Ginny Smith
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Articles by Ginny Smith
Walking in the footsteps of the Norman army: Part 2 - Appledore to Warehorne
After a brief stop for a snack at the Windmill Hill barrow overlooking Appledore and the Romney Marsh, I headed eastwards towards the little church of St Mary's at Kenardington. As I walked, the deep gold of the autumn sun threw my shadow before me and picked out tracks and slight undulations in the flatlands of the marsh. It was a very different sight from that described by the 18th Century historian Edward Hasted, whose description of the area was damning.
Walking in the footsteps of the Norman army - or was I?
Every schoolchild knows the story of 1066 and all that - the landing of the Norman army at Pevensey; King Harold's heroic march from the North to meet them at the site where Battle Abbey now stands; his death on the battlefield, shot through the eye; and the subsequent flight of the remains of his army. That, at least, is what we think we know, and the story that the Bayeux tapestry, currently exhibited in the British Museum, appears to tell.
Ear infections explained: Causes, symptoms, and treatments
Ear Infections Explained: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments If you've never had (or rarely have) an ear infection, you might be surprised when you suddenly find yourself with ear pain in one or both ears, possibly accompanied by a sore throat, muffled hearing, or drainage from one or both ears (via Johns Hopkins Medicine ).
Beyond the school gates: What's behind the rise in home education?
"I'm so stupid, I can't do anything, I don't know anything, and I'm always last in the class." These were the words of my six-year-old granddaughter, inconsolable one bedtime. The crisis had been building for some time. As so often happens when children are going through what is assumed to be a temporary "bad patch" at school, we had spoken to the school about her unhappiness, received some reassuring words and hoped that it was a phase she would get through. But enough was enough.
Things you should actually try to stop snoring
Things You Should Actually Try To Stop Snoring Some of the things that contribute to snoring , you can't do anything about. Being male and being middle-aged, statistically speaking, are a couple of examples. Still, there are plenty of things you can try to minimize or eliminate snoring on other fronts; some are common sense, and others may cause you to scratch your head at first.
How workaholism can take a toll on your health
How Workaholism Can Take A Toll On Your Health The definition of workaholism has been debated since the term was first coined in 1971. Some define it simply as an addiction to work. Others define it more specifically as "high drive, high work involvement, and low work enjoyment." It's even disputed whether workaholism is more beneficial or harmful, but there's no argument that the condition is rampant in the United States, and in many other countries as well.
Happy birthday Sussex Bylines - but what does the future hold?
To mark the sixth anniversary of the launch of Sussex Bylines, rather than looking back to the world as it was at our birth in 2020, we decided to focus on the future. And who more qualified to do so than our young writers, who face some extraordinary challenges in the years ahead, in a more turbulent and insecure world. What, we asked them, does the future hold for them? Their answers reflect the real fears and concerns of the generation currently at university or in the sixth form at school.
Brexit ten years on - voices from the National Rejoin March
"I'm on this march because I'm a patriot, and patriots wish the best for their country," Helen, a member of EUnity Lewes, Sussex. Last Saturday 20 June, thousands of people gathered in central London, braving the blistering heat, to march in support of rejoining the European Union and to mark the tenth anniversary of the Brexit vote. Sussex Bylines joined them to gather their views, as one marcher put it, on "the disaster that was Brexit", ten years on.
Warm Norm and the Green Sock Group
The story of Warm Norm and the Green Sock Group is quintessentially English, with a cast of wonderfully eccentric and colourful characters, including a naked litter-picker, a retired Merchant Navy officer, a generous harbourmaster, six hundred volunteers and - directing them all - Warm Norm himself. Norman (second name unknown or perhaps forgotten in the interests of poetic licence) is a striking figure - weatherbeaten, bearded, and fizzing with enthusiasm and energy.
Building bridges in divided times
This June marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox by white supremacist Thomas Mair, and the foundation created in her memory is encouraging community groups and local authorities to organise activities commemorating her legacy under the banner of The Great Get Together. Jo was a passionate advocate of unity over division, of celebrating the ties that bind diverse communities, of kindness over hate.
Letter: Kentucky Derby
I am glad I was not the only one who was upset with the lack of coverage of the Kentucky Derby. For years a list was in Sat. paper with a list of the horsed and riders. This year nothing. I hope you do better for the Preakness. Since start printing in Las Vegas, we get old news and now this. I am getting close to stop my subscription. Ginny Smith Midtown Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Gaza – the bitter illusion of peace
In June 2025 Sussex Bylines published an article featuring two residents of Gaza, who detailed how the Israeli bombardment of the area had completely upended their lives, destroyed their homes and their families’ health, and forced them to flee the incessant attacks. Almost a year on, we returned to one of our interviewees, Ahmed Al-Madhoun, to find out whether the ceasefire negotiated on October 10 2025 and Trump’s much-vaunted Peace Plan had improved conditions in Gaza.
