TheBiologistThe socieTy of biology magazine ■ issn 0006-3347 ■ socieTyofbiology.org

CONSERVATION

PET HATE The resurgence of

the exotic pet trade

NATURE

BIRDS ALOUD How animals became

recording stars

Vol 59 no 3 ■ aUgUsT 2012

A BUg'S LIfE

INTERVIEW

MEDICINE

BREATHE EASY The biology of

treating asthma

TV entomologist Dr George McGavin shares his passion for insects

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Contents

TheBiologistTHe SOCIeTY OF BIOLOGY MAGAZINe

Volume 59 No 3 / August 2012

IN THIS ISSUE

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 1

8 Back to school The Biologist Editor Sue Nelson

goes back to school for a ‘Biology

101’ and experiences a wow

moment.

14 Pet hateExotic pet-keeping is on the rise

despite decades of initiatives

aimed at reducing the trade of

rare animals. Elaine Toland,

director of the Animal Protection

Agency, reports on the issue

with Clifford Warwick and

Phillip Arena.

20 george McgavinThe award-winning TV

entomologist talks to The

Biologist’s Tom Ireland about

his latest series The Dark and

his passion for studying, filming

and eating insects.

14

24

Regulars

3 nelson’s column10 biofeedback11 Policy update34 spotlight36 reviews47 crossword48 final Word

30

20

News

4 society news39 member news42 branch events44 branch news

24 Inside the inhaler Michael Trevethick

explores how chance

and pharmaceutical

developments led to

a safe treatment for

asthma and changed our

understanding of receptors

in the body.

28 Biology Week 2012A guide to what’s on during

the Society’s inaugural

Biology Week, designed to

reach out to people of all ages

and raise the profile of biology.

30 Wild tracks Archaeologist and radio

presenter Christine Finn

explores the significance of

recorded animal sounds to the

environmental movement.

THe BIOLOGISTVol 59 No 4 • October 12

2 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 4

Society of BiologyCharles Darwin House,12 Roger Street,London WC1N 2JUTel: 020 7685 2550Fax: 020 3514 3204info@societyofbiology.orgwww.societyofbiology.org

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© 2012 Society of Biology(Registered charity no. 277981)

The Society permits single copying of individual articles for private study or research, irrespective of where the copying is done. Multiple copying of individual articles for teaching purposes is also permitted without specific permission. For copying or reproduction or any other purpose, written permission must be sought from the Society. exceptions to the above are those institutions and non-publishing organisations that have an agreement or licence with the UK Copyright Licensing Agency or the US Copyright Clearance Centre. Access to articles is available online; please see the Society’s website for futher details.

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for advertising information contactRosanna Chambersrosanna.chambers@thinkpublishing.co.uk020 8962 3026

EDITORIAL BOARDEditor Sue NelsonAssistant Editor Tom Ireland MSB tomireland@societyofbiology.org

Members

J Ian Blenkharn MSB FRSPH

Phil Collier MSc PhD CBiol FSB FLS FHe

Cameron S Crook BSc MPhil CBiol MSB MIeeM FLS

Rajith Dissanayake MSc PhD FZS AMSB

Catherine Duigan BSc PhD FSB FLS

John Heritage BA DPhil CBiol FSB

Sue Howarth BSc PhD CBiol FSB

Allan Jamieson BSc PhD CBiol FSB

Catherine Jopling BSc PhD MSB

Susan Omar BSc PGCe CBiol MSB MRSPH FRGS

Leslie Rose BSc CBiol FSB FICR MAPM

Advisory Panel

Ian Clarke, Horticulture Research International, UK

Clive Cornford, Unitec, Auckland, New Zealand

Sharon Grimster, BioPark, UK

Alan Lansdown, Imperial College London, UK

Walter Leal Filho, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Marios Kyriazis, Biogerontologist and anti-ageing physician, UK

Don McManus, Bancroft Centre, Australia

Peter Moore, Kings’ College London, UK

Brian Osborne, Australia

John Scott, University of Leicester, UK

Robert Spooner-Hart, University of Western Sydney, Australia

Kathleen Weathers, Institute of ecosystem Studies, USA

Steve Wilson, Pfizer Animal Health

A WINDOW ON THE LIfE SCIENCESThe Biologist is a bi-monthly magazine (published six times per year) that carries the full richness and diversity of biology. Science is brought to life with stimulating and authoritative features, while topical pieces discuss science policy, new developments or controversial issues. Aimed at biologists everywhere, its straightforward style makes it ideal for educators and students at all levels, as well as the interested amateur. Submissions of interesting and timely articles, short opinion pieces and letters are welcome. Articles should be aimed at a non-specialist audience and convey your enthusiasm and expertise. Instructions for authors are available on the Society of Biology website or on request from the editorial office.

ContactsSTAff AND CONTACT DETAILSChief ExecutiveDr Mark Downs FSBJennifer Crosk, PA to Mark Downsjennifercrosk@societyofbiology.org

MEMBERSHIP, MARkETINg & COMMUNICATIONSFor membership enquiries, call 0844 858 9316membership@societyofbiology.orgDirector of Membership, Marketing & Communications Jon KudlickMarketing Manager Adam TimminsPublic Engagement and Events Executive Dr Jenna Stevens-Smith MSBMarketing Assistant Zoë Martin AMSBPress Officer Dr Rebecca Nesbit MSBEditorial Assistant Karen Patel AMSB

EDUCATION AND TRAININg education@societyofbiology.orgHead of Education Rachel Lambert-Forsyth CBiol MSBHigher Education Policy OfficerDr eva Sharpe MSBCompetitions Co-ordinator Dr Amanda HardyQualifications and Skills OfficerNatasha Neill AMSB

SCIENCE POLICY policy@societyofbiology.orgHead of Science PolicyDr Laura Bellingan FSB Senior Science Policy AdvisersDr Barbara Knowles FSBDr Caroline Wallace MSBScience Policy OfficerJackie Caine MSBProject Officer (Natural Capital Initiative)Daija Angeli

Director of Parliamentary AffairsStephen Benn

financial Administrator Surinder Sohalsurindersohal@societyofbiology.org

PROfESSIONAL REgISTERSProfessional Registers Manager Dr Cliff Collis CBiol FSBcliffcollis@societyofbiology.orgSenior Project Manager (Technicians’ Register)Dr Mike Trevethick MSB

European Countries Biologists Association (ECBA) RepresentativeDr Tony Allen CBiol FSBtonyallen@societyofbiology.org

HO Licensee Accreditation BoardFraser Darling CBiol FSBfraserdarling@societyofbiology.org

The August issue not only

heralds the start of

The Biologist increasing its

publication from four to six

times a year, it is also a

personal milestone: it is the issue

where I finally fell in love with biology.

Don’t be surprised it has taken me

two years to reach this point. Editing

a magazine is a professional

journalistic skill that doesn’t

necessarily involve qualifications in

the subject matter. You don’t need to

dress well to be a fashion editor, or be

a doctor to edit a magazine on

medicine, but it certainly helps when

you can marry the journalism with

the science.

While I’ve always been upfront

about having a physics background,

my nagging biology deficit recently

prompted me to apply for a Logan

Science Journalism Fellowship at the

Marine Biological Laboratory in Cape

Cod. You can read the results, and the

profound effect it had on my

appreciation of biology, on page 8. I’m

sorry it took me so long to see the light.

The other reasons why this feels

such a personal issue are purely

coincidental. Shortly after helping to

judge this year’s Association of

British Science Writers’ Awards, and

with the results still under wraps, our

Assistant Editor interviewed

entomologist Dr George McGavin

(page 20). It’s no secret now that BBC

Four’s Afterlife: The Strange Science

of Decay won the TV category and its

presenter and our profile subject are

one and the same.

There are 5.4 million people in the

UK who are affected by asthma,

including myself. The recent wet

weather hasn’t helped. It makes the

grass grow and this increases the

grass pollen that affects 95% of

hayfever sufferers and can also

trigger asthma symptoms. Dr

Michael Trevethick’s journey inside

the inhaler, on page 24, is a welcome

reminder of the journey that led to

safe asthma treatments.

On page 14 Elaine Toland, director

of the Animal Protection Agency,

co-presents an extensive argument

for why further action is needed to

protect ‘exotic’ animals from stress,

mortality and extinction. I can’t

really contrive a personal connection

to our article on exotic pet-keeping,

although I did once report on the

trade for the One O’Clock News. It

was unforgettable to me for one

reason: I delivered a piece to camera

with a python around my neck.

This issue marks a personal milestone: it is the issue where I finally fell in love with biology

Nelson’s Column

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 3

sue nelson, editor

HUBS acts as a forum for discussing national issues on research and teaching in the biological sciences

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 5

Members honoured at Society AGM

Society news

Teaching prizeDr Neil Morris, a lecturer at the

University of Leeds, was named

Higher Education Biology Teacher

of the Year at the event. His

innovative teaching

methods and use of

technology secured

him the prestigious

award, which

The Society’s third AGM saw

Dr Ruth Bastow and Professor

Clive Page honoured with the

President’s Medal, awarded annually

to individuals who have made an

outstanding contribution to the

Society.

Dr Bastow received the medal for

her pivotal role in setting up the UK

Plant Science Federation (UKPSF),

a Special Interest Group of the

Society. Page is Professor of

Pharmacology and joint head of

the Institute of Pharmaceutical

Science at King’s College London,

and chair of the Society of Biology’s

Animal Science Group (ASG). He

was instrumental in ensuring that

the ASG is the premier forum for

groups involved in animal research

in the UK.

The awards were presented by

the Society’s president, Professor

Dame Nancy Rothwell FSB. “We

were very pleased to recognise Ruth

and Clive’s achievements in this

way. Ruth has been instrumental

in the foundation of UKPSF, which

will be of huge value to the plant

science community,” said Professor

Rothwell. “Clive’s role has likewise

proved invaluable for the ASG,

and he shows great leadership in

speaking openly about the use of

animals in research.”

Strength to strengthIn his annual report, chief executive

Dr Mark Downs said the Society

continues to go from strength to

strength, with membership holding

up in a difficult environment.

The Society had now settled into

Charles Darwin House and plans

to expand, he reported. The

appointment of Stephen Benn as

Director of Parliamentary Affairs

meant the Society has developed a

greater influence in Parliament too,

said Dr Downs.

aboVe Winners Dr ruth bastow (left) and Professor clive Page received their medals from President Dame nancy rothwell (centre).

recognises excellence in teaching.

Dr Morris’ students use

podcasts, assessments completed

by text message, virtual learning-

environments, tablet computers,

social media, voting handsets

and videos.

Dr Morris said: “I was thrilled to

receive the award in recognition of

my work with bioscience students.

I am delighted that this award

is available for staff who focus

on teaching and scholarship

activities within universities.”

Stress lecture The Society thanks

Professor Julia

Buckingham, Professor

of Pharmacology

at Imperial College

London, for her

interesting stress

lecture.

righT Dr neil morris from University of leeds receives his teaching award from Professor Julia buckingham fsb.

4 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

Heads of University Biosciences

(HUBS), the Society’s new

Higher Education Special

Interest Group, launched recently

with its first AGM, a learning

and teaching conference, and a

parliamentary reception.

HUBS aims to support senior

university bioscience staff in

tackling the challenge of managing

life science departments in UK

higher education. It acts as a

forum for discussing national

issues on research and teaching

in the biological sciences, and as a

source of informed comment on the

consultations of the day that affect

education institutions.

To celebrate becoming a

Special Interest Group, HUBS

held a summer reception in the

Churchill Room at the House of

Commons, bringing together heads

of department with other learned

societies and politicians. Keynote

speaker, Professor Sir Tom Blundell

FSB, described his experiences at

different universities and spoke of

the need for heads of departments to

share best practice, collaborate and

support each other.

At the group’s first AGM in

May, Dr Hilary MacQueen FSB

was elected as chair. Head of the

Department of Life, Health and

Chemical Sciences at the Open

University leaders’ Special Interest group holds first AgM

University, Dr MacQueen previously

chaired the Society of Biology’s

Higher Education Task Force

in 2011. Dr MacQueen joins Dr

Sandra Kirk of Nottingham Trent

University as treasurer, Professor

Janey Henderson FSB of Teesside

University as secretary, and seven

further members of the executive

committee. Dr Eva Sharpe from

the Society of Biology will act as

secretariat to the group.

HUBS’s annual learning and

teaching conference included

speeches from Dr Jenny Koenig

of the University of Cambridge,

who presented her research on the

biomaths landscape in secondary

schools and higher education, and

Rachel Lambert-Forsyth, who

explained the Society’s Degree

Accreditation Programme.

A lively panel debate followed

on how to create value for money

for students in an era of increased

student fees featuring Dr Jorge Tovar-

Torres, Royal Holloway University

of London, Professor Jon Scott,

University of Leicester and Dr Jeremy

Pritchard, University of Birmingham.

The HUBS Summer Reception

was sponsored by VSN International.

For more info please see

www.societyofbiology.org/hubs

Dr Eva Sharpe MSB

Higher Education Policy Officer

The society’s Dr mark Downs (right) chats with andrew millar mP and biochemical society chief executive Kate baillie at the hUbs agm.

OBITUARY Sir Andrew Huxley Hon fSB22 November 1917 – 30 May 2012

The Society is sad to announce

the passing of Sir Andrew Huxley,

recently described by The Guardian

as “one of the great scientists and

university administrators of our time”.

At 94, Sir Andrew was our oldest

Honorary Fellow and was awarded

the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology

or Medicine (with Alan Hodgkin)

for his experimental and

mathematical work on action

potentials in nerve cells.

Using the giant axons found in the

nerve cells of squid, the pair were

able to work out that nerve impulses

are caused by the movement of

sodium and potassium ions across

the axon’s surface membrane.

Little was known about the link

between electricity and life before

this discovery, beyond the fact that

electric charges could make frogs’

legs twitch or cadavers move.

Born in 1917 in Hampstead,

London, Sir Andrew was the son

of the writer Leonard Huxley and

grandson of the biologist Thomas

Henry Huxley. He was half-brother

to both the writer Aldous Huxley

and the biologist Julian Huxley.

He studied natural sciences at

Trinity College, Cambridge, where he

was later made Master. Sir Andrew

also became president of the UK’s

main scientific academy, the Royal

Society, following in the footsteps of

his grandfather, Thomas.

The current problems of the A-level examination system will not be fully addressed unless ministers accept the need for a single examination body

6 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3 Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 7

SOCIeTY NeWSPARLIAMeNTARY LINKS DAY/HAMBURG AWARDS/A-LeVeL ReFORMS/DONALD NICHOLSON

The Society of Biology has

welcomed the launch of a

consultation on potential

changes to A-level qualifications.

In June, Ofqual launched the

consultation on a range of potential

changes to A-level qualifications.

Proposals include a reduction in the

number of times A-level modules can

be retaken by students; abolition of

January exams; deeper involvement

of higher education in the design and

sign-off of A levels; and proposals to

scrap or amend AS levels.

A valuable role to play

The Society of Biology welcomes in

particular the proposal that higher

education organisations should have

more involvement in A-level design.

We also welcome the recognition that

learned societies have a valuable role

to play in the development of A-level

content and assessment.

As a key member of SCORE

(Science Community Representing

Education), the Society believes that

the best way to secure the

appropriate expert input for A-level

design is the formation of national

subject committees in biology,

chemistry and physics.

Society welcomes moves towards A-level reform

Additionally, appointment to any

such committee must be transparent,

and there needs to be provision for a

regular turnover of members.

A single bodySociety of Biology chief executive

Dr Mark Downs said: “The current

problems of the A-level examination

system will not be fully addressed

unless ministers accept the need for

a single examination body, at least

for each subject area. Expert subject

groups will be essential if the

Government insist on pushing

forward with current proposals, but

they remain a compromise.”

Following the consultation, the

reforms are planned for 2013 to 2018.

Your commentsThe Society of Biology is keen to hear

the views of the biology community

on this issue and we welcome

comments from members by email to

rachellambertforsyth@

societyofbiology.org

Further details can be found at

http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/

a-level-reform/

Rachel Lambert-Forsyth CBiol MSB

Head of Education

The Society of Biology increased its European

presence this year as it sponsored the Research

Group of the Year award at the European Life

Science Awards in Hamburg. The award aims to publicly

recognise the efforts and contributions of organisations

and individuals in the life science industry and identify

the future stars of the biopharma industry.

In addition, Society Fellow Professor Barry Potter, of

the University of Bath, won the Investigator of the Year

2012 award.

Science writer and broadcaster Dr Adam

Rutherford, an editor at science journal Nature and

writer for The Guardian, gave a keynote speech.

Links Day brings science, sport and politics together

The Society of Biology hosted

the biggest ever Parliamentary

Links Day in June as over

250 MPs, distinguished scientists

and learned society representatives

gathered at the House of Commons

to discuss science and sport.

House of Commons speaker, Jon

Bercow, opened the event, telling

delegates that although there was a

“great distance to travel” in terms of

promoting scientific understanding

among MPs, there had been a great

deal of progress in recent years.

Science and Universities Minister,

David Willetts, said Links Day had

become, “the biggest gathering of

scientists coming to parliament”.

links Day panel discusssion with (left to right) Julian huppert mP, John bercow mP, andrew miller mP and society President Dame nancy rothwell.

science minister David Willetts gave an address.

OBITUARY Donald Nicholson 16 January 1916 – 12 May 2012

Biochemist Donald Nicholson,

famed for his maps of metabolic

pathways, has died aged 96.

In 1955 Nicholson first combined

all the known metabolic pathways of

the time onto an easy to read chart

by hand. Working long after his

formal retirement, he continued to

add reactions and pathways, as they

were discovered, to the ever-evolving

diagram – as recently as several

weeks before his death.

Eventually the chart showed the

interlinking of dozens of separate

pathways and more than 600

different reactions. His Metabolic

Pathways Chart has run through

22 editions, is in almost every

biochemistry textbook, and a million

copies have been printed.

The son of a Methodist minister,

Nicholson studied colour chemistry

at Huddersfield Technical College

before going on to do a PhD and

taking up university research and

lectureship posts. Material from

his work as a lecturer in prisons

eventually developed into the Teach

Yourself book on Science: The

Universe, Matter and Life, published

in 1966. In the 1960s, this volume,

with its familiar black and yellow

deco dust cover, seemed to be in

every bookshop and everyone’s

bookcase. Nicholson was given

an honorary DSc by Huddersfield

University and made one of only

two Special Life Members of the

International Union of Biochemistry

and Molecular Biology (IUBMB).

While sales of his charts could

have made Nicholson rich, he gave

the copyright to the IUBMB, which

provides scholarships for third

world students.

He is survived by two daughters and

a son, his wife having died in 1996.

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Society hits Hamburg

“Often the sporting environment

is one of the first places where

technical innovations are seen

and can be tested. Sport drives

innovation,” he added, before

taking questions on scientific

understanding in politics.

In the first of two panel

discussions, Steve Ingham from

the English Institute of Sport told

how advances in the science of

altitude training was improving

the performance of UK athletes.

The Institute can now consistently

increase athletes’ haemoglobin

mass by up to 12%, where once not

everyone would respond to this

type of training. Simple advances in

warm-up techniques have recently

improved 400m sprint times by up

to a second, he said.

Professor Fares Haddad, Director

of the Institute of Sport, Exercise

and Health at University College

London, explained to delegates

how advances in medicine for elite

athletes often translates into better

treatment for non-athletes. The

university is currently working

on the “holy grail” of knee injury

prevention: the ability to repair

surface cartilage.

Later, Shadow Olympics Minister,

Dame Tessa Jowell, thanked

soil scientists for their work

decontaminating 2,000 tonnes of

polluted soil and 20 million gallons

of groundwater at the Olympic site,

regenerating an area of wasteland

the size of Hyde Park into housing

and urban parkland.

