochemical Society will be at the opening film of the 18th London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film. Prior to the film, geneticist, microbiologist, comedian and all round good egg Dr Charlotte Mykura will be giving a talk which aims to separate the science from the fiction and explore how fact can be even more unexpected than film. The film in question is Chimera, a Sci-Fi horror in which (and I quote), “A brilliant but disturbed scientist’s children are in cryogenic suspension, while he races to cure their deadly disease by decoding the DNA of the immortal Turritopsis jellyfish. To progress he needs lots of stem cells. A manipulative millionaire can help but she has her own agenda!”

May 29, 2018 Partner organizations / Policy / Research / Student-focused / Uncategorized

Standing up for Science – A Voice of Young Science Workshop

Lauren Cutmore, Bart’s Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London

How do you think science is portrayed in the media?
Do you think it’s important to communicate your research with the general public? These were both questions that were posed at the Stand Up for Science workshop in Manchester on Friday 13 April.

May 15, 2018 Education & careers / Events / Uncategorized

How to be better at networking at conferences

Claudia Bonfio, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK

For a young undergraduate student, attending a conference could mean visiting a new country, having fun (and drinks) with other group members and grabbing as many gadgets as possible from sponsors’ stands. For an academically-grown up postdoc, together with attending great scientific talks, attending conferences means networking with people in the same field or outside of it, to create new collaborations and partnerships.