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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 Editorial assistant 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 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 Client engagement manager Jack Watts 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. © 2024 Royal Society of Biology (Registered charity no. 277981) ibrar y LPhoto ience of Sydney/Sc it y ivers Un , The in ind V; Howard Shutterstock 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: Laguna Design/Science Photo Library 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 Contents VOLUME 71 NO 2 Summer 2024 30 26 UP FRONT 04 Society news STEM poster winners; launch of digital series to celebrate bioscience; Voice of the Future; competition winners, and more 08 Policy news The Society responds to the Spring Budget, explores engineering biology and other inquiries 10 Policy analysis Jade Hall explains a new RSB project to help younger scientists gain experience on boards, councils and committees FEATURES 12 Genetic rescue The Biologist talks to Ben Novak of Revive & Restore, an organisation developing a suite of cutting-edge biotech tools for conservation 18 Unlocking the vault The decades-long mystery of ‘vaults’ – abundant and large cellular particles with no known function 22 22 Decoding daffodils How UK schoolchildren are helping untangle the surprisingly complex genetics of a common flower 26 The rare exception How do you design a clinical trial for conditions that affect only a tiny number of people worldwide? 30 Epic fails Why rethinking and redefining lab failures can open up new opportunities and insights REGULARS 34 Members Our members at work and leisure, plus training courses and events; new member listing 38 Book reviews Books for biologists, nature lovers and their families 43 RSB Treasurer’s Report 44 Branches Reports from our branches around the world 47 Crossword 48 Amazing experiments A lab-made genome brought to life Vol 71 No 2 / THE BIOLOGIST / 1

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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

Editorial assistant 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

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 Client engagement manager Jack Watts 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. © 2024 Royal Society of Biology (Registered charity no. 277981)

ibrar y

LPhoto ience of Sydney/Sc it y ivers

Un

, The in ind

V; Howard

Shutterstock

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: Laguna Design/Science Photo Library

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

Contents

VOLUME 71 NO 2 Summer 2024

30

26

UP FRONT 04 Society news STEM poster winners; launch of digital series to celebrate bioscience; Voice of the Future; competition winners, and more

08 Policy news The Society responds to the Spring Budget, explores engineering biology and other inquiries

10 Policy analysis Jade Hall explains a new RSB project to help younger scientists gain experience on boards, councils and committees

FEATURES 12 Genetic rescue The Biologist talks to Ben Novak of Revive & Restore, an organisation developing a suite of cutting-edge biotech tools for conservation

18 Unlocking the vault The decades-long mystery of ‘vaults’ – abundant and large cellular particles with no known function

22

22 Decoding daffodils How UK schoolchildren are helping untangle the surprisingly complex genetics of a common flower

26 The rare exception How do you design a clinical trial for conditions that affect only a tiny number of people worldwide?

30 Epic fails Why rethinking and redefining lab failures can open up new opportunities and insights

REGULARS 34 Members Our members at work and leisure, plus training courses and events; new member listing 38 Book reviews Books for biologists, nature lovers and their families 43 RSB Treasurer’s Report 44 Branches Reports from our branches around the world 47 Crossword 48 Amazing experiments A lab-made genome brought to life

Vol 71 No 2 / THE BIOLOGIST / 1

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