Andrew Miller, chair of House of

Commons Science and Technology

Committee, chaired the event.

Tom Ireland MSB

Assistant Editor, The Biologist

Calling all student BioSocs!

Are you part of a student biology society or are you keen to set one up? We have

launched a free registration process for student-led societies which comes with a

number of benefits. By signing up you can get free membership to the Society for your

president, reduced membership rates for your members, free goodies, e-alerts,

event support and sponsorship opportunities.

Please visit societyofbiology.org/biosocs for more details and

information about how to register.

Going back to school

8 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

OPINIONTHe eDITOR’S BIOLOGY LeSSON

Aged 16, two weeks into my

A levels, there was a tap on

my shoulder during the bus

journey to school. I turned and came

face to face with a large eyeball

sitting on a piece of muscle. My

scream caused the driver to slam on

the brakes as the eyeball rolled

under the legs of other students,

producing a Mexican wave of

ear-piercing revulsion.

The eye belonged to a bull;

acquired by a biology student from a

butcher’s for dissection. Fortunately,

being of a squeamish nature, my

local butcher had run out when I’d

requested one myself. Unfortunately,

I still had to do the lesson. It did not

go well and was spent with my head

out of a window, fighting off nausea.

Dissecting a frog produced a

similar reaction and it became

abundantly clear that I was not

destined to become a biologist. I

exchanged biology for chemistry,

joining maths and physics. My

biology education was over.

A spellbinding startA few months ago these memories

resurfaced on watching a biologist

inject a female sea urchin with salt

water. My stomach lurched.

Thousands of tiny eggs descended

into a small glass beaker filled with

water as the urchin’s spines swayed

and rippled.

This time, I didn’t head for the

window. Despite not being able to

wield the needle, I managed to

pipette white globules of sperm from

a male sea urchin into a solution –

provided I didn’t have to touch it,

of course.

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 9

Sharing passionThe course is part of the Logan

Science Journalism Fellowship at the

Marine Biological Laboratory in Cape

Cod, Massachusetts. Located by a

pond filled with crabs, urchins and

sea squirts on one side, and the

Atlantic Ocean on the other, it is a

living and working playground for the

scientists. “People call us a Mecca for

the biological sciences,” said Andrea

Early, who organises the fellowship

and was once a fellow herself.

As Editor of The Biologist, whose

degree is in physics, it was a chance

for me to engage with a science that

had always been off limits. When

covering general science within a

pool of correspondents, as I did at the

BBC, we usually divvied up stories

that played to our strengths. Even

when editing this magazine, I leave

the biology to the experts. I am a

science journalist, not a scientist.

Journalists are often, by nature,

butterfly brains. They are able to

research, digest and absorb stories

quickly, becoming an instant expert

in a short period of time. Scientists

can spend decades on one particular

aspect of research and still enthuse

about what remains to be learnt. It is

obvious they love their work.

Tutors Brad, David and Olivia

personified these traits, often

working late into the night to ensure

we could share their passion. “Isn’t it

beautiful?” Brad would say, joyously,

on seeing the pleasure we gained

from our images of cells.

Punishing scheduleAmong the other fellows, everyone’s

level of biology differed: from

courses at degree level to those, like

me, who had finished their biological

education early.

The first lecture was therefore a

shock. Instead of the expected

‘Biology 101’, it felt as if I was being

taught in a different language:

biology in Croatian.

I’d brought along Cell Biology for

Dummies but felt too dumb to use it.

Every other word needed

explaining. When I last studied

biology, the cell seemed to only consist

of a nucleus, chromosomes, cytoplasm

and a cell membrane. Now there are

microtubules, actin, myosin and

cadherin. I discovered that biology

has its own complex vocabulary and

finally understood why not everyone

‘got’ physics. To me it made perfect

sense. Now I realise it’s because I

already speak the language.

The schedule was punishing.

Lectures on genetics at 8:00am, lab

classes all day and further lab

sessions or talks in the evening.

These ranged from yeast and

cephalopods to arsenic and

microbial oceanography.

We’d been warned by Brad that

being a scientist – and science itself –

was all about things not always

working and this definitely proved to

be the case.

Preparing samples, waiting for the

microscope and then discovering

that our sample was sub-standard, or

that we’d used too much agar jelly,

taught us about the patience and

repetition required before any

analysis was possible.

We learnt about

immunofluorescence and tagging

antibodies to different parts of the

cell, watching with joy as the latest

state-of-the-art Zeiss microscope

revealed a multi-coloured piece of

artwork with blue DNA or green

microtubules or the red-orange lines

of the protein actin showing cell walls.

When you’re told about motor

proteins called kinesin and dynein in

a cell, you listen and digest, but it’s

difficult to imagine what is going on.

As soon as Brad mentioned that

kinesin moved towards a positive end,

I mistakenly assumed this meant an

electric charge was involved instead

of simply the end that grows fastest.

Despite this misunderstanding,

some of the vocabulary of biology

was starting to filter through. It’s not

easy when discovering the definition

of dynein is described as “found in

oPPosiTe Page sue nelson in the lab under the watchful eyes of Professor David burgess.

beloW biologists and tutors brad shuster and olivia george collecting sea squirts from the lake at the marine biological laboratory, cape cod.

sue nelson is editor of The Biologist

The Biologist Editor

Sue Nelson goes back

to school for a ‘Biology

101’ and discovers that

biology and physics

have more in common

than she thought

Using a microscope, I then

observed – for the first time – sperm

wriggling and racing towards the

eggs and the appearance of a hazy

halo signaling successful fertilisation.

Within an hour, I was watching the

beginnings of cellular life as the cell

divided into two in front of my eyes. It

was spellbinding, and an impressive

start to a short, intensive course for

science journalists to connect with

biology and biologists.

“It’s an opportunity to see how

science is done and to see the rewards,”

said David Burgess, a professor of

biology at Boston College and one of

the course tutors. He was joined by

associate professor Brad Shuster from

New Mexico State University and by

Brad’s postdoc, Olivia George, a Native

American whose love of biology had

changed her life and career

expectations from working on a

reservation to a laboratory. They had

nine days to give a bunch of unruly,

independently-minded journalists a

flavour of what it was like to do their

job instead of report on it.

the flagella and crucial to cell

motility” when you have to look up

both the words flagella and motility.

Another universe But the process of doing cell biology

began to make sense – even if I still

shied away from touching living

organisms. I was simply enjoying what

could be seen as the images and videos

we made of cell division using the

microscope helped clarify the lessons.

Then we watched an eight-minute

animation by Harvard University

called ‘The Inner Life of the Cell’.

The film is silent but Brad gave a live

commentary of what we were seeing

and the processes underway.

The cell revealed an astonishing

complexity, both dynamic and

thrilling. The sight of kinesin ‘walking’

along a microtubule was so unexpected

it made me repeatedly exclaim, “No

way!” It was genuinely exciting.

This unexpected world within a

world was full of surprises. Familiar

with exploring the wider world of

astronomy, looking out from the

Earth into the vast cosmos and

beyond, here was another equally

exciting universe at the cellular level.

The experience was such a shock –

and so beautifully moving – that I

had to blink back tears. It was a

definite ‘wow’ moment.

The reason for me doing this

fellowship was to stand back from

journalism to gain a better

understanding of the science of

biology and the process of the

science itself. It did so much more

than that. It opened my eyes.

10 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

We actually used live imaging

quite a lot. Scattered throughout

the series we included time-lapse

movies including human sperm cells,

frog embryogenesis, axonogenesis,

synaptic protein distribution,

structural MRI and phagocytosis,

to name a few.

I contest the majority of Professor

Ford’s negative comments, for

example, “The viewer is presented

with a forest of tapering columns,

upstanding like bristles on an

unshaven chin, and nothing like any

cells in existence.” They are hair cells

of the vestibular system, situated

in the ampulae of the semicircular

canals. Each is composed of a wedge

of cilia and at the apex, a taller,

thicker cilium called the kinocilium.

Professor Ford attests that our

animations fail to capture what

cells actually look like under a light

microscope, namely that they lack

‘translucence’. I think he meant to

say ‘transparent’. I agree that all live

cells are transparent if isolated and

viewed under a light microscope. But

the ‘limpid and smooth appearance’

he looks for is actually an artefact

of the light microscope imaging

technique, which is notoriously

unable to visualise the fine texture of

living cells. For example, the mesh-

like network of glycoproteins that

compose the zona pellucida, or the

brush-like extensions from the oocyte

into the periviteline space.

The freedom of using CGI is that

it allows us to combine the accurate

textural information gleaned from

scanning electron miscroscopes,

where tissue is dead, with the

information on cell behaviour taken

from live cell imaging. We then

add cinematic techniques to tell an

engaging story.

I do not understand why you

think it is wrong to combine data

from different imaging techniques.

This integrative approach should be

celebrated, not derided.

Dr David barkerresearcher for the cgi elements of the bbc’s Inside the Human Body

KEEPING IT REALIn response to Professor Brian Ford’s

critique of CGI techniques, ‘Reality

TV’, in The Biologist, Vol 59 (2) 19-21.

This letter reflects my personal views

and is not an official BBC response.

I was the researcher for the CGI

elements of Inside the Human Body.

All of the animations we created

were based upon scanning electron

miscroscopy, light micrographs,

macro photography, transmission

electron microscopy and live cell

imaging. In many cases, we used

scientific images directly for the

animations, adapting them into three-

dimensional objects, textures and

backgrounds. We worked closely with

leading scientists to ensure we were

as accurate as we could be.

However, I am the first to admit

that our work is not perfect. What

we set out to do was to capture

the essence of human biology, to

take information from a range

of disparate, inaccessible and

complicated sources and to weave

them together into a form that was

understandable to a lay person.

The ironic thing is that Professor

Ford missed real inaccuracies

and instead has made a catalogue

of mistakes in his comment. For

example his chief complaint is that

we should have used ‘imaging of real

cells’ instead of ‘crude cartoons’.

I so agree with Brian Ford in his

comments on TV and the misuse

(unnecessary use?) of computer

generated simulations. May I add

another grouse in a similar vein?

The business of plonking an

unopened petri dish, with goodness

knows what growing on it, under

a normal light microscope, and lo

and behold, we see some very large

bacteria swimming around!

laurie north fsb

Editor’s Note: Interestingly, the

TV programme has since been

nominated for an Emmy…

For animation.

EQUALITY FOR ALL

I was delighted to see Dr Wallace’s

article ‘The Sexes and Science’

(The Biologist Vol 59 (2) 13) having

followed the findings of the Royal

Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) report

on women in STEM (‘Tapping all

our talents’) with great interest.

After attending a ‘Women in

STEM’ conference at the University of

Dundee, I’m optimistic that we

can tackle the gender imbalance in

the higher levels of academia and

industry. However, I was disappointed

that out of the 32 delegates only

six men were in attendance (two

being organisers).

It is important we are not

complacent and assume that this is

an issue that women must solve

alone; it is everyone’s duty to effect

change in this area. After all, many of

the recommendations in the

RSE’s report won’t only benefit

women in STEM, but will be of

benefit to everyone, for example,

equality in maternity or paternity

leave, part-time employment

possibilities and utilising CPD for

people on a career break.

By actively encouraging women

to remain in STEM and bringing

fairness to the STEM community, we

can all work together – truly tapping

all our talents.

James Walker msb

Send your comments to biofeedback, society of biology, charles Darwin house, 12 roger street, london Wc1n 2JU or emailbiologist@societyofbiology.org

The Biologist reserves the right to edit letters where appropriate.

LeTTeRSCGI IN TV SCIeNCe, GeNDeR eQUALITY

BiofeedbackLetters, news and views from our readers

Th eBiologistThe socieTy of biology magazine ■ issn 0006-3347 ■ socieTyofbiology.org

NATURE

REINTRODUCTIONSBringing beaversback to Britain

SCIENCE ON TV

REALITY TVAre TV science

graphics misleading?

OLYMPICS 2012

gENE DOPINgTowards genetically altered athletes

Vol 59 no 2 ■ JUne 2012

WONDER WEEDInside Britain’s only legal cannabis farm

SPECIAL REPORT

protestors engage with them instead

of taking direct action. This novel

approach swiftly gained support and

a petition was signed by over 6,000

people voicing their support for the

trial, whatever their views on the

potential of GM crops.

The trial in question was GM

wheat engineered with a naturally

occurring aphid-repelling gene from

peppermint. Protestors claimed that

conducting an outdoor trial risked

contaminating conventional crops,

that GM technology is ‘obsolete’ and

a threat to biodiversity, and that the

only benefit would be for the profit

of large businesses.

To explain why the ‘Aphid Wheat’

has potential to be environmentally

beneficial and how the trial poses

no risk to the environment, Sense

About Science (an organisation

aiming to encourage evidence-based

public debate) ran online question

and answer sessions. In these,

scientists explained that wheat is

self-pollinated; that pollination occurs

internally before the flowers open;

and that by incorporating a naturally-

occurring gene into the wheat to

repel aphids, the trial aims to reduce

the application of chemical pesticides.

Much of the anger over GM has

been directed at multi-national

biotech companies such as Monsanto,

who famously filed lawsuits against

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 11

When Calgene released the

first commercial genetically

modified crop (tomatoes)

in 1994, the company felt no need

to label it as GM, or launch a PR

campaign to ensure the technology

gained public acceptance. Scientists

producing GM foods, however, were

in for a shock. Two years later, when

paste from GM tomatoes was sold in

Europe and labelled as GM, industry

professionals discovered that they had

been wrong to assume that European

consumers would readily accept it.

Nearly 20 years on, lessons have

been learned from earlier mistakes.

Many consumers, quite rightly, care

about the effect of their food on health

and the environment. Of those with

concerns, some choose to avoid buying

products likely to contain GM material,

while others go further, applying

pressure to limit or prevent GM food

products and crops coming to market.

A recent activist group to emerge with

this perspective is Take the Flour Back,

which in April announced its intention

to protest against field trials of a new

GM crop by ‘decontaminating’ the

trial plots at the Rothamsted Research

facility in Hertfordshire.

Rothamsted, a publicly-funded

agricultural research institute in

Hertfordshire, was alarmed by the

risk to its experiments. In response,

it put out a public plea and asked that

Policy update

A well orchestrated campaign by PR-savvy scientists helped limit the impact of anti-GM protests this summer

farmers who planted seed containing

their patented genes. As a result, the

debate has widened to include social

and economic arguments alongside

environmental ones. Scientists at

Rothamsted were keen to stress that

their results would not be patented or

owned by a private company.

On the day of the protest, around

300 police guarded the field trial,

outnumbering protesters and

shepherding journalists between

tactically-parked police vans as

people moved between Rothamsted

Research and Rothamsted Park, the

location of the protest.

The debate and the protest

(pictured) attracted a huge amount of

media attention, mostly fairly balanced

and hopefully marking a new phase of

the debate, with some political interest

in re-engaging what had become a

‘no-go’ area. Jenny Jones, Green Party

candidate for London’s 2012 mayoral

elections, spoke at the rally in support

of Take the Flour Back, but was widely

criticised for her stance. Members of

the Select Committee for Science and

Technology have expressed an interest

in an enquiry into the benefits and

risks of GM.

Scientists’ attitudes and GM

technology have both evolved since

this debate began. Technology has

also changed the way the debate

is conducted and the rise of social

media has helped give more people a

voice – both scientists and the public.

Sense About Science took questions

by email and on Twitter and

published scientists’ answers online.

A Twitter discussion (using the

hashtag #geeksinthepark) led to

a group of the trial’s supporters

attending the protest, on hand to

talk with protestors or passers-by

who wanted to know more. There

were many online opportunities

for discussion, and there is still

the chance to join a debate on our

blog http://societyofbiologyblog.

org/rothamsted-gm-crops/ or our

LinkedIn group (Society of Biology).

for more information on gm crops see www.societyofbiology.org/policy/policy-issues/gm-crops

Dr rebecca nesbit msbPress officer

Saving science

12 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3 Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 13

POLICY UPDATeOPeN ReSeARCH ACCeSS/STeM DISABILITY COMMITTee/SUSTAINABLe AGRICULTURe WORKSHOP

Spreading the wordCan the goal of open access to research be supported financially?

laura bellingan fsb head of science Policy

Achieving growth and

demonstrating transparency

are two major ambitions

espoused by the coalition

Government. In recent speeches,

Universities and Science Minister

David Willetts has said both can be

achieved by extending public access

to publicly-funded research.

Extending access is, of course,

a welcome aim. The difficulty is

how to bring this about in a world

where complex systems have evolved

around the publication of research

articles: from the peer-review process

to their printing, distribution and

curation in both libraries and online.

Many elements of these systems

are provided on a commercial basis,

and some on a not-for-profit basis,

but all incur some costs. I have yet

to encounter any members of the

Society who are not in favour of

opening up access, but all recognise

that this must be funded from

somewhere in the system and a new

business model will be needed.

The Government recently

welcomed the recommendations

made in the Finch report on

‘Extending Access to Research’,

published in June. In the report the

Finch Group, chaired by Dame Janet

Finch of Manchester University,

recommended ‘a clear policy

direction’ towards open access as the

main vehicle for publishing publicly-

funded research, using ‘article

publication charges’ for authors,

rather than journal subscriptions.

Many of our learned society

Member Organisations have

charitable objectives to disseminate

research reports from their

specialisms and have publishing

enterprises to achieve this. They

reinvest financial surpluses, earned

in the broader support of their

science, into fellowships, grants,

educational and career support and

public engagement activities. Indeed

surveys have shown that they invest

approximately twice as much in the

UK higher education sector as they

earn from it in library subscriptions.

Much of their ability to do this relies

on revenues earned from journal

sales overseas, demonstrating the

national value of this export industry.

Of course earnings from running

meetings, charging membership

subscriptions and through

investments and grants also play their

part. Organisations that publish, on

average, rely on it for half of their

revenue (in some cases up to 95%).

Many of the Society’s individual

members are authors, readers,

peer-reviewers and editors of

journals and articles. As such they

largely produce, quality-control and

consume these research reports

without directly paying or earning.

Behind all this lies a complex

world of university and library

subscriptions to publishers, and

the funding for academic time and

resources. Many members outside

the academic library sector would

welcome the facility to read original

research reports, as would many

involved in commercial R&D or with

an interest in health, environmental,

cultural and political debates.

Open access, however, will not

confer accessibility as popularly

understood. The majority of

reports are written for specialist

readerships. Even for those

specialists the volume of research

currently being published is so

large that automated reading and

computer-aided searching are

considered to be tools of increasing

importance. ‘Readability’ and the

ease of discovery of articles may in

fact be the emerging challenges.

Policy development is ongoing here

also. The Royal Society tackles this

in its report ‘Science as an Open

Enterprise’, with practical measures

to ensure that data is made available

in useable and durable formats high

on its lists of recommendations.

Both of these recent reports will

receive plenty of attention in the

coming months and the Society will

continue to be involved in discussions.

Our Research Dissemination

Committee has already published a

position statement on journal content

mining and the Society has written

to the Government in response to the

Finch Report.

How can public policy tackle

the need to create sustainable

agriculture in the UK, given

such complex issues surround the

issue, such as food security, volatile

food commodity markets and global

climate change?

Add to that concern over the

beneficial processes and resources

that farmland ecosystems provide

– known as ecosystem services

– and you have an extremely

complex problem. Yet this was

the issue of the day for over 60

experts in both ecology and

economics at a May workshop

in London hosted by the Natural

Capital Initiative (in partnership

with York Environmental

Sustainability Institute, UK Network

of Environmental Economists,

Valuing Nature Network and

GardnerLoboAssociates).

