Skip to main content

Liz Kalaugher - Five Way Interview

Liz Kalaugher is a science journalist and campaigner, based in Bristol, who has written for the New Scientist, BBC Wildlife, the Guardian, BBC News and more, as well as winning science journalism fellowships from the World Federation of Science Journalists and the European Geosciences Union. She is also the co-author of Furry Logic: The Physics of Animal Life. Her new book is The Elephant in the Room.

Why science?

I think science is fascinating as it helps us interact with the world. Once you start to understand how things work, it opens up all sorts of possibilities. You’re no longer stumbling around in the dark, hoping you’ll find the light switch by chance; instead you’re building a map of where the light switch might be, and testing that map systematically. Hopefully that means you’ll find the light switch more easily, and learn techniques that can help you find other switches. Though lots of scientific discoveries have been made by chance. And it’s crucially important that we don’t think we know more than we do - that can lead to all sorts of trouble.

Why this book?

Originally I was planning to write a book about Grevy’s zebras: I was travelling in Kenya in search of these animals just after the first cases of Covid-19 broke out in China. Like everybody’s, my mind turned to the emergence of new diseases. Concerned there might be a backlash against bats, I started investigating the other side of the coin - just how much we’ve been harming wildlife health over the centuries. I was surprised by how long and in how many ways human activities have spread diseases to wildlife. And by how much we can do about wildlife health that we haven’t yet chosen to act on.

Apart from reducing deforestation, what is the single thing we could do with the biggest impact to reduce the risk of zoonotic transmission?

According to a study from 2024, reducing biodiversity loss is one of the most crucial factors in cutting the risk of outbreaks of disease. As Neil Vora of Conservation International told me for The Elephant in the Room, 'Nature is not the solution to everything, but nature is critical, a necessary condition for a better future. We need to start investing in nature now and that will save costs down the road.' Investing in nature would also reduce climate change, another factor that boosts disease, and it would save species from extinction.

What’s next?

Next up will be another book broadly in the wildlife and environment space, again with a historical angle. I’m researching it at the moment and wrangling with almost too many fascinating stories. I’m also enjoying experimenting with fiction in the form of an eco-thriller. Watch this space.

What’s exciting you at the moment?

I’m enjoying seeing more butterflies in the UK this summer, a welcome treat after their terrible season in 2024. I’m focusing on their striking colours as they flit between flowers, and the poetry of their names – comma, skipper, silver-washed fritillary - whilst trying not to think about why it’s been so hot. I’ve also become a Merlin fan and use this app’s help to listen out for new bird species wherever I go.

These articles will always be free - but if you'd like to support my online work, consider buying a virtual coffee or taking out a membership:


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God: the Science, the Evidence - Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies ***

This is, to say the least, an oddity, but a fascinating one. A translation of a French bestseller, it aims to put forward an examination of the scientific evidence for the existence of a deity… and various other things, as this is a very oddly structured book (more on that in a moment). In The God Delusion , Richard Dawkins suggested that we should treat the existence of God as a scientific claim, which is exactly what the authors do reasonably well in the main part of the book. They argue that three pieces of scientific evidence in particular are supportive of the existence of a (generic) creator of the universe. These are that the universe had a beginning, the fine tuning of natural constants and the unlikeliness of life.  To support their evidence, Bolloré and Bonnassies give a reasonable introduction to thermodynamics and cosmology. They suggest that the expected heat death of the universe implies a beginning (for good thermodynamic reasons), and rightly give the impression tha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Humble Pi - Matt Parker ****

Matt Parker had me thoroughly enjoying this collection of situations where maths and numbers go wrong in everyday life. I think the book's title is a little weak - 'Humble Pi' doesn't really convey what it's about, but that subtitle 'a comedy of maths errors' is far more informative. With his delightful conversational style, honed in his stand-up maths shows, it feels as if Parker is a friend down the pub, relating the story of some technical disaster driven by maths and computing, or regaling us with a numerical cock-up. These range from the spectacular - wobbling and collapsing bridges, for example - to the small but beautifully formed, such as Excel's rounding errors. Sometimes it's Parker's little asides that are particularly attractive. I loved his rant on why phone numbers aren't numbers at all (would it be meaningful for someone to ask you what half your phone number is?). We discover the trials and tribulations of getting cal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Quantum 2.0 - Paul Davies ****

Unlike the general theory of relativity or cosmology, quantum physics is an aspect of physics that has had a huge impact on everyday lives, particularly through the deployment of electronics, but also, for example, where superconductivity has led to practical applications. But when Paul Davies is talking about version 2.0, he is specifically describing quantum information, where quantum particles and systems are used in information technology. This obviously includes quantum computers, but Davies also brings in, for example, the potential for quantum AI technology. Quantum computers have been discussed for decades - algorithms had already been written for them as early as the 1990s - but it's only now that they are starting to become usable devices, not at the personal level but in servers. In his usual approachable style, Davies gives us four chapters bringing us up to speed on quantum basics, but then brings in quantum computing. After this we don't get solid quantum informat...
Post a Comment
Read more