Hutton Highlights: (The James Hutton Institute)

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 Maslin, Media Officer

Guests:
Professor Alison Hester,  Senior Research Scientist and head of the Climate-Positive Farming Initiative
Antonia Boyce, Climate Innovation Hub Manager
Dr Pete Iannetta, Head of Ecological Food Systems
Professor Ian Toth, Director of the National Potato Innovation Centre

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit: 

Glensaugh Climate-Positive Farming Initiative

The Climate Innovation Hub

Nadar: Climate positive gin 

The Centre for Sustainable Cropping
National Potato Innovation Centre

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

Remember to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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, Agronomist & Agri-Tech Specialist
Professor Derek Stewart, Director of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre
Dr Claire Hardy, Social Researcher and Project Facilitator - DigiCroft

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit: 

Tom v4 robot
Small Robot Company
The National Robotarium

APGC
The Advanced Plant Growth Centre

DigiCroft
DigiFarm Research note

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

Remember to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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 plant pathogens are and what we can do to avoid spreading the bad ones.

*Please note, gun shots can be heard during the recording due to the clay pigeon range at the Game Fair.

Introduction:

Professor Rob Brooker, head of Ecological Sciences at The James Hutton Institute 

Interviewer:

Elaine Maslin, Media Officer 

Guests: 

Dr Andy Taylor, Molecular Fungal Ecologist

Professor Robin Pakeman, Plant Ecologist

Beatrix Keillor, Research Technician

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit: 

Munro soil science

Mountain heights, hidden depths: unearthing alpine soil biodiversity | Mountain Heights, Hidden Depths (hutton.ac.uk)

Glen Finglas long-term grazing experiment

Grazing research at Glen Finglas | Ecological Sciences | The James Hutton Institute

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk 

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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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 interviewer:
Elaine Maslin, Media Officer

Guests:

Dr Rebekka Artz, research leader
Dr Tom Parker, upland carbon ecologist
Dr Mhairi Coyle, greenhouse gas and carbon dynamics researcher
Dr James Cash, data analyst
Dr Linda Toča, geospatial researcher

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

Scotland's flux tower network improved for better understanding of impact of peatland restoration | The James Hutton Institute

Aerial maps used to monitor peatland restoration on Balmoral Estate | The James Hutton Institute

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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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 rewilding. 

Interviewer:

Elaine Maslin, Media Officer 

Guests: 

Gary Polhill, senior research scientist at The James Hutton Institute and lead organiser of the European Social Simulation Association Summer School.

Connor Lovell, an ecologist doing a PhD into rewilding and ecosystem processes at the institute of Zoology at King’s College London.

Mariëlle Rietkerk from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Marielle is doing a PhD in the energy transition. 

Dr Anu Mishra is working for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the US in the Institute for Disease Modelling as a senior research scientist. She has a background as a biostatistition. 

Ryu Koide is a senior researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies. 

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit: 

European Social Simulation Association Summer School in Social Simulation 2023 | The James Hutton Institute

Exascale computing could supercharge crisis response capability | The James Hutton Institute

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk 

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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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 grass sickness first hand. Between them, they are now helping to contribute to the work to find the cause of this deadly diseases.

To support this work, please visit Equine Grass Sickness | The James Hutton Institute

Interviewer:

Elaine Maslin, Media Officer at the Hutton

Guests:

Dr Beth Wells, a research scientist at Moredun Research Institute/the Equine Grass Sickness Fund.

Gillian Green, owner of equine grass sickness disease survivor Jed and manager of the National Soils Archive at the Hutton. 

Emily Anderson, Gillian’s sister, horse owner and local business owner.

Professor Lorna Dawson, Head of the Soil Forensics Group within the Environmental and Biochemical Sciences group at the Hutton.

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

Moredun Research Institute
Biobank – Equine Grass Sickness Fund
National Soils Archive

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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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, ranging from how supermarkets and computer algorithms influence our decisions as consumers to how we manage land and who gets to benefit – or not.
In episode one, we start at the top. Why does nature loss need to be addressed? How did we get here and what are causing these problems?

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 underlying drivers of biodiversity loss.

Dr Clive Mitchell, Strategic Resource Manager for Nature and Climate Change, NatureScot.

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

NatureScot Research Report 1309 - Understanding the Indirect Drivers of Biodiversity Loss in Scotland | NatureScot

NatureScot

Considerable change needed to stop nature loss in Scotland | The James Hutton Institute

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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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 Institute and lead author of the report on the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss.

