Someone who hopelessly banged his head against doors of funding agencies for several years, I can definitely say that evolutionary biology is not the most appealing scientific area to be in at the moment. You want to be in the biomedical research, doing things related to clinical work or design new pharmaceuticals.… Read the rest

Ancient Myths and How They Influenced Science

On the left: Pinax of Persephone opening the “Liknon Mystikon”.
Found in the holy shrine of Persephone at Locri in the district Mannella.
Locri was part of Magna Graecia and is situated on the coast
of the Ionian Sea in Calabria in Italy.
Usher Syndrome: an Idea and a Drug
There are many people around us we tend to avoid: loud, dangerous and especially sick. There are also many people who suffer from genetic diseases we’ve never even heard about. Unless, we ourselves or our friends or relatives are the ones who are affected.… Read the rest
Counter-intuitive Nature of Reality and Altruism

Trasmitting motion without moving is counter-intuitive (By Lookang many thanks to Fu-Kwun Hwang and author of Easy Java Simulation = Francisco Esquembre (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons)
I see people around me living their lives as if they have eternity ahead of them.… Read the rest
Cacti: Pioneers of Plants. Learning from Nature
I have a primal (if not primitive) quality I share with some curious animals. Did you ever see squirrels hiding nuts and magpies stealing sparkling things like watches or rings? I believe it may be a quirky instinct of collecting, stocking things up, though this is not a scientist’s guess.… Read the rest

Badger: Killing, Culling, Curing. Britain, Choose Your Side!

Badger, photo by Killianwoods (Template:University Observer) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
If you live outside the United Kingdom you many not know this , but the question above has been tearing the nation apart for the last several months if not years.… Read the rest