Frank Swain

Freelance Science Writer and Speaker

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Bio & Contact Frank Swain writes and talks about science.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s in Natural Resource...
SciencePunk.com Started in 2006, this website gathers weird and wonderful snippets of science and relays them in context to a lay...
Human Guinea Pig – Bravo On July 1 2010, Human Guinea Pig aired on the Bravo network.  I was responsible for the initial concept and...
Pulse Project Podcast In early June I joined Brendon Connelly and Colin Murphy of the Pulse Project Podcast to discuss some of...
The skin-generating printer – Wired A short article for the July issue of Wired UK magazine on the development of a printer that can produce...
My (new) critical voice – Wired A short article on film critic Roger Ebert’s new synthetic voice, developed by CereProc.  Appeared in the June issue of...
The colour of scent – Wired A short article on the work carried out by Kenneth Suslick, whose team developed reactive pigment based colorimeters for imaging...
Blue Banana Agency In early 2010 I participated in an ideas generation session for Manchester-based Blue Banana Agency. Several scientists and myself...
Television Work In the past I’ve worked with a wide variety of television production companies, helping them to develop ideas for science...
How to design the perfect city – BBC Focus I wrote a 3,000 word feature for the 2009 December issue of BBC Focus, a popular science magazine, on the...
Interstellar playtime – Wired Wired magazine recently published a profile I wrote of Regina Peldszus, a doctoral researcher in spacecraft habitability design.   The article...
Fight street crime with brains, not brawn – Wired The October 2009 edition of Wired UK magazine carried my interview with Melissa Marselle
Industry and greens battle over pseudoscience – EU Observer In September I was interviewed by the EU Observer, commenting on the launch of ScienceMatters, an industry-backed lobby group. ...
Wellcome Trust Narrative Skills Workshop In July 2009 I took part in a narrative skills session organised by the Wellcome Trust.  Led by ex-BBC producer...
Science: So What? In July 2009 I was hired by the BDP Media Group to produce a communication strategy for the Government’s Science:...
Guerilla scientists gatecrash Secret Garden Party Lured by Red Stripe and other totally legal substances, the scientists wowed festivalgoers with the delights of space travel and...
Is alternative medicine useful? – BBC Oxford Radio On July 17 2009 I took part in a debate about the place of alternative medicine in modern healthcare on...
Scientists deploy guerilla tactics at music festivals – Guardian Science Blog Taste a brain made of cake, spy the moons of Jupiter, dance to fractals, hunt for the Higgs, and ponder...
Zombology In June 2009, Marsha Filion at OneWorld Publications secured the rights to my first book, Zombology: the new science of...
MPs demand scrutiny of science policy – Guardian Science Blog A House of Commons committee warned today that despite the government’s reassurances, science and engineering risk being lost in the...
UK government sees science as a tool for profit – Guardian Science Blog It’s difficult to see the assimilation of science into Peter Mandelson’s new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as anything...
The anti-science sentiment infecting politics – Guardian Science Blog On Thursday, millions of us will go to the polls to decide how Britain is represented in the European Parliament,...
Should we all be looking for our inner self? – BBC Radio 5 Live In April I was a guest on Richard Bacon’s BBC Radio 5 talk radio show, taking part in a debate...
Standing Up for Science Workshop In March 2009, the Voice of Young Science held a workshop aimed at encouraging early-career scientists to take a more...
Critical Thinking – Exeter College In February I was invited by a teacher at Exeter College to talk to Sixth Form students about critical thinking. ...
Cambridge University BlueSci Group In early 2009 I spoke at Clare College about the importance and future of science blogging, for an event organised...
World Congress of Science and Factual Producers In December 2008 I was accepted onto the first Wellcome Trust Mentoring Program for Emerging Talent, under which I attended...
Are the glory days of TV science gone forever? – Guardian Science Blog The glory years of Peter Snow giving viewers tantalising glimpses of future technologies are gone. Today, teenagers have to make...
How to make a zombie – Guardian Science Blog If you think the zombies that infest the Big Brother house in Dead Set are just products of Charlie Brooker’s...
Evidence Based Medicine Matters Produced for Sense About Science to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1968 UK Medicines Act. This website collects statements...
BA Festival of Science During the 2008 BA Festival of Science I took part in a workshop for schoolchildren designed to give them an...
Guerilla Science – Secret Garden Party Festival Guerilla Science is an organisation that brings lectures and experiments to the masses through organised events such as the Science...
Debating Matters In 2008 I participated in the Institute of Ideas and Pfizer Debating Matters competition for young adults, acting as a...
The cargo cults of science – IET Magazine These days, the women selling you face cream are more likely to be wearing lab coats than lingerie. Science,...
Making sense of science – More4 News Provoked by recent reports that obesity increased the chances of developing cancer while concurrent research showed excess weight can be...
There Goes the Science Bit… This project was a collaboration between a group of early-career scientists investigating the claims of companies such as Pret A...
Sword swallowing is dangerous – More4 News I appeared on More4 News opposite Kylie Morris to defend light-hearted accusations that much scientific research was capricious, in the...
Editor – the Korovian The Korovian was the in-house magazine for the Liverpool bar and nightclub Korova
  • Bio & Contact0July 7, 2009

    Bio & Contact

    Frank Swain writes and talks about science.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s in Natural Resource...
  • SciencePunk.com0July 7, 2009

