Royal Society of Biology

"Evolution education seeks to help students develop scientifically adequate explanations of evolutionary adaptations. Those explanations are usually thought to entail only processes that act independently of organism agency, such as genetic mutation, inheritance, and selection. However, the role of organism agency in evolutionary outcomes has been reconsidered by evolutionary biologists in recent decades."

In the latest issue of the Journal of Biological Education, Hanisch et al explain how they developed an assessment tool to explore the potential of agential perspective in evolution education.

Read the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00219266.2025.2486963

"[AI] tools excel at processing data and finding patterns in data sets. They are exceptionally good at doing more of what is already being done, faster. But science doesn’t progress principally through optimised efficiency."

Writing in The Biologist, neuroscientist and journalist Tim Requarth argues that AI may well increase productivity in science - but not necessarily in the way we want it to.

Read the article: biologist.rsb.org.uk/ai_wont_fix_a_broken_system

Calling all schools! There's still time to apply for a 2026 Gopher Science Lab grant!

Gopher Science Lab supports transition from primary to secondary school with peer to peer learning across age groups. Secondary students learn how to deliver activities to primary pupils. Then those primary pupils are encouraged to deliver their own training to peers or younger year groups. This gives all participating students ownership of their learning and helps them gain confidence.

The Gopher Science Lab day includes:
- a grant of £600
- access to RSB’s Gopher Science Lab online training course
- a teacher mentor to help you train your students

A teacher who previously took part in Gopher Science Lab said, "We were delighted to find that the training materials provided by the RSB were extremely accessible and comprehensive. It was therefore a straightforward process to cascade the training down to our senior pupils."

Find out more including how to apply: www.rsb.org.uk/activity-resources

The latest issue of the Journal of Biological Education is out!

This issue's Editorial focuses on how Dame Jane Goodall's scientific practices can inform and enrich biology education. The authors aim to show why, in their opinion, she stands as a role model scientist - not only as a careful observer, but also as a scientific inquirer.

Read the article: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00219266.2026.2660891

There's only three days left to apply to be our Science Policy Assistant!

The Science Policy Assistant will be responsible for providing administrative support to our Science Policy Team. They will provide support for our member groups and committees, ensuring efficient, effective, and productive working practice and outputs for the biosciences. The candidate will also provide some team assistant functions.

📆 Applications close 12 June

Find out more: my.rsb.org.uk/services.php?section=jobs&jobid=150

It’s the last week of the Signs of Spring survey!

Please help us get as much data as possible to track changes to our environment by looking out for, and recording, bumblebees, butterflies, dragonflies, and more! 🦋

📆 Get your sightings in by this Sunday 14 June!

Enter your signs of spring today: www.field-studies-council.org/signs-of-spring

In partnership with The Field Studies Council

"Disturbances on the deep-sea floor kick up enormous clouds of sediment that can blanket entire ecosystems"

This World Oceans Day, we're delving into the archives of The Biologist magazine. Last year, Sam Perrin, biodiversity researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, wrote about the race to better understand deep-sea ecosystems in order to protect them from threats such as deep-sea mining.

Read the article: biologist.rsb.org.uk/earths_final_frontier

This World Environment Day, we're pleased to announce that our BioArtAttack art competition for 7-18yrs is now open! 🎨

This competition celebrates and highlights the benefits of combining art and science. There are two categories:
- BioArtAttack which, this year, focuses on species recently listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
- The Nancy Rothwell Prize which is specifically for specimen drawings of any animal, plant, or fungi.

📆 The competition closes 23 July

Find out more information including how to take part and the prizes: www.rsb.org.uk/2dbioartattack

Many thanks to the The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for their support.