‘One Plus One Equals One: Symbiosis and the evolution of complex life’ by John Archibald
One Plus One Equals One by John Archibald is a very interesting and entertaining book about endosymbiosis. It gave a historical overview of the topic, from how scientists first discovered microbes to the questions that remain unanswered at present. At the same time, the author introduces and explains thoroughly a lot of basic concepts in biology throughout the story. These include the original proposals for the tree of life and how it changed multiple times over the past couple of centuries. Similarly, fundamentals in cellular and molecular biology are addressed very well. In this way, the...
Read MorePostdoctoral Research Position in Planetary Science
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral researcher to characterise potential landing sites for the ESA ExoMars rover. The project will be based in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London, funded by a grant from the UK Space Agency. The research will involve the use of remote sensing data to conduct detailed geological analyses of potential landing sites on Mars. Of particular importance is the development of testable hypotheses to aid potential future geological exploration of the landing site. The successful candidate will be part of...
Read MoreThe origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System
Water is fundamental to life. This meeting will explore how the Earth and its planetary neighbours obtained their water, how abundant it is, and its distribution in both pre-planetary and early planetary times. It will bring together Earth and planetary scientists, astrophysicists and chemists to learn from each other about the history of water on our planet and its role in creating the conditions that support life. The meeting will be held at the Kavli Royal Society Centre, Chicheley Hall, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, MK16 9JJ, on the 1st and 2nd of February 2016. The event is free to...
Read MoreRAS Discussion Meeting: Cosmic Dust in Space and on Earth
A Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) Specialist Discussion Meeting will be held at the Royal Astronomical Society Lecture Theatre in Burlington House, Piccadilly on the 11th of December 2015. ‘The meeting aims to bring together researchers involved in the study of natural and anthropogenic cosmic dust, including those studying data from observatories and space missions, analysing mission returned samples and cosmic dust collected here on Earth, as well as those performing relevant modelling and experiments.’ The event is open to all, and admission is free for RAS members. For more...
Read MoreASB Launches STARS Project with support from UKSA
The STARS project aims to promote Tim Peake’s Principia mission to the International Space Station in 2015, particularly through fostering engagement with key-stage 2 (KS2; yrs 7-11) and key-stage 4 (14-16) pupils across the UK. STARS is intended to be, the first instance, a community-based outreach project driven by members of the ASB, and at present we have a cadre of 12+ members signed up to play a role in delivering the STARS project, several of whom have considerable and varied experience in delivering outreach activities to schools. We hope to inspire pupils at KS2 & 4 to engage...
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