Blogs

Pit latrines form the backbone of sanitation systems for much of sub-Saharan Africa, but while reducing open defecation, they can also be problematic for public health when not built or managed suitably.

It may have felt cold this June, following May and this Spring’s record warm temperatures. In fact it was only the 26th coldest June on record at the James Hutton Institute’s Invergowrie campus since 1954.

Abbie Ferrar has recently joined the Hutton-hosted North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership (NESBiP) as Biodiversity Coordinator. She tells us why and why connecting with nature is important.

June 20 is Clean Air Day. Most of us probably take our air quality for granted. The days of choking smogs in UK cities are a thing of the past.

As biodiversity hotspots, Scotland’s rainforests are internationally important. The sheer quantity, diversity and rarity of the lichens, mosses and liverworts they are home to is stunning and a joy to experience.

We’ve recorded the warmest May – and the warmest spring overall – on record at our site in Invergowrie, mirroring UK-wide May and spring temperature records.

There’s a new Scottish superfruit in town. It’s described as being like a blueberry, but on steroids. It’s called the honeyberry and if you haven’t heard of it yet it’s likely you will soon, thanks…

From the outside, life in a Scottish island might seem like a common experience. Viewing it as such across our diverse islands can be detrimental.

Food security might not seem like a big issue in Scotland. Comparatively, to other places around the world, it’s not. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any problems within our food system.

This is the second instalment of a series of blog posts highlighting Hutton scientists and their collaborators using environmental DNA (eDNA for short) techniques.