Dr Clive Mitchell, Strategic Resource Manager for Nature and Climate Change, NatureScot.

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

NatureScot Research Report 1309 - Understanding the Indirect Drivers of Biodiversity Loss in Scotland | NatureScot
NatureScot
Considerable change needed to stop nature loss in Scotland | The James Hutton Institute

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

Remember to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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 underlying drivers of biodiversity loss.

Dr Clive Mitchell, Strategic Resource Manager for Nature and Climate Change, NatureScot.

Dr Kerry Waylen, senior researcher in the Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences department at The James Hutton Institute.

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

NatureScot Research Report 1309 - Understanding the Indirect Drivers of Biodiversity Loss in Scotland | NatureScot
NatureScot
Considerable change needed to stop nature loss in Scotland | The James Hutton Institute

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk 

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

Remember to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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:

Elaine Maslin, Media Officer at the Hutton

Guests:

Professor Steve Hiller, soil mineralogist
Dr Stuart Turner, mineralogist
Helen Pendlowski, XRPD mineralogist
Dr Nia Gray-Wannell, clay mineralogist

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

About Us | Clays and Minerals

X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) | James Hutton Ltd

https://www.minersoc.org/images-of-clay.html

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk 

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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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 Wilkinson, a senior research scientist in catchment hydrology.
Dr Mags Currie, a senior researcher in our social sciences team who has looked at the longer-term impacts of flood events on people.

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:
Achieving multi-purpose nature-based solutions
Long-term impacts of flooding
Scottish river water levels: SEPA Water Levels

Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk 

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

Remember to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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:
Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton

Guests:
Dr Louise Gamble, soft fruit high health facility manager, at the Hutton
Peter Arbuckle, from Arbuckles, who grow and sell soft fruit.
And Caroline Black, who works with her husband on their family-owned farm, while also working for the Scottish Honey Berry Growers Association.

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit: 

• Scottish Honeyberry Growers | The Honeyberry Experts
• Comparative analysis of quality and nutritional traits from Lonicera caerulea (Honeyberry) cultivars and other berries grown in Scotland - Gamble - 2023 - Annals of Applied Biology - Wiley Online Library
• Watch: Fruit for the Future - Honeyberry
• Arbuckle's Farm Shop (arbuckles.co.uk)

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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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, molecular fungal ecologist at the Hutton.

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:
 
Globally rare truffle found in Scottish Atlantic rainforest | The James Hutton Institute
Glen Creran - Forestry and Land Scotland
Home - Forestry and Land Scotland

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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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 ecologist and community development officer at the North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN).
Abbi Ferrar, coordinator of the North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership (or NESBiP).
Dr Jenni Stockan, an expert in insect ecology and conservation at the Hutton.
Dr Ali Karley, agroecologist at the Hutton.

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

NESCAN Hub
North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership (nesbiodiversity.org.uk)
Managing-grassland-road-verges_
Helping Scotland's Pollinators

We hope this episode leaves you buzzing to help our pollinators!

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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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 Karley to discuss the challenges. 

Host:
Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton

Guests:
David Webster, chief executive of LEAF. David joined LEAF from the UK Grocery Division of Associated British Foods where he was Director of Sustainability and External Affairs. He cut his teeth with Jordans (Cereals), working closely with founders Bill and David Jordan on their breakfast cereal brand and a commitment to wildlife friendly farming.

Adrian James, knowledge exchange manager for cereals and oilseeds in Scotland for the AHDB. sAdrian comes from a mixed farm background in Herefordshire before moving into farm management in Sussex and Kent. He moved to Scotland in 2017 and took up his current role with AHDB in 2022, and he is deputy chair of the Arable Scotland committee.

Dr Alison Karley, an agroecologist here at the Hutton with more than 25 years’ experience in plant production and ecology. Ali leads the integrated cropping systems group at the Hutton and her work contributes towards crop diversification and integrated pest and disease management (IPM) research at the institute. Ali is chair of the Arable Scotland committee.

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, including how to attend Arable Scotland, visit:

Arable Scotland
LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming)
AHDB

Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into some of the discussion you can get involved in at this year’s Arable Scotland.

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

Remember to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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 Change, at the Cairngorms National Park Authority.
Dr Mike Rivington, senior scientist at the Hutton

For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:
Climate Change Impacts on Natural Capital - James Hutton Institute
The Climate Emergency - Cairngorms National Park Authority
Climate change in the UK - Met Office
UK Climate Projections (UKCP) - Met Office
Homepage | Copernicus

Remember to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

Remember to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.