With almost four decades of experience and several awards to my name, I've worked to convert complex scientific discoveries into entertaining and informative narratives. My articles and books bridge the gap between the lab and the living room and are all delivered with a dash of well-seasoned, straight-talking Geordie wit and wisdom.
🧪 Science
Insightful science and nature writing covering most fields in almost four decades of writing. Now, often focusing on birds and lepidoptera.
Read Sciencebase📷 Snaps
Wildlife photography and nature features that combine fieldcraft with scientific observation and camera and photo-editing techniques.
Get the picture🎸 Songs
Composing, performing, and producing music. Solo, with bands, community choir, and recording solo and in collaborations.
Listen to the music📝 Bio
Professional background of David Bradley, freelance science writer and wildlife photographer.
Read my bioLatest updates from David Bradley's Sciencebase
How many is several?
Several means a few, doesn’t it? The etymology lies in the Latin separ meaning separate or different, which itself is a back-formation of separare, which means “to pull apart”. A headline saying that “several warplanes had crashed” made me initially assume anywhere between 5 and 7. But, it was actually 3. 3 is not, to my … Continue reading “How many is several?”
Vibe coding
I’ve been tweaking the Sciencebase website recently. Looking to fix things that were never quite right, trying to analyse some of my 4000+ articles on here, to try and tease out themes and find better ways to encourage readers to explore a little deeper. Now, I have been creating web pages with HTML since 1995 … Continue reading “Vibe coding”
First spawn
I redug our garden wildlife pond in May 2019 having filled the original pond when we had tiny children back in the late 1990s. There were dozens of frogs back then (100+) and we always saw one or two somewhere in the garden for years thereafter. They returned in force for Pond 2.0. Some summer … Continue reading “First spawn”
Butterflies of 2026
Our first butterflies of the year appeared on 23rd February, a Peacock, in our garden. On the 24th, two Brimstone fluttered through. Lots of Brim at Wicken Fen on 25th, a solitary Peacock, and a likely Small Tortoiseshell. I will update this post as and when. Hoping to see an early Orange Tip in March. … Continue reading “Butterflies of 2026”
Deceived Wisdom
The "book of the blog" and a whole lot more. Think you know the truth about things? Think again. In Deceived Wisdom, I dismantle the myths and misconceptions that have woven themselves into our everyday understanding of the world. Think QI or Mythbusters but with more science and none of the klaxons! Contact me for a name-your-price copy of the e-book version. Hardback and audiobook available from the usual outlets.
Buy the book...
