#StevesLibrary: The Rise and Reign of the Mammals
Steve Brusatte’s The Rise and Reign of the Mammals is an ambitious attempt to tell the evolutionary story of one of the most successful groups of animals on Earth, while ultimately exploring our own origins. Following his earlier book, The…
#MuseumMonday: Muzeum Przyrodnicze Instytutu Systematyki i Ewolucji Zwierząt PAN in Kraków
There are natural history museums that overwhelm visitors through monumental architecture, vast galleries and spectacular collections (I’m thinking about a certain museum in South Kensington here), and there are museums whose importance lies somewhere rather different: in the scientific history…
#SciFri: Sealife Adventure – A Review of Essex’s Unusual Zooquarium
On Southend-on-Sea’s Eastern Esplanade, just a short distance from the famous pier and the bright lights of Adventure Island, is an attraction that occupies an unusual position between aquarium, zoo, educational centre and family entertainment venue. Sealife Adventure describes itself…
#SteveReviews: Monsters of God
If you know much about the reptile pet trade, you will be aware that it has an illegal and upsetting dark side. Eric Goode’s Monsters of God is an uncomfortable documentary series because its subject is simultaneously fascinating, disturbing and…
#SciFri: A Body of Knowledge at the Royal College of Physicians
As you may have seen from the recently #MuseumMonday post, I visited the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Museum, which is located in in Regent’s Park. While I was there, I visited the temporary exhibition A Body of Knowledge which…
#MuseumMonday: Timeline of exhibitions at the British Library
The British Library is perhaps best known as one of the world’s great repositories of books, manuscripts and historical documents, but its collections also provide a remarkable window into the natural world and our understanding of it. Across its history,…
#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…
