#SciFri: The power of citizen science
Imagine you’re running a project to map the distribution of a species or observe a phenological event such as the spawning of frogs. How is one person (or a small team of people) going to be able to collect data…
#StevesLibrary: Shark
If I wasn’t spending my days studying amphibian and reptiles, I would have probably have chosen sharks instead. They too, like snakes and spiders, have an image problem – although once you understand them, they’re not all that scary. Sharks…
#SciFri: Herpetofauna Workers Meeting 2021
The Herpetofauna Workers Meeting (HWM) has been a staple event for herpetologists in the UK since the first event back in the 1980s. This year’s HWM (on the 6th and 7th February) was the 34th that have been held between…
#SteveReviews: A Perfect Planet
It’s that time of year again when a new Attenborough series airs on BBC One. Up and down the country, families crowd to the living room on Sunday evenings to see what wisdom and wonder can be gleaned from another…
#StevesLibrary: Spillover
Right at the beginning of the pandemic, I tried to purchase a book that was recommended to me back in 2014 whilst still an undergraduate. My friend who had read the book, was studying microbiology and knew that I was…
#SciFri: Why you should create a garden pond
Since 1950, we’ve lost a vast number of ponds from the British landscape. Not only has development been increasing since this time to house our ever growing population, farmland ponds have also disappeared. The farm landscape used to be dotted…
#StevesLibrary: Shell Life on the Seashore
I ended 2020 by finishing Shell Life on the Seashore by Philip Street. I admit that this isn’t the most traditional end to a year but despite everything that went on during those painful 12 months, it was the 25th…
#StevesLibrary: Improbable Destinies
Knowing the author’s name from the world of herpetology, I was expecting there to be slightly more about his research on anoles from the get go. However this is restricted to a single chapter, which in itself is interesting enough….
#SciFri: Reflecting on 2020, the year everyone wants to forget
For many people, this year has been quite a trying and stressful time. I fully sympathise with this view given the delays and isolation caused by lockdowns, in the attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19. To me, it has…
#SciFri: What’s that lichen?
During a recent walk along the North Downs Way recently with my good friend Vanessa, we stumbled across some trees that were covered in lichen. Being the curious types that we are, we collected some twigs from these trees and…