12.28.2020

Scientists and engineers in UK and Ireland can enter a £600 writing prize for free


If you are a scientist or engineer who writes regularly about your subject, how can you know if you’re doing well? If you’re located in the UK and Ireland, or write for people based there, you can now enter your work for recognition by the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW).

As well as validation, The Dr Katharine Giles Award for best popular article written by a scientist or engineer comes with a £600 prize and media skills training. Dr Katharine Giles was a Lecturer at University College London who carried out ground-breaking research on sea ice, ocean circulation and wind patterns. She was also a passionate science communicator. Dr Giles was tragically killed in a cycling accident in 2013. The award is funded by the Dr Katharine Giles Fund, overseen by her mother, Dorrie.

This award is organised in association with stempra, the membership network for science PR and communications professionals, and is for a specific article aimed at a general audience. Entry for this award opens on January 4 2021, closes at 23:59 on February 1, and is free to all. Full guidelines are available at this page.

However this is just one of many awards the ABSW runs – see the full list here. You can enter up to three categories – however entry in the other awards either costs £55, or is free if you are an ABSW member. If you are any form of student who does science writing you may be able to join the ABSW for just £20 – click here for more details. 

Good luck to all who enter!

12.21.2020

What does a lonely brain look like? What's the deal with the new British coronavirus strain? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Dec 14 - Dec 21 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In the last weekly roundup of the eventful year that has been 2020, find out how DMT is being used to fight depression, and explore how part of the coronavirus could become incorporated into our DNA. Happy holidays, stay safe and join us again on January the 4th for more from the world of science news. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

Scientists show what loneliness looks like in the brain by Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology news.
“The findings fit with the possibility that the up-regulation of these neural circuits supports mentalizing, reminiscence, and imagination to fill the social void,”
Credit: Leszek Pietrzak via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Psychedelic drug DMT given all clear for depression treatment trials by Ben Nealon at Science Prism.
Hearing aids could use some help by Paula Span for The New York Times.
The first COVID-19 vaccines: What’s mRNA got to do with it? by Dr. Ricki Lewis for DNA Science at PLOS blogs.
Holiday Instability by Physics Central.
Gravitational waves probe exotic matter inside neutron stars by Clara Moskowitz for Scientific American.
We may have seen a huge explosion in the oldest galaxy in the universe by Jonathan O’Callaghan for New Scientist.
Finding love in a hopeless place: How deep-sea anglerfish evolved to fuse with their mates by Alia Sajani for ImmunoBites.
Dust from receding glaciers may have major atmospheric impacts by Emily Harwitz at the American Geophysical Union blog Eos.
Where do stem cells come from? Expert answers by Dr. Paul Knoepfler for The Niche.


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12.14.2020

How is a re-engineered psychedelic helping to treat depression in rodents? What have we learned about the Coronavirus, one year on? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Dec 7 - Dec 13 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best in the business from the world of science news, explore the surprisingly complex physics behind sandcastles, and discover how traditional remedies put many endangered species further at risk. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?
A drug called Ibogaine is a pretty knarly hallucinogen and can cause heart-attacks. But re-engineered, it's showing promise in treating rodent models of depression.
Credit: Nick Harris via Flickr (CC-BY-ND 2.0)
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12.07.2020

How does belief in conspiracy theories lead to accepting pseudoscientific medicine? How can being happy prevent cognitive decline? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Nov 30 - Dec 6 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best and brightest from the world of science news, meet Kurt, the first cloned Przewalski’s horse, and get the latest on the coronavirus vaccine that's starting to be administered to the public. Is an end in sight? ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?
“Typically viewed as harmless, pseudoscientific practices can range from extremely dangerous (drinking methanol or injecting disinfectants) to deceptive ones, leading people astray from evidence-based practices,” 
Credit: Giancarlo Foto4U via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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11.30.2020