How many geckos to hold up a human?
This tiddler of British waters camouflages by changing colour... PlayFull TranscriptDownload This week we're asking what's the most amazing animal. Kicking off the competition with Ginny Smith, and putting forward the case for the stickleback, is Jolle Jolles who's a PhD student at the department of zoology at Cambridge University... Jolle - I'll be talking about the three-spined stickleback, which is a small little fish that can be found throughout the UK and the northern hemisphere.
Learning to Learn
Richard O'Connor hides toys from tots to explore how babies' brains develop learning and memory skills... PlayFull TranscriptDownload Richard O'Connor hides toys from tots to explore how six-month-old babies' brains develop learning and memory skills, as he explained to Ginny Smith... Richard - I'm at the department of psychology in Cambridge and I work with babies, looking at how they learn to search for hidden objects.
What shape web does a spider spin in space?
PlayFull TranscriptDownload Chris - Ooh! That's a hard one. Dave, what do you think? Dave - I don't know. Chris - In space, there is microgravity. Dave - There's almost no gravity. There's nothing to get the spider to align itself but I don't know whether a spider is aligning to gravity or whether it's doing it visually. Chris - Kat, your perspective? Kat - I reckon, it might struggle, because they kind of fling themselves around to make their webs, so I think it might struggle with that.
Life, The Universe and Everything
Looking for planets around the stars of the night sky PlayFull TranscriptDownload Chris - Hello. Welcome to the Naked Scientists at the Cambridge Science Centre. I'm Chris Smith and this is another of our live events. Welcome! The whole point of these programmes is that this is where you, the audience become the interviewers. It's your opportunity to give our guest panel - who we will meet in a minute - a really good grilling. This week, we're going to talk about space science.
Art & Antiquities: Conservation and Preservation
From 1 December this year, farmers in the EU will be banned from using three insecticides on crops that attract bees... PlayFull TranscriptDownload From 1 December this year, farmers in the EU will be banned from using three insecticides on crops that attract bees. The ban comes after some studies implicated the insecticides in the phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder and will last two years.
The Life Parasitic
The earliest evidence of our genus, Homo, has been unearthed in Ethiopia... PlayFull TranscriptDownload Fossils of our genus, Homo, had previously only been found dating back to about 2.4 million years ago. Older fossils, like the famous female specimen called "Lucy" are from a more primitive lineage called Australopithecus. Now, scientists working in Ethiopia have uncovered evidence suggesting the species that gave rise to modern humans is older than we thought.
Does Airport Security Really Make Us Safer?
Lunar Mission One launches a crowdfunding drive on Wednesday, which offers donors a chance to have a digital memory box buried on the moon.
Can you dehydrate in a bath?
PlayFull TranscriptDownload Dave - So, this is all to do with, if you think about what's happening before it actually boils properly, the heating element is over 100 degrees centigrade. Therefore, the water around it is going to be producing steam even quite early on when it's starting to boil. These bubbles are created and then if it's not quite boiling yet, they move up into a cooler area of water and they cool down. If a steam bubble cools down very quickly.
Building the Future
Scientists from Cambridge have unveiled a way to model on a computer, how all of Earth’s different ecosystems, actually work... PlayFull TranscriptDownload This week, scientists from Cambridge have unveiled a way to model on a computer, how Earth's different ecosystems, the networks of plants and animals that depend upon each other, actually work.
Pit your Wits...
PlayFull TranscriptDownload Richard - I've never been there either and I love John that you've got two different types of scale in your bathroom. That's fantastic! I avoid both of them. You've hit on the difference between weight and mass. So, a traditional scale in your bathroom uses a spring. That is measuring a force which is mass times acceleration which is the mass times the acceleration which on Earth is gravity.
Sniff! Sniff!
This week, the British biochemist Fred Sanger, who won two Nobel Prizes, passed away at the age of 95. We remember his work... PlayFull TranscriptDownload Fred Sanger, the British biochemist who won two Nobel Prizes, died this week on Tuesday 19 November 2013, aged 95. Known as the "father of genomics," he developed methods which allow us to determine the structure of proteins and the order of the building blocks of DNA.
The Cost of a Life
The science of how DJ's mix seamlessly so that we can dance through tune transitions PlayFull TranscriptDownload Ever been on the dance floor, getting your groove on, enjoying a particular tune, and then the DJ flips the song over, and it completely messes up your dancing moves? I have! Then there's been other times when I haven't even noticed the tune changing But what's the science behind this DJ skill? Well, Mark Elliott, Research Fellow at Birmingham University thinks he's found the answer.
