New Strides, Old Stripes: Zebras and the tsetse fly TAGS: east africa | Edinburgh | genetics | genome | genomics | hagenbeck | james cossar ewart | sequencing | trypanosomiasis | tsetse | zebra It was announced last week that scientists have deciphered the genetic code of the tsetse fly, which offers hope of eradicating one of Africa’s most deadly diseases. The fly, which …Continue reading →

Picture Perfect! TAGS: drosophila | Edinburgh | genetics | institute of animal genetics | photographs | science | waddington Being lucky, as I am, to work with a wide variety of archival collections relating to the history of animal genetics in Edinburgh, it can be mightily difficult to select …Continue reading →

The Hen Who Made History…Nearly TAGS: alan greenwood | Edinburgh | egg laying | egg production | eggs | eglantine | genetics | institute of animal genetics | L1641 | poultry | poultry breeding | poultry research centre | world record Edinburgh holds a number of world records in genetics and animal breeding, which, considering its historic significance in the history of the science in Britain, is not all that surprising. …Continue reading →

The Lysenko Controversy: Soviet Genetics and Edinburgh TAGS: 1939 | crew | Edinburgh | genetics | geoffrey beale | internation genetics congress | lysenko | mendel | mendelism | propaganda | russia | soviet | stalin | USSR | vernalisation Britain has been fortunate in the freedom it has enjoyed to carry out scientific research; something which has not always been the case with other parts of the world. The …Continue reading →

‘To sow the seeds of a new science…’ Happy Birthday James Cossar Ewart TAGS: birthday | bungalow | craigybield | Edinburgh | f.a.e crew | genetics | institute of animal genetics | james cossar ewart | penicuik The name of James Cossar Ewart (1851-1933) has featured regularly in this blog over the past year or so, but we wish him a happy 163rd birthday for tomorrow (26th November). …Continue reading →

Marking the Millennium? TAGS: Edinburgh This week’s images all come from a lovely photograph album commissioned by the University in 1900 (Shelfmark EUA CA1/2). We don’t have much information about this volume but we think …Continue reading →

To fast or feast? Celebrating Christmas in the eighteenth century TAGS: Christianity | Christmas | church history | Church of England | Edinburgh | eighteenth-century | Funk | New College Library | rare books | Theology & Ethics | theology in history | Z Collection Many folk will be going to Christmas lunches and parties this week – including New College Library staff. Outside our office window the Edinburgh Christmas fair is in full (and noisy) swing, celebrating the …Continue reading →

Light Night in Edinburgh – New College Library closing early TAGS: Christmas | Edinburgh | New College Library New College Library will close early at 5pm on Thursday 29 November as installations and road closures for ‘Light Night‘ mean that readers will not be able to exit the …Continue reading →

New College Library record of Jacobite Edinburgh TAGS: Bonnie Prince Charlie | David Hume | Edinburgh | eighteenth-century | Funk | Jacobites | Pamphlets | rare books | Scotland | Special Collections On 15 September 1745 a Jacobite army was at the gates of Edinburgh. Charles Edward Stuart had arrived to attempt to regain the Scottish throne for the exiled House of …Continue reading →

New College Library is open throughout the Edinburgh Festival TAGS: current-events | Edinburgh | New College Library | summer Edinburgh Festival time is coming, and the Assembly Hall on the Mound will once again be a Festival venue.   As well as the Assembly Hall, the Rainy Hall and …Continue reading →