Written by Dr Lewis Newton Metrology The science of measurement In many scientific disciplines, not least your daily life, there is often a need for measurement. In many ways, it is the cornerstone of the scientific method – although this may be bias coming from a Metrologist! For us metrologists, we are concerned with everything to do with measurement. From the 7 SI units (mass, length, time, etc.) to the instruments that measure them! Uncertainty Think of it as confidence in our results – or more positively, certainty! While it all sounds negative, you’ll often see this in the form of s ..read more

This week on virus of the week is West Nile Virus, another single stranded RNA virus belonging to the flavivirus family! Learn more about other dengue and tick-bourne encephalitis virus! Taxonomy Etymology WNV was first isolated from a febrile patient from the West Nile district of Northern Uganda in 1937, (Smithburn et al., 1940). Following naming conventions of the time it was called WNV. Hosts: What carries WNV? Natural hosts of WNV are mosquitoes and birds, (Jerzak et al., 2005). Culex mosquitoes are particularly important for WNV transmission into humans! Humans are ‘dead end hosts ..read more

Today we are introducing you in brief to Tick-bourne encephalitis virus, another flavivirus spread by ticks! Taxonomy Tick-bourne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a positive sense single stranded RNA virus, belonging to the flavivirus family. See other flavivirus Dengue here. Etymology The name self-explanatory, a virus which is carried by ticks and causes encephalitis! The first recorded case dates back to the 18th century Scandinavian church records (Lindquist & Vapalahti, 2008). Hosts Ixodes spp. a species of tick, transmits the virus to humans, though the cycle includes birds and deer. Ny ..read more

As we delve into this new series – a scientists’ toolkit, we start with the microscope. From its history through to its applications. Its uses are endless and we will show you why! There are many different types, from light to electron, some are binocular others are not. There are digital, stereo, USB and pocket microscopes. Here are just a few of them below. Depending on the purpose different microscopes may be used, it is just about picking the right one for the job! (7) Digital light microscope: invented in Japan in 1986. Uses principles of light microscopy, but connects to a computer sim ..read more

As we delve into this new series – a scientists’ toolkit, we start with the mircoscope. From its history through to its applications. Its uses are endless and we will show you why! There are many different types of microscope, from light microscopes to electron microscope, some are binocular others are not. There are digital, stereo , USB and pocket microscopes. Here are just a few of them below. Depending on the purpose different microscopes may be used, it is just about picking the right one for the job! (7) Digital light microscope- This microscope was invented in Japan in 1986. Uses prin ..read more

This week’s virus of the week is Dengue virus! This virus belongs to the Flavivirus genus and has a positive sense, single stranded RNA genome. Etymology, where does the name come from? There are several possibilities: Swahili phrase Ka-dinga pepo (cramp like seizure caused by an evil spirit), which potentially originated from the Spanish word ‘dengue’ meaning careful. Alternatively, posture described resembled a ‘dandy’ in English hence ‘dandy-fever’, (Halstead, 2008) . What are the Hosts of Dengue Virus? Natural cycles exist between Aedes mosquitoes and non-human primates like gorillas. R ..read more

Misinformation vs disinformation, what’s the difference? This infographic briefly defines the difference between misinformation and disinformation. Both misinformation and disinformation refers to information that is not factually correct, however, misinformation may be spread due to poor understanding of the subject, or just by mistake. Disinformation is when incorrect information is spread on purpose. Misinformation Is factually incorrect information – regardless of intent. It may be a mistake, or a misinterpretation of data. Disinformation Is the deliberate spreading of false informat ..read more

So. You’ve seen something you think is misinformation. What do you do? Here is The Science Social Misinformation Toolkit. Not sure? Don’t share! Not sure, don’t share is our mantra. If you have second thoughts about something you’re reading online, do not continue to share it. The wrong advice or information can do more harm than good. Sharing because you think it could be useful knowledge without actually checking could result in someone taking potentially harmful action. Although it is an extreme example, there were reports only weeks ago that ‘drinking bleach could rid you of coronavir ..read more

Did you know that there are over 1031 viruses on this earth…? That’s ten nonillion?! You didn’t? This is Virus of the Week: The Science Social has made it their mission to introduce a virus each week to help raise general understanding of virology. We don’t think we will get through all the viruses through this series, just a select few. Here are some of the things that you will learn about each virus that we chose to present to you each week: Taxonomy Etymology Hosts Cell tropism Transmission Pathology “Did you know…?” And of course, a reference list from peer reviewed articles so you can be ..read more

Written by Emily Clarke @E_Clarke_Sci @LabPeffers One medicine promotes collaboration between doctors, vets, scientists and other medical professionals so veterinary and human medicine can evolve and improve so both benefit from equal medical progress (1). One health focuses specifically on how the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment (2). History of One Health, One Medicine The concept of one medicine and one health has been around for a LONG time… It was first referred to by Rudolf Virchow, regarded as the father of modern pathology ..read more