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Helminths Exposed: Inside the Sometimes Gross World of Food Borne Parasites
In 1865, Otto von Bismarck, the conqueror of France, the architect of German unification, Germany’s first Chancellor and the steely-eyed hard man of realpolitik challenged a scientist to a duel. This wasn’t an early case of nerd hazing. Rudolf Virchow, apart from his scientific career, was also the leader of the Progressive Party and one… Continue reading
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Phylloxera: The American Grape Vine Pest That Almost Ruined My Saturday Nights
Can you imagine a world without French wine? A world without the wines of Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Provence? A world in which French people don’t look down their nose at the wines of the rest of the world? Is such a world even possible? Well, in the late 19th century this is exactly the… Continue reading
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Bananas, uniformity and catastrophe
I’ve been reliably informed by influencers, billionaires, failed comedians, politicians, Twitter pundits and assorted spite-filled meat-puppets looking to build an audience that diversity is a bad thing. Now I’m not one to disagree with the new intelligentsia but as a scientist, a member of the old intelligentsia I guess, I can’t help but feel, deep… Continue reading
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Pasteurisation, food safety and raw milk
I like milk but, lets face it, the rear end of a cow is a pretty grotty place. You’ve got the business end of the alimentary system, a tail swishing around spreading manure all round the place and the udder, the source of our milk, is right there in the middle. Cows aren’t great at… Continue reading
The Science of Food 