Dr. Danny Penman

Dr Danny Penman is a feature writer for the Daily Mail, having formerly worked for the BBC, New Scientist and the Independent newspaper. He holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and specialises in reporting on science, health, the environment, and animal welfare. He is a commentator on these issues for BBC Radio Four and Five and has made a number of documentaries for BBC One and Channel Four News.

In 2009 and in 2011 he won the Humane Society of the United States Brigitte Bardot International Print Journalism award for his investigations into animal welfare abuses around the world. The award was presented in front of an invited Hollywood audience that included Ellen DeGeneres and the stars of CSI Las Vegas, Bones, and the film 'W'.

In 2011 he won the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) 'Special Investigation Award'.

He has been a keen meditator since his teenage years. He discovered Mindfulness Meditation in 2006 following a terrible paragliding accident that left him temporarily crippled and in constant pain. Danny was so surprised by how effective a painkiller (and stress-reliever) the meditations proved to be, that he sought out Professor Mark Williams of Oxford University, the co-developer of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. The pair then wrote Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World.

Danny recovered in record time and is now a keen long-distance hiker.