Chris Bird
Freelance Journalist

Biomedical Scientist. December 2008
Towards the end of 1958 an accident at the Boris Kidric Nuclear Science Institute at Vinca, near Belgrade, in what was then Yugoslavia, exposed six engineers to radiation doses estimated at 300 to 1200 rads (3-12 Gy). Since radiation preferentially damages the most rapidly dividing body cells it was inevitable that these patients would suffer bone marrow failure. Shortly after the accident five of the patients were transferred to the Marie Curie Hospital in Paris where they received bone marrow transplants in an effort to save their lives. This was the first therapeutic use of bone marrow transplants and, although none of those original patients survived, the technique has now become a key weapon in the fight against a wide range of cancers and immunodeficiency disorders. (more…)

This article first appeared on the Transition Town Totnes website

Energy company, e.on, are planning to build a massive new coal burning power station at Kingsnorth in Kent. If the government gives approval for this development it will produce as much CO2 as Ghana and skuttle any chances of reaching even the government’s limited plans to cut carbon emissions and limit climate change. It could also give a disastrous green light for a whole new generation of coal fired power stations. (more…)

Article first appeared on Transition Town Totnes website

About fifteen people gather on a Saturday evening to talk about ecologically sound and sustainable building. The venue is Jim and Kate Carfrae’s stunning straw bale house in Totnes but, for tonight at least, neither our hosts or their home are the main attraction. (more…)

‘The Observer’ June 15th 2008
Cob, a common building material until around a hundred years ago, is making a comeback in Devon as more people discover the advantages of building and living in a ‘mud’ house. (more…)

A few years ago the cables supplying power to my laboratory were so overloaded they began to overheat. Our electricity supply had to be supplemented by temporary cables and we couldn’t use air conditioning. I tell this story to illustrate how much energy consumption has increased in laboratories over the years. Pathology departments are now one of the biggest energy users in any hospital and hence a major contributor to that hospitals ‘carbon footprint’. (more…)

The credibility of those who deny that global warming is both real and responsible for climate change is rapidly sinking to the level of those who deny the link between AIDS and HIV. (more…)

‘Self Build & Design’ June 2008
When Jan and Jerry Sharpe decided they wanted to build their own house cob was the obvious choice. “Our business is repairing old buildings and in Devon that frequently means working with cob,” explained Jan. (more…)

Although I didn’t realise it at the time, the evening of November 8th 2007 was even busier than normal in the rapidly developing world of genetic screening. (more…)

Nuclear Engineering International
In March a new coalition government took power in Finland and two key Ministers have a record of voting against nuclear power plants. Paula Lehtomaki, Minister for the Environment and Mauri Pekkarinen, Minister for Trade and Industry, both voted against the application to build the Olkiluoto 3 (OL-3) plant in 2002. However, as Chris Bird discovered during a visit to Helsinki, this does not signal a move away from nuclear power. (more…)

New Scientist
The tropics contain thousands of species of plants which could provide medicines for the future. But as forests disappear, so do the local people who guard their secrets (more…)