About the author

Nick Oswald

Nick is a molecular biologist-turned-publisher. After a PhD in Developmental Biology and an eclectic seven years in biotech he is now Editorial Manager of Neuroendocrinology and the founder and Editor-In-Chief of Bitesize Bio. You are welcome to connect with Nick on LinkedIn

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It’s time to look around those blogs again. On offer this week: The Tree of Science, a perfect Western at the first attempt and how to kill someone using an IPod Nano.

What can we learn from microbes? Elio at Small Things Considered comments on a talk he heard recently about Biomimicry, the invention of new technologies inspired by nature. A good example is Velcro, the invention of which was inspired by plant burrs that hitch a ride on animals. A fascinating field, but could microbes be a so-far untapped source of inspiration?, asks Elio

Another summer student?…. Kristi at Working the Bench neatly sums up the potential pitfalls of taking on summer students and suggests that an adjustment of priorities might help.

Where are you on the tree of science? Alex at The Daily Transcript asks us all to sign up to SciLink’s Tree of Science, a project aimed at mapping how scientists are connected.

Western, (1st) Shot. The Black Knight at Life of a Lab Rat is really happy that his new grad student got a perfect-looking Western blot at her first attempt, no really – he is!

Oxygenation by bacteria? Alan at Microbiology Bytes highlights a very interesting paper on oxygen generation by microbes.

and finally…

Killer sounds. It’s not science, but it’s so bizarre that I had to include it. Benjamin at The World’s Fair linked to a post by a former marine on 8 ways to kill someone with an IPod… number 6 is interesting:

6. Carefully unstaple a tea bag and pour the contents on a plate. Break into the lithium-ion battery pack and saturate the tea with the battery’s poison, then dry the tea in the sun (or with a hair dryer if you are in a hurry). Put tea back in tea bag and bend the staple back to its original position. Put the tea bag back where you got it.