#StevesLibrary: The Lives of Snakes – A Natural History of the World’s Snakes
Who is ready for another book review? The Lives of Snakes: A Natural History of the World’s Snakes by Chris Mattison is an ambitious and beautifully presented exploration of one of the most misunderstood groups of animals on Earth. Written…
#SciFri: When frogs were used as pregnancy tests
Long before lateral flow pregnancy tests became a routine purchase in pharmacies or supermarkets, confirming a pregnancy was a slow, uncertain, and often expensive process. During the early twentieth century, physicians relied on indirect signs and symptoms or laboratory tests…
#StevesReviews: Evolution with Chris Packham
Few concepts have shaped modern biology as profoundly as evolution. It underpins every aspect of ecology, genetics, physiology, behaviour and conservation, yet communicating evolutionary theory to a general audience remains a considerable challenge. Evolutionary processes often occur over immense timescales,…
#StevesLibrary: DK Eyewitness: Amphibian
Thinking about my own personal development, few publishers have shaped children’s non-fiction as profoundly as Dorling Kindersley (DK). For more than three decades, the Eyewitness series has introduced millions of readers to subjects ranging from dinosaurs and space exploration to…
#MuseumMonday: A comprehensive review of the Hunterian Museum
The Hunterian Museum is one of London’s most fascinating, controversial, and intellectually challenging museums. Located within the headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons of England at Lincoln’s Inn Fields (easily accessible from Holborn tube station), it houses one of…
#SciFri: Kew Gardens – A Comprehensive Review and History of Britain’s Botanical Treasure
I have previously written on the wonders of Kew Gardens, but since then I have learnt a lot more about this amazing attraction, so I thought I’d try to do it justice this time. In my mind, there are few…
#SciFri: Wild Health – People, Nature & One Health
The health of people, animals and the natural world is inseparable. The quality of the environments in which we live, the health of wildlife and domestic animals, the spread of infectious diseases, the pollutants we release into the environment and…
#SciFri: Titanosaur at Peterborough Cathedral
When you think of dinosaurs, the last place that comes to mind is probably a cathedral (unless you’re thinking along the lines of the Natural History Museum). However, earlier in the spring of 2026, one of the most extraordinary exhibitions…
#SciFri: The Art of Deception at the Whipple Museum
There is something wonderfully appropriate about the fact that the Whipple Museum of the History of Science should mount an exhibition about deception. Scientific instruments are objects upon which trust depends. A telescope must provide a reliable image; a balance…
#MuseumMonday: My visit to the Whipple Museum of the History of Science
The Whipple Museum of the History of Science occupies a distinctive place among Britain’s university museums. Hidden away on the atmospheric Free School Lane in Cambridge, the museum is not simply a repository of antique instruments. It is a living…
