March 26, 2011
During the last two decades scientists say the Ebola virus has killed around one-third of the world’s gorillas and tens of thousands of chimpanzees. In the next decade they predict that the death toll may rise to half of the world’s gorilla population. One American scientist from California wants to protect these endangered primates by vaccinating […]
March 11, 2011
Like most women I spend far too much money on cosmetics and beauty products. I’m a sucker for anything that tells me it will stave off the ageing process that little bit longer. But the reality is no matter how much jojoba; aloe vera; goji and acai berries there are in my face cream, ageing […]
March 9, 2011
As I spend more time learning about research carried out in the scientific world, I realise there are a wealth of stories that just never manage to penetrate the mainstream media. The attitude of so many news editors is surprising blinkered and aloof, as I found out last year when I tried to pitch my […]
March 5, 2011
There’s no question about it, stress is bad for you. You don’t need a science degree to work it out. But did you realise that continuous long-term stress can actually shorten your life? Last week I interviewed a woman who suffered years of post-traumatic stress after she was raped by someone she knew. A horrible […]
March 3, 2011
Photographing wildlife is no easy task. As soon as you pull out a moving or stills camera, the elusive buggers are nowhere to be seen. This is probably why natural history documentaries take so long to produce. I was very fortunate to film wild chimps in the forests of West Uganda last year, but there […]
February 22, 2011
These beautiful primate portraits are part of a project called 97% Human, which were taken at Melbourne Zoo by photographer Arthur Xanthopoulos. He wanted to bring out the human side to these animals (anthropomorphism). Arthur was originally inspired by primate documentaries, including BBC productions narrated by Sir David Attenborough, where the theme […]
February 21, 2011
As a freelancer and a part-time student it would be very easy for me to morph into a couch potato. But I know only too well, that an expanding waistline is unlikely to bring more on-screen work, just additional woes about health issues and lots of ribbing from friends and family. So, three times a […]
February 20, 2011
What is it about cupcakes that has people going ga-ga? Everywhere I look there are recipes in magazines; books and blogs dedicated to the art of making them; coffee shops filled with ladies-who-lunch chowing down on them; there’s an episode in Sex in The City where Carrie and Miranda dissect their love lives over sponge and buttercream and […]
February 18, 2011
This weekend Longleat Safari Park’s monkey enclosure, is due to open after almost two years of being shut, following the discovery of a rare virus that’s fatal to humans. In March 2008, one of the primates at the Wiltshire park was found to have a strain of herpes virus. A routine blood test found a […]
March 28, 2011
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