Alan Calverd
I am a self-employed medical physicist who should have retired a couple of years ago, but work is just too interesting.During the day I muck about with radiation dosemeters, radiometers, gaussmeters and suchlike, making life safe for patients, staff and third parties, wherever energy is transmitted by particles or electromagnetic waves. I also work on unusual MRI scanners - see www.uprightmri.co.uk for an example. The most fun is arguing with government inspectors, though ex-engineers tend to be knowledgeable and helpful. The rest of the time I play bass or guitar in jazz, dance, brass, Morris Dance, and concert bands; catch fish; and fly anything I can climb into - gliders are pure physics but very frustrating in English weather conditions, so I've taken to using an engine.
After four children and four careers, what's left? Two big ambitions: to design a novel aeroplane and to harvest wild locusts for food. And one small one - to fly a glider in the lee of Mount Cook. Meanwhile my novelist girlfriend Linda always has a lovely dog to walk - good conversation is always welcome, and canines do it best.
Website URL: http://www.radiologyphysics.com
Working from physical evidence, without prior assumptions, to identify the cause of climate change. Who (what) really dunnit?
This article considers the implementation and consequences of a radical, rational policy that demands neither suffering nor miracles (and can therefore be considered truly scientific) to produce an indefinitely sustainable quality of life rather better than currently enjoyed in the West, for everyone.
How can we reduce anthropogenic CO2 emissions quickly without destabilising the world economy or sacrificing Western society? Is carbon dioxide really a significant greenhouse gas? Here is a simple calculation and a proposed experiment to answer both questions.
Andrew Bone
High School science teacher, author, translator.
Dedicated and active environmentalist
Masters in Environmental Management, BSc Environmental Science, and Diploma in Pollution Control
Novel currently in print: Vitruvian Boy, a comic novel about the history of science
51 y.o., one son, Australian, born in UK, lived in Switzerland since 1986
Member of the Green Party, and ASEP/SVU, the Swiss Environmental Professionals Association.
Seeking contact for exchange of ideas on all things scientific, with special interests in environmental issues as relating to the human crisis
Website URL: http://www.transalpine.ch
A biography of Sir Isaac Newton, describing in not overly relentless detail his achievements, passions and failings, and painting for us beautifully the historical context which explains why the greatest of all scientists saw himself as primarily an occultist and alchemist.
An engaging, witty and beautifully designed and illustrated volume, destined to be a classic in the genre of popularisations of mathematics and the philosophy it engenders.
An excursion into metaphysics and the meaning of reality.
Andy Briggs
The creator and publisher of Science File, Andy is a software educator and developer by profession, having worked professionally in IT for 25 years for some of the world's largest companies such as HP and IBM as well as local and central government. As well as technology, his interests include astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, writing music, archaeology and palaeontology. Andy is married, lives in Catalonia, Spain and has an 8-month-old baby daughter, who is the absolute apple of his eye. Andy is currently researching how the new generation of electronic publishing tools can help him to build a bigger, better and more professional version of Science File.
Website URL: http://www.sciencefile.org
Alastair Reynolds' first book in a new series, Poseidon's Children, about humans' exploration and colonisation of the galaxy.
The International Space Station is the most expensive object ever built by humans. But what's it for, and why was it ever built?
Science File's guide to the spacecraft currently exploring the solar system.
Anne Rogers
Anne is a lecturer in biology and animal behaviour at a sixth form college in North Wales. A zoology graduate, Anne has worked in cancer research and vaccine development before taking time out to produce her finest work - two children (currently just entering those "interesting" teenage years) - and then a change in career path took her into teaching, then student support, and finally the current lecturing post which she loves.
When not working, Anne enjoys walking in the hills, birdwatching and reading, but she is not nearly as boring as this makes her sound. Her favourite film is the wonderful "Local Hero", partly due to the gentle humour and partly due to the beautiful Scottish location - she aims to retire one day to the fabulous Isle of Skye. She loves all music except for the rubbish her children listen to, and dabbles in drawing, painting and jewellery-making in any remaining spare time.
Website URL: http://localheroblog.wordpress.com
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A layman's guide to scientific discovery, from the Big Bang to modern man.
A lavishly illustrated guide to the structure and function of the organ systems in the human body.
Bob Howard
I am an amateur scientist (I do it for the love of it) My main interest is to ponder the workings of the universe. I approach the subject without the prejudice of a former knowledge. My interest in science (as a minor obsession) is a relatively recent occurrence.