The Yuck Factor: Why We Find Things So Disgusting
A new approach to combating all forms of the flu has been discovered. PlayFull TranscriptDownload Worldwide, the flu kills up to half a million people every year. One of the main ways of preventing the disease is vaccination, but because the influenza virus is constantly changing or mutating, vaccine-makers are always playing catch-up. Now scientists may have a new way to fight the flu using a treatment that can prevent infection with any strain of the virus.
Exorcist, or Exercise: what's healthier?
Exercise physiologist Dan Gordon explains how he pushes athletes to their limits and answers the audience's questions... PlayFull TranscriptDownload Dave Ansell - To start off with, we've got an experiment which is going to take a while and we need a volunteer, somebody who's feeling really energetic this morning, this evening. Chris Smith - And knows what time of day is, Dave. Dave - Which I obviously don't. You look like you're very keen, would you like to come up?
The brightest light in the Universe
What does your face say about you? Science says we form an opinion of who a person is based on their facial features in a tenth of a second. PlayFull TranscriptDownload Helen of Troy apparently had a face that launched a thousand ships. And scientists say that we form an impression - by looking at the face - of what someone is like in less than a tenth of a second. But what features do we base these opinions on?
Bring out your Dead: Plague and Fire
In the 16th Century, it was believed that bad smells carried the plague, and this led to some weird and wonderful treatments... PlayFull TranscriptDownload It's 1665 and London is a bustling, crowded metropolis. The cobbled streets, slippery with animal dung and slops, are narrow and full of people, and the stench of rotten food and sewage fills the air. Increasing numbers of people begin to fall ill with a disease known as the Black Death, and feared above any other.
Whodunnit? Fascinating Forensics
Everything at a crime scene could potentially be a piece of evidence. How do crime scene officers prevent contamination? PlayFull TranscriptDownload What happens when the police arrive at a crime scene? How do they protect the evidence from contamination? And how do they decide what constitutes as evidence? Alan Dobson, a scene of crime coordinator with the major crime unit walks Chris Smith through how he would secure a scene... Ginny - And so, our story begins.
Good Vibrations
What is sound, and how is it produced and how can computer trickery change the voice? PlayFull TranscriptDownload Sounds are all around us, all the time, but what exactly is sound? Rob Toulson from Anglia Ruskin University has a background in acoustics, electronics and music production, and brought along a variety of musical instruments to help explain the concept to us. Chris - Let's get started.
Why do Scientists say "So"?
PlayFull TranscriptDownload We put this question to Kat Arney. Kat - Technically, it's completely possible because DNA is just DNA. It doesn't matter where it's come from. In the lab, you can put jellyfish genes into mice, you can put human genes into bacteria, you can put worm genes into yeast. It's all DNA. It's all the same kind of nuts and bolts. If you put a gene in that's kind of got the right bits and bobs, it will be expressed.
Total wipe out: Mass Extinction
Using a laser to recreate comet and asteroid impacts on the early Earth, scientists have discovered the chemical origins of life... PlayFull TranscriptDownload One of the biggest unanswered questions in science is how life began on Earth. One theory is that primitive chemicals developed the ability to copy themselves, and eventually evolved to encase themselves inside bubbles - effectively becoming cells.
Powering the Future
We need to increase performance of wind and wave powered systems to better harness the potential of these free, clean sources of energy. PlayFull TranscriptDownload Wind power is a widely used form of renewable energy, but improvements can still be made to better harness the power of the wind. Wave power, however, is much more difficult as the up-and-down motion of the waves is harder to convert into useful energy.
Eureka Streaker: Experiments that Changed the World
Archimedes' principle, and the "Eureka" moment of its discovery is one of the most famous experiments of all time. We find out why... PlayFull TranscriptDownload Materials scientist Paul Coxon takes us back to ancient Greece, to explain the basis of one of the most famous experiments of all time and one which made Ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer Archimedes a household name 2000 years later, as he explained to Chris Smith...
Science Centre Showoff
Dave Ansell explains how to scare your friends by dropping a mug with seemingly nothing to stop it! PlayFull TranscriptDownload Dave - So, I've got a lovely little demo here. I have a mug on a piece of string and on the other end of the piece of string is a little nut, of the metallic variety. So in fact, it's a M8 nut. The fact I know that from just looking at it, is slightly worrying.
Dining Out on Food Security
Researchers are now tracking online searches to find evidence for possible side effects to prescription drugs..
Does nature do it better?
How would you like to email your GP, a good idea or bad idea? PlayFull TranscriptDownload Emails have been used by growing numbers of the general public for at least 15 years, but you still can't email your doctor. So as the population grows and pressure mounts on services should you be able to email your GP? In an article in the British Medical Journal this week, GP Emma Richards, based at Imperial College London, is concerned about safety, confidentiality and workload.
Violent Volcanoes
What are volcanoes more common in certain places, what triggers and eruption, and can volcanic activity be predicted...? PlayFull TranscriptDownload Before a volcano erupts there are often warning signs such as earthquakes. - until recently, however, people didn't know what these signs meant. But what is going on inside the earth that leads to these dramatic events? Cambridge Earth scientist Marian Holness explains to Chris Smith what causes volcanoes..