In his keynote speech, Professor

Bill Sutherland (Department of

Zoology, University of Cambridge)

outlined principles for an effective

sustainable agricultural policy from

the perspective of an ecologist.

He emphasised that the UK must

be considered in a global context,

taking into account trends in

markets, production capacities,

population growth and changing

diets. Agri-environment policy

interventions should be focused and

incentives well-targeted to ensure

that they are effective to local or

regional land management priorities

– be they biodiversity, tourism, crop

production or flood defence.

Professor Ian Bateman (Centre

for Social and Economic Research

on the Global Environment,

University of East Anglia) followed

this with the viewpoint of an

economist. Ecosystem services

are often neglected in economic

discussions, he said, stressing the

importance of incorporating strong

natural science evidence when

analysing the potential impact of

land management changes. (For

example, the effects on water

quality and biodiversity as well as

production outputs and earnings.)

Professor Bateman said where

robust information is not available,

constraints must be applied to

ensure that natural resources

are used sustainably. The need to

determine what these constraints are

provide an opportunity for dialogue

between ecologists and economists.

The keynote speakers joined

Professor Tim Benton (University

of Leeds), Professor Charles

Godfray (University of Oxford),

Dr Paul Morling (RSPB) and Dr

Salvatore Di Falco (London School

of Economics) in a panel discussion

to identify the most pressing issues

around sustainable agriculture.

The panel agreed that policy must

ensure that we do not export

environmental, social or economic

degradation when we import food

from elsewhere. At the same time,

issues of scale and heterogeneity of

land use here in the UK mean that

blanket policies will be unlikely to

achieve their goals, whereas targeted

incentives to farmers, to ensure the

effective provision of ecosystem

services, might be successful.

The panel also considered how

patterns of food consumption,

particularly with rising food prices,

will be an important issue to tackle

and policies may be required to

encourage sustainable consumer

behaviour. Later, break-out groups

considered how farmers could be

incentivised to manage farmland

to enable optimal provision of

ecosystem services.

In closing, Chair Peter Costigan

(Department for Food, Environment

and Rural Affairs) concluded that

great progress has been made in

the dialogue between ecologists

and economists in recent years.

“Discussions from the event showed

a much greater familiarity with each

other’s disciplines and an increasingly

common language,” he said.

Costigan expressed hope that

the workshop might have sparked

ideas to be carried forward in

both research and policy. In

light of a major review of the EU

Common Agricultural Policy in

2014, participants agreed that

it is essential for ecologists and

economists to work together to

ensure that agricultural production

is delivered sustainably.

To facilitate further dialogue, the

National Capital Initiative and the

supporting partners of this workshop

are organising a further session

at the British Ecological Society’s

Annual Meeting in December.

a full report from the workshop is available at www.naturalcapitalinitiative.org.uk

London workshop tackles the big ecological questions facing UK agriculture

Daija angeli Project officer(natural capital initiative)

Extending access is a welcome aim. The difficulty is bringing this about in a world where complex systems have evolved around the publication of research articles

Ensuring access for all

If you recognise any specific problems with disabled access to biology degrees, have ideas for potential STeM disability committee projects or have expertise with disabled STeM workers and students, please get in touch with Jackie Caine at jackiecaine@societyofbiology.org

More information on these projects and a portal to further resources can be found on the website www.stemdisability.org.uk

Video clips of the Scottish Sensory Centre’s British Sign Language signs can be found at www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk

The Society of Biology

is now a core member

of the STEM Disability

Committee – a grouping

of learned societies and academies

with a commitment to improving

policies, practices and provision for

disabled people in STEM disciplines.

The Committee was established

last year following the Barriers to

Disabled Students conference, held

by the Institute of Physics, which

highlighted a number of common

problems encountered by disabled

students entering lab or field

environments.

The Committee aims to identify

areas of joint working that could

improve provision for disabled

students in the sciences. Its remit

includes people aspiring to a STEM

career as well as those already

employed, and takes into consideration

both physical and mental disabilities.

The Committee has a number of

practical projects underway – most

recently working with the Scottish

Sensory Centre to launch 116 new

British Sign Language signs for

physics and engineering terms. The

new terms add to existing chemistry

and biology signs developed by the

team in a project that began in 2007.

The signs ensure students with

hearing difficulties are not deterred

from engaging in science, for which

complex terms can act as a barrier.

The STEM Disability Committee is

also working on projects to support

dyslexic students with maths and

to support disability assessors of

STEM students, ensuring assessors

understand the unique requirements

a STEM degree demands.

Ecologists & economists join forces at summit

PET HATE14 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

850,000 in 2010, and 800,000 in 2011

(PFMA, 2009, 2010, 2011).

WelfareUnfortunately, the fundamental five

freedoms for well-being – freedom

from hunger and thirst; freedom

from discomfort; freedom from pain,

injury and disease; freedom to behave

normally; and freedom from fear and

distress – which are now embodied

in the Animal Welfare Act 2006, are

not all realistically met for exotic pets

living in vivariums.

Exotic pet morbidity and premature

mortality are high. A recent

investigation of a major US-based

dealer (a UK supplier) found that

of 26,000 animals, 80% were sick,

injured or dead. Approximately

3,500 dead and dying animals, mostly

reptiles, were being discarded weekly.

The dealer’s defence was that the

operation was in accordance with

wholesale pet industry standards of

70% mortality (Smith, 2010).

Between 2000 and 2008, the

percentage of wild caught CITES-

listed reptiles imported into the EU

increased by almost 79% (RSPCA,

2010). Wild collection and shipping is

frequently traumatic for animals due

to capture-stress, cramped conditions,

injury and disease. Captive bred

animals avoid some of these stressors

but are still subjected to restrictive

breeding facilities, shipping and so on.

A significant difference between

domestic and exotic pets is that

whereas domestic animals such as

dogs and cats have relatively liberal

associations with their keepers,

exotics are typically caged, and

manifest numerous captivity-stress-

related behaviours. These typically

include interaction with transparent

boundaries – persistent climbing of

glass walls – hyperactivity, hypoactivity,

co-occupant aggression, and ‘pica’ –

habit-related consumption of non-food

materials, such as bedding or paper

(Warwick, Frye and Murphy, 2004).

By comparing reptile supply with the

population of pets in homes, it is clear

premature mortality among reptiles in

the domestic environment is high.

Data from animal trade regulators

indicates that, on average, around

320,000 reptiles were imported

into the UK each year from 2006 to

2011 (DEFRA, 2012). According to

Karesh et al. (2007), an additional

25% illegal trade should be factored-

in, suggesting the annual number of

reptiles imported into the UK is more

like 400,000. (Some consideration

should be given to the fact that not all

imported reptiles are destined for the

pet market, as laboratories and zoos

exert a small demand for reptiles.)

Meanwhile, the Federation of

British Herpetologists and the Reptile

and Pet Trade Association, which

represents reptile breeders in Britain,

add that approximately 300,000

additional reptiles have been bred

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 15

Renewed interest in exotic pet-keeping has in fact led to an expansion in both the diversity and severity of the problems associated with it

exotic pet-keeping is on the rise despite decades of initiatives aimed at reducing the

trade of exotic and rare animals. Three experts argue that urgent action is needed to protect

both animals and ecosystems.

Several decades ago, alligators

could occasionally be seen

walking through the streets

of London accompanied by their

proud owners.

Amid a culture of curiosity, animal

keepers housed almost anything that

would physically fit into their homes:

crocodiles, giant tortoises, big cats,

primates, piranhas, salamanders

and owls.

The introduction of the Dangerous

Wild Animals Act (1976) in Britain

controlled some of these excesses,

especially where large and venomous

species were concerned. Also in the

UK, a 1983 amendment to the

Pet Animals Act (1951) banned the

selling of pets from market stalls on

welfare grounds.

Conservation issues began to

gain recognition in the 1960s and

70s, resulting in the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

(CITES) in 1975.

Trade bans on certain key species

were also successful in reducing trade

volume and wildlife collection (see

box on page 16). But bans on

commercial importation and trading

have not resolved all problems

associated with exotic pet-keeping,

as many surviving animals continue

to experience captivity-related

stressors, morbidity (incidence of

disease) and mortality (deaths due

to trade and keeping).

Renewed interest in exotic

pet-keeping has in fact led to an

expansion in both the diversity and

severity of the problems associated

with it. At the same time, better

scientific understanding of the

biological needs of animals has led

to new obligations in animal welfare.

Modern ‘welfare’ practices should

no longer merely consider whether

containers are overcrowded, or if

animals have broken bones and occupy

dirty cages, but also account for their

behavioural and psychological needs.

Science has also revealed other

significant new problems and

challenges associated with the

exotic pet trade, including ecological

alteration from over-collection, the

impact of invasive ‘alien’ species and

animal-to-human diseases.

Over one thousand species are

in trade (CAWC, 2003), but current

concern is typically focused on reptiles.

According to data from the Pet Food

Manufacturers Association, the pet

reptile population in UK homes

has risen from 700,000 in 2009 to

CONSeRVATIONTHe eXOTIC PeT TRADe

approximately 200 dead green iguanas from a shipment of about 400. Tens of millions of wild animals of several thousand species are wild-caught or captive-bred annually to supply the exotic pet trade. many, like these lizards, do not survive their cramped transport conditions.

PeT

A

16 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

CONSeRVATIONTHe eXOTIC PeT TRADe

elaine Toland is director of the animal Protection agency.

clifford Warwick fsb is an independent biologist, qualified in primary health care at leeds University medical school, specialising in zoonotic disease.

Phillip c arena is a lecturer in biology at murdoch University, Perth, with a doctorate on reptile and amphibian anatomy and physiology.

AUTHORS

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 17

where Burmese pythons (Python

molurus) have become second only

to the indigenous alligator (Alligator

mississippiensis) in predatory status,

and Germany and France where

American bullfrogs (Lithobates

catesbeianus) are well established.

In the UK, the same bullfrog

has been joined by ring-necked

parakeets (Psittacula krameri)

and monk parakeets (Myiopsitta

monachus). A recent survey

indicates that approximately 51 types

of non-native amphibian and reptile

live wild in the London area (Langton

et al., 2011).

Released pets have the capacity

to introduce novel and harmful

pathogens to indigenous wildlife

(Warwick, Frye and Murphy, 2004).

For example, in the USA, the release

of pet tortoises is what most likely led

to widespread introduction of ‘upper

respiratory tract disease syndrome’

(URDS) which killed 79% of free-living

tortoises (Jacobson, 1992).

Public health and safetyApproximately 200 recognised

human diseases are linked to animals.

Known as ‘zoonoses’, about 40 of

these pathologies are associated

with amphibians and reptiles alone

(Warwick, 2006). A survey of 1,410

From the 1960s, several hundred thousand wild-caught Mediterranean tortoises arrived and died every year in the UK until 1984, when the trade was banned under CITeS. By 2010 less than 14,500 reportedly captive-bred tortoises were either imported or sold domestically (DeFRA, 2011), conserving wild populations.

Illegal trade has also been reduced (Türkozan et al., 2008). A consequential 3,000-4,000% increase in ‘unit price’ has also probably minimised impulse purchases that are commonly associated with poor welfare.

In the 1980s and 90s, UK imports of red-eared terrapins (Trachemys scripta

elegans) reached 200,000 annually, with a mortality rate of approximately 90% (Warwick, 1992) until the trade was banned in 1997 under the eU Habitats Directive.

Other North American turtles have since partially substituted red-eared terrapins in trade but are imported in considerably lower numbers and are also more expensive to purchase (Bringsøe, 2006).

human diseases, however, found

that 61% may have a zoonotic origin

(Brown, 2004). Wildlife markets

have been highlighted as an especially

high-risk infection hub due to species

diversity, poor hygiene and stressful

and cramped conditions that facilitate

microbial transfer.

Many cases of zoonotic disease

superficially resemble common illnesses,

such as gastrointestinal disturbances

and ‘flu-like’ conditions, and thus may

be misdiagnosed. Although important

and of rapidly growing concern, the

prevalence of zoonotic disease in

the human population is at present

challenging to quantify.

In the USA, the keeping of

hatchling turtles was historically

popular until epidemiological

studies revealed that 14-18%

(approximately 280,000)

cases of reptile-related human

salmonellosis (RRS) annually were

turtle-associated.

In 1975 the import and domestic

trade of turtles less than four inches in

length was banned. The ban prevents

the import and sale of small animals

(not all animals) and export is still

permitted. The year following the ban

saw a 77% reduction in RRS infections

(Mermin et al., 2004). Extrapolating

from current US figures, we consider

there may be around 5,600 RRS cases

in the UK annually. In addition to

zoonotic disease, there are growing

safety issues arising from exotic pet-

related human injuries and venom

bites (De Haro and Pommier, 2003;

Schaper et al., 2009).

The exotic pet trade also enables

remote potential pathogens access

into the UK via air travel – the use of

only minimal or no quarantine (in

the case of fishes, amphibians and

reptiles) only adds to this issue.

Trade bans: success stories

The burmese python is an invasive alien species that has been introduced to florida by pet releases.

ww

w.p

row

ildlif

e.d

e

Pet reptiles (like these veiled chameleons) can exhibit behaviours related to captivity-stress compared with such creatures in their natural habitats.

PeT

A

We calculated that in the six years from 2006 to 2011, over 4.2 million reptiles probably entered the UK trade system. at least 3.2 million of these are likely to have survived to reach households, and just 800,000 will currently be surviving in homes.

in the UK in captivity for the pet

trade annually since 2006 to 2011.

Combined, these figures indicate that

around 700,000 reptiles have entered

the UK pet trade system each year

since 2006.

Furthermore, these data do not

include the private and commercial

buyers that legally purchase (often

multiple) animals abroad – in

particular from Germany and the

Netherlands – and transport these

to the UK in private vehicles. This

steady movement of unaccounted-for

reptiles into the UK is known by the

authors to be particularly prevalent

before and after exotic animal fairs.

This component may be significant,

suggesting that the supply figure

above may be conservative.

Notwithstanding the ‘mortality

bottleneck’ (see page 17) in both

the pre-UK and UK commercial

systems, the data appear to suggest

that the annual mortality rate in

the home is very high – we found

at least 75%.

Species conservationAt the moment, wildlife traders can

freely exploit an unprotected animal

until enough scientific and politically

acceptable evidence emerges to

demonstrate that continuation of trade

threatens that species’ survival. Gaining

recognition for a species to be ‘CITES-

listed’ as, for instance, Appendix

I (endangered, and prohibited) or

II (threatened, and restricted or

monitored) is often burdensome.

Firstly, the process requires the

discovery of a species’ decline, often

by chance observations; secondly, it

involves species and environmental

impact studies, which are often poorly-

funded and limited, and frequently

rejected by the regulatory authorities

as ‘insufficient’; and thirdly, where

more substantial data are provided,

Government-processing, commercial

obstruction and political inertia must

be overcome.

Tens of millions of wild animals

of more than a thousand species are

caught in the wild or captive bred

annually to supply the exotic pet trade.

This is in addition to those harvested

for medicine, food and their

skins. If a species is

granted protection,

enforcement

is often poor,

enabling many

traders to

continue

regardless.

Alternatively,

traders may

transfer to

another target

species of unknown

status – effectively

commencing a new cycle.

It is impossible for

scientists and administrators to

keep step with those who exploit

species for the pet trade. Unlike other

industries, there is no burden of proof

on wildlife traders to establish that

their proposed market is sustainable

for nature or safe for the public (or for

that matter, the living product itself).

What’s more, it is predicted that

by 2032 more than 70% of the land

surface globally will have been

damaged or disturbed by the human

population (UNEP, 2002). Habitat

loss has been identified as a major

threat to 85% of all species described

in the IUCN’s Red List – those species

classified as threatened or endangered

(WWF, 2011).

In short, there is simply less wildlife

out there, making human-wildlife

impacts now greater than ever. It is not

difficult to argue that the impacts of

the exotic pet industry are additional

burdens the world does not need.

righTPrairie dogs grossly overcrowded and starving at a supply house in the Usa.

Ecological alterationSome ecological concerns associated

with the exotic pet trade are well

known: removal of significant

numbers of predator-animals may

result in explosive numbers of prey

species, which in turn may lead

to an increase in agricultural

‘pests’ and epidemics;

removal of significant

numbers of

prey-animals

may result in

predators

shifting

to more

sensitive

species.

Many other

ecological

relationships

may be

vulnerable to

disruption when

animals are harvested for

the pet trade: for example, tortoises

dig burrows which many vertebrates

and invertebrates dependently share.

However, over-collection is not

the only factor that can affect a

population and its ecosystem. Many

populations contain key individuals,

such as ‘transient’ males, that differ

behaviourally from others in the group

and wander from one population to

another – enhancing genetic diversity.

Removing these individuals may affect

population dynamics and fitness, and

physically ‘higher profile’ individuals,

such as transients, may be more easily

collected than secretive individuals.

Such subtleties may prove critical to

population integrity even with low-

level collection.

The release of pets into the wild

can also cause problems. Invasive

‘alien’ species from incidental pet

releases show varying degrees of

establishment, such as in Florida,

18 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3 Do yoU haVe an oPinion on This arTicle? CONTACT US AT BIOLOGIST@SOCIeTYOFBIOLOGY.ORG

CONSeRVATIONTHe eXOTIC PeT TRADe

future approachesThe exotic pet trade has been subject

to some governmental regulation for

at least four decades. However, despite

the long history of theoretical control

the problems associated with the

exotic pet trade remain – regulation

and enforcement is laden with inertia,

and the pet industry has manifestly

failed to self-moderate.

While trade bans on certain

species have not solved the problem

of exotic pet trading, the authors do

feel they are important and more are

urgently required.

Following bans, surviving animals

become a ‘finite’ and arguably more

‘precious’ population. Owners

are more likely to seek specialist

veterinary care, improving welfare,

and the release of unwanted animals

into the wild becomes less likely.

Despite our best efforts, the number

of individual animals and species in

trade is unknown; the proportion of

legal versus illegal trade is unknown;

the number of animals caught in the

wild versus captive bred is unknown;

the number of people suffering injury

or zoonoses is unknown; and the

conservation and threat of extinction

status for the vast majority of species

in trade is unknown or unclear. This

lack of information is lamentable

but unsurprising, given the apparent

laxities of the pet industry.

Some new measures of monitoring

and control are emerging: the EU

has declared biodiversity protection

a major environmental priority

for Europe; an EU strategy is in

preparation to address invasive alien

species; an EU Animal Health Strategy

has been developed to help protect

livestock from invasive disease; and a

new EU strategy for animal welfare is

in progress.

The authors are not proposing a ban

on the keeping of exotic pet animals.

Rather, we feel there is justification

for a ban on the importation of and

domestic trading in both exotics

caught in the and those that are

captive bred – thus a prohibition on

any commercial trade activity. This

would result in a rapid improvement

in species conservation, ecological

problems, and welfare concerns linked

to transport, storage and captivity

in general.

Based on historical precedents, such

a ban would cease most entries into

the trade and domestic pipeline, thus

allowing the remaining problems of

public health and safety, release

of alien species and animal welfare

in private ownership to reduce in

line with a reduction in the captive

animal population.

A strong education programme

is also needed: not just with regards

to animal welfare issues, but to

responsibility to the indigenous

ecology from invasive species, and the

introduction of novel pathogens to

free-living wildlife. Plus, of course, the

risks of pet-linked disease to human

and animal health.

ring-necked parakeets, now regularly found in the UK after release into the wild, are another invasive species.

REfERENCES Aiken, A. M. et al Risk of salmonella infection with exposure to reptiles in england, 2004-2007. Euro Surveill. 15(22) (2010).