I had a serious accident in 2004 that left me with disabilities that prevented me from pursuing my then and past occupations, also my leisure activities with their social spin-offs; saxophonist, car enthusiast (car went in accident), dancing etc. Although I was able to carry on with my car building and design project until depleted funds triggered a switch to trying to understand the ways of our universe.
At the age of 47 (I am now 53) with unexpected time on my hand, I addressed my recently discovered problem with dyslexia with precision tinted reading glasses. The result was truly extraordinary as it enabled me to enjoy reading books for the first time in my life. Although I am still not the fastest of readers, and my spelling is still a little on the inventive side, it is still nonetheless life changing.
The accident left me not only disabled but also with shot term memory loss and this set forth an ill-advised compensation claim, part of which involved evaluation by two independent neuropsychologists. They confirmed that my short term memory function was in the lower 5% of population where as my other testable regions were in the top 2 to 5% , my best academic result to date.
With my lack of a good education and limited knowledge I have had to use my intelligence undiluted in my quest to understand the universe, with no sentiment to a prior knowledge I am always at liberty to sample new thoughts without prejudice. In this way I have been able to develop a complex theory that is still a work in progress. I try to ensure that all my proposals have a cause and effect logic that I base on my thought experiments and any current understanding that I can agree with.
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I have always enjoyed programmes on the television which inform you of the latest discoveries in science but until relatively recently it was never more than a healthy curiosity that is common to most people. That started to change one pleasant evening while sitting in a hot tub in 2009 watching the space station fly overhead.
Does our expanding universe create a strange apparition of a reverse time-order past? Do we need to re-think some of the ideas of Relativity where time and distances are peculiar to the observer?
Cara Brookins
Cara is a fulltime computer programmer/systems analyst by day and a writer by night. In between these passions she builds and creates works of art including paintings, mosaics, concrete structures, jewelry, and paper-mâché wall art. Her largest art project to date is the home, Inkwell Manor, which she and her four children built from the ground up with their own hands. See Cara’s website for more information: www.carabrookins.com
Website URL: http://www.carabrookins.com
Toxins, pathogens, and bio-researchers are popular targets for fictional terror plots, but researchers take extreme measures to keep us safe.
A geometrical anthology
An informative compendium of numbers
Chris Snowdon
I am a middle-aged Englishman of modest pretensions. I have an interest in physics but professionally I'm an IT teacher/lecturer. As well as teaching, I have worked as a computer systems manager in industry and, for an interesting couple of years, as a recording technician/engineer. Bikerman is generally my nickname (I'm a motorbike fan) on internet forums so if you see the nickname then the chances are that it is me.
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A history of scientific discovery from pre-history to Newton.
Penny Johnson
Penny is an ex-engineer, ex-science teacher and ex-publisher, and is now a full-time freelance writer of science textbooks for schools. Her main interests are the earth sciences and planetary science
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The story of the research and development work that led to the building of lasers.
Today we take accurate maps of our country for granted, but how were the first maps made without the benefit of satellite imagery or GPS? This is the story of how the Ordnance Survey came to be, and how the First Series of One inch to the mile maps were made.
A global climate change equation that provides a simpler way of understanding the energy dynamics of global warming or cooling.
Changes in Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature lead the trajectory of global surface temperatures in the last century - rising to the mid 1940's, falling to the late 1970's and increasing thereafter to the late 1990's. Physical mechanisms involving a transfer of energy and moisture between the atmosphere and oceans are identified to explain the influence of sea surface temperature on surface temperature at decadal timescales. The sea surface temperature state changes are abrupt as the system behaves like a complex and dynamic system in the terms of chaos theory
Tom Deteau
Tom trained as a nurse and anaesthetic technician in the NHS and practised in various specialities including ICU, Theatres, Coronary Care, and A&E. Now retired, pursuing a leisurely and nomadic research programme into medical history.
These are three boxed sets (each series also available as standalone) of the original recordings of the seminal BBC radio science fiction series, broadcast between 1953 and 1958.
An account of "cognitive archaeology".
How would explorers visiting the Earth millions of years hence reconstruct the history of our planet?
The latest in our series of scientists, mathematicians and engineers who have made major contributions to human knowledge, but whose names have faded from public memory, looks at the life and work of mathematician Paul Pierre Lévy.
Unsung Heroes: Gösta Mittag-Leffler. The first in our series of significant, but not well-known, scientists and mathematicians looks at the life and work of Swedish mathematician Gösta Mittag-Leffler.
The mathematical tools needed to solve fractional-order differential and integral equations.