We’ve had quite a monster run on this COVID PCR test explanatory series. Part 1 covered how to extract genetic material from your swab sample. Part 2 covered the basics of a standard PCR. Part 3 went over the very basics of an RT-PCR, which is what’s used for COVID […]
It’s that time of year again when I write a reflective piece on the year that was. But… has it really been a year since the last one? Well- not exactly. The last one was posted on the 30th of December 2020, so I still have a week or so […]
I got invited to be a member of a judging panel for a science award aimed at groups of year 7-9 (13-15 year old) students the other day. It was a very inspiring event. The students had to come up with an every day problem that was relevant to their […]
Occasionally I get students who ask me for advice on doing a Ph. D. It usually starts with a, ‘should I do it?’ type of question, and… generally speaking… I tell them ‘no’. Now, some of you may be going, 🤠(<- that should be a gasp) At that. Others […]
One important aspect of scientific research is that no project is ever going to be ‘complete’. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. If you enjoy the feeling of closure, then it’s very unlikely that you’ll get it. It makes things very difficult for a researcher, […]
Why hello there I thought I’d take this opportunity to re-introduce myself. First of all, welcome to my Blog, ‘A Bug’s Life’. I started this Blog two years ago while I was still doing my Ph. D in Bacteriology, with the intention of writing about what life was like as […]
I still remember the disappointment I felt when I first learnt about citations. I think it was in high school, during a religious studies class. We had to write an essay and it had to include citations. The whole notion of writing something and backing it up with evidence to […]
Previously, on ‘A Bug’s Life – Ph. D Blog’, I challenged myself to summarise the contents of my Ph. D Oration into something a little more… palatable. For a general audience. We’ve now (finally) reached the last Aim of my Ph. D project! This, by far, was the hardest, most […]
Welcome back to my long post series that aims to summarise my Ph. D Oration! We’ve so far had part 1, the Introduction, and part 2, which addressed the first Aim of my Ph. D project. This post will tackle the second Aim, so here’s that slide from my Oration… […]
Previously, on ‘A Bug’s Life – Ph. D Blog’, I set a challenge to myself to try and summarise my Ph. D Oration- and present it to you, my readers, in a not-so-science-jargon-filled way. If you missed the start, you should definitely head there, because you can’t really get the […]
A Bug's Life 
You must be logged in to post a comment.