Selling Sand to Desert Dwellers - How the sand supply has a grip on the globe

A review of permitting disasters, criminal activity and our insatiable desire to build

The Science of Memorisation

If there’s one key word you take from this article, comparing how ancient romans memorised to the modern knowledge of the last 100 years, it should be the word "Variety".

You don't know exactly what a species is. And Neither do I.

What is a species? It's a much harder question than you think. Darwin observed that we had no good definition 150 years ago, and we haven't quite got it worked out yet.

The Launch of Five-Five-Five!

An Explanation, Roadmap and more.

Where's your nearest Coral Reef?

A look at how we consume nature media, and how it impacts our perceptions of the local environment.

The Problem With Defining A Native Species

What this all boils down to is the impossibility of answering the question "what's meant to be here”. Rabbits are Roman, and the first cow reached the USA in 1494.

Unhinged (University) study tips

Here are 3 study tips... but stay with me - I promise you won’t have heard of these before.

The best book about the oceans - A review of 'The Blue Machine'

If you’re considering any study of the oceans, or perhaps now it’s too late, but you wonder what you missed out on, this is the book.

The Ocean is soup - Why defining things is hard

What is soup? No seriously, try come up with some ideas of what makes soup soup...

Yao Lu, and Climate Change in art

I look at some pieces that really struck me, and some that didn't...

Column - Why I regret giving a speech about Andrew Wiles

I explore here what it takes to be successful in an academic discipline, and why spreading the wrong narrative is damaging.