It Came From A Lab!
It’s being widely reported SARS-CoV-2 might have infected humans via dogs. No, don't worry, it's bollocks. The dog didn't do it...
Neonicotinoids, Bees and Colony Collapse
I was distracted from my devotions to Our Microbial Overlords over the weekend by articles posted all over the place claiming the definitive cause of bee colony collapse disorder (CCD)
Petting Zoo Peril
Yet another E. coli outbreak in a petting farm has put four children in hospital and sickened many more. I was at a fake farm recently with the kids and
Deadly Toxic Mould in 62% of Dishwash Machines
Kitchens are dangerous places – apart from the risk of both sharp and blunt instrument trauma there’s a host of foodborne bugs that can screw up your day. But did
Popstar Watch: Bird Poo Facial No Fun
Zits? Just rub bird shit into your face. If you're a pop idol you know it makes sense. I have a love / hate relationship with the Daily Mail. It
Toxins, Toxins Everywhere…
Do you Detox? Apparently we encounter sooooo many toxins each and every day frankly I’m surprised we all live so long. I’ve had a lot of questions about toxins (thank you!) so
Tamiflu – Science or Spin?
So, Tamiflu has been proven to be a complete waste of our money and naughty old Big Pharma had the Government’s trousers down by being economical with the actualité. Well, you’d
Germ Warfare Update
Crikey. Logical Fallacy Bingo time again. Or is it? I’ve written before about common cognitive biases making people think vaccines cause autism when everyone knows organic vegetables are responsible (the graph
Salmonella in Eggs
A technique recently developed in Princeton and elsewhere apparently uses radio waves to destroy Salmonella in eggs using a novel form of Pasteurisation that doesn’t affect flavour and texture. This technique
Norovirus? Blame the Customer!
I get asked about the noroviruses more than just about any other of our Microbial Overlords. Pretty much daily, in fact. They are a nightmare to control for a number of reasons
Your Cat is Trying to Kill You pt2
What with Pasteurisation and vaccination you could be forgiven for thinking TB was a thing of the past. But you'd be wrong. And it’s the fluffy vermin to blame yet
Science is NOT a Worldview!
Carl Sagan’s Cosmos was unarguably one of the best TV science series ever and remains hugely influential - but its new remake has caused a bit of a stir. Not
The Microbiology of Frank Zappa
It is unsurprising that Frank Zappa referred to both zits and microbiology in his lyrics; his chronicling of the sociology of rock touring and fascination with social taboos made it