Category: genes
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How did the ‘Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium’ get its funny name?
It is February 1908 and Reginald Punnett has just finished giving a lecture to the Royal Society of Medicine in London, when the unthinkable happens. He is ambushed by a question he cannot answer, posed by his enemies. By 1908, Mendel’s ‘lost’ paper had been re-discovered for eight years. Punnett’s boss and mentor William Bateson,…
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Evolution – a primer for 16-19 year olds
The book is beautifully illustrated and engaging. It is are aimed at 16 to 19 year olds who want to learn more and who may be contemplating a biological career. However, we also have several non-biologist and non-scientific adult friends who have bought and enjoyed Evolution. The first two chapters explore natural selection and how it…
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#T03 Beware the “either or” of binary thinking
Learning to understand the world From our earliest days, we try to make sense of the world by dividing it up into categories: me/not me, safe/not safe/, dog/mum and so on. These are called “binary” categories, because everything has to fit into one of the two choices. “Would you like tea or coffee?” forces you…
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#T02 Genes are generalists
The fascination of twins The 1980s were the golden age for twin studies. Identical twins share the same DNA, because they come from the same single fertilised egg. Some pairs of twins were (sadly) separated at birth to be adopted into different families. Many did not know they were twins until they were adults. Separated…
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About this blog
This is the blog of Neil Ingram and reflects a variety of my interests over the years. As a biology teacher, university academic, examiner and author. I have been deeply interested in the use of IT in schools when Windows 3.0 came out in May 1990. About ten years ago, I was invited to be…