Naturally Speaking

Episode 16. This latest episode of the Naturally Speaking podcast explores the increasingly prominent issue of gender inequality in science and engineering. With the help of four Institute researchers: Prof. Dan Haydon, Dr Michelle Bellingham, Dr Winnie Boner and Dr Richard Orton, we first explore the evidence for women being underrepresented in scientific research and why this bias exists. Then, we discuss the Athena Swan Charter and the action we can take to reverse this bias and promote more diverse working environments.

The Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine recently obtained an Athena Swan Bronze Award for its commitment to addressing gender inequalities.

Episode 15. In this episode, we feature a Q&A discussion that followed a recent screening of the 1975 film Jaws held at the Glasgow film theatre as part of the 2014 Glasgow Science Festival. Dr David Bailey, Dr Deborah McNeill and Dr Shaun Killen are the experts answering the questions and exploring the relative risk of shark attacks, the impact of overfishing and the realities of being a marine biologist! This event was sponsored by the British Ecological Society.

Not to add a spoiler, but I think we can conclude that it is safe to go in the water…

Episode 13. This episode marks the first in a series in which we discuss the science behind some of our favourite science fiction movies. Why start with Jurassic Park? Well, it’s loaded with sciencey concepts, but this year is also 20 years (!) since it was first released and so we thought it would be a good time to check back on how it holds up.

Joining the chat in this episode are Rod Page, Barbara Mable, Kirstyn Brunker, Julie Nati, , James Buckely, Darryl McLennan, and Shaun Killen.

Episode 11 Part 1. In this very special episode we chat about the science of zombie-ism! Could zombies actually exist? Do zombies sleep? We discuss all this and more!

The first part of this episode contains the recording from a live event during the Glasgow Science festival, which took place at Nice ‘n Sleazy’s pub here in Glasgow. In this event, moderated by a totally scarifying Zara Gladman, Shaun Killen and Rowland Kao took audience questions regarding zombies and zombie outbreaks.

As it turns out, zombies are an amazing platform for talking about all kinds of topics in biology. In part 2 of this episode, we discuss all kinds of other zombie-related in ssues in science, including the affect of climate change on zombie-ism, how to tag andtrack zombie movements, and whether or not zombies have telomeres. Grab a nice bowl of brains, sit back, and have a listen!

Episode 10. In this episode we talk with Jo Halliday and Sunny Townsend about their research into epidemiology, the study of patterns, causes and effects of disease.

Episode 11 Part 2. In this episode, James Grecian, James Buckley, and Shaun Killen are joined by institute PhD student Darryl McLennan to expand on some of the topics raised in the live show, and to banter about all kinds of other topics ranging from the effects of climate change on zombies to whether or not zombies have telomeres. As it turns out, zombies are an amazing platform for talking about all kinds of topics in biology. Grab a nice bowl of brains, sit back, and have a listen!

Episode 12. In this episode we summarise three recent research papers published by Institute members. First we discuss Maureen Bain’s recent work examining the extent to which bacteria may pass through the shells of the chicken eggs we use for food. We then chat about Colin Selman’s recent paper showing that dietary antioxidant supplements may actually decrease lifespan in some animal populations. We then finish up by reviewing Tim Burton’s research examining maternal effects on early growth trajectories in Atlantic salmon. We also touch on whether or not the titles of academic papers have become too “spoilerific”, patent a foolproof device for measuring E. coli levels in grocery store eggs, and propose that living with your parents until your middle age might actually be an optimal life-history strategy.

Episode 14. Science is awesome, but how do you ensure your science is relevant? We got thinking about this after reading a comment piece offering tips on interpreting scientific claims published in Nature by Bill Sutherland and colleagues. The Guardian then produced a response listing tips academics should know about policy making here. So in the latest episode of Naturally Speaking, the two James’ chat about communicating science into policy with colleagues from across the Institute. We ask: how do you link research with fisheries management? how does science inform rabies policy in the developing world? and how do we get scientific findings to policy makers? With us to discuss these topics are; Sophie Elliott, David Bailey, Rodney Beard, Lisa Boden and Katie Hampson.

Episode 9. Grant Hopcraft on his work in the Serengeti examining the role of body size in determining the distribution of grazers in this large grassland ecosystem. Jason Matthiopoulos explains how to approach analysing this type of data and discusses how generalised functional responses can be used to examine species distributions.

Episode 8. How to source research funding and how to write successful grant proposals. Top tips and advice from postgrads at the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health, and Comparative Medicine.