Bringsøe, H. NOBANIS, Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet – Trachemys scripta, from Online Database of the North european and Baltic Network on Invasive Alien Species – NOBANIS www.nobanis.org (2006).

Brown, C. emerging zoonoses and pathogens of public health significance-an overview. Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz. 23, 435-442 (2004).

Companion Animal Welfare Council (CAWC) Report on the welfare of non-domesticated animals kept for companionship (Companion Animal Welfare Council, Devon, 2003)

Reptile import data from TRACeS, Trade Control and expert System (DeFRA, 2012).

Details of Article 10 Transaction Certificates issued for Annex A reptile species in 2010 (DeFRA, 2011).

De Haro, L. & Pommier, P. envenomation: a real risk of keeping exotic house pets. Vet. Hum. Toxicol. 45(4) 214-216 (2003).

Jacobson, e. R. The desert tortoise and upper respiratory trace disease. Prepared for the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee, Inc., and U.S. Bureau of Land Management (1992).

Karesh, W. B. et al. J. Implications of wildlife trade on the movement of avian influenza & other infectious diseases. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 43(supplement 3) 55-59 (2007).

Langton, T. e. S. et al. On the distribution, ecology and management of non-native reptiles and amphibians in the London Area. Part 1: Distribution and predator/prey impacts. London Naturalist, 90 83-156 (2011).

Mermin, J. et al. Reptiles, amphibians, and human Salmonella infection: A population-based, case-control study. Clin Infect Dis. 38, 253-261 (2004).

Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) (2009-2011) Pet Population Figures.

www.pfma.org.uk/statistics/index.cfm?id=83&cat_id=60 Date accessed 25/5/11 (and also id=127).

RSPCA The welfare state: five years measuring animal welfare 2005-2009 (RSPCA, 2010).

Schaper, A. et al. Bites and stings by exotic pets in europe: an 11-year analysis of 404 cases from Northeastern Germany and Southeastern France. Clinical. Toxicol. 47(1) 39-43 (2009).

Smith, M. Arlington Municipal Court (NO. 4909-D) In the Municipal Court approximately 27,000 animals city of Arlington seized on December 15, 2009. (Tarrant County, Texas 2010).

Türkozan, O. et al. International Testudo trade. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 7(2) 269-274 (2008).

United Nations environment Programme (UNeP) Global environment Outlook 3: Past, Present and Future Perspectives. (earthscan Publications, UK, 2002).

Warwick, C. Conservation of red-eared terrapins (Trachemys scripta elegans): threats from international pet and culinary markets. Testudo 3 34-44 (1992).

Warwick, C. Zoonoses: drawing the battle lines. Veterinary Times Clinical 36 26-28 (2006).

Warwick, C. Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles, (eds Warwick, C. et al.) (Chapman & Hall/Kluwer, London and New York, 2004).

WWF Impact of habitat loss on species (2011) wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/species/problems/habitat_loss_degradation (Date accessed 25/5/11).

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INTeRVIeWGeORGe MCGAVIN

WHAT’S BUggINg gEORgE?

20 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

have an audience of four, and on

the cruise ship talks I’d been doing,

maybe four hundred. On TV I can

reach four million.

My view is that if you really,

really want to be on TV then you’re

probably the wrong person for it.

You’re also passionate about conserving biodiversity. Do people underestimate the importance of insects to ecosystems?People are coming round to the

idea that insects are important, and

many are admired, like bees. But the

general public still tend to think of

the big, showy animals, that actually

do very little, as the important

species. The truth is the world would

continue without tigers or pandas.

Without bees or wasps the world

would change very dramatically in a

very short time.

People like watching nature

documentaries, and going to the

Natural History Museum, and they

like the idea of conservation. But they

also think: “Oh I need to kill all these

things in my garden.” You can’t do

both – we all know what we have to

do. We use too many pesticides, for

example. But how do you feed seven

billion people? It’s not hard to see

that there are too many people on

the planet and at some point the web

of life will become frayed to the point

where it stops working. It already has

in some areas.

What you do about that, I have no

idea. If I did I’d be the head of the

UN or something.

You’ve said in the past that the damage humans are causing to the environment will come to represent the sixth great extinction period.Even if you just take the rainforest,

we know from studies that about

50-80% of the world’s species reside

there. If we carry on at the rate we

are now it will be largely gone in 100

years’ time. That’s a very short space

of time in evolutionary terms but

that’s a pretty huge event.

Yet the long view, of course, is that

only 1% of the species that have ever

existed exist now. Extinction is

the norm.

Do you advocate eating insects as a way of reducing our dependence on space-intensive foods like meat? I do eat insects and have for many

years – it’s very common around the

world. We can’t feed the world with

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 21

Tom ireland talks to award-winning TV entomologist Dr george Mcgavin Hon fSB

about his passion for studying, filming and eating insects

What sparked your interest in insects? As a kid growing up in Edinburgh

I was always fascinated by the

nature around me – in the garden,

in parks, in the Highlands. In the

second year of my zoology degree

we all went on a field trip to the west

coast of Scotland. Everyone seemed

to want to see the slow worms or

the owls, the obvious large things.

But they didn’t find any of them,

because these big things are actually

relatively rare. I looked at my feet

and saw wood ants doing the most

incredible things and that’s what

started my interest in small things.

Animals with a backbone make up

about 3% of all the species on earth

– arthropods make up more like

66%. If you lie in a field and just look

down you’ll see more carnage and

violence than you would on Channel

4 late at night. For my latest TV

series, The Dark, I spent five hours

waiting for a spider to grab its

prey and it was just as exciting as

watching a lion hunt, just on a much

smaller scale.

How did you overcome your stammer as a child to become a TV presenter? I had a dreadful stammer that got

worse and worse until I was almost

mute at about 14 – there was just

no point in trying to say anything. If

you had told me then I would be a

lecturer and a TV presenter I would

have laughed in your face. It really

was pretty grim.

I began to attend an education

speech therapy school, and maturity

and ageing helps. But you never lose

it; you just learn to deal with it. I

still get nervous doing live stuff and

filming but the excitement of what

you’re doing carries you through.

How and why did you move from academia into TV work?My first job at Oxford was a dream.

I was doing research, curation…

I thought I’d leave that place in

a black bag or with my fingers

prised from my desk. But I had

been at Oxford for 25 years when it

occurred to me very suddenly one

night that I wanted to get into TV.

I’d done a little bit, but I just realised

my main interest was sharing my

passion for bugs with an audience.

In a tutorial at Oxford I might

Dr george c mcgavin is an author, lecturer, television presenter and explorer. an honorary research associate at the oxford University museum of natural history and the Department of zoology of oxford University, he is also Visiting Professor of entomology at the University of Derby. his bbc four programme After Life: The

Strange Science of

Decay recently won an association of british science Writers’ award.

BIOGRAPHY

22 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

beef yet there are 40 metric tonnes

of insects for every human.

The trouble in the UK is that it is

too cool. In hot countries the insects

are larger and form swarms, which

means you can go out and collect

handfuls of them, easily. In the UK it

would take more energy foraging for

them than it would provide, so we

would have to farm them here.

But we have various crickets and

mealworms that are very nice either

eaten as they are or cooked. I make

a very nice ‘bug bread’ that none

other than Heston Blumenthal said

was very nice.

In what other ways can insects help us?Insects have a massive impact on

us and the world. If you want to

find out something about ourselves,

using insects is still amazingly

useful. The majority of what we

know about genetics of course

has come from fruit flies, for

example. There are heaps of things

insects do that we can learn from –

micromechanics, aviation, wiring,

heaps of little tricks we can unlock.

If we ever get off this speck of

dirt orbiting the sun and land on

one of the many exoplanets that can

apparently support life, I’ll bet you

money that the first thing we see

that is larger than a bacterium will

be insectoid in form.

What proportion of insect species on Earth is still unknown to science?The most accurate estimate is that

we’ve described about a million

and there are eight million more.

We probably know an eighth of

everything. I don’t think we will

ever know all of them – the majority

will go extinct before we are even

aware of them. But rather than

trying to name everything, we

should concentrate on conserving

our environment so future

entomologists have stuff left to

name.

You seem to have developed a sort of speciality in getting bitten by various bugs on TV. What has been the most painful? Yes, on TV they always want you

to get nailed by something in some

way. But there’s lots of health and

safety, lots of forms. A few weeks

ago I did come into contact with a

very dangerous snake which I felt

rather underprepared for. It’s OK as

long as you don’t die, basically.

I haven’t been bitten by anything

that was really, really painful – the

worst was probably getting stung

by a scorpion, which happened off-

camera. The first thing the crew ask

is always: “Did you get it on tape?”

INTeRVIeWGeORGe MCGAVIN

Do yoU haVe an oPinion on This arTicle? CONTACT US AT BIOLOGIST@SOCIeTYOFBIOLOGY.ORG

I make a very nice ‘bug bread’ that none other than Heston Blumenthal said was very nice

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MeDICINe ADReNALINe AND ASTHMA

INSIDE THE INHALER

24 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

The introduction of the inhaled

medicine Salbutamol, in 1969,

revolutionised the treatment

of asthma. During an asthma attack,

contraction of the smooth muscle

in the airways (bronchioles) leads to

symptoms such as shortness of breath

(Fig. 1). Yet by activating certain

receptors in the lungs, Salbutamol

(widely known as Ventolin) reverses

this constriction and improves

breathing (Fig. 2).

The development of Salbutamol

owes much to the serendipitous

discovery of adrenaline in the

Victorian era and a battle to overcome

scientific dogma about how cell

receptors work in the years after.

Thankfully those suffering from

asthma today have a range of highly

effective treatments to choose from. A

better understanding of receptors has

also led to the development of many

more medicines for other disorders.

Discovering adrenalineDietary supplements are nothing

new. In 1900 Solomon Solis-Cohen1

reported the beneficial effects of

taking ‘adrenal substance’ for asthma:

a preparation of 2-6g of dried bovine

adrenal glands taken daily for several

weeks. In 1901 Jokichi Takamine

successfully purified the hormone

adrenaline from the adrenal glands

and the first chemical synthesis was

reported in 1904 (see Bennett 1999 for

a historical review2).

Soon, adrenaline was shown to

be beneficial in asthma following

injection, nebulisation and inhalation

(see Sanders for a brief historical

review3). Inhalation was considered

to be the most direct route to deliver

therapeutics to the lungs, and

continued to be developed as a way

to treat asthma and a wide variety

of diseases up until the present

day4. Many and varied inhalers

appeared in the early 20th

century, such as the one shown

in Fig. 3 (courtesy of Mark

Sanders).

Adrenaline’s effects

wear off quickly, however,

and asthmatics had to

take many inhalations

to maintain the

improvements in

breathing. Soon,

warning sounds

were being made

on the safety of

inhaling adrenaline –

summed up in a letter

to the British Medical

pharmacologists, Ahlquist had a

great deal of trouble getting his

paper published. Indeed he also

demonstrated that those receptors he

termed α could be blocked by ergot

alkaloids (such as ergotamine) while

ß receptor responses were unaffected

– an important breakthrough.

Why did he have such trouble? Quite

simply, the data produced in his paper

went against the accepted scientific

dogma of the time. A major concept

then was the view that if a molecule

produced (say) constriction of one

tissue and relaxation of another then

this must be because it acts at totally

different receptors. Ahlquist’s work

clearly suggested that this concept

was incorrect.

He found receptors could be defined

by their rank order of potency of

agonist molecules rather than by the

nature of the response mediated. These

results didn’t agree with the current

view of receptors and was the main

reason it was rejected by pharmacology

journals. It was eventually published in

the American Journal of Physiology, in

all probability because of his friendship

with the journal editor10.

The ß adrenoceptor The work of Ahlquist was ignored for

some time, but scientific understanding

was slowly beginning to change.

In 1958 Powell and Slater, working

at Eli Lilley Drug Company,

demonstrated that a dichloro

analogue of isoprenaline blocked

some of the actions of isoprenaline

at ß adrenoreceptors. This really

now started to confirm the α and ß

adrenoceptor concept of Ahlquist.

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 25

but not others. At the beginning of the

20th century, however, receptors were

still a concept rather than a defined

entity as we know them today. It was

not known if adrenaline acted on one

or many receptors, and there was no

accepted scientific method to find out8.

Discovering different receptors It was not until 1948 that Raymond

Ahlquist9 (working at the Medical

College of Georgia, USA) published

a seminal paper explaining a reliable

method to find what receptor(s)

molecules like adrenaline could be

acting on. In the course of his studies

on the effect of adrenaline and closely

related analogues, he noticed that,

independent of the response measured

(such as contraction of heart muscle or

relaxation of uterine smooth muscle),

the rank order of potency of the

molecules tested fell into two groups:

α adrenoreceptor: noradrenaline >

adrenaline > isoprenaline

ß adrenoreceptor: isoprenaline >

adrenaline > noradrenaline

At the α adrenoreceptor,

noradrenaline was the most potent,

with isoprenaline being much weaker.

At the ß adrenoceptor, however,

isoprenaline was the most potent and

now noradrenaline was the weakest.

Ahlquist, by studying the actions of

closely related structural analogues of

adrenaline, had discovered a relatively

simple methodology to classify receptors.

Scientific dogma Although his observation should

surely have been well received by

michael Trevethick explores how chance and pharmaceutical developments led to a safe

treatment for asthma and changed our understanding of receptors in the body

fig. 1.asthma causes constriction of the smooth muscle in the bronchioles, reducing their diameter and impeding breathing.

mike Trevethick is project manager for the implementation of Professional registers in science at the society of biology. Prior to this mike worked in r&D at Pfizer in projects aimed at discovering novel anti-inflammatory agents and bronchodilators for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BIOGRAPHY

Normal airway Asthmatic airway Asthmatic airway during attack

Wall inflamed and thickened

Tightened smooth muscles

Relaxed smooth muscles

Air trapped in alveoli

Journal in 1938 by Alexander Francis5:

“When a spray containing adrenalin

is used for the relief of asthma, the

immediate effect is delightful, but the

ultimate result from the reactionary

vasodilatation of the bronchial area in

most cases is disastrous. So bad may

the dyspnoea (shortness of breath)

become that neither the injection of a

large dose of adrenaline nor any other

remedy will afford relief.” While the

adrenaline helped relax airways, it

was producing a number of worrying

effects: dilating pulmonary blood

vessels, inhibiting breathing and also

raising heart rate and blood pressure.

Then came the realisation that

it wasn’t adrenaline improving the

asthma symptoms of Victorians

ingesting adrenal gland extracts.

Adrenaline is rapidly metabolised

by the gut and liver following oral

administration and virtually none would

have reached the blood stream6. In all

probability it was an anti-inflammatory

corticosteroid (such as cortisol)

present in the adrenal gland extract

that provided benefit, as these are well

absorbed when taken orally. A further

clue from Victorian literature states

that the beneficial effects of adrenal

gland extracts on asthma took several

days to appear following ingestion, a

typical action of corticosteroids.

By the 1940s the beneficial effects of

cortisol on asthma had been proven6

and today inhaled corticosteroids are

prescribed to control the inflammation

associated with the condition.

Ingestion of the adrenal gland provided

asthmatics with the two major classes

of inhaled medicines used to treat

their disease: inhaled ‘adrenaline-like’

medicines to reverse constriction of

the bronchioles (bronchodilators)

and corticosteroids to inhibit the

inflammatory response in the lung.

Making adrenaline safeAt the beginning of the 20th century,

scientists didn’t know how to

make adrenaline safe – they simply

concentrated on making analogues

of the molecule in the hope that

something better would come along.

While they did discover molecules such

as isoprenaline, which were marginally

better than adrenaline, they still

suffered from having a short duration

of effect. This led to the potential for

patients to overdose with undesired side

effects7, such as increased heart rate.

Why was it so difficult? Today we

would simply ask what receptor(s)

adrenaline acts on, and whether we

can make an analogue selective for one

Formoterol too dissolves

preferentially in the lipid of cell

membranes and, like Salmeterol,

this can explain the long duration of

action when given by inhalation13.

Intriguingly, however, the onset of

effect of Formoterol is much faster

than Salmeterol – the explanation for

which is not really understood14.

As they have to dissolve in the cell

membrane this makes these inhaled

medicines slower than Salbutamol

to improve breathing in patients

with asthma, but they have a much

longer-lasting effect (Fig. 2). Clinically

therefore Salbutamol is classified

as a reliever medication for asthma

whilst Salmeterol and Formoterol are

classified as maintenance therapy.

26 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

Then in 1964 Black and colleagues

working with ICI (now AstraZeneca)

synthesised propranolol, the first

selective agent that blocked ß but not α

adrenoceptors. This discovery laid the

foundation for the development of ‘Beta

blockers’ for hypertension10 (Bing 2000).

In 1967 a study was published

which paved the way for a new

asthma treatment11. Lands and

colleagues, working at Sterling

Winthrop in the USA, using the same

logic and methodology of Ahlquist,

demonstrated that the rank order

of potency of agonists in the isolated

guinea pig heart atria and trachea

were subtly different suggesting

there were two types of ß

adrenoceptors – ß1 and ß2

ß1 (guinea pig heart atria)

isoprenaline > butyl noradrenaline >

adrenaline >> noradrenaline

ß2 (guinea pig trachea)

butyl noradrenaline > isoprenaline >

adrenaline >> nor adrenaline

from adrenaline to SalbutamolArmed with this information

researchers could now begin to

assess whether they could synthesise

molecules which were selective for

activating ß2 adrenoceptors with

very little activity at ß1. If this could

be achieved such a molecule could

relax the airways just like adrenaline,

but without the side effects caused by

activation of ß1 adrenoceptors, such as

increase in heart rate.

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 27

provide a depot of medicine and thus

provide a long-lasting effect at the ß2

adrenoceptor (see Fig. 2). It was an

astonishingly simple concept – but

it worked. Salmeterol essentially

looks like Salbutamol with a long

tail attached, and it is this tail which

ultimately makes the molecule dissolve

preferentially in lipid and increases the

duration of effect (see Table 2).

The other long-acting ß2-agonist,

Formoterol, was initially prescribed

as a tablet in Japan for the treatment

of asthma, with no indication of a

long duration of action. This was only

discovered when Formoterol was given

by inhalation to asthmatic patients and

shown to have a similar duration of

action to Salmeterol.

A few years after the paper by Lands

and colleagues, Allen and Hanbury

launched Ventolin (Salbutamol) as

a highly selective ß2 adrenoceptor

agonist for the treatment of asthma by

inhalation (see Table 1).

Following inhalation, Salbutamol

relaxes the airway and improves lung

function in asthmatics (ß2 activation)

and has an improved safety profile due

to the lack of activity at ß1.

The structural modifications of

Salbutamol compared to adrenaline also

meant it was resistant to metabolism,

increasing the duration of effect

following a single inhalation from a few

minutes (adrenaline) to several hours.

The impact of Salbutamol Prior to the discovery of Salbutamol

there were many and varied treatments

for asthma even including asthma

cigarettes3,4. The launch of Salbutamol

under the name Ventolin in 1969 had a

large impact, and in conjunction with

the development of better methods of

assessing lung function (spirometry),

made asthma a much more manageable

disease for the patient and clinician.

Ventolin’s properties also helped

scientists more widely. Firstly, the

selectivity for activation of ß2 receptors

over ß1 really confirmed the work

of Ahlquist and Lands that agonists’

rank order of potency could be used to

classify receptors. Secondly, Ventolin

had one more unusual property. The

molecule actually binds to both ß1 and

ß2 adrenoceptors, but only activates

the ß2 adrenoceptor. This introduced

the concept that molecules can achieve

selectivity for receptor activation by two

mechanisms – binding (the molecule

binds to one receptor but not another)

or by activation (molecules binds to two

receptors but only activates one)12.

Longer-acting treatments In the 1990s two inhaled ß2 agonists

were launched that required only

two inhalations per day to provide

relaxation of bronchial smooth muscle

and improvement in breathing for

asthmatics. These new medicines

were termed LABAs (Long Acting ß

Agonists). One of them (Salmeterol)

was a product of rationale scientific

design whilst the other (Formoterol)

was another serendipitous discovery.

Salmeterol was discovered by GSK

and their rationale was startlingly

simple. They rationalised that cell

membranes are basically lipid in

nature and thus if they could design

a molecule which dissolved in lipid of

the cell membrane then this might

MeDICINe ADReNALINe AND ASTHMA

REfERENCES (1) Solis-Cohen, S. The use of adrenal substance in the treatment of asthma. J. Asthma 27, 401-406 (1990).

(2) Bennett, J.W. Adrenalin and cherry trees. Modern Drug

Discovery 4, 47-51 (2001).

(3) Sanders, M. Inhalation therapy: an historical review. Primary Care Resp. J.

16, 71-81 (2007).

(4) Dessanges, J-F. A history of nebulisation. J.

Aerosol Med. 14, 65-71 (2001).

(5) Francis, A. Adrenaline and asthma. Br. Med. J. 2, 966-977 (1938).

(6) Persson, C.G.A. Centennial notions of asthma as an eosinophilic, desquamative, exudative and steroid sensitive disease. Lancet 349, 1021-1024 (1997).

(7) Crompton, G. A. Brief history of inhaled asthma therapy over the last fifty years. Primary

Care Resp. J. 15, 326-331 (2006).

(8) Bylund, D.B. Alpha and Beta adrenergic receptors: Ahlquist’s landmark hypothesis of a single mediator with two receptors. Am. J. Physiol. 293 e1479-e1481 (2007).

(9) Ahlquist, R.P. A study of adrenotropic receptors. Am. J.

Physiol. 153, 586-600 (1948).

(10) Bing, R.J. Past truth and present poetry. Heart News

and Views 8, 1-2 (2000).

(11) Lands, A.M. et al. Differentiation of receptor systems activated by sympathomimetic amines. Nature 214, 597-598 (1967).

(12) Jack, D. The 1990 Lilly Prize Lecture. A way of looking at agonism and antagonism: lessons from salbutamol, salmeterol and other beta adrenoceptor agonists. Clin.

Pharmacol. 31, 501-514 (1990).

(13) Barnes, P.J. Drugs for asthma. Br. J.

Pharmacol. 147, S297-S303 (2006).

(14) Anderson, G.P. et al. Why are long-acting beta-adrenoceptor agonists long-acting? Eur. Respir. J. 7, 569-578 (1994).

(15) Choudry, B. A. et

al. The risks and benefits of indacaterol - the FDA’s review. N. Eng. J.

Med. 365, 2247-2249 (2011).

(16) Rasmussen, S.G. et al. Crystal structure of the human beta 2 adrenergic G-protein-coupled receptor. Nature 450, 383-387 (2007).

Data is expressed relative to the potency of isoprenaline. Thus a value greater than 1 indicates the compound is less potent and a value smaller than one is a compound which is more potent. Salbutamol is 4 times weaker at activating ß2 adrenoceptors but greater than 2,000 times weaker at activating ß1 adrenoceptors compared to isoprenaline12.

Table 1. functional selectivity of salbutamol for ß2 adrenoceptor.

compound Relaxation of guinea pig

isolated trachea

(ß2)

Increase in beating rate of guinea pig isolated atria

(ß1)

adrenaline 56 10

noradrenaline 5 12

isoprenaline 1 1

butyl noradrenaline 0.5 4

salbutamol 4 >2000

Table 2. adrenaline and inhaled ß2 adrenoceptor agonists.

compound structure effects Duration of effect

selectivity for α and ß

adrenoceptors

adrenaline BronchodilatorIncrease heart rate

Increase blood pressure

Very short ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

salbutamol BronchodilatorIncrease heart

rate (only above therapeutic doses)

Short ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗

salmeterolBronchodilatorIncrease heart

rate (only above therapeutic doses)

Long ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗

formoterol BronchodilatorIncrease heart

rate (only above therapeutic doses)

Long ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗

indacaterol BronchodilatorIncrease heart

rate (only above therapeutic doses)

Very long ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗

α ß1 ß2 ß3

fig. 3. an early adrenaline inhalation deviceCourtesy of Mark Sanders and his Inhalatorium (www.inhalatorium.com).

Asthma treatment today Inhaled ß2 agonists are the only

class of drugs recommended for the

management of asthma at every

level of current guidelines, from mild

intermittent disease to severe asthma

symptoms. Sabutamol is still one of the

most widely prescribed medications

for asthma due to its ability to rapidly

improve breathing following an

asthma attack, and asthmatics are

recommended to always have their

reliever inhaler with them at all times.

Inhaled ß2 adrenoceptor agonists

reverse the contraction of smooth

muscle but do very little to control

the underlying inflammation. Inhaled

corticosteroids are prescribed to treat

the underlying inflammation. Inhaled

corticosteroids such as budesonide

and fluticasone more recently led to

the concept of combination therapy

for asthma. Combining long-acting

ß2 adrenoceptor agonists and inhaled

corticosteroids in one inhaler enhances

compliance and simplifies care. The two

current available brands of combination

therapy are fluticasone+salmeterol and

formoterol+budesonide.

The discovery of Ventolin for the

treatment of asthma began with

the serendipitous discovery that

adrenaline can improve asthma

and ends with overcoming dogma.

Ahlquist wasn’t concentrating on

asthma, but trying to find drugs which

selectively relaxed the myometrium

of the uterus, and to do this he needed

to compare the effects on the uterus

with other organs. His serendipitous

finding that the response of the drugs

he used could be classified into two

groups (α and ß adrenoceptors)

ultimately led to the development of

Salbutamol for asthma. Thankfully,

other researchers eventually saw the

potential significance of Ahlquist’s

work after the initial scepticism.

The crystal structure of the human

ß2 adrenoceptor was not reported15

until 2007, reflecting the considerable

challenge of crystallising a protein

embedded in a lipid bilayer of a cell

membrane. With this and advances

in the biochemical mechanisms of ß2

agonists, we may now be able to answer

some more fundamental questions in

biology and provide improved benefits

for patients with asthma. Research

continues, and those who discovered

and developed inhaled ß2 adrenoceptor

agonists would undoubtedly like

to know one day the molecular

mechanism that occurs at the receptor,

and why some agonists are long acting

and some are quicker to act than others.

Salmeterol

Formoterol

Indacaterol

Salbutamol

Cyclic AMPATP

Lowers calcium levels in smooth muscle cells

Reverses constriction of bronchioles and improves breathing in asthmatics

Drugs such as Salmeterol dissolve in the lipid bilayer in order to activate the ß2 receptor, producing a long-lasting effect. Salbutamol dissolves in the aqueous phase, and acts more quickly.

G

ß2

adrenoceptor

fig. 2. mechanism of action of ß2 adrenoceptor agonists in the airway (bronchioles)

October 13th-19th

BIOWeeK 2012WHAT’S ON

28 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3 Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 29

www.societyofbiology/biologyweek

This year sees the Society’s inaugural Biology Week, a

week of events designed to reach out to people of all ages and raise the profile and understanding of biology. National and local plans include a world record attempt, a citizen science project, the presentation of our annual photography competition and science communication awards.

here’s our guide to events around the country that aim to give everyone the chance to learn about biology, the science of the 21st century.

for details of local biology Week events organised by branch, see page 42.

A day of hands-on displays and interactive exhibits for the public at Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge. For more information on branch Biology Week events, see page 42.

Saturday

13Biology Open Day

A panel debate will be held at the Linnean Society, London, discussing the topics of extinction and conservation. Many scientists believe it is important to focus resources on animals that can realistically be saved, even if that means giving up on the rest. So if we don’t have the resources to save every species, is the panda worth the resources needed to protect it? How do we decide which species to save?

Monday

15 Should we save the panda?

The best communication of research to the public will be recognised at the Society’s annual Science Communication Awards. The winning images in our photography competition will also be announced. expect some powerful images: the theme for entries this year is ‘How biology can save the world’.

Tuesday

16Photography competition and Science Communication Awards

The first ever Biology Week will be launched officially with an evening reception in Parliament, in partnership with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Wednesday

17Biology Week launch

Royal Veterinary College lates

Thursday

18Following in the footsteps of the hugely successful Science Museum and Natural History Museum Lates, the Society of Biology is proud to announce the first ever Lates to be held at the Camden Campus of the Royal Veterinary College, on the sixth day of Biology Week. explore the wonders of the anatomical museum and get hands on with scientists from the RVC and Society of Biology. Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street, London, NW1 0TU

The results of our first ‘Citizen Science’ project will be announced in Biology Week. Children and adults alike are encouraged to report when and where they first see flying ants in the UK this summer. The results will inform a study into whether flying ants appear at the same time in different parts of the UK, and to investigate what weather conditions encourage ants to fly.

Flying ants commonly appear on the same day throughout the UK, but sometimes they come out over a period of days. Winged ants appear when young queens leave the nest. Ants mate during flight, so males and young queens both have wings.

Flying Ant SurveyWe are keen to hear from organisations and individuals who would like to run their own event, whether this is a wildlife walk, a laboratory visit or a talk in schools. One objective will be to raise the profile of biology within Parliament and Government, and our website gives information on how to contact your MP.

We are also keen to raise our profile in the media, and our website has a draft press release to send to your local paper.

Details of the events already organised around the country are on the event pages of our website.

For updates follow us on Twitter @Society_Biology and use the hashtag #BiologyWeek2012. If you would like to get involved please contact Rebecca Nesbit (rebeccanesbit@societyofbiology.org or 0207 685 2553).

Organise an event

Members of the press and biology researchers will mingle, meet and discuss potential science stories in a novel take on the press-briefing format.

Thursday

18Journalist-Researcher ‘Speed Dating’

World record Attempt

We are working with schools and Member Organisations to set the record for the world’s largest memory game. Children and adults will test their memories and learn about neuroscience. Please get in touch to get involved.

Friday

19

We want to see, in film, how biology research is conducted. Send us your videos on working in the lab, in the field or

with computer simulations. The best videos will be promoted as part of Biology

Week celebrations. Videos should be no more than three minutes and uploaded to our partners LabTube.tv (www.labtube.tv) .

Life In The Lab video series

“Over increasingly large areas of

the United States spring comes now

unheralded by the return of the birds,

and the early mornings are strangely

silent where once they were filled with

the beauty of bird song.”

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, 1962

It is 50 years since Rachel Carson’s

book Silent Spring sounded

an alarm call about vanishing

birdsong, prompted by increased

pesticide use in America.

Twenty years later, broadcasting

engineer Quentin Howard made a

35-minute loop of birdsong, which he

recorded in his garden in Wiltshire

and mixed in his studio. It was not a

scientific recording, but a theatrical

prop – an aural backdrop for a local

amateur dramatic production of

When the Wind Blows, Raymond

Briggs’ drama about the aftermath of

a nuclear bomb.

“In order to get this across I wanted

to put birdsong into the auditorium at

a very low level,” explained Howard,

“so these birds are twittering away in

the background until the moment of

the bomb going off, when the silence

would be deafening.”

The tape was then dumped in a

drawer but when Howard became

involved with new radio station,

Classic FM, he dug it out to use for the

test-transmissions so that the

BBC were not alerted to the rival

station’s content.

As the birds tweeted over the

airwaves, Howard began to receive

letters from people all over Britain,

fascinated by this Radio Birdsong.

The letters went beyond the usual

feedback from music enthusiasts;

it seemed to touch a deeper chord.

“I had one letter from a prisoner in

Wandsworth who said he had not

heard birdsong in 20 years, and was

reminded what life was about.”

Howard’s original recording still

gets aired occasionally on digital radio

and there is now an entire industry

based around nature recordings.

Duncan MacDonald’s Wild

Sounds label, which specialises

in sound guides, gets enthusiastic

reviews from dentists and doctors’

receptionists, who claim playing

birdsong calms their patients down.

The South African vet founded the

label when he moved to the UK and

was shocked at how few people in

Britain recognised the sound of birds.

He began marketing bird recordings

for educational purposes but soon

found a crossover audience of people

30 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

wanting to recall the sound of, say, the

savannah as they barbecued in their

garden in the UK.

More than a soundtrack to travel

memories, MacDonald found these

naturescapes transported people in

other ways. Listening to the sounds of

birdsong from warm climes changed

moods so that chilly evenings had the

ambience of hot summer.

Research theoriesDeveloping this further, doctoral

student Eleanor Radcliffe is

conducting research at the University

of Surrey into the restorative effects

of listening to natural sounds. She is

monitoring the impact on people’s

mood and attention, particularly how

this relates to stress or fatigue.

Her work explores a number

of theories. “The first is more

evolutionary and more emotionally

focused,” she said. “It suggests that

experiencing natural environments

tends to evoke feelings of security

and safety. The second theory is

more cognitive, or more attention-

focused, and it suggests that natural

environments have a lot of qualities

that are pleasant to experience, and

they help us to restore our attention

capacity after fatigue.”

Radcliffe is testing other studies

which suggest that listening to natural

sounds, like birdsong mixed with a

water fountain, can help people to

recover from psychological stress

faster than sounds from the built

environment. Her favourite birdsong is

that of the wren, and to her the sound

of seagulls evoke thoughts not of the

sea, but of closing time at London’s

Whitechapel Market.

Nature’s ‘white noise’Jennifer Ballow was lulled to sleep

by natural sounds collected by her

father, recording expert Irving Teibel.

When he died in 2010, he left a

legacy which includes recordings

which went into space as part of the

Pioneer mission.

Teibel studied electronic music

while in the army in the late 1950s.

He was intrigued by a friend’s

research into white noise at the USA’s

renowned Bell Laboratories.

Ballow explained: “People were

using this white noise to block out

unwanted noises, so my dad got

the idea to use natural sounds for

that purpose.” Teibel was raised

in a classical music household so

he understood the need to create

recordings that could be listened

to, and founded the Environments

label. The recordings of rain, oceans,

crickets and birdsong were more than

‘white noise’ – they exposed urbanites

to nature. His thunderstorm tracks

helped people with frightened pets.

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 31

Listening to natural sounds can help people recover frompsychological stress faster than sounds from the built environment

WILDLIFeSONGS OF NATURe

WILD TRACkSArchaeologist and radio presenter

christine finn explores the many uses of recorded animal sound and its significance

to the environmental movement

The best-selling nature recording

ever is the 70s recording Songs of the

Humpback Whale, sounds almost lost

to a popular audience. Hydrophones

then were Cold War technology,

developed to record

long-distance

underwater

communication

and, in

particular,

coded

messages sent

by Russians.

American

engineers were

intrigued by sounds

coming up from the deep. “They

started hearing these amazing

patterns that sounded like

codes, like secret messages,” said

Rothenburg.

They were not, however, sent

by Russians, but by whales. The

sonar operator and recordist, Frank

Watlington, suggested the recordings

be made available to scientists to see

what they made of them. They then

released them to the public.

When first heard in the 1970s,

more than altering mood, they raised

people’s consciousness of the species

32 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

Natural sounds can also be tweaked

or manipulated for a popular music

audience. In a famous BBC broadcast

from an English garden in 1924, a

cellist, Beatrice Harrison, sang a duet

with a nightingale.

When American jazz musician Kit

Watkins moved to the mountains in

the late 80s, nature changed his music.

Inspired by his new environment,

he began to collect sounds and then

used a sampler to manipulate them.

He discovered that if he recorded

hummingbirds and slowed them

down, the sound lowered three to four

octaves and were ‘almost human’.

Water musicMore recently, another American,

the musician and scholar David

Rothenburg, duetted with a whale

in 2007. He transmitted the sound

of a clarinet to the depths via

an underwater microphone, or

hydrophone.

To those who doubted that the

whale was actually participating

as a co-musician in this duet,

Rothenburg explained that whales,

being curious of other whales’

frequently changing song, pick up and

respond to new sound patterns.

and helped to launch the ‘Save The

Whale’ movement.

The singers Pete Seeger and

Judy Collins were among the many

musicians and singers drawn to

incorporate the haunting sounds in

their work. Seeger’s whale song-

inspired album, recorded when

he was 89, won a Grammy

Award. And, like the birdsong

recorded in an English garden,

or Irv Teibel’s thunderstorms

and crickets, Songs of

the Humpback

Whale still has

an audience

today.

Some of

these echoes

from the

depths were

chosen by the

environmentalist,

Jonathan Porritt,

as one of his choice of recordings to

save from the waves when he was

interviewed for Desert Island Discs.

Recognising, perhaps, that these

soundings of Cold War technology

echoed Rachel Carson’s rousing call

against the stilled bird tongues of a

‘silent spring’.

Do yoU haVe an oPinion on This arTicle? CONTACT US AT BIOLOGIST@SOCIeTYOFBIOLOGY.ORG

WILDLIFeSONGS OF NATURe

Whales - like these humpback whales - are able to pick up and respond to new sound patterns.

righT Pete seeger and Judy collins were among the many musicians and singers drawn to incorporate whale song in their work.

christine finn is a writer, bbc broadcaster and archaeologist.

BIOGRAPHY

Journal of Biological Education is firmly established as the authoritative voice

ix the world of biological educatiox. The jourxal aims to bridge the gap betweex

research axd practice, providixg ixformatiox, ideas axd opixiox, ix additiox to critical

examixatioxs of advaxces ix biology research axd teachixg.

Through the coverage of policy axd curriculum developmexts, the latest results

of research ixto the teachixg, learxixg axd assessmext of biology are brought

to the fore.

Each volume of JBE coxtaixs four issues axd members of the Society of Biology cax

subscribe for just £40 a year. Coxtact JBE@societyofbiology.org for more details.

www.tandfonline.com/rjbe

Published on behalf of the Society of Biology by Routledge

Jourxal of Biological Educatiox

ISSN 0021-9266

Volume 45 Number 3 September 2011

ERIDOB ISSUE

Volu

me 4

5 N

um

ber 2

June 2

011

ISSN 0021-9266

Volume 45 Number 2 June 2011

Journ

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logic

al E

ducatio

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JBE.indd 1 30/08/2011 15:19

MARINE BIOLOgY

SCIeNCeMARINe BIOLOGY

34 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

What are you working on at the moment?I’ve just finished working on the

manuscript for an RSPB Handbook

of the Seashore, which has been hard

work but really fun. But an average

day involves rocking up at the

beach to take groups out with my

education business Learn to Sea.

We recently took four different

schools out to four very different

points along the Devon shore and

the river Avon, teaching them

about the wildlife and the different

features, including some freshwater

as well as marine environments.

I’ve also recently done some TV

work for BBC Coast and some guest

presenting for Autumnwatch. I have

a few branches of work but they all

involve marine education as a theme.

Why do you think teaching people about marine biology is so important?I think it’s crucial to have a basic

understanding of the sea and its

importance to us, but there is

no formal education in schools.

Why don’t most people know that

atmospheric oxygen comes mostly

from plankton, for example?

What are the most exciting areas of research in marine biology at the moment? Perhaps more important than

exciting, the MarCLIM project

is all about trying to track and

understand what is happening to

coastal areas as a result of climate

change. Acidification of our oceans

is known as climate change’s ‘evil

twin’: half of all CO2 emissions from

fossil fuels are absorbed by the sea

and it becomes more acidic.

The implications for marine

invertebrates are huge – the calcium

carbonate exoskeletons of many

species become weakened and

recent research suggests organisms’

dimensions are changing as a result

too. It’s hugely important for our

commercial species, like lobsters,

as well as from a more general

biodiversity point of view.

