VOLUME 70 NO 4 Winter 2023
THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF BIOLOGY
1 Naoroji Street, London WC1X 0GB
Tel: 020 3925 3440 info@rsb.org.uk; rsb.org.uk
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor Tom Ireland MRSB, tom.ireland@rsb.org.uk
Book reviews and branches editor
Rachel Duffield, rachel.duffield@rsb.org.uk
Chair of the Editorial Board
Professor Dan Davis FRSB,
Imperial College London
Editorial Board
Professor Matthew Cobb FRSB,
The University of Manchester Dr Anthony Flemming FRSB, Syngenta
Dr Sarah Maddocks CBiol MRSB,
Cardiff Met University Dr Esther Odenkule MRSB, GSK Professor Shaun D Pattinson FRSB,
Durham University Dr James Poulter MRSB,
University of Leeds Professor Diane Purchase FRSB,
Middlesex University Dr Natasha de Vere, National Botanical Garden of Wales
Membership enquiries
Tel: 020 3925 3441; membership@rsb.org.uk
Subscription enquiries
Tel: 020 3925 3464;
info@rsb.org.uk
The Biologist is produced on behalf of the
Royal Society of Biology by
Think Media Group, 65 Riding House Street
London W1W 7EH thinkpublishing.co.uk;
020 3771 7200
Printed by Full Spectrum, Basildon
Senior designer
Juanita Adu Production editor
Sian Campbell
Sub editor Kirsty Fortune Group account director
John Innes,
john.innes@thinkpublishing.co.uk
ISSN 0006-3347
Advertising in The Biologist represents an unparalleled opportunity to reach a large community of professional biologists.
For advertising information contact tom.ireland@rsb.org.uk; 020 3925 3464
Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board or the Royal Society of Biology. © 2023 Royal Society of Biology
(Registered charity no. 277981)
The Society permits single copying of individual articles for private study or research, irrespective of where the copying is done. Multiple copying of individual articles for teaching purposes is also permitted without specific permission. For copying or reproduction for any other purpose, written permission must be sought from the Society. Exceptions to the above are those institutions and non-publishing organisations that have an agreement or licence with the UK Copyright Licensing
Agency or the US Copyright Clearance Center. Access to the magazine is available online; please see thebiologist.rsb.org.uk for more details.
Cover image: Shutterstock
Photo
Stock lamy
Pre ss/A
Rawat; Abaca in
; Sach
Shutterstock
ON THE COVER 12 Customs of killer whales The incredible diversity of orca learned behaviour, including a pod that collaborated with whalers
Contents
16 The price of procreation Is ageing the evolutionary cost of breeding or are other factors at play?
20 Not Just for the Boys Dame Athene Donald on her new book and the science gender gap
28 Understanding the ‘where’ How spatial omics is helping locate patterns of gene expression in tissue
CONNECT WITH US Have an idea for an article or interested in writing for us?
tom.ireland@rsb.org.uk facebook.com/ RoyalSocBio thebiologist.rsb.org.uk
@RoyalSocBio www.youtube.com/ royalsocbio
UP FRONT 04 Society news Biology Week 2023 and our photo and drawing award winners
08 Policy news and analysis UK approves gene-editing drug; RSB sets out climate strategy
10 Opinion The case for free will is growing, writes Kevin J Mitchell
FEATURES 12 Orca ecotypes Why niche behavioural traits in killer whales contribute to both their success and vulnerability
16 Ironing out the wrinkles The evolutionary mechanisms that make ageing make sense
20 Interview Athene Donald talks role models and boosting girls from birth
24 Woodland wonder Engaging children with real climate change science
28 So very spatial How spatial omics techniques can help reveal key new details in early development
32 History and heredity The Adelphi Genetics Forum on its eugenics past and new drive to inform debate and discussion
REGULARS 36 Members 40 Book reviews 44 Branches 47 Crossword 48 Amazing experiments Bob Paine’s intertidal interference
Vol 70 No 4 / THE BIOLOGIST / 1
