@martinjhodson
Work at both universities in Oxford, UK. Teach climate and biodiversity loss. Research in plant, archaeological and environmental science. Investigating carbon sequestration in phytoliths within the soil. Principal Tutor for www.cres.org.uk
Fascinating! But I am not sure I would really want to go back to WW2. Let's hope we never get to that. But going back to your original article, we definitely do need to plan for that kind of event, just in case.
Yes, we just about survived the 2nd World War, but we had a lower population then. Now at the same time, agricultural productivity has increased- but often to the detriment of our soil quality.
Opening our session 6, Fatma Kalkan is presenting: “Did You ‘Read the Room’, Really? Sediment Geochemical and Phytolith. Evidence from A Neolithic Floor Context.”
She is an archaeologist specializing in human–space relationships in the Neolithic. Her research uses a multiproxy approach integrating sediment geochemistry, phytoliths, and spherulites to study archaeological floors as active agents in everyday practices.
This study provides high-resolution insight into how Neolithic domestic spaces were organized, maintained, and used, as well as how plants structured everyday practices during the emergence of sedentism.
Opening our session 6, Fatma Kalkan is presenting: “Did You ‘Read the Room’, Really? Sediment Geochemical and Phytolith. Evidence from A Neolithic Floor Context.” #6thVCWAP
Absolutely! What worries me is that we are building on a lot of our agricultural land. Yes, we need housing, but what happens if food imports are switched off?
Ensuring #FoodSecurity - surely a crucial government responsibility on which Westminster has been failing for decades
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
If you want to see some amazing, almost artistic, images, click the link and scroll down to the videos after Figure 3. Video 6 is my favourite! You don't even need to understand plant anatomy!!
![Fig. 3. Cell-specific silicon concentrations in selected individual sedges acquired using CryoSEM-EDX. For each species, a schematic diagram is shown of the different anatomical areas, together with a qualitative representation of the distributions of silicon (green) and carbon (purple) (Si-C), and a heatmap of silicon concentration, [Si]. (A) Machaerina junceae, (B, C, E) Cyathochaeta equitans, (D) Schoenus rigens, and (F) Mesomelaena tetragona. Scale bars are 100 µm in (A–D, F) and 25 µm in (E).](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7i6qyjt427sjvjwpngi73id7/bafkreidcvq54boplj4zjdzve5euzvh4uyd3eednwurh5r64jtuqb37isym)
Fig. 3. Cell-specific silicon concentrations in selected individual sedges acquired using CryoSEM-EDX. For each species, a schematic diagram is shown of the different anatomical areas, together with a qualitative representation of the distributions of silicon (green) and carbon (purple) (Si-C), and a heatmap of silicon concentration, [Si]. (A) Machaerina junceae, (B, C, E) Cyathochaeta equitans, (D) Schoenus rigens, and (F) Mesomelaena tetragona. Scale bars are 100 µm in (A–D, F) and 25 µm in (E).
"Cell walls dominate the cellular allocation of silicon in sedges" by @felix-detombeur.bsky.social et al. I act as a kind of senior advisor! X-ray microtomography, cryo-SEM–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy #plantscience #silicon #silica #phytoliths 🧪
academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...
St John’s Church, Woodbridge, is holding a "Cherishing the Earth" day conference on Saturday, 21st March 2026 (9.30am to 4pm). Lord Deben will be giving an address, and the keynote speakers are Martin & Margot Hodson from JRI. There are all kinds of wonderful workshops being arranged, and it will be a great day. All welcome! It is only £5 each to cover refreshments and expenses.
St John’s Church, Woodbridge, is holding a "Cherishing the Earth" day conference on Sat. 21 Mar. 2026 (9.30am - 4pm). Lord Deben, me & @margothodson.bsky.social from @johnrayinitiative.bsky.social are speakers. All welcome! £5 each. Book here: stjohnswoodbridge.churchsuite.com/events/nylt1...
What a result!! Huge congratulations to the amazing Hannah Spencer - everyone in Gorton and Denton has just made history. This result shows @greenparty.org.uk can win anywhere, that the politics of hope can win over the politics of hate & there is no longer any such thing as a Labour safe seat 💚
Much less sunlight is reflected back to space by air pollution, clouds (from a reduction in aerosol cloud interactions and cloud feedbacks from warming), and by decreasing snow and ice cover.
The 4-year average Absorbed Solar Radiation level increased by almost 2 W/m²!
