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Bringing you a glimpse into the world-leading research at The James Hutton Institute. Through conversations with our scientists and researchers, we'll be delving into everything from the impact of climate change and biodiversity loss to threats to food and water security.
16 Episodes
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Climate change has wide-ranging impacts, including how to manage major and important areas of land such as national parks. We talk with the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s director of nature and climate change about what climate projections mean for the park and the practical measures they’re already taking on the ground, from peatland restoration to beaver reintroduction. Host: Elaine Maslin, Media Officer at the Hutton (Aberdeen) Guests: Andy Ford, Director of Nature and Climate Cha...
This year’s Arable Scotland is all about farming in a new era. It’s about how the future is already here and the challenges that brings, from climate and weather chaos to biodiversity loss and the impact of global events on key supply chains. To unpick what some of this means, as an appetiser for Arable Scotland, we have special guests from Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development board (AHDB), alongside our very own Hutton agroecologist Ali Karl...
We’re joined by guests from North East Climate Action Network and the North East Biodiversity Partnership alongside insect and agroecology experts at the Hutton to talk about pollinators. There’s more to them than you think, including moths being a surprise night time super pollinator. We talk through some pollinator bugbears, no mow May and all the different ways you can support our pollinator populations. Host: Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton Guests: Rose Toney, an ...
Today we’re talking truffles and a super rare truffle discovery that’s been made recently in Scotland by one of our scientists. It’s discovery in an ancient Scottish rainforest restoration site – where the spruce tree the truffle lives in symbiosis with is being removed – does raise some interesting conservation questions. Host: Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton Guests: Richard Thompson, native woodland ecologist from Scottish Forestry and Land. Dr Andy Taylor, molecu...
In our latest Hutton Highlights, we speak with experts and growers about what could be Scotland’s fifth soft fruit – the honeyberry. We hear how it’s not only a superfood, but one that’s also well suited to Scotland’s climate. It could help farms diversify as well as bring benefits to their land, from an environmental perspective. We found out how this new fruit found its way to Scotland and the Scottish Honeyberry Growers cooperative’s plans to get more of them into our diets. Host: E...
Flooding is an issue that’s increasingly high on the agenda. What’s behind these events, what exacerbates them, why are the obvious solutions maybe not so easy to implement and what can we do to be more prepared for the next one? We take a dip into these stormy waters with scientists from across our environmental and social sciences teams. Host: Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton Guests: Dr Marc Stutter, a senior scientist focusing on river catchment management Dr Mark W...
In our second pod in a three-part series looking at what’s really driving biodiversity loss in Scotland, we’re again joined by NatureScot and this time look at how doing the right thing isn’t as straight forward as it seems, not least around land use, our food systems, the increasing demands on farming and how choices made in Scotland could impact biodiversity elsewhere. Host: Elaine Maslin, Media Officer at the Hutton Guests: Professor Robin Pakeman, plant ecologist at The James Hutton I...
Our latest Hutton Highlights podcast looks at how efforts to discover the mystery cause of a devastating horse disease called equine grass sickness (EGS) have turned to soil science here at the Hutton. We talk with experts from the Hutton and Moredun Research Institute, which is leading research in this area, on what this disease is, why we’re now looking at soil and what’s involved. We’re also joined by sisters Gillian Green and Emily Anderson, who have experienced the horror of equine gras...
Our latest Hutton Highlights podcast takes a delve into the world of computer simulation. We recorded this episode during the European Social Simulation Association Summer School in Social Simulation. The week-long event at the end of August saw people from all over the world come to our at our Craigiebuckler campus in Aberdeen to look at how an advanced method of computer simulation called agent-based modelling can be used to tackle problems from climate change and energy to health and rewil...
For our latest Hutton Highlights podcast, we take a journey up to 600 m high on the Balmoral Estate with some of the experts from our world-leading multidisciplinary peatland team. Up close, what looks like a relatively normal exposed and barren hill is in fact an outdoor laboratory for experiments on peatland. We take a look at what's being done here, from pins to measure peat erosion to the flux tower that measures carbon and methane flux from this important ecosystem. Introduction and in...
For our third Hutton Highlights podcast, we’re focusing on the Scottish uplands. We recorded this episode on site at the Scottish Game Fair at Scone Palace, where we were sharing our work in everything from preventing the spread of plant pathogens to citizen science soil sampling on Scotland’s Munros. You’ll hear from our guests about how perception and management of the uplands has changed, how we’re building the first baseline of alpine soil biodiversity across Scotland and how common...
This podcast was recorded on site at The Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh. We take you on a quick tour of some of the work we shared through conversations with the scientists and researchers behind it. In this episode we’re focusing in on precision agri tech, from vertical farming to the use of robots out in the field. Introduction: Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of The James Hutton Institute Interviewer: Elaine Maslin, Media Officer Guests: Andrew Christie...
This podcast was recorded on site at The Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh. We take you on a quick tour of some of the work we shared through conversations with the scientists and researchers behind it. In this episode we’re focusing on the climate and finding transformational ways to make farming more sustainable - we're talking gin, crop diversification and green energy. Introduction: Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of The James Hutton Institute Interviewer: Elaine M...
Day to day, few give much thought to clay. But it’s a substance that goes a long way – literally and metaphorically. It’s a natural material with ever expanding qualities and uses, from showing if there was life on Mars to complex medicinal delivery systems. It’s all pervasive in our lives – it’s in everything from packing material and cat litter to toothpaste. It’s also a specialism here at the Hutton. So in this episode of Hutton Highlights, we take a delve into the world of clay. Host: ...
In the final episode of our three-part pod on the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss, we’re joined again by NatureScot to look more at who gets a say in the changes we need to make, who can we trust and who benefits from doing things differently. Do we need a different type of democracy to tackle biodiversity loss? Host: Elaine Maslin, Media Officer at the Hutton Guests: Professor Robin Pakeman, plant ecologist at The James Hutton Institute and lead author of the report on the underly...
We know Scotland’s biodiversity is suffering. The latest State of Nature report recently underlined just how much. But do we really know what’s causing it? For a three-part pod series, we'll be joined by a guest from Scotland’s public body on natural heritage, NatureScot, to tackle this topic. Taking research led by the Hutton for NatureScot as a starting point, we’ll delve into what is really causing biodiversity loss in Scotland and the implications of tackling it. It’s a big topic, rangi...
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