    SciencePunk.com

    Started in 2006, this website gathers weird and wonderful snippets of science and relays them in context to a lay...
  • Human Guinea Pig – Bravo0June 28, 2010

    Human Guinea Pig – Bravo

    On July 1 2010, Human Guinea Pig aired on the Bravo network.  I was responsible for the initial concept and...
  • Pulse Project Podcast0June 9, 2010

    Pulse Project Podcast

    In early June I joined Brendon Connelly and Colin Murphy of the Pulse Project Podcast to discuss some of...
  • The skin-generating printer – Wired0June 8, 2010

    The skin-generating printer – Wired

    A short article for the July issue of Wired UK magazine on the development of a printer that can produce...
  • My (new) critical voice – Wired0May 18, 2010

    My (new) critical voice – Wired

    A short article on film critic Roger Ebert’s new synthetic voice, developed by CereProc.  Appeared in the June issue of...
  • The colour of scent – Wired0April 19, 2010

    The colour of scent – Wired

    A short article on the work carried out by Kenneth Suslick, whose team developed reactive pigment based colorimeters for imaging...
  • Blue Banana Agency0March 13, 2010

    Blue Banana Agency

    In early 2010 I participated in an ideas generation session for Manchester-based Blue Banana Agency. Several scientists and myself...
  • Television Work0March 13, 2010

    Television Work

    In the past I’ve worked with a wide variety of television production companies, helping them to develop ideas for science...
  • How to design the perfect city – BBC Focus0December 18, 2009

    How to design the perfect city – BBC Focus

    I wrote a 3,000 word feature for the 2009 December issue of BBC Focus, a popular science magazine, on the...
  • Interstellar playtime – Wired0October 15, 2009

    Interstellar playtime – Wired

    Wired magazine recently published a profile I wrote of Regina Peldszus, a doctoral researcher in spacecraft habitability design.   The article...
  • Fight street crime with brains, not brawn – Wired0October 15, 2009

    Fight street crime with brains, not brawn – Wired

    The October 2009 edition of Wired UK magazine carried my interview with Melissa Marselle
  • Industry and greens battle over pseudoscience – EU Observer0September 23, 2009

    Industry and greens battle over pseudoscience – EU Observer

    In September I was interviewed by the EU Observer, commenting on the launch of ScienceMatters, an industry-backed lobby group. ...
  • Wellcome Trust Narrative Skills Workshop0August 2, 2009

    Wellcome Trust Narrative Skills Workshop

    In July 2009 I took part in a narrative skills session organised by the Wellcome Trust.  Led by ex-BBC producer...
  • Science: So What?0July 30, 2009

    Science: So What?

    In July 2009 I was hired by the BDP Media Group to produce a communication strategy for the Government’s Science:...
  • Guerilla scientists gatecrash Secret Garden Party0July 24, 2009

    Guerilla scientists gatecrash Secret Garden Party

    Lured by Red Stripe and other totally legal substances, the scientists wowed festivalgoers with the delights of space travel and...
  • Is alternative medicine useful? – BBC Oxford Radio0July 17, 2009

    Is alternative medicine useful? – BBC Oxford Radio

    On July 17 2009 I took part in a debate about the place of alternative medicine in modern healthcare on...
  • Scientists deploy guerilla tactics at music festivals – Guardian Science Blog0July 16, 2009

    Scientists deploy guerilla tactics at music festivals – Guardian Science Blog

    Taste a brain made of cake, spy the moons of Jupiter, dance to fractals, hunt for the Higgs, and ponder...
  • Zombology0July 6, 2009

    Zombology

    In June 2009, Marsha Filion at OneWorld Publications secured the rights to my first book, Zombology: the new science of...
  • MPs demand scrutiny of science policy – Guardian Science Blog0June 12, 2009

    MPs demand scrutiny of science policy – Guardian Science Blog

    A House of Commons committee warned today that despite the government’s reassurances, science and engineering risk being lost in the...
  • UK government sees science as a tool for profit – Guardian Science Blog0June 9, 2009

    UK government sees science as a tool for profit – Guardian Science Blog

    It’s difficult to see the assimilation of science into Peter Mandelson’s new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as anything...
  • The anti-science sentiment infecting politics – Guardian Science Blog0June 1, 2009

    The anti-science sentiment infecting politics – Guardian Science Blog

    On Thursday, millions of us will go to the polls to decide how Britain is represented in the European Parliament,...
  • Should we all be looking for our inner self? – BBC Radio 5 Live0April 21, 2009

    Should we all be looking for our inner self? – BBC Radio 5 Live

    In April I was a guest on Richard Bacon’s BBC Radio 5 talk radio show, taking part in a debate...
  • Standing Up for Science Workshop0March 13, 2009

    Standing Up for Science Workshop

    In March 2009, the Voice of Young Science held a workshop aimed at encouraging early-career scientists to take a more...
  • Contact Details

    Frank Swain
    +44 787 656 3082
    home@frankswain.com

  • Recent Posts
    • Human Guinea Pig – Bravo
    • Pulse Project Podcast
    • The skin-generating printer – Wired
    • My (new) critical voice – Wired
    • The colour of scent – Wired
    • Blue Banana Agency
    • Television Work
    • How to design the perfect city – BBC Focus
    • Interstellar playtime – Wired
    • Fight street crime with brains, not brawn – Wired
  • Copyright

    Copyright Frank Swain. All Rights Reserved.

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