Sorry to have been away from the blog for so long recently. Holiday diversions: If you are struggling to entertain children in the long, long, Christmas holidays, I recommend the Naked Scientists Kitchen Experiments . I met one such Naked Scientist (fully clothed) at an event at National Pathology Week earlier in the year. Also, on Radio 4, 8pm, Jan 1st is a programme ‘Virgin Births’ written by Aarathi Prasad. I know Aarathi through the work she has done via the charity Sense about Science. The programme is about the science of real virgin births – from komodo dragon eggs that don’t need sperm to reproduce, to parthenote embryos and Catholicism. Promises to be very interesting.

Further diversion: my favourite science joke of 2008 (courtesy of my eldest son)

One atom says to the other atom: I think I’ve lost an electron.

Other atom: Are you sure?

First atom: I’m positive.

Happy 2009.