Articles by Luke Boulter
Luke has written 10 articles for Nouse
Space can be so cold and alone: Pluto’s ordeal
By Luke Boulter — November 28, 2006
The Scientific Briefing with Luke Boulter
As a biologist, I know that a scientist has to work hard; there is a lot to remember, but the physicists’ workload has just been chopped back a little with the re-classification of Pluto. They only have to memorise the names of eight planets now, instead of the weighty nine they once had to contend with.
A plague for the 21st Century
By Jonathan Fleming and Luke Boulter — November 28, 2006
As World Aids Day approaches, Luke Boulter and Jonathan Fleming examine the future of the infamous HIV virus.
Is there life on Mars?
By Luke Boulter — November 7, 2006
The scientific briefing with Luke Boulter
I’m all for science fiction, (I have indeed been known to read the New Scientist from time to time), so imagine my surprise a couple of nights ago when I found myself wincing horribly and wishing that my broken sofa would eat me.
A fresher take on the science of alcohol
By Luke Boulter — October 11, 2006
The Scientific Briefing with Luke Boulter
Welcome to the University of York! A phrase which by now you will no doubt be familiar with and more than likely a little tired of hearing. First I must ask you to calm down; breathe deeply and continue to read. I do appreciate that as a fresher you have perhaps just looked at the front page of Vision, realised that it is poorly laid out and has content to rival an NHS finance leaflet, and sworn never to approach campus news again. That is why this column is dedicated to the science of being a fresher: why you will inevitably wake up feeling a bit groggy and why alcohol affects you so much. I will also attempt to answer the ultimate question: can you live on beer?
Modern man: survival of the fittest or just a bit of luck?
By Luke Boulter — June 27, 2006
The scientific briefing with Luke Boulter
This week it surfaced in the news that a letter written by Charles Darwin – one of the original proponents in the theory of evolution – is to be auctioned at Sotheby’s. The letter was written in October 1980 in the aftermath of his landmark work Origin of Species, and shows Darwin’s modest view on what he had proposed and his lack of shock that his peers were dubious about this ‘new’ idea.
Nuclear power – the ‘new’ fuel, or has it lost its attractive glow?
By Luke Boulter — May 26, 2006
The scientific briefing with Luke Boulter
In July 1945 the US tested a bomb with an explosive impact equivalent to 200,000 tonnes of TNT: the bomb named Trinity was the first (not so small) step in nuclear technology. Now several hundred thousand tonnes of plutonium and enriched uranium are available, and 27,000 atomic bombs are stored away.
The medical high life or just a smoky remnant of a sixties dream?
By Luke Boulter — May 4, 2006
The scientific briefing with Luke Boulter
For the last half a century, marijuana has faced a tormented battle in the public eye: still today it is associated with the ever fading ideals of the ‘free-love’ sixties, or more commonly with the red-eyed ‘stoner’ of our decade. However, in the smoke of this heated battle over the rights and wrongs of drug use, has the benefit of marijuana been lost, is it salvageable, or are those who endorse its benefits clinging on to the hope of legalisation?
Ethical living for students
By Luke Boulter and Ben Toone — March 14, 2006
Ben Toone and Luke Boulter explore the science behind ethical living and propose some first steps
It’s easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom of man’s folly with nature; the increasing risks and freak weather patterns from global warming, the destruction of natural habitats, pollution of the natural world and the extremes of desperate poverty. However, rather than wading through swathes of pessimism, a few minor changes could be all that’s needed to change the world (albeit in a small way, one step at a time).
Facing an uncertain future
By Luke Boulter — January 30, 2006
The scientific briefing with Luke Boulter
In 1996 a farmed goose in the Guangdong province of China was isolated as the first death from the highly pathogenic Avian Flu virus H5N1 strain. Now this has become synonymous with death, but at the time it was just another virus to be monitored. One year on, the same viral strain infected 18 humans in Hong Kong, 6 of these cases proved to be fatal.
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
By Luke Boulter — October 12, 2005
The scientific briefing with Luke Boulter
In the last decade very few natural occurrences have shaken the world in the way Hurricane Katrina has. In a matter of hours it reduced an affluent and popular city to nothing more than a quivering shanty town. We saw first hand the power of nature and the panic it can instil even in the wealthiest of countries.
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