Jon Bushell
History of science
5 mins
Boring old coral
The Royal Society funded a series of expeditions in the 1890s to investigate the structure of coral reefs – but all did not go to plan, as Jon Bushell discovers.
Dr Sophie Ferguson
Publishing
4 mins
Royal Society Open Access Equity - Year 1 in numbers
We look back on the impact of the Royal Society Open Access Equity scheme’s first year, and speak with one of our authors about their experience.
Danilo Giacometti
Publishing
3 mins
Uncovering seasonal shifts in the thermoregulatory strategies of a burrowing salamander
Danilo Giacometti and Glenn Tattersall at Brock University explore thermoregulatory strategies of a fossorial salamander in their new research published in Royal Society Open Science.
Keith Moore
History of science
4 mins
Roman à clef
Keith Moore looks at examples of how authors have used science to inspire their stories, co-opting real-life scientists into their work.
Buchi Okereafor
Publishing
3 mins
Paradoxical Role of Glutamate Transporters in Vertebrate Retina Synapses
A recent study in Open Biology investigates the distinct roles of glutamate transporters in retinal signal processing and bipolar cell responses in zebrafish.
Jessica Miller
Publishing
3 mins
The impact of prehistoric conflicts on population dynamics
A new J. R. Soc. Interface paper examines the wider possible social effects of violent conflict in human prehistory, specifically in terms of population distribution. We spoke to the lead author, Dr Dániel Kondor at Complexity Science Hub Vienna, to find out more.
Eloise Barber
History of science
3 mins
The first Paralympic Games
Eloise Barber tells the story of Sir Ludwig Guttmann FRS, a pioneer in the world of disability sports and founder of the Stoke Mandeville Games.
Alice Power
Publishing
2 mins
STEP forward to fusion
Professor Sir Ian Chapman, the Chief Executive Officer of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, is a leader in the field of fusion energy. Together with his co-editors, Professor Sir Steven Cowley and Professor Howard Wilson, Ian has guest edited a new Philosophical Transactions A theme issue entitled ‘Delivering Fusion Energy – The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP)’. In this blog post, Ian outlines the progress made in fusion science so far, and the motivation for this recent theme issue.
Cameron Hepburn
News and views
4 mins
Do the economics behind the UK’s climate ambitions stack up?
Professor Christopher Huang
Publishing
11 mins
Nerve, muscle, action: celebrating pioneers of cell physiology
A new collection of Royal Society Biographical Memoirs celebrates the scientists who initiated the study of physiological mechanisms at the cellular level, uncovering the biophysical basis for how animal movement is initiated.
Louisiane Ferlier
History of science
4 mins
Figuring the Earth
Louisiane Ferlier introduces the first international collaborative exhibition put on by the Royal Society Library team, jointly curated with the French Académie des sciences.
Helen Eaton
Publishing
3 mins
Aligned Bodies, United Hearts: Why Synchrony Matters and How It Happens
Mohammadamin Saraei, a graduate student at the University of Connecticut, has published a paper in a recent theme issue of Philosophical Transactions B. The study looks at behaviour during an Islamic congregational ritual in order to understand how coordinated actions are occurring.