Personalised Medicine
New evidence suggests our theory of how the moon formed could be wrong. PlayFull TranscriptDownload The moon seems a timeless feature of our night sky, but there was a time before it existed. So how was the moon first formed? New research published this week might change our understanding of our planets largest satellite. Alex Halliday from the Head of 'Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division' at Oxford University spoke to spoke to Ginny Smith about the findings.
Engineering the Impossible
Superconductors are the key to magnetic levitation, from people on platforms to entire trains. But what is a superconductor? PlayFull TranscriptDownload Superconductors are the key to magnetic levitation, from people on platforms to entire trains. David Cardwell - Professor of Superconducting Engineering at Cambridge University - works on high temp superconductors, and explains to Ginny Smith what a superconductor actually is...
Extreme Geology
The tsunami which hit Japan in 2011 killed over 10,000 people and made hundreds of thousands homeless - but how did an earthquake cause it? PlayFull TranscriptDownload Chris - So James, tell us about what actually happened in Japan. There was this huge tsunami that surged in, tell us a bit about tsunamis and how they tend to happen. James - The sort of tsunami we're talking about follow big earthquakes and the tsunami that followed the big Japan earthquake was much bigger than people anticipated.
Dodging Death: Growing Old in Good Health
Understanding age and age related diseases involves research at every level – from populations through individuals, their organs and separate cells, and even down to the molecular domain.... PlayFull TranscriptDownload Understanding age and age related diseases involves research at every level - from populations through individuals, their organs and separate cells, and even down to the molecular domain.
Green Food
This week the Gaia telescope, a 1 billion pixel camera was tested 1.5 million km from Earth and it works! PlayFull TranscriptDownload Chris - First this week, the Gaia space mission which was launched on the 19th of December is now orbiting around a virtual point in space which is called L2. It's about 1.5 million km from Earth. Gaia's goal is to create the most accurate map yet of the Milky Way.
I'm a Tasmanian Devil, Get Me Out Of Here!
PlayFull TranscriptDownload A rock unearthed in Brazil is the fossilised faeces of a fish from a quarter of a billion years ago, and it contains the oldest-yet-discovered examples of intestinal worm eggs. PlayFull TranscriptDownload A rock unearthed in Brazil is the fossilised faeces of a fish from a quarter of a billion years ago, and it contains the oldest-yet-discovered examples of intestinal worm eggs.
Australia's First BBQ
Does a quick sugary treat help us to stick with difficult tasks? PlayFull TranscriptDownload Why are the waters of the Antarctic so different from the rest of the world? PlayFull TranscriptDownload Kate - Well, I've been looking this week at the Antarctic Seafloor. Now, this international team of scientists was really interested into the difference between wood and bone when they end up on the seafloor.
Is there a Googol of anything in the Universe?
PlayFull TranscriptDownload Ginny Smith cooked up an answer to this culinary question... Ginny - When you think about meat, it's made of protein and when protein is heated, the shape of it changes. Normally, it's quite a long molecule. But, as it's heated, it actually shrinks. So, if you imagine cooking a chicken breast, you see that as it cooks, it gets smaller and it also changes colour and this is because of the change in the proteins.
Supersenses: Extraordinary Animals
Mosquitoes may become less sensitive to a common repellent, DEET, after continued exposure... PlayFull TranscriptDownload Mosquitoes become less sensitive to the common repellent, DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide), after continued exposure to the chemical... DEET is a widely used mosquito repellent. and has been shown in various studies to repel up to 100% of mosquitoes.
Can Gravity Leak from Alternate Universes?
Bright light exposure at night harms your health and your memory, even if you think you are sleeping normally... PlayFull TranscriptDownload Being exposed to bright lights at night could harm your health and your memory - even if you think you are sleeping normally... Tara LeGates and her colleagues from John Hopkins University, Baltimore, exposed a group of mice to an alternating pattern of 3.5 hours of bright light followed by 3.5 hours of darkness over a 2 week period.
A trip to the seaside
Lloyd Peck of the British Antarctic Survey explains how some creatures in the Antarctic, like sea spiders grow to giant sizes! PlayFull TranscriptDownload Lloyd Peck of the British Antarctic Survey explains how some creatures in the Antarctic, like sea spiders, grow to giant sizes! Chris - Lloyd, so, you work in Antarctica. It's not very Antarctic in here today.
Unravelling Epigenetics
DNA functions a bit like a recipe book which tells you to cook up the chemicals that they need to function. But different sorts of cells need to use different genes, or recipes, to do... PlayFull TranscriptDownload Chris - In the 1950s, James Watson and Francis Crick, working at Cambridge University, discovered the structure of DNA.
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