Corona UV signals observed under a thunderstorm on 27 June 2024. (a) Approximate location of all 859 corona UV signals observed during the ∼1.5-hr observation period on a sweetgum tree. Each corona UV signal is colored by the number of total isotropic UV photons between 255 and 273 nm emitted by the corona discharge, as estimated from the illuminated pixels observed in that frame. The boxes depict the Corona Observing Telescope System (COTS) UV camera field of view, and the colors indicate the observation time for the branch within each box. Panel (b) as in (a), but for all 93 corona UV signals observed during the ∼20-min observation period on a loblolly pine tree. Locations of boxes and corona UV signals are only approximate because the wind blew the branches in and out of the COTS field of view. Note a corona UV signal is defined as a contiguous bundle of several illuminated pixels.
Coronae glow on the tips of spruce needles, induced by charged metal plates in a laboratory. These weak electric discharges subtly singe the tips of leaves and needles, and new observations indicate they may occur ubiquitously across treetops under thunderstorms. Credit: William Brune
During thunderstorms, electric discharges in the air cause trees to glow with an ultraviolet aura. You can't see it with your eyes, but researchers have finally managed to measure it & recreate it in the lab. 🧪🔭
news.agu.org/press-releas...
Starting the week with some oatmeal? #OatmealMonday
Analysis of the gut contents of the Tollund Man, an Iron Age body from Denmark preserved in a peat bog, found his last meal was a barley porridge. Was this ordinary fare or related to ritual practices?
🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
🏺 #Archaeology
Sorry, 30th wedding anniversary!!
Example of phytolith morphotypes identified in the study. Text: Microscopic evidence in soil reveals forest garden's past
SFU INDG assistant professor Chelsey Geralda Armstrong and her research team examined soil phytoliths to understand the distant past of Lhemqwó:tel, a forest garden in Sts’ailes territory on the Harrison River. Story: www.sfu.ca/indg/news-ev...
Postdoc Position in Amazon Palaeoecology | University of Nottingham, UK
🌿 Amazon sediment cores, pollen & phytolith analysis
🎓 Eligibility: PhD in a related field
📅 Deadline: 13 Mar 2026
🔗 higherjobz.com/palaeoecolog...
#Postdoc #PalaeoecologyResearch #AcademicJobs @uniofnottingham.bsky.social
🤓🪴 Our master’s student, Krish, presenting the objectives of his study on the use of a silica-derived biostimulant under different fertilization regimes.
#plantbiology #horticulture #cea
Aha! We were only looking at a patch of snowdrops yesterday, and reckoned there was more than one variety. If you add in hybrids the whole situation must be very complex!
NEW ANALYSIS: China's CO2 has now been 'flat or falling' for 21 months
* Down in 2025
* Still below Mar 2024
* Clean energy wave a key factor
If this is China's peak (TBC) it's the climate story of the century so far…
www.carbonbrief.org/...
Geothermal is ALREADY cost-competitive with fossil fuels in Europe.
Around 43 GW of enhanced geothermal capacity in the EU could be developed below €100/MWh today - compared to coal and gas prices fluctuating between €90–€150/MWh.
ember-energy.org/lat...
I was there!
It's the dead of winter, and California just supplied a peak of 117% of its demand with solar alone and 136% of its demand from WindWaterSolar and over 100% of demand for 6 hours.
Gas output down 58% and batteries output up 303% in 2025 v '2023
Solar+batteries replacing gas
I have been fortunate enough to have a couple of scientific collaborations with Belgian scientists. So I am actually a co-author on a paper about Belgian beer! Short conclusion - beer is good for you!! link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Tynt Meadow Brewery tour and tasters complete. Really enjoyed it and an absolute gem for the UK brewing industry.
#BskyBeer #Ale
Love it! Last time we visited the monastery the monk on the till was slightly surprised when we bought three boxes!!
Could Italy be the next California when it comes to battery storage? 🇮🇹🔋
2021: California’s battery capacity was the same as Italy’s now – 2 GW.
2025: California’s battery capacity sits at 13 GW of capacity – well within reach for Italy based on ongoing projects.
🧵1/4
January 2026 was the 5th warmest on record in the ERA5 dataset, at 1.48C above preindustrial levels, after 2025, 2024, 2020, and 2016.
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
The EU‘s fight over the ‚combustion engine ban‘ was a waste of the public‘s attention. Performative politics. By 2035, collectors with special licenses may still want one, if they can pay for the fuel and find some last gas station. History doesn‘t proceed in a linear fashion.
Villa dream... Tammy back, Villa top 4 end of the season. Jack back in the summer. Villa beat Bayern Munich 3-0 in the Champions League Final next year. Scorers: Tammy, Jack and Ollie. Impossible, I know, but one is allowