Tag: Edinburgh Science Festival
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A review of 12 years to save the planet Earth
As stated in the Edinburgh Science Festival brochure, “In 2018, top environmental scientists issued a final call to save our planet from catastrophic climate change. They argued that ‘rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society’ are necessary to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.” The…
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Being a woman in science: Changed times?
As part of the Edinburgh Science Festival, the Royal Society of Edinburgh hosted a panel, “Being a Woman in Science: Changed Times?” The panel brought together three very different women, from three very different backgrounds. Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell is an astrophysicist who grew up in Ireland in the 1950s and made a name…
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A Very Short Introduction to Depression review
CW: mental health Jan Scott, a Professor of Psychological Medicine at Newcastle University, and Dr Mary Jane Tacchi, a consultant psychiatrist, make a formidable duo. The former, more outgoing and easily slipping into the role of professor, the latter slightly more introverted and observant but nevertheless an easy complement to her colleague. This duo took…
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Neuroscientist Gina Rippon dismantled the myth of the ‘female brain’
The work of Dr Gina Rippon has veered into controversial territory. More controversial, in fact, than you might expect, given that her primary research question is simply “how do brains become different from each other?” The source of much of this controversy is a book that she has written entitled “The Gendered brain,” which challenges…
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Health trackers: help or hindrance?
CW: Mental health, eating disorders, exercise Health trackers have a huge presence in our lives, whether it’s the health app in iPhones or wearable devices such as Fitbits. They quietly record our steps, heart rate, sleep patterns and symptoms, as well as store personal information, all with the aim of helping us monitor and improve our overall health, or, in…