How did you get into marine biology?My interest started playing in rivers

as a kid and the odd trip to the beach

in Kent, which I loved. Then we

would go on trips to Hilbre Island

when I lived on the Wirral, and I was

just enchanted by this alien world of

rock pools and seals which no one

seemed to know anything about.

When I said I wanted to study

marine biology, my careers’ advisor

at school said I was living in a dream

world and said I should be in people

management – I think he thought I

just wanted to swim with dolphins

or something.

How did you then branch out into TV work and writing?The TV and publishing work came

really by accident. I had a volunteer

working with us who had worked for

Springwatch. She put me in touch

and I did a rock-pool piece for

them and ended up being a

guest presenter.

Then I was tweeting about

rude Latin names on Twitter with

someone who turned out to be a

senior commissioning editor of

Nature Books and things went from

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 35

INTERVIEW AT A gLANCE

Name Maya PlassProfession Marine biologist, founder of marine education business Learn to Sea, author and presenter, patron of conservation group Sea-ChangersQualificationsBSc Marine Biology and Coastal ecology, MSc Integrated Coastal Zone Management Interests Marine education and conservation

When I said I wanted to study marine biology, my careers’ advisor at school said I was living in a dream world

there. So that was quite accidental

and unexpected.

Marine biology is seen as one of the more popular branches of the biosciences with lots of opportunity for travel. Is it like that and are there enough job opportunities to meet demand?There is some idea that we’re all

out sunning ourselves somewhere

exotic but most of my work is in

the UK. I have worked in Hawaii

and Argentina but even then, I

was working hard. Yes, it may be

a bit more glamorous than other

branches of the biosciences, I

suppose, but you still have to put in

a lot of hard work.

You have to have a huge passion

for the subject. It is going to be

difficult to get into employment and

you have to be prepared to do some

volunteering before you get your

foot in the door. You have to remain

optimistic too, in the face of a pretty

bleak outlook for our coastal areas.

But there are lots of opportunities

out there – you can work in a lab,

at sea, or in policy, education and

the media.

SPOTLIgHT ON

What is marine biology?Marine biology is the branch of marine science that deals with all aspects of life in the sea, as well as other saltwater environments such as estuaries and wetlands.

Why is it important?The oceans cover approximately 71% of the earth’s surface and the organisms within them are vital for feeding humans and giving us a stable climate. Marine phytoplankton produces about half of the oxygen we breathe and, globally, fish provides more than 1.5 billion people with almost 20% of their animal protein. There is increasing concern about the health of the oceans, which we know relatively little about.

Is it all working with dolphins?Despite having a glamorous image, very few marine biologists actually work with dolphins, whales or with coral reefs. The majority work in

applied areas related to fisheries or pollution, or concentrate on a specific group of marine organisms, such as viruses and plankton. Others look more broadly at marine ecology and how different groups of organisms interact. Marine scientists work in a range of settings, from universities and colleges, research councils, government agencies, private companies and non-profit laboratories, to local governments and international organisations.

What’s the best route into a career as a marine biologist?Students who are interested in pursuing a career in marine biology should opt for a specialist undergraduate course.

Universities which take a special interest in teaching marine biology are Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt, Hull, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bangor, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Swansea, St Andrews, Stirling, Queen Mary & Westfield, London and Southampton.

Students wishing to go directly into research following their first degree should be looking at PhD studentships in universities with strong marine science departments. Postgraduates who are looking to specialise in marine biology can consider a range of MSc or MRes courses.

The supply of marine scientists generally exceeds demand, but some specialist areas are in greater demand than others. Two areas where there is growing demand for specialists include molecular biology and biotechnology. Mathematical modelling within marine biology is also increasingly important, as more sophisticated mathematical models are required for effective management of marine resources.

Where can I find out more?The Marine Biological Association (MBA) is a professional body for marine scientists with some 1,200 members worldwide. www.mba.ac.uk

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Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 3736 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

Reviews

NO STONE UNTURNED

Written in Stone “This is an account of friendships and rivalries which broke through social, political and religious preconceptions to reveal the steady evolution of successful life forms”

Our regular round-up of books published in the fields of biology and related sciences

in palaeoanthropology has allowed

us to date and even reconstruct these

early forms using radiocarbon

dating and electron spin resonance.

More recently, 3D x-ray and CT scan

techniques have revealed accurate

internal views of remains encased in

rock. Now, genetic analysis of

Neanderthal fossils can take us back

to 50,000 years ago.

The authors describe a number of

fossil sites, from Oldovai to Boxgrove

and even Australia, together with

the techniques used in excavation.

They discuss early primates such as

Proconsul and Afropithecus, deal

with the exit from Africa and

emphasise that significant theories

over 30 million years of primate

evolution are still problematic. The

conclusion is that it was a complex

and undirected process and

therefore our future as a species is as

unpredictable as the past.

This volume is very attractive

though by no means a ‘coffee-table’

book. It is copiously illustrated with

photographs of excavation sites,

artefacts, maps and drawings of

reconstructions of skulls, skeletons

and species in their environments.

The authors are world-renowned

researchers at London’s Natural

History Museum and have produced

an illuminating and interesting,

up-to-date account.

alan cadogan fsb

The Epigenetics RevolutionNessa Careyicon books ltd, £17.99 hardback, £9.99 paperback, £7.99 ebook

Despite the incredible progress we

have made in understanding how the

genetic code determines our biology,

questions remain unanswered. Why,

for example, can genetically identical

mice have different coat colours even

when they are kept in the same

environment? How does a mother’s

diet when she is pregnant affect the

weight of her child as an adult?

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a

severe genetic disease almost

exclusively affecting boys, so what

causes a young girl to be affected

when her identical twin is healthy?

In her first book, Nessa Carey

explains how epigenetics has the

answers. Modifications to DNA and

the proteins it is associated with

determine patterns of gene

expression, and these modifications

can be passed on when the cell

divides. Epigenetics is what allows

cells with the same DNA, such as

those in the brain and those in the

liver, to take on very different forms.

Epigenetics is a hot topic at the

moment, and there have been plenty

of times when I have read a magazine

article or heard something on the

radio and understood it better as a

result of reading this book. Written

in an approachable style that doesn’t

assume a high level of background

knowledge, it is well worth reading.

Dr rebecca nesbit msb

Heme BiologyLi ZhangWorld scientific, £61.00

There is a dearth of information in a

conveniently compact form about

haem and its roles in nature,

occurring as it does in such diverse

organisms as vertebrates,

crustaceans, arachnids, molluscs,

annelids, bacteria and plants. The

authors have attempted to redress

this deficiency, albeit this book is

limited mainly to humans, except

where reference to other organisms

is made for illustrative and

comparative purposes.

Many may already be familiar with

congenital erythropoietic

porphyrias, the disorder which could

have given rise to the legends of

werewolves and vampires, where an

accumulation of haem precursors in

the blood results in reddish teeth.

We are also familiar with porphyria

as a possible cause of King George

III’s illness, on the basis of his

reported neurological and

psychological symptoms. The

explanations for these phenomena

are to be found in this book, and

much more besides.

Haem is a prosthetic group

attached to a protein in such

molecules as haemoglobin,

myoglobin and cytochromes, and is

essential for gas transport and

energy transfer. But readers may be

surprised to learn also of its diverse

and versatile roles in a wide range of

molecular and cellular processes.

Haem’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ role in

brain function, for good and for bad,

is described as well as its critical

influence on regulatory factors such

as JAK2 and Src (sarcoma, the first

discovered oncogene) in relation to

haematological disease and the

treatment of cancer.

This is a comprehensive and well-

referenced treatise, which should

appeal to advanced students and

researchers alike. For the curious

general reader, however, it would be

advisable to have knowledge of

recent advances in molecular biology

to fully appreciate its value.

Dr graham godfrey cbiol fsb

Silent Spring RevisitedConor Jamesonbloomsbury, £16.99Rachel Carson is generally

considered to have been responsible

for the modern environmental/

conservation movement. Her

seminal book Silent Spring was

published in 1962 to mixed reactions,

ranging from incredulity and deep

criticism to an all-embracing

acceptance of the parlous state of

planet Earth. There are parallels

with the current issue of global

warming, and it is interesting to

speculate on what Carson’s opinion

might have been on the issue. It is

fitting that on the 50th anniversary

of Silent Spring’s release, a book

reviewing the history of the

environmental/conservation

movement is published.

Politics, population growth,

technology, science, economics and

environmental change, as well as

tourism, education, and state versus

voluntary sector funding are all

components of the environmental/

conservation agenda. This renders it

complex and globally uneven, and

Jameson unveils this story with a

temporal approach.

Each chapter describes the major

developments by decade using a

mixture of fact and anecdote,

generality, major news items and

details of the personalities of the key

players. Laws, conventions,

protected areas and international

treaties all feature alongside

pesticides, oil spills, birds,

butterflies, endangered species and

new concepts such as biodiversity

and sustainability.

There are many stories of

restoration but also reports of many

extinctions and new problems. It

must also be remembered that world

population has grown from

3.2 billion in 1962 to 7 billion in 2012:

perhaps this is the predominant

success story – or indeed the greatest

failure – of the last 50 years.

Dr a m mannion

Written in Stone – The Hidden Secrets of fossils and The Story of Life on EarthBrian Switekicon books ltd, £8.99Written in Stone is a remarkable read.

Science writer Brian Switek takes his

readers through the history of life on

Earth as conserved in the fossil record.

At a galloping pace, he tells a lucid,

clearly argued and gripping story.

Switek argues cleverly with the facts

and adds dimensions of discussion

which indicate a strong grasp of the

subject. This is not, and does not set

out to be a palaeontology textbook: it

provides a detailed account of the

events surrounding the elucidation

and understanding of the fossil record.

As such it is a biographical account of

the personalities involved and their

interactions, foibles and squabbles,

which culminates in our current

understanding of the evolution of

life on Earth.

The author imaginatively moulds

his story across the past 250 years,

when scientists both amateur and

professional gained an understanding

of geological time and the meaning of

fossil fragments buried in the rocks

around us. This is an account of

friendships and rivalries, truths and

calumnies, which broke through

social, political and religious

preconceptions to reveal the steady

evolution of successful life forms, as

well as the extinction of those

incapable of coping with change. This

is an excellent book, deserving the

widest possible use across all age

groups, and is priced to allow it.

Professor geoffrey r Dixon

Venomous Reptiles of the United States, Canada and Northern Mexico (Volume 1)Carl H Ernst and Evelyn M Ernst

John hopkins University Press, £39.00The first of two volumes in this

completely revised North American

reference book focuses on the single

genus of venomous lizard as well as

five of the six genera of Viperid and

Elapid snakes found in the region.

This leaves 21 species of the genus

Crotalus for the second instalment.

The authors begin with general

introductions to venom,

envenomation, bite treatment,

conservation and identification,

while the remainder of the volume is

dedicated to providing a

comprehensive review of the 13

venomous species. The appearance

of each species is described in detail,

including notes on geographic

variation, and the likely species with

which they may be confused –

particularly useful for those

interested in accurate identification.

Also discussed at length are

karyotype, fossil record, distribution

(including clear maps), habitat,

behaviour and ecology, reproduction,

diet and feeding habits, predators

and defence, parasites and

pathogens, and populations. For

those interested in the toxicological

aspects, the venom delivery system,

bite and the venom itself are also

discussed for each species. Vivid

photographs in both colour and

greyscale further aid identification

and are particularly useful.

Ernst & Ernst have succeeded in

producing a well written and

thorough account of these intriguing

yet sometimes dangerous animals

that will make an appealing read for

anyone with a remote interest in

reptiles, while proving invaluable for

those wishing to study these animals

in any detail.

James reed

The Complete World of Human Evolution (2nd edition)Chris Stringer and Peter AndrewsThames and hudson, £14.95

Neanderthals, Homo habilis, Homo

erectus and Cro-Magnons are familiar

to most biologists but the evidence for

their way of life and positions in

evolutionary time was often patchy in

many biologists’ education. For those

who wish to have more than a scant

understanding of human prehistory,

this is an ideal book.

Since the first human fossils were

recognised 150 years ago, research

Silent Spring Revisited “It is fitting that on the 50th anniversary of Silent Spring’s release, a book reviewing the history of the conservation movement is published”

38 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

ReVIeWSBOOKS

Information and Living Systems – Philosophical and Scientific Perspectivesg Terzis & R Arp (Editors)bradford books/miT Press, £34.95Perhaps for too long, the biological

sciences have overlooked the role

that information plays within

organisms. DNA may contain the

‘code’ for life and hormones are

frequently described as ‘chemical

messengers’, but a fully developed

information approach to biological

phenomena is largely lacking.

Biological systems use

information in a number of ways: not

only for their replication and

maintenance but also their

construction and repair. In exploring

areas such as these, Information and

Living Systems offers the reader an

entrée into the discipline of

bioinformation, via topics ranging

from the molecular to the

psychological. Some chapters are a

little more technical than others,

some are more philosophical, and

not everything will necessarily

appeal to any given reader.

Although the book is a collection of

essays by authors from a broad

spectrum of specialities, it remains

accessible to a general biological

readership throughout. Furthermore,

such readers are assisted in their

selection of subject matter by a

comprehensive introduction detailing

the structure and contents of the

book. To its credit, the book chooses

not to take a primarily mathematical

approach – which it could well have

done. As a result, it is more likely to

appeal to the non-specialist and to

contribute to this under-represented

aspect of biology.

stephen lewis

Ecological Niches and geographic DistributionsA Townsend Peterson et al

Princeton University Press, £334.95

General interest readers thinking

this might be a good read on the

ecology of ecological niches will be

severely disappointed. It has no

index, which limits its use, but it does

have 20 pages of ordinary glossary, a

glossary of symbols used, and an

appendix of ‘Set Theory for G- and

E-Space’, setting the mathematical

theme for the whole book. It also has

extensive references (36 pages).

The seven authors, mostly from

North America, have come together

to offer “a first synthesis of concepts

in this emerging field” … “linking

individual – and population-level

processes to geographic distributions

and biodiversity patterns”.

The book is divided into three

sections: theory, practice and

applications, with chapters on

modelling, environmental data and

discovering biodiversity, species

invasions and disease transmission.

It is a highly-focused look into the

mathematical world of modelling,

and will appeal to post-graduates

and researchers in the field of one of

the basic concepts: ecological niches.

It would be very hard for a young

student to get into, but is ideally

written for a hardened expert on the

dynamics of niche ecology with a

background in mathematics.

Dr John feltwell fsb

Orchid Biotechnology IIWen-Huei Chen and Hong-Hwa Chen (Editors)World scientific, £77.00

Phalaenopsis was once considered a

rare, exotic and difficult to grow

orchid that produced relatively large,

white flowers. Generally found in the

greenhouses of professional and

dedicated hobby growers and

botanical gardens, this changed

by the late 1980s.

Phalaenopsis flowers are now seen

in a variety of colours and sizes and

have a major share of the worldwide

orchid pot plant market. Editor

Professor Wen-Huei Chen, along

with collaborator Professor Hong-

Hwa Chen, is the man responsible for

these advances in orchid

horticulture and biotechnology.

Chen and Chen initiated the

Orchid Biotechnology series in 2007

to publish the findings of orchid

researchers in Taiwan, a country

that leads the world in orchid science

and breeding, especially of hybrids

suitable for pot plant production.

This volume deals primarily with

Phalaenopsis but covers a wide variety

of topics. Some are of general interest

(molecular phylogeny and

biogeography) while others relate to

breeding (endopolyploidy), physiology

and biochemistry (pigment analysis

and biosynthesis, floral scent

biosynthesis, carbon dioxide fixation),

development, molecular biology

(RNA editing sites), horticulture

and plant pathology.

All 18 chapters are excellently

conceived, well written, properly

edited and very well illustrated. Most

are relatively short and concise but

very informative. The only drawback

of the book is the short index.

For a long time orchids were viewed

as beautiful toys of the rich rather

than plants which could and should

be the subject of serious research.

Those who use them as research

organisms have constantly tried to

dispel this notion. Orchid hobby and

commercial growers may find this

book to be somewhat heavy reading.

However advanced growers and

orchid scientists will find it valuable,

informative and interesting.

Professor Joseph arditti and Tim Wing yam

Information and Living Systems – Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives “Remains accessible to a general biological readership throughout”

righT a Taiwanese Phalaenopsis: Taiwan leads the world in orchid research.

Member news

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 39

Our regular round-up all about you, our Society members

I hope to pursue a career in food safety and security

Coming from a family of

engineers, I was continually

encouraged to develop skills in

electronics and computing. With

maths and physics being my strongest

subjects at school, it was a surprise to

many when I gravitated towards the

biological sciences.

Man’s ability to understand

evolution and take advantage of

selective breeding drew my

attention to biology and domestic

species. When it came to choosing a

career, it was this, combined with a

concern for animal welfare, which lead

me to choose veterinary medicine, as

well as my desire to live and work

within a rural community.

At vet school, I undertook a variety

of undergraduate student

research projects and an

intercalated degree in physiology.

After graduating I spent three-and-a-

half years working in predominantly

farm animal practice. The lack of

career prospects for a farm vet led me

back to my interest in research.

I am now undertaking a PhD at the

Roslin and Moredun Research

Institutes, attempting to identify

antigens that induce protective cell

mediated immune responses in cattle

against the food poisoning bacteria

E. coli O157:H7.

I decided to join the Society of

Biology to broaden my interests

beyond the narrow world of farm

vetting. I hope to pursue a career in

food safety and security, with a

particular interest in ruminants.

Although the methane they produce

gets bad press, I believe ruminants will

continue to be important in food

production due to their ability to

produce high quality energy and

protein from land that is difficult to

cultivate and with minimal

hydrocarbon input.

Members’ Receptioncharles Darwin house, london13 september 17:30-19:30We are holding an informal reception for AMSB, MSB and FSB members of the Society of Biology here at our HQ in London. The reception provides members with the opportunity to hear our chief executive, Dr Mark Downs FSB, discuss current biological issues and the Society’s overall direction, as well as meet Society of Biology staff and other members.

You must be a member at the AMSB grade or above to be eligible to attend. Places are limited to 80 and are available on a first come, first served basis. Please contact Zoë Martin on 020 7685 2564 or email zoemartin@societyofbiology.org

Members’ and fellows’ lunches Dr Mark Downs FSB will be holding a series of informal buffet lunches with small groups of members and Fellows in a roundtable format. Places are on a first come, first served basis. You must be a society member (MSB) or Fellow to attend.

Please contact Zoë Martin on 020 7685 2564 to attend or email zoemartin@societyofbiology.org

18 september fellows’ lunch – birmingham 12:30-14:00, Ramada Birmingham City8 november members’ lunch – london 12:30-14:00, Charles Darwin House20 november fellows’ lunch – london 12:30-14:00, Charles Darwin House

neW member Profile

IT’S A VET’S LIfEAlexander Corbishley MSB

SocialNotices

40 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

MeMBeR NeWSNeW MeMBeR PROFILeS/NeW MeMBeRS LIST

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 41

Support your local branchlocal branches are reliant on members who are willing to volunteer their time to organise events. Will you consider volunteering your time to organise just one event for your local branch this year? if there is a subject that is of interest to you, and you know a good speaker, your local branch would appreciate your assistance. get in touch with them – contact details on page 43.

I am a Professor of Experimental

Dermatology at the University of

Manchester. My research interests

are in photobiology: the interaction of

solar radiation, and other sources of

ultraviolet and visible radiation, with

living tissue. I focus on the beneficial

and deleterious effects of non-ionising

radiation on human skin, including

inflammation and vitamin D

synthesis. I am president-elect of the

European Society for Photobiology.

