Published Pieces
Things I wrote or made that were published elsewhere.
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Hell or middle-management training? Ask Pope Benedict
The former pope reportedly sees management training as torment. As a conception of hell, it makes more sense than everlasting fire.
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Anglesey
About my—and my mum’s—childhood holidays on the Welsh island of Anglesey.
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Wild Cat Island
Three and a half decades after I first became enchanted by the place, I finally set foot on the island that inspired Arthur Ransome’s ‘Swallows and Amazons’.
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The return of the delicate flapwort
On a second expedition I made in search of a rare plant. This time, I accompanied someone who knew what he was doing.
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What’s so weird about beards?
Like all beardies, I don’t have a beard through choice. It just grew on the front of my face.
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In search of the delicate flapwort—and why we need tricorders
On an expedition I made in search for a rare plant, and the need for DNA-assisted species identification devices.
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LRB letter: ‘Ancient Refrigerators’
A possible solution to a well-known conundrum about Ancient Rome.
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LRB letter: ‘Darwin’s Flatulence’
How Charles Darwin’s legendary flatulence wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
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… So Let’s All Be Scientists!
If Charles Darwin could do his bit for science from the comfort of his own home, perhaps we can too.