Read Lab Blog

Neuronal models of motion sensitivity

posted by Jenny on October 30, 2013

I was just assembling a (personal, biased) reading list on neuronal models of motion sensitivity, and it occurred to me it might be good to do it publicly as a blog post. Please any neuro readers, chip in with your … Continue reading

Visual illusion fest

posted by Jenny on October 27, 2013

Honda has made a car advert featuring a whole host of visual illusions, mainly based on anamorphic perspective. Love it! There’s also a Making-of video.

Of nature and nurture

posted by Jenny on October 26, 2013

I’m no geneticist, but I was interested to see the recent comments on the heritability of academic performance. I thought it demonstrated the sorry lack of understanding of these things in the media and general public (including me), and I … Continue reading

British Science Festival

posted by Paul Hands on October 23, 2013

This has been an exceptionally good and fun week doing the British Science Festival. Lisa had set up a workshop all on camouflage and mimicry and during all the lab helped out (although kudos to Lisa who managed to do … Continue reading

Tying up some loose ends

posted by Paul Hands on October 23, 2013

While I wait to begin construction of my next experiment (assessment panel approval pending) I have been working hard on various different bits and pieces. My paper for the oblique angles study is almost ready for submission (bar the inevitable … Continue reading

Mantis in motion

posted by Jenny on October 8, 2013

Things are going well with the mantids. They are such great experimental subjects; I think I prefer them to humans! Certainly a lot less hassle :). Although the main thrust of the M3 project will be about their stereo vision, … Continue reading

RIP David Hubel

posted by Jenny on September 29, 2013

I was pleased David Hubel was honoured by an obituary in The Telegraph, but I was surprised by the opening sentence: “When Hubel and Wiesel began experiments on vision and the brain in the late 1950s, neuroscientists thought that images … Continue reading

Camouflage and Mimicry Workshop

posted by Ghaith on September 25, 2013

Camouflage and Mimicry Workshop Our lab has taken part in organizing the Camouflage and Mimicry workshop at the British Science Festival 2013 in Newcastle. Lab members Lisa, Paul, Sid and I (although to a much lesser extent) have participated in … Continue reading

New Stars for Old

posted by Jenny on September 10, 2013

Anyone interested in the history of science in general and astronomy in particular can pick up a copy of my husband Marc’s book from the Newcastle branch of Blackwell’s on Percy Street. “New Stars for Old” is a series of … Continue reading

Welcome Vivek!

posted by Jenny on September 10, 2013

Delighted to say it was Vivek’s first day in the lab today. And he brought a delicious carrot cake along too! It was like the old days when Jennifer would bring along cake for lab meetings :). Vivek wasted no … Continue reading

Day 2 of the British Science Festival

posted by Jenny on September 10, 2013

…and I am feeling I need a lie-down! All I did today was help present three 45-minute workshops to a total of nine groups of half a dozen kids. I realise this is nothing compared to the daily workload of … Continue reading

British science festival, modelling and good time management

posted by Paul Hands on September 5, 2013

It is the British Science Festival (known from here as BSF) next week in Newcastle so the institute is very bustly over the last few days. Lisa on our team has done a tremendous job of organising not 1, not … Continue reading

Dissertation deadline looming

posted by Paul Hands on July 22, 2013

Over the past few weeks all my work has been focussed on one thing and one thing only: The looming deadline for my 7500 word dissertation on the research I have done over the past 7 months. I finally submitted … Continue reading

Satisfied.

posted by Jenny on June 28, 2013

What a productive lab… Lisa and Paul gave great talks as part of their MRes yesterday; today Lisa is delivering multiple talks to visiting sixth-formers as part of Biology Open Day, while Paul is up in Edinburgh on a Matlab … Continue reading

Mantis migration

posted by Jenny on June 20, 2013

Thanks everyone who came along to help Lisa and me move our mantids across to their new home in the dedicated insect facility down the road. Especially Nick and Mike, who probably didn’t imagine when they came to the UK … Continue reading

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