I was inspired by the complexity of

the skin’s functions, its responses to

environmental challenges and its

accessibility for direct study in the

human animal – plus the paucity of

research understanding in this area.

After gaining my medical degree

at the University of London, and

medical and dermatology training in

London, Birmingham and Liverpool, I

obtained my research doctorate in

photobiology at the University of

Liverpool. That was followed by a

research stint at the Wellman

Laboratories of Photomedicine,

Boston, USA. I became senior lecturer

in dermatology at the University of

Manchester in 2000 and became

Chair in 2007.

The Society of Biology is an

exciting development which has

quickly gained a lot of momentum. It

will be pivotal for securing and

progressing the future of bioscience.

My other area of interest is physical

anthropology, particularly

primatology, having had the privilege

to study at University College London

many moons ago.

I am a convert to spinning (studio

bikes, not weaving), occasionally

diving, and I’m learning Welsh.

I am a postdoctoral research

fellow at the California Institute of

Technology. My research focuses on

the molecular basis of learning and

memory: I combine computer

simulations and wet lab biochemistry

to understand how proteins in the

brain are regulated and regulate each

other.

I studied biology and mathematics

in Salzburg, Austria, which is where

I’m from. I then completed an MSc in

genetics at the Max-Planck Institute

for Developmental Biology in

Germany. Then I moved to Cambridge

to study for a PhD at the European

Bioinformatics Institute – an ideal way

of combining maths and biology. After

that I went to Japan as a visiting

scientist for six months, before taking

up my current position in California.

My last few years in school

coincided with some exciting

developments in molecular biology

– notably the Human Genome Project

– which really got me interested in the

subject. For a while I was torn between

maths and biology, until I discovered

that as a computational biologist, you

get to do both. How cool is that?

I like to keep up to date with

developments in the field in the

UK. I also like the structured

programme for professional

development that the Society of

Biology has to offer.

I love films and have even been

involved in making one. I worked as

an associate editor on the PhD Movie

(www.phdmovie.com), a great watch

if you are thinking of embarking

on a PhD.

Dr Melanie Stefan MSB

I was appointed to the chair of

experimental oncology at the

University of Southampton in

2000. Five years later I became

director of research and later associate

dean for the faculty of medicine where

I have enjoyed, with my colleagues,

building fantastic infrastructure for

making discoveries and putting them

to use in the clinic.

I completed my postdoctoral

training with Herman Eisen, who

taught me to go beyond observational

study and strive to quantitate

wherever possible, and who kindled

my interest in protein structure as a

way of understanding function. I left

the University of Oxford with a First in

biochemistry in 1983 then did a PhD in

antibody engineering at the University

of Southampton in 1986.

During the golden era of discovery

in antigen processing – a field that I

still work in – I was lucky to be a

colleague of Alain Townsend, who I

admire enormously for his intellect

and unstoppable curiosity. Between

1990 and 2000 I was a Wellcome Trust

senior fellow in basic biomedical

science and held a lectureship, and

later a professorship in immunology,

at Balliol College, University of Oxford.

I am excited by the increasing

drive to blend disciplines in

discovery science and am proud to

have helped develop our own cross-

faculty, interdisciplinary Institute for

Life Science, which was opened by

Professor Robert Winston last year.

It is more important than ever that

the UK maintains strong basic

sciences in biology because our skills

will be needed to interpret and use

increasing amounts of data coming

from experimental clinical trials.

Prof Tim Elliot fSBProf Lesley Rhodes fSB

New, Transfer & Chartered Members

member Profiles

Waseem Bashirdeen AMSB

I work in the Regulatory Affairs

Department at Tillomed

Laboratories, which supplies and

licences generic and branded

pharmaceutical products.

In 2009 I graduated in biomedical

science and received the Institute of

Biomedical Science (IBMS) President’s

Prize. For my industrial placement

year I worked as a trainee biomedical

scientist in the Haematology and

Blood Transfusion Laboratory at the

Royal United Hospital in Bath.

Following my graduation I specialised

in haematology and hospital

transfusion practice at Brighton and

Sussex University Hospitals.

Since childhood I have been

intrigued by pathology and disease

mechanisms and how the body

responds to invasion by foreign

organisms. I find molecular biology,

cellular biology and the strengths and

weaknesses of the human immune

system fascinating.

My inspirations are James D

Watson and Francis Crick, the men

who discovered the structure of DNA

in 1953. Their discovery has helped the

medical and scientific community

immensely as DNA is the fundamental

building block of life.

Analysing the gene expression or

single-nucleotide polymorphisms of

individual patients in relation to a

drug’s efficacy and toxicity is an

exciting branch of our research. If this

complicated research, which is still in

its infancy, is successful, it could have a

significant impact on drug discovery

and the approval process, as the

number of failed drug trials will fall.

I enjoy travelling, reading, going

out with my wife and family, playing

and watching cricket and football.

Affiliate Mariam Alkaabi, Suzanne Allcock, Ross Atkinson, Kate Baird, emily Baker, Andrew Bease, Fatehma Begum, Daniel Bentley, emma Bradley, Chloe Bryan, Lucy Cartledge, Kathryn Challis, Konstantinos Chatzidimitriou, Grace Childs, Alison Chrystie, ellen Clarke, Michael Clarke, Lucy Coals, Sarah Coleman, Seb Cotton, Jodie Cueto, Megan Davies, Ninu Davis, Jonathan Decker, Ryan Delaney, Rebecca Dick, Asmma Doudin, Ogechi edeh, Abigail edmonds, Andrew Fitton, Jake Foy, Charlotte Gardiner, Stephen Geary, Scarlett Gillespie, Amy Green, Thomas Guilliam, Dafni Hadjieconomou, Samuel-Alexander Hall, Deborah Harrison, Lucy Haskell, Jack Hewitt, Jenny Hinves, Grace Hodson, Hollie Horsley, Catherine Hunter, Aaron Hussain, Lee Hutt, Jennifer Jackson, Rebecca Jackson, Abigail James, Nazesh Kanwal, Frrah Kausar, Rachel Krol, Parmdeep Kullar, James Launder, Keir Lewis, Yanhui Li, Sophie Liddell, Nicola Lloyd, Alexandre Loktionov, Maria Lopez Quiroga, Baia Loris, Suzelene Louis-Charles, Katie Love, Jonathan Loxley, Nikolaos Maragkos, Lucas Mardling, William Maskell, Jaime McGovern, Claire Mclaughlan, Rebecca Millard, Max Millner, Kieran Milverton, Marie Minani, Ana Morais Natalio, Jerry Mordue, Virginie Mournetas, Sam Nathan, Gareth Netto, James North, Kofoworola Olaofe, Fagunwa Omololu, David Osborne-James, Rivka Owen, Michael Owens, emma Parkin, Neeraj Patel, Ned Peel, Harriet Pelling, Hannah Pihama, James Pinnington, Roberta Prina, Catherine Rae, Jennifer Rajan, Raveen Rathnasinghe, elizabeth Riach, eve Robertson, Katy Robinson, Hayley Rogers, emma Sanders, Simone Santopietro, Natalie Savage, Hannah Scholes, Helen Scott, Zoe Self, Richard Sephton, Samantha Shanks, Robin Shilland, Lim Shyn Yee, Amerjit Singh, Alex Smith, Charlotte Smith, Hazel Smith, Sophie Sneddon, Selene Sodini, Leona Steel, Harry Studt, Ryan Sultana, Ashley Sunderland, Sandhya Sunuwar, Anzhalika Talstaya, Muhammad Tauuab, Kate Taylor, Chloe Twort, Chloe Walker-Trivett, Lucy Wallace, Rebecca Ward, Lia Warner, Helen Wilkinson, Peter Winn, Max Winpenny, Felicity Wright.

Associate (AMSB) Stewart Adamson, Solomon Antwi, emma-Louise Campbell, edwin Clitheroe, James Connorton, Katie Cookey, Mark Cousens, Timothy D\’Alessandri, Mairi Dent, Samuel english, Rhys Grant, David Green, Carla Greenwood, Kathryn Hall, Benjamin Halsall, Rebecca Handley, Iestyn Harrigan, Verity Heard, David Hope, Hannah Jenkins, Fiona Jones, Anchala Kuruppu, Samuel Logan, Sarah May, Christopher McIvor, Gavin Metcalf, Victor Onabanjo, Leonie Powley, Tharindu Premachandra, Jacqueline Seymour, Jonathan Shields, Amanda Smith, Matt Teft, Benjamin Thorne.

Member (MSB)Olutayo Adedokun, Prem Bajaj, Phillip Bates, Adam Bird, David Black, John Blackman Northwood, Susan Bodie, Marco Bottacini, James Boyle, Pete Brown, Yau Chi Chan, Daniel Cochrane, Yash Daby, Kim Dale, Sheila Dargan, Ian Devonshire, Hansa Doorgakant, Jim Duthie, Tze er, Angela essex-Lopresti, Christian ezeala, Lesley Forrester, Louise Foster, Michelle France, Michael Gordon, Sheila Graham, Judith Hanson, William ‘Liam’ Hayes, Alexander Heath, Thomas Hesselberg, Tim Heyes, Paul Highway, Frank Hills, Patricia Housden, Julia Jenkins, Kris Jeremy, William Keat, Simon Knight, Tak-yi Lau, Ying Li, Kifayathullah Liakath-Ali, Laura Lopez Pascua, Craig Mackay, Federica Masieri, Alistair McCormick, Aoife McGorrian, Julian Mitchell, Grace Nakabonge, Karen Nash, Mildred Ochwo-Ssemakula, Damaris Odeny, Seb Pearce, Rosi Perrott, Oliver Ramm, Jane Reed, Anja Rott, Caroline Rowland, Alison Spencer, David Spiteri, Fiona Steedman, Robert Stokes, Alan Storey, Susan Swan, Ravikumar Tailor, Mimi Tanimoto, Catherine Tetard-Jones, Gavin Thomas, Andrew Thompson, Joanne Tipper, Katharina von Kriegstein, Robert Weedall, Sara Widaa, Tony Worthington.

Chartered Biologist Member (CBiol MSB)Richard Bartlett, Alexandra Cook, Christian Chinyere ezeala, Ashleigh Filtness, Clare Garner, Helen Garside, Frida Gustafsson, Joanne Li Suk Yee, Geoffrey Philip Maud, Natasha McMonagle,

Andrew Morris, Sandra Richards, Mark Peter Rose, Martin Rutherford, Fiona Morag Stahl, Ivan Wall.

Chartered Scientist Member (CSci MSB)Jonathan Hon Kwan Chen, Michel Hans Rodney Khoodoo, Christine Leary, Simon Oakley, Clive Steven Roper.

fellow (fSB)Catherine Abbott, Mike Alexander, enrique Amaya, Yvonne Barnett, Amauri Bartoszeck, Mark Boyett, Janice Britt, Dolores Cahill, Brian Cass, Julie Daniels, Michael Dashwood, Daniel Davis, Jon Day, Jon Dobson, Mohan edirisinghe, Jianfeng Feng, Michael Ferguson, James Fildes, Victor Franco, Felicity Gavins, Alice George, Simon Girling, Nicolas Goulding, Gillian Gray, Linda Greensmith, Richard Gregson, David Halton, Richard Handy, Geoffrey Hanlon, Stephen Harris, Sarah Howie, Stuart Ingleston-Orme, Raj Kalaria, David Leach, David Lewis, Carol MacKintosh, Cait MacPhee, eamonn Maher, Martin Maiden, Kevin Marsh, Stewart Martin, Scot Mathieson, Karl Matter, David Matthews, Ian McKeith, Stephen McMahon, Ben Mepham, Neil Morris, Fritz Muhlschlegel, Alison Murdoch, Denis Murphy, Andrew Newby, Peter Olive, Karl Oparka, John Oxford, Yvonne Perrie, Laura Piddock, Fran Platt, Andy Porter, David Price, Shirley Price, Joann Prior, James Prosser, Basant Puri, Christine Raines, Mangaiyarkarasi Ravirajan, Anthony Rawlings, David Rickard, Patrik Rorsman, David Rowlands, Susan Sanchez, Susan Shawcross, elliot Shubert, e Scott Sills MD, Richard Siow, Alison Smith, Andrew Tsin, Phillip Whitfield, Scott Wildman.

Chartered Biologist fellow (CBiol fSB) Stuart Ingleston-Orme, Joann L Prior, Andrew William Taylor-Robinson.

Chartered Scientist fellow (CSci fSB)Joseph Anthony Collins, Bright Megbo.

JUly 2012 elecTion

Devon & Cornwall

War horse WalKSunday 9 September 2012 10:00For those who saw the film War

Horse, this event is a ‘must’. Members

are welcome to bring family and

friends. For non-members there is a

charge of £3. Ecologist Sue

Goodfellow is our Moorland Guide.

Meet at Gutter Tor car park

(grid ref SX 578 674) in the Sheepstor

area, south of Burrator Reservoir.

Please bring substantial packed

lunch/drinks; waterproofs and

suitable footwear (walking boots) are

essential. Sadly, dogs are not allowed.

For more information and to book

a place please contact Chris Fry at

mail@christinefry.plus.com, ring

01395 278556 or contact the Society.

VisiT To PaignTon zooFriday 19 October 2012 11:00As part of Biology Week, members and

their guests are invited to participate in

an exclusive visit to Paignton Zoo. This

will involve a behind the scenes

opportunity to meet keepers or other

staff, ask questions and see parts of the

zoo that most visitors are not allowed to

access. This may include meeting

animals close up, tours of the Avian

Breeding Centre or bio-secure

amphibian breeding unit, or watching

an animal training session. The day

will begin with a talk from Dr Amy

Plowman, Head of Field

Conservation and Research, on the

scientific work of the zoo and trust.

There will be a charge of

£20 for members and £25 for

non-members. This charge

includes zoo entrance, food

throughout the day and

special opportunities. Arrive

at 11:00 for tea, coffee and

biscuits; the introductory talk

will start at 11:30.

This event will be limited to 40

participants. To attend please

contact Chris Fry (see above).

Cheques to be made out to Devon &

Cornwall Branch, Society of Biology.

East Anglia

regeneraTiVe meDicine seminarWednesday 12 September 2012 10:30-15:30 A series of talks on stem cell biology,

tissue engineering and ethical

issues surrounding regenerative

medicine. This will be followed by a

tour of the labs at the UCS

Waterfront Building, Neptune Quay,

Ipswich, Suffolk,IP4 1QJ.

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 4342 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

❱ Dates for your diary: upcoming events going on in your local area

Branch events

Those in the lincolnshire area can see the seal pups at Donna nook – see east midlands branch listings.

Dr Barry Yates, the Reserve Manager.

This reserve has been designated an

SSSI because of the many unusual, rare

and endangered plants that live there.

Contact Dr David Ware by email at

kentsurreysussex@societyofbiology.org

for further details.

North Wales

VisiT To soUTh sTacKrsPb reserVeSaturday 1 September 2012We will meet in the South Stack

Visitor Centre, Holyhead, Anglesey,

LL65 1YH at 11:30 for a guided hour-

long walk and a talk on the geology of

the area. Members may prefer to

bring a picnic lunch or can have

lunch in the café. Grid ref SH210818.

agmThursday 8 November 2012We will be holding a second AGM this

year to align ourselves with the end of

the Society’s financial year. Dr Julie

Drew from RWE npower renewables

will be speaking on the

environmental consequences of off-

shore wind-power generation. Bod

Erw Hotel, St Asaph, Denbighshire at

19:30. Please note the change of date.

Thames Valley

agm & colin blaKemorelecTUreTuesday 9 October 2012 19:00Colin Blakemore FSB,

Professor of

Neuroscience,

University of Oxford,

will be giving this year’s

lecture after our AGM.

His talk will address

public understanding and

ownership of scientific

discoveries.

Held at the Health Protection

Agency Training Centre, Harwell,

Oxford, OX11 0RQ. The lecture is

open to members who may bring up

to two guests each. For security

reasons all attendees must be

registered for the event.

Tickets are free and members

should contact thamesvalley@

societyofbiology.org or telephone

020 7685 2556 for booking details.

Booking closes on Friday 14

September, after which guests will

not be able to get a security pass.

The AGM will start at 19:00

followed by the lecture at 19:30

fUngal foraySaturday 14 October 11:00A fungus foray, led by Paul Cook, at

Burnham Beeches (north of Slough).

Contact thamesvalley@

societyofbiology.org for details.

Western

brisTol DoWns WalKTuesday 11 September 2012 11:00-13:00Sheila Quin will take us on a weekday

walk around the downs looking at

lichens. A hand lens or pocket

microscope will be useful.

The area is fairly flat though there

are some small hills. There is a

teashop and toilets by the Water

Tower and parking on the roads

around the downs. Buses stop at

various places nearby. The walk is

limited to 15 people.

Book by Friday 7 September with

Mark Howard: markhoward@

waitrose.com or 0117 9423688.

Yorkshire

reTireD members lUnchThursday 8 November 2012 12:00An opportunity for like-minded

biologists and their partners to get

together and raise any issues that

may assist the Yorkshire Branch and

its activities.

We will meet at the Farthings

Restaurant, Leeds City College,

Thomas Danby Campus, Roundhay

Road, Leeds LS7 3BG. A

cheque for £7 (there may be

a small correction to this

later) is required to book.

More details available on

the branch website.

Bookings to Cliff Beddows,

6 Moorlands Gardens,

Leeds, LS17 6JT or email

c.beddows@onetel.com.

agm & DeVeloPmenT inall DirecTionsSaturday 10 November 2012This year’s annual symposium will be

held with the MRC Centre for

Developmental and Biomedical

Genetics at the University of

Sheffield. Presentations include a

review of the current state of

developmental biology, applications

in medicine and development of

organisms in relation to evolution.

Registration is £5 and 12 Society of

Biology CPD points are available

for attending.

fUngal foraySaturday 6 October 2012 10:00-12:30Exploring the fungal fauna at Lynford

Arboreturm, Mundford, Thetford.

Led by Tony Leech. Further details to

be announced. Contact eastanglia@

societyofbiology.org for more

information.

oPen DaySaturday 13 OctoberA day of hands-on displays and

interactive exhibits for the public

at Hills Road Sixth Form College in

Cambridge. Details TBC

East Midlands

fUngal forayWiTh Jane osTlerSunday 28 October 2012This very popular event is held jointly

with the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

Jane Ostler gives a fascinating

account of the mushrooms

and toadstools we find

in Twyford Woods,

Colsterworth.

Contact Marianne

Overton at

marianneoverton@

biosearch.org.uk for

further details.

Donna nooK seal WaTchSaturday 10 November 2012Donna Nook, North Sutton-on-Sea,

Lincolnshire. See the seals with their

pups and meet the wardens. This is

an all-day meet and booking will be

necessary. Held jointly with the local

wildlife trust group.