Is herd immunity a viable strategy for COVID-19? What is 'Disaster Fatigue' and how does it affect how we behave? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Nov 23 - Nov 29 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's very best from science news around the world, find out what's it's like to have coronavirus and the flu at the same time, and find out exactly why Canada is allowing BP to explore in a designated marine reserve. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?
Without clear information that having had the virus confers immunity, the herd immunity strategy is uncertain and potentially dangerous.
Credit: Davide Gabino via Flickr (CC BY-ND)
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11.23.2020

What's the link between Plinko and Chaos theory? Could playing videogames contribute to greater wellbeing? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Nov 16 - Nov 22 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's roundup of the latest news from science around the world, explore all things corona, with articles covering the vaccine, the science, and the mental health consequences the aftermath of the pandemic is having for many people, as well as what we could do to prevent another such pandemic. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

On a sufficiently complicated Plinko board it becomes impossible to predictably follow the same path twice.
Credit: temptationize via Flickr (CC-BY-ND 2.0)

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11.16.2020

What's the deal with fluorescent squirrels? How could artificial skin help to avoid animal testing? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Nov 9 - Nov 15 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In ScienceSeeker's weekly roundup of the best science news as picked by real scientists, get the lowdown on the latest developments in understanding and fighting the coronavirus, and for a little light relief, discover the parts of the brain that dictate about what we find beautiful. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

When exposed to UV light, some species of flying squirrel fluoresce a bubblegum pink.
Credit: Clevergrrl via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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11.09.2020

Which genes dictate how tall we are? Why are some animals born with two heads? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Nov 2 - Nov 8 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best and brightest from science news around the world, find out why sea slugs are much prettier than their terrestrial cousins, and get the low-down on the news that a dangerous new COVID-19 variant is circulating in mink populations. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?
Geneticists have accounted for a major share of this 'missing heritability,' at least for people of European ancestry.
Credit: Quinn Dombrowski via Flickr (CC-BY-SA 2.0)
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11.02.2020

What's the science behind superspreaders? Why can't your brain resist Halloween candy? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Oct 26 - Nov 1 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's curated selection of the best science news sources from around the world, find out what to ask if a COVID-19 vaccine is approved - or if you prefer lose yourself contemplating the nature of the stars in the sky. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

Studies have shown that Covid-19 is spread mostly by superspreaders - single individuals that infect many others.
Credit: pravin.premkumar via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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10.26.2020

How does stress make you sick? Where does dark matter come from? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Oct 19 - 25 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's curated selection of the best science news sources from around the world, find how light pollution can damage our environment, and explore exactly how unlucky the dinosaurs were. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?
In modern times, where trivial daily stresses are common, the fight-or-flight response causes our bodies to overreact to stressors.
Credit: Sari Montag via Flickr (CC-BY-SA)
Light pollution has profound effects on how individuals, populations, species, and ecosystems function.
Credit: Pineapples and Whales

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10.19.2020

How is a high-fat diet bad for your brain? Is time real? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Oct 12 - 18 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's edition of the best science news from around the world, explore the Coronavirus vaccine being grown in tobacco plants, and discover the new room-temperature superconductor that could revolutionise energy. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?
This study suggests that exposure to a high fat diet alters the brain’s response to food so that only high-calorie foods are rewarding and satiating.
Credit: Nenad Stojkovic via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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10.12.2020

Do we really have free will? How are sperm helping to make mini-motors? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Oct 5 - 11 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's edition of the cream-of-the-crop from the world of science news, we've got the biggest stories from this year's Nobel prizes, and the latest on the coronavirus pandemic. Find out how having neanderthal DNA might make coronavirus more dangerous, and discover the new tests that give results in just five minutes. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

"If you did one thing, there is no evidence you could have done something else because, well, you didn’t." 
Credit: A.Davey via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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10.05.2020

Why do some people suffer worse with Covid-19? Why are some people resistant to HIV, while most aren't? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Sept 28 - October 4 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best and brightest from the world of science news, discover how males and females react to the coronavirus differently, explore the interplay between you, vitamin D and sunlight, and find out why cursive writing is good for your brain. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

The genetic mutations slow down interferon—a group of signaling proteins released in the presence of viruses—production and function.
Credit: Mislav Marohnić via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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