The first attempt to isolate a pancreatic extract by means of which the levels of blood glucose could be normalised in dogs was described by a Romanian researcher called Nicolae Paulescu1, but his experiments were interrupted by the First World War and were never acknowledged appropriately. However, after the war, in 1921, a young surgeon named Frederick Banting and his assistant Charles Best, from the University of Toronto, worked out how to remove insulin from a dog’s pancreas.
I am about to break my indication that I am unlikely to post again until after Jen’s death. I am bored to death in this Regis joint filled with old codgers with assorted disabilities. How many I will write is … Continue reading →
Troppo readers may be wondering why I haven’t been blogging lately, after making a comeback several months ago after a long absence. The reason is that my wife Jen is in hospital dying from ovarian cancer. It’s very distressing, both … Continue reading →
This is becoming a series. The point is that public figures now routinely refuse to engage with counter-arguments. I have another one not yet written about Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt who did not respond to three polite emails from me. … Continue reading →
Thanks to the government’s draconian new anti-protest order, it’s almost impossible to tell whether you are or are not breaking the law.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 30th July 2025
I packed a toothbrush, books and a notepad in a small rucksack, took my laptop from the house and hid it, gave my phone to a friend to look after and put a “bust card” (lawyers’ details and legal advice) in my back pocket. I wasn’t certain I would be arrested, but I wanted to be ready. Then I stepped, with other, much braver people into a legal labyrinth.
The government’s proposed new rules will allow a flood of toxic chemicals to be sold in the UK.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 23rd July 2025
It’s what the extreme right of the Tory party wanted from Brexit: to tear down crucial public protections, including those that defend us from the most brutal and dangerous forms of capital. The Conservatives lost office before they were able to do their worst. But never mind, because Labour has now picked up the baton.
England’s privatised water system leaves us incapable of responding sensibly to droughts.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 17th July 2025
How “humour” opens the door to far right politics.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 10th July 2025
Without resistance, a combination of new laws and new technologies of control will rush us towards dystopia.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 4th July 2025
No one can be trusted with power. Any government will oppress its people if not constantly and inventively challenged. And the task becomes ever-more urgent as new technologies of surveillance and control are developed.
Cynical operators seek to divide rural and urban people. But what we want is fundamentally the same.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 28th June 2025
I posted something similar on Facebook a few days back, and thought I might get some useful feedback here. Iran is criticised for violating their obligations under the NNPT. But the NNPT was signed by The Shah, who was a … Continue reading →
A massive new road scheme will solve precisely nothing, while costing the Earth.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 24th June 2025
There appear to be two main determinants of what infrastructure gets built. The first is whether it provides large and lucrative contracts for powerful corporations. The second is whether ministers can pose beside it in hard hats and yellow jackets. Otherwise, it is hard to explain the decisions made.