BIOETHICS IMMUNOLOGY BIOENGINEERING ‘ETHICS DUMPING’ IN WHAT’S CAUSING STRANGE COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN THE LIFE SCIENCES NEW MEAT ALLERGIES? SOFTWARE FOR BIOLOGY THE MAGAZINE OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF BIOLOGY /www.rsb.org.uk ISSN 0006-3347 • Vol 66 No 3 • Jun/Jul 19 TURN THE TIDE A blueprint to save marine biodiversity, with Callum Roberts Volume 66 No 3 CONTENTS June/July 2019 HAVE AN IDEA FOR AN ARTICLE OR INTERESTED IN WRITING FOR US? For details contact [email protected] ROYAL SOCIETY OF BIOLOGY 1 Naoroji Street, Islington, London WC1X 0GB Tel: 020 7685 2400 [email protected]; www.rsb.org.uk EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Tom Ireland MRSB @Tom_J_Ireland ON THE COVER [email protected] 12 Interview: Callum Roberts Editorial assistant The marine biologist explains the Emma Wrake AMRSB benefits of using protected areas Chair of the Editorial Board of ocean to boost biodiversity Professor Alison Woollard FRSB Editorial Board Dr Anthony Flemming MRSB, Syngenta Professor Adam Hart FRSB, University of Gloucestershire UP FRONT Dr Sarah Maddocks CBiol MRSB, 26 04 Society News Cardiff Metropolitan University Speaker’s lecture, Teacher Professor Shaun D Pattinson FRSB, Durham University of the Year 2019 and our AGM Dr James Poulter MRSB, University of Leeds 06 Policy and analysis Dr Cristiana P Velloso MRSB, King’s College London The Government’s National Food Strategy, plus Brexit Watch Membership enquiries Tel: 01233 504804 [email protected] FEATURES Subscription enquiries Tel: 020 7685 2556; [email protected] 08 Research review The NC3Rs’ efforts to replace, The Biologist is produced on behalf of the Royal Society of Biology by reduce and refine the use of Think Publishing Ltd, Capital House, animals in biomedical research 25 Chapel Street, London NW1 5DH www.thinkpublishing.co.uk; 18 Red meat and tick bites 020 3771 7200 30 How an allergy to animal products Printed by Wyndeham Southernprint is confounding immunologists Art director Matthew Ball Designer Felipe Perez Production editor Sian Campbell 22 Unethical practices Sub editor Kirsty Fortune Doris Schroeder on efforts to Group account director John Innes tackle ‘ethics dumping’ [email protected] ISSN 0006-3347 26 Who was… Peter Kropotkin? Advertising in The Biologist represents an unparalleled opportunity to reach a large The Russian anarchist who became community of professional biologists. 36 a key figure in evolutionary theory For advertising information contact [email protected]; 020 7685 2556 REGULARS Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board or 30 Focus on the Royal Society of Biology. Computer-aided biology © 2019 Royal Society of Biology (Registered charity no. 277981) 32 Members The Society permits single copying of individual The careers and achievements articles for private study or research, of RSB members irrespective of where the copying is done. Multiple copying of individual articles for 36 Book reviews teaching purposes is also permitted without specific permission. For copying or reproduction 40 Treasurer’s report for any other purpose, written permission must 42 Branches be sought from the Society. Exceptions to the 47 Crossword above are those institutions and non-publishing organisations that have an agreement or licence with the UK Copyright Licensing Agency or the 48 Museum piece US Copyright Clearance Center. Access to the 18 Craft & Graft at The Crick magazine is available online; please see the Society’s website for further details. Facebook “f” Logo RGB / .ai Facebook “f” Logo RGB / .ai This magazine is sent in biodegradable TWITTER FACEBOOK BLOG WEBSITE wrap that can be composted or placed @RoyalSocBio www.facebook.com/ blog.rsb.org.uk thebiologist.rsb.org.uk with food waste. RoyalSocBio Vol 66 No 3 / The Biologist / 1 WELCOME What’s in this issue Research rights and wrongs lthough individual issues of The Biologist are not usually focused on a particular theme, sometimes the articles we receive do seem to coalesce. In this issue three articles, broadly speaking, concern interactions between scientists, their research and ethics. In the first, AKasia Makowska showcases the work of the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) in funding research aimed at providing alternatives (page 10). She makes the compelling case that NC3Rs-funded research not only cuts down on animal use, but it also makes for better science in many cases – a win-win. Meanwhile, Doris Schroeder investigates ‘ethics dumping’ – exporting unethical research practices, often to lower-income countries (page 26). The European Commission has taken steps to prevent this kind of cross-border exploitation with its 2018 Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor Settings, which is applied to all Horizon 2020 work NC3Rs-funded programmes. Most exciting for me, though, was to find out about initiatives from indigenous people themselves. San research not only communities in Southern