“By comparing each of the Martian soils with all fifteen hundred Scottish soils in our dataset, we consistently find a group of Scottish soil samples that are strikingly similar to those on Mars. There are two sites in Scotland that have particularly similar soil minerals to those found of Mars, located on the basaltic soils of Skye and Mull" NASA’s InSight lander has been headline news in recent weeks, as it continues to send back clear images of the rocky and unforgiving surface of Mars. However, the previous exploration robot sent to roam the red planet, the Curiosity rover, has been
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"These combinations are a promising start and could impact brewing and distilling here and across the globe. The next step is to see how these combinations perform in an elite breeding environment and how well they flourish in the field" New gene combinations in barley could prove a budding success for breeders and brewers across the world, according to a new study by plant scientists of the University of Dundee and the James Hutton Institute. The study, published in New Phytologist, suggests new barley lines created by bringing together novel genetic variation, could dramatically benefit the
As our lifestyles, including work patterns, have become more demanding and irregular, our meal patterns have followed suit, with many people eating most of their daily calories in the evening, and having become accustomed to eating what they want, when they want. This is a potential problem since there is increasing evidence that the structure of meal timing may be a factor contributing to the global rise in obesity. The chrononutrition meeting assembled scientists with a range of specialisations from epidemiology to whole body metabolism and molecular mechanism, to address interactions
"We have an obligation to reach out to the world with our expertise to help others, to improve lives and advance our understanding of how to manage water sustainably, both now and in response to future challenges" Primary school students will benefit from wastewater treatment and clean water at their school in India thanks to a joint project led by the James Hutton Institute and funded by the Scottish Government. While visiting India, Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney welcomed the pioneering sanitation system to improve conditions for 206 pupils and 10 staff at Berambadi Primary
"Researchers need to consult practitioners, policy makers, community groups and other stakeholders to identify the most important issues which affect Scotland’s rural areas and small towns" Social scientists of the James Hutton Institute and Scotland's Rural College are seeking people’s views about wellbeing, local issues and quality of life in Scottish communities, in a drive to improve currently-available data and inform policy development and implementation. Jonathan Hopkins, a researcher of the Institute's Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences group in Aberdeen, said: "The size of the
"There is a clear need for researchers to consult practitioners, policymakers, community groups and several other stakeholders to identify the most important issues and subjects which affect Scotland’s rural areas and small towns" Social scientists of the James Hutton Institute and Scotland's Rural College are seeking people’s views about wellbeing, local issues and quality of life in Scottish communities, in a drive to improve currently-available data and inform policy development and implementation. Jonathan Hopkins, a researcher of the Institute's Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences
There is still a lot of water to flow under the bridge before the scale and shape of future public funding to farmers and other land managers becomes clearer. But with Brexit rapidly approaching – and with each new model of theoretical scenarios suggesting that major changes to current support levels are inevitable – then one major topic of debate revolves around the suggestion that future support for land management will primarily be targeted at the provision of public goods. And although this argument is primarily being made in England at the moment, it is not one we can ignore in Scotland
What food products of animal origin (POAO) flow into and out of Scotland? This was the question posed by Food Standards Scotland as part of my SEFARI fellowship. As an economist, I was aware that this seemingly straightforward question would be both fascinating and challenging. For starters, food supply chains across the European Union are well established and operate across member states to bring us POAO within a fast time period. The first phase entailed finding data on what enters and leaves Scottish ports (i.e. imports and exports): unfortunately, the HMRC data only records non-EU trade
"Food and farming are becoming even more important as Scotland aims to expand its food and drink sector, and this award recognises the people who are managing our farmland and producing food in ways that support nature" John Dalziel, of Common Farm in East Ayrshire, has picked up the Nature of Scotland 2018 Food and Farming Award, sponsored by the James Hutton Institute, for his efforts to integrate wildlife conservation into his successful farming system and his work with partners to restore peatlands, create wetlands and conserve curlews. The award was presented by Professor Colin Campbell