For further details contact

Marianne Overton (see contact

information above).

kent, Surrey & Sussex

rye harboUr naTUrereserVe ToUrWednesday 22 August 2012 11:00We have a tour of the flora and fauna of

the Rye Harbour nature reserve, led by

BEDS, ESSEX & HERTS

Mrs Jacqueline McPherson

bedsessexherts@societyofbiology.org

DEVON & CORNWALL

Miss Christine Fry

devoncornwall@societyofbiology.org

EAST ANGLIA

Miss Amanda Burton

eastanglia@societyofbiology.org

EAST MIDLANDS

Mrs Rosemary Hall

eastmidlands@societyofbiology.org

KENT, SURREY & SUSSEX

Dr David Ware

kentsurreysussex@

societyofbiology.org

LONDON

Miss Mercy Nimako

london@societyofbiology.org

NORTH WALES

Dr Rosemary Solbé

northwales@societyofbiology.org

NORTH WESTERN

Mr Glenn Upton-Fletcher

northwest@societyofbiology.org

NORTHERN

Dr Michael Rowell

northern@societyofbiology.org

NORTHERN IRELAND

Dr David Roberts

ni@societyofbiology.org

SCOTLAND

Dr Jacqueline Nairn

scotland@societyofbiology.org

THAMES VALLEY

Dr Michael Keith-Lucas CBiol FSB

thamesvalley@societyofbiology.org

WESSEX

Ms Rachel Wilson

wessex@societyofbiology.org

WEST MIDLANDS

Ms Debbie Dixon

westmidlands@societyofbiology.org

WESTERN

Ms Joan Ashley

western@societyofbiology.org

YORKSHIRE

Mr Paul Bartlett

yorkshire@societyofbiology.org

BRANCH CONTACTS

Finally the Society’s Dr Jenna

Stevens-Smith demonstrated the ‘In

the Zone’ sets of biology and sport

experiments for schoolchildren,

sponsored by the Wellcome Trust,

providing an interactive finale to a

most informative day.

Krystyna n. zielinski-smith cbiol msb

PlanT PoWer19 May 2012A day of interactive plant fun and

demos at the Cambridge University

Botanic Garden. Launched under

the umbrella of the European Plant

Science Organisation, it highlighted

the critical role plant science plays in

the social, environmental and

economic landscape.

As an active member of the

Cambridge Partnership for

Plant Science, the event

co-organisers, we

hosted a stand

alongside Cambridge

University Botanic

Garden, biochemistry

and plant science

departments,

Rothamsted Research,

KWS seeds, NIAB, ADAS

and others.

Branch chair Mark Winterbottom’s

daughter Amy also gave us her

thoughts on the day:

Most people think plants are boring -

far from it! On the main lawn there

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 4544 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

bird pellet dissecting on the society stall at the open farm sunday event in cambridgeshire.

East Anglia

agm rePorT12 May 2012By combining our Olympics’ year AGM

with a Biology and Sport Symposium,

the East Anglia branch provided an

insight into the physical and mental

preparation of elite athletes in their

quest for peak performance.

Dr Steve Ingham, from the English

Institute of Sport, has worked with

elite athletes over five Olympic

periods. Steve began by measuring

out some historic and unbroken

athletic records – Mike Powell’s 1991

long jump (8.95m), Jonathan Edwards’

1995 triple jump (18.29m) and Javier

Sotomayor’s 1993 outdoor high jump

(2.45m) – all awesome achievements.

Professor Chris Cooper, Sports and

Exercise Science, University of Essex,

addressed both drugs in sport and

genes and human performance.

After considering examples of drug

misuse, he explained the difficulties

associated with continually

monitoring, checking and testing

thousands of samples (6000 are

expected during London 2012).

Dr Dan Gordon, Sport and Exercise

Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University,

described how cardiovascular fitness

is assessed, the limitations of

research data and the way an athlete’s

mind and body respond to pain,

fatigue and test conditions.

every particle other than wheat is

removed. Even the grains themselves

are scrubbed to remove any outer

hairs.

Duncan Marston showed us the

original part of the mill, which his

grandfather purchased 102 years ago

as a water mill. Back at reception, we

perused the collection of fascinating

historical diaries/books, written

around 100 years ago, recording all

the activities of the time.

In no time at all the time was 9pm

and we had to rush off, as the

nightjars wouldn’t wait. Churring in

the failing light, the birds heralded

an aerial flypast to end a super day.

gillian covey amsb & ian harvey fsb

oPen farm sUnDay17 June 2012Open Farm Sunday is a yearly event

organised by LEAF (Linking

Farming and Environment) and

provides the opportunity for people

to find out more about where and

how their food is produced.

Having visited the event for the last

few years, this year we ran a stall at

College Farm in Duxford,

Cambridgeshire, offering visitors the

chance to dissect owl pellets and

learn about the relationship between

barn owls and farms.

Nearly 2000 visitors participated

in the event and our stall was busy

throughout, attracting and engaging

children and adults alike. Stand

visitors discovered bones from the

pygmy and common shrew, field and

bank vole, and wood, house and

harvest mouse. One pellet even

contained frog bones – only the

second time in four years of pellet

dissecting by the East Anglia Branch.

Along with ‘throw the welly’ and

dressing up a scarecrow, it was the

varied, informative and entertaining

participants that made it another

successful Open Farm Sunday.

We were pleased to be part of it this

year and fully intend to be there

again next June.

amanda burton

North Western

brocK holesnaTUre reserVe19 May 2012 A cold and windy day was the setting

for a trip to the Brock Holes Nature

Reserve. It is a relatively new 106

hectare nature reserve, converted

from sand and gravel workings, to the

east of Preston, Lancashire. Cradled

by a bend in the River Ribble, it is

being turned into a number of

biotopes of “old Lancashire” by the

Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

Reserve manager, Sophie Leadson,

gave branch members a tour of the

reserve and visitor centre (currently

the largest floating structure in

Europe). She explained how grazing

is used to control plant species and

how much of the site is being

landscaped for wetland and wading

birds. A solar powered pump system

recycles water from one of the lakes

and is used to keep a number of

was a big marquee full of lots of

exhibits, all talking about plants. One

of my favourites was the Society of

Biology stall. There was a really cool

smell quiz where you had to guess

plant smells, like onions. There was

another quiz where you had to match

the plant to its product. My other

favourite was a stall where you could

dress up like a bee and go inside a big

flower to get some nectar. My dad says

that I’ve got to give the event a score

out of 10 – I’ve decided to give it 10!

by amy Winterbottom, age 9

miliTary orchiDs, marsTon mill & nighTJars30 May 2012May saw a triple bill of events for

members in East Anglia.

Starting in the afternoon,

we visited the small but

important Rex

Graham nature

reserve in Breckland.

The site is a disused

0.27 hectare chalk

pit, surrounded by

woodland, and is

primarily of interest for

its population of military

orchids (Orchis militaris) as it

contains over 95% of the UK’s

population of this species.

The discovery of a population of

military orchids at this site occurred

accidentally in 1955 by a botanist

looking for moonwort. Genetic

analysis of the orchids at Rex

Graham has shown that they are

distinct from those at the other two

English sites in the Chilterns and

represent an independent

colonisation from Europe.

Next, we went on to Marston Mill.

Located near Bury St Edmunds, it is

a fully automated, family run mill

taking in 2000 tonnes of wheat a

week. We were welcomed by several

members of the Marston family, and

after being kitted out with ear

protection, we toured the mill.

Wheat samples are taken at intake

and any contamination is checked,

plus the moisture level is recorded.

This information is then fed into the

computer system to enable the wheat

to be properly conditioned prior to

milling. The wheat is rigorously

cleaned prior to milling to ensure

channels and edges wet for diverse

species such as Lapwing, Redshanks

and Oyster catchers.

Innovation, cost effectiveness and

“throwing away the rulebook” have all

been used to great effect and the

members were greatly impressed by

the passion and dedication Sophie and

her team have for this superb

biological resource. Several of those

taking part will be returning with

students having recognised the level

and diversity of work being

undertaken on the site. A visit is

recommended for anyone with an

interest in ecology and land

remediation. Sophie can be contacted

at Sophie.Leadsom@brockholes.org.

ian fleetwood msb

Northern

agm & norThUmbrian WaTer21 April 2012Our AGM was held at Northumbrian

Water’s Effluent Treatment Works

and Advanced Digestion Plant at

Bran Sands at the mouth of the River

Tees. Mike Ellner and Bernie

Glanville from Northumbrian Water

gave a short historical overview of

sewage treatment and then

explained the development of the

Bran Sands site.

Prior to 1995, there was no

coherent strategy for the disposal of

sludge in the area, with material

being sent to agricultural land,

landfill or disposed of at sea. The

advanced digestion plant at Bran

Sands uses anaerobic, anoxic and

aerobic biological treatment to deal

with a range of organic and

inorganic wastes, producing clean

effluent and a usable sludge for

farmland. Biogas generated as a

by-product is used as a renewable

energy source.

As well as the economic benefits, the

environmental impact can be seen in

the quality of the river water with the

Tees now supporting healthy salmon

stocks and a thriving population of

harbour seal in the estuary.

At the AGM, officers and the

committee were re-elected en bloc

and Chairman Dr Cliff Wood

thanked the committee for their

work. We have no Charter Lecture

planned for this year although the

branch will continue to support Big

Bang NE and the student animal

health conference.

michael rowell msb

BRANCH NeWS eVeNT RePORTS

These northern members received a guided tour of the bran sands water treatment works in northumbria.

Branch reports

Scotland

bUsy bees9 June 2012Society members and the Scottish

Wildlife Trust (Lanark Group)

enjoyed a day of bee identification on

the beautiful campus of the

University of Stirling.

Anthony McCluskey and Leanne

Casey, both from the Bumblebee

Conservation Trust, led two groups

around the campus. With a good spell

of weather, five out of six common

species of bumblebee were captured,

identified and released.

The expertise and enthusiasm of

our guides inspired all attendees to

return home with the hope of

identifying some of the less common

species, and to take part in some of

the survey schemes supported by the

Bumblebee Conservation Trust

(www.bumblebeeconservation.org).

Dr Jacqueline nairn msb

17th annUal scoTTishTeachers’ meeTing31 May 2012Over one hundred biology teachers

attended this popular event hosting a

wide range of presentations and

exhibitions. Held in Glasgow for the

first time, the morning session –

chaired by Jack Jackson – started

with a presentation on Genetics in

the 21st Century by Kevin O’Dell of

the University of Glasgow.

Kevin’s fascinating talk was

relevant to the Higher and Advanced

Higher Biology qualifications that

come into effect in the next two

years, and highlighted the changes in

technology that have illuminated

some of the big problems in genetics

and evolution.

He was followed by Alison Smith of

the John Innes Institute, who dealt

with equally big ideas and research

that will impact on our ability to feed

the world’s expanding population.

Colin Adams of the Scottish Centre

for Ecology and the Natural

Environment brought things closer

to home with a presentation on

ecological research and its economic

relevance to Scotland.

John Coggins then presented the

awards for academic excellence in

Scottish examinations, sponsored by

Dart publishers. The recipients were

Harriet Turner of Cults Academy for

Higher Biology, Kirsten Hall of

Linlithgow Academy for Biology

Advanced Higher, Bethan Collier of

Dollar Academy for Biotechnology

Higher and Ailsa Bruce of

Boroughmuir High School for Higher

Human Biology.

The proceedings finished with a

hugely entertaining and thought

provoking presentation on “Mind

Magic” by Richard Wiseman of

Hertfordshire University.

Thanks go to Intelligent Events

and members of the Scotland Branch

Committee for organising the day.

Dr alastair macPherson msb

Yorkshire

of shoes, shiPs anDsealing WaX23 May 2012Our annual joint lecture with the

Royal Society of Chemistry was held

at the University of York. Following a

buffet and wine, Dr Anna Snowden

used her 40 years’ experience as a

forensic biologist to illustrate the

difficulties of trading in fresh

produce internationally.

Although there is an increase in the

use of controlled environment

containers, Anna continues to be

called in by insurance companies and

ship owners to investigate why

produce has arrived in an

unacceptable condition. She described

various case studies, emphasising the

need to understand the biology of the

spoilage organisms, the chemical

environment produced within a ships

hold and delays during shipment.

The talk was a fascinating insight

into the difficulties of putting food on

our supermarket shelves. Anna

brought considerable experience to

this unusual task, which is now better

understood by our large and well

entertained audience.

Paul bartlett msb

46 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

BRANCH NeWS eVeNT RePORTS

interested scottish members study various bee species at the University of stirling.

awards for academic excellence were presented at the 17th annual scottish Teachers’ meeting.

Crossword1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9

10 11

12 13

14 15 16

17 18

19 20 21

22 23

24 25

26 27

28 29

Vol 59 No 3 / THe BIOLOGIST / 47

Across1 Are struggling to get oxygen to exist? (6)

4 Arrange bait with care (8)

10 Biolitter gets broken down (9)

11 19 across coming around by lake (5)

12 A fish that’s getting on (5)

13 Developing a process requires energy (9)

14 One has study in back of house (7)

16 Tide movement (4)

19 Cross peas (4)

21 Sap circulates. Somehow that’s true (7)

24 Destroys puma’s lair (9)

25 It’s for holding large head of animal (5)

26 Happy to absorb nitrogen (5)

27 Cooked tripe on plate (5,4)

28 Do meter changes when carbon

is absorbed (8)

29 Any there are left unfinished (6)

Down1 Tyrant has gold stuck on to fancy cart (8)

2 Rider seen to lose head - that’s

confused animal (8)

3 Odd bits of bird have colour (5)

5 A Roman emperor, I’d employ one to

help forecast the weather (7)

6 Upset as tele’s schedule content is

cheap and flashy (9)

7 Peer at broadcast, something you

might have seen before (6)

8 In your pyjamas dozing? Change

please (6)

9 Time to bring out paper (6)

15 I am beaten and seized (9)

17 To break up protest that’s large

is hard (8)

18 Herb tea brewed right - it can really

refresh you (8)

with the normal combination of a

definition and a cryptic indication.

How to enterTo be in with a chance of winning a

£25 book token please send us your

completed puzzles by 14 September

2012. Please include your name,

address and membership number

with your entry – an email address

would be handy too. Post your

entries to: Crossword, The Biologist,

Society of Biology, Charles Darwin

House, 12 Roger Street, London,

WC1N 2JU.

Winners Thanks for your completed puzzles

and well done to the winners, who are

Nigel Cooper MSB and Tracy Parker

MSB. Book tokens on the way.

WIN A £ 25

BOOK TOKEN

A brainbusting, bamboozling, biological brainteaser

Last issue’s solutionVol 59 No 2

20 One who misses being in charge of

a boat? (7)

21 Lap up exotic tea and get sense of

the taste (6)

22 I start to examine germ dispersal, one

now found abroad (6)

23 Right inside animal that’s where milk

can be produced (6)

25 Pretend to be foreign or not allowed to

be present (5)

This issueA return to the usual format this issue

with all the across answers being from

the world of biology and clued without

a definition. Down answers are clued

University of Birmingham 14 November 2012

Queen's University Belfast 28 November 2012

University of Leeds 5 December 2012

Organised by: In association with: Sponsored by:

CALLING ALL UNDERGRADUATES & GRADUATES!

Want to explore your career options in research, industry, science policy and more? Our Careers Conference has presentations on a range of science-related careers, a CV workshop with tips on how to secure an interview for your perfect job, and a chance to mingle with the experts in our exhibition. Lunch and afternoon refreshments included. Find out more: www.societyofbiology.org/lscc

Whatever happened

to a job for life?

It was a nice

linear pathway

that everyone

understood: do well at school, go

to a good university, possibly do

a higher degree and then on to a

job with prospects. If you weren’t

academically inclined, then there

were apprenticeships to learn a trade.

It was never that universal or

straightforward, of course, but

it’s clear that career paths have

radically changed. Today it is an

employers’ market.

In the biosciences it is not at all

unusual to get well over 50 applicants

for jobs, especially early career roles,

even for those on relatively short

fixed-term contracts. So what can

differentiate candidates who want to

work in science and engineering?

I suggest two potential areas:

demonstrating breadth of interest

or experience, and a commitment to

ongoing professional learning. The

Society is seeking to help with both

through its professional registers

and wide networking opportunities.

Learned Societies have a great

opportunity to help existing

members – and attract new ones –

by providing these opportunities in

such a challenging job market.

Increasingly, expert knowledge

also needs to be coupled with

transferable skills. In his recent

‘Making Science Work’ lecture, Sir

Paul Nurse Hon FSB made clear

his view, supported widely in the

audience, that science will no longer

be carried out primarily inside

organisations but between them. To

make that happen, scientific staff

at all levels need to be competent

at managing external partners and

collaborative research involving

customers, suppliers, investors,

politicians and the media.

Learned Societies can really make

a difference by offering members

the chance to meet not just peers

but potential colleagues, at all levels

and from diverse backgrounds,

supported perhaps by professional

development programmes. Showing

a new employer – or even your

existing employer – that you have

breadth as well as depth and skills

beyond a specialism has always been

helpful. Now it’s essential.

The Society has just launched a

series of professional recognition

programmes: Registered Science

Technician (RSciTech), Registered

Scientist (RSci) and Chartered

Scientist (CSci) alongside Chartered

Biologist (CBiol). These all recognise

the competencies of individuals

in the workplace. To be added to

the relevant professional register

applicants must demonstrate

how skills are applied in a work

environment and then complete

CPD (continuing professional

development) to maintain

registration.

It is this recognition of the

application of skills in a broad

way, rather than demonstration

of knowledge, that is so important

both in personal progression and in

showing employers transferability

of skills. For example, an individual

may know how to operate a

piece of equipment, but can they

communicate what it does and

interpret data for both specialists

and non-specialists?

To ensure more support

for Chartered Biologists and

members across the spectrum, but

particularly at the main member

grade, the Society is now also set

to introduce regular half- and

full-day training courses covering

everything from being an ‘expert

witness’ to GLP (Good Laboratory

Practice) and presentation skills.

These courses are a key new

individual member benefit (priced at

a notional fee of £10) which we hope

many of you will take advantage of.

After all, there’s no such thing as

a job for life.

For more details on training and

registers, please check our website

or contact Dr Cliff Collis on

cliffcollis@societyofbiology.org

48 / THe BIOLOGIST / Vol 59 No 3

JOBS fOR LIfE

FINAL WORDDR MARK DOWNS FSB, CHIeF eXeCUTIVe, SOCIeTY OF BIOLOGY

Showing a new employer that you have breadth as well as depth and skills beyond a specialism has always been helpful. Now it’s essential.

www.garlandscience.com

Introduction to Cell Mechanics and

Mechanobiology provides a

quantitative understanding of the

physical properties of cells and their

components, as well as an overview

of cell motion, adhesion, and

response to mechanical stimuli.

Coverage includes the mechanics of

single molecule polymers, polymer

networks, two-dimensional

membranes, whole-cell

mechanics, and mechanobiology,

as well as primer chapters on solid,

fluid, and statistical mechanics.

Advanced analyses and mathematical

derivations are presented as optional

boxes along with solved examples

in the main text; each chapter ends

with problems and annotated

references. The textbook is designed

for a one-semester course in the

mechanics of the cell offered to

advanced undergraduate and

graduate students in biomedical

engineering, bioengineering, and

mechanical engineering.

ISBN: 978-0-8153-4425-4 • £44.00• April 2012 • 350 Pages •250 Illustrations

• Artwork in JPEG format• Student Flashcards• Solutions to questions available online

NEW FROM GARLAND SCIENCE

ONLINE RESOURCES

Online resources for students and instructors can be found at www.garlandscience.com.

For qualified instructors:• Artwork in JPEG & PPT formats. • Computer simulation modules in Matlab available.• Solutions to end-of-chapter exercises.

CONTENTS

PART I. PRINCIPLES 1. Cell Mechanics as a Framework 2. Fundamentals of Cell Biology 3. Solid Mechanics

Primer 4. Fluid Mechanics Primer 5. Statistical Mechanics Primer PART II. PRACTICES 6. Cell Mechanics in

the Laboratory 7. Mechanics of Cellular Polymers 8. Polymer Networks and the Cytoskeleton

9. Mechanics of the Cell Membrane 10. Adhesion, Migration, and Contraction of the Cell 11. Mechanotransduction and Intracellular Signaling

For students:• Solutions available for selected end-of-chapter problems.• Practice modules using computational/simulation programs

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