Africa, for example, have issued cuts down on their own research ethics code based on respect for their animal use, but it social customs and norms, dignity and, above all, consent. also makes for The two-way community engagement that comes with the implementation of such a code seems certain to increase the better science in quality and impact of the research, as well as making it right. many cases The interviewee this month is Callum Roberts, who discusses the crucial importance of Marine Protected Areas in saving marine biodiversity (page 12). Ideally, fishing is completely prohibited in such areas, resulting in a dramatic recovery of fish stocks. Callum is leading efforts to protect BioPic Alison Woollard FRSB 30% of the world’s oceans with a network of ecologically Chair, Editorial Board of connected protected areas. It was disappointing to hear that The Biologist PINK COTTON CANDY the fishing lobby in the UK has yet to embrace this idea despite SLIME MOULD the proven benefits to fish stocks in adjacent, fishable areas. By Katja Schulz This seems to be caused, at least in part, by disinformation These intriguing-looking peddled by industry-linked scientists. An obvious ethical structures (Arcyria sp.) deficit here, I think. were found in Rock On page 22 Maryn McKenna describes the extraordinary Creek Park, Washington detective story that identified the link between the growing DC. Slime moulds are problem of ‘meat’ allergies and tick bites, and may lead to a a grouping of often reassessment of some of the canons of immunology. And we unrelated single-celled focus on computer-aided biology, the development of CAD- eukaryotes that either based software to create novel blueprints for synthetic biology. aggregate into larger Love the glyphs (page 30)! multicellular structures Finally, the Museum Piece caught my eye – quite literally. It or supercells, where features the Craft & Graft exhibition at the Crick Institute, an many nuclei sit in a insight into the armies of technicians and engineers who single unified cytoplasm. support the world-class research going on there. Microscopists More of Schulz’s use an eyelash glued to a cocktail stick to prepare ultra-thin extensive nature samples for electron microscopy – exactly what I and other photography can ‘worm people’ use to move delicate nematodes around! be found at Obviously an example of convergent evolution… www.flickr.com/treegrow 2 / The Biologist / Vol 66 No 3 Vol 66 No 3 / The Biologist / 3 UPFRONT Society news • Policy updates • Analysis The winner was announced at the inaugural HUBS annual meeting in May (see p7). Smith receives the In case you missed it... Ed Wood Memorial Prize of £1,000, £250 worth of Oxford University Press The editor’s pick of biology stories being shared online books and one year’s free membership Library Photo Zephyr/Science to the Society. COMPETITION Record numbers compete in Biology Olympiad More than 9,400 school pupils took part in this year’s British Biology Olympiad 2019, the highest level of participation since the competition began. Students from more than 720 schools worldwide took part, including those in Austria, France, Ghana, India, Macedonia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. Greek scientists From left to right: Dame The competition, first established in believe mitochondrial Nancy Rothwell, Dame 1995, is aimed at pupils in post-16 donation can help Jean Thomas and Dame education who want to test and stretch boost fertility Julia Goodfellow their understanding of the biosciences. EVENT TOTAL SYNTHESIS AND also help boost fertility. UK experts said PREMISES Presidents gather at inaugural science lecture at the Speaker’s residence RECODING OF E. COLI the risks of using the treatment for fertility RSB moves to new home Synthetic biologists have created a were not justified by sufficient evidence. Former RSB president Dame Julia Goodfellow; her communicating science to the of the House, John Bercow. The RSB moved into its new headquarters strain of bacteria with a completely THE GUARDIAN Nancy Rothwell gave the first predecessor, Dame Jean public. She spoke of the need Benn said he hoped it would at 1 Naoroji Street, London, in June, after synthetic genome and with every bit.ly/IVFGreece ever science lecture to be held Thomas; and the for sensitivity when trying to be the first of many regular almost nine years at Charles Darwin House. instance of one codon totally replaced in the grand state apartments Government’s chief scientific challenge people’s views. “You science lectures in the Disruption is expected to be minimal and with an analogous one. CRISPR INHIBITOR FOUND of the Speaker of the House adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance. can tell people they are wrong Speaker’s residence. the new premises will have improved Microorganisms with completely Researchers have discovered a chemical of Commons. Tackling the recent about facts, but you cannot The RSB would like to thank meeting and conferencing facilities.