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The Azolla Event: when is a fern not a fern?

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Betelgeuse, Gamow, and a Big Red Horse

There has been a lot of talk recently of Betelgeuse possibly going supernova this century or not...

Climate Change, the Walrus and the Carpenter

I have recently watched two videos on climate change by Sabine Hossenfelder.  The first one...

A Very Large Hadron Collider?

Frontpage image: Illustration of spherical explosion (kilonova) of two neutron stars (AT2017gfo/GW170817)...

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Robert H OlleyRSS Feed of this column.

Until recently, I worked in the Polymer Physics Group of the Physics Department at the University of Reading.

I would describe myself as a Polymer Morphologist. I am not an astronaut,

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A Festive Greeting

A Festive Greeting

Dec 24 2012 | comment(s)

A greeting card appropriate to Silchester, about 1500 years ago.

The English is from a little bit later, more likely King Alfred’s time.  However, for the Britons still living there, although surrounded by Saxons, I have to use Modern Welsh, since only a few Ogham inscriptions from that time survive.

Harlequin weaponry

Harlequin weaponry

Dec 12 2012 | comment(s)



Two different ladybirds



In recent years, Britain has been invaded by Harlequin ladybirds, which are threatening our native species.  In this picture, a native seems to be trying to mount a harlequin, although I cannot see any little larvae resulting from this activity!

Diffract And Destroy!

Diffract And Destroy!

Dec 11 2012 | comment(s)

Diffract and Destroy!

This sounds a bit like a Dalek invasion.  But in fact it’s research from Arizona State University:

Telegraphic ‘Twizzlers’

Telegraphic ‘Twizzlers’

Dec 05 2012 | comment(s)

Next to Science 2.0, one of my most frequently visited websites is Telegraph Blogs.  Among those issues which most raise the hackles of the readership is that of Climate Change.  Many of them regard Anthropogenic Global Warming as a religion based on spurious science.  It is very tedious even to contend with a single one of them.  The latest thing to arouse their ire is

Has A Fish ‘Broken’ A Law Of Physics?

Has A Fish ‘Broken’ A Law Of Physics?

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)

How a fish ‘broke’ a law of physics


... says a press release from Bristol University.

An Alimentary Voyage

An Alimentary Voyage

Nov 01 2012 | comment(s)

Yesterday evening, on BBC4 Television, I watched a repeat of Guts: The Strange and Wonderful World of the Human Stomach. 


TV presenter Michael Mosley was the main exhibit in a public experiment at the Science Museum in London, exploring the inside story of the human digestive system.  He swallowed a mini camera in a pill that took photographs three times a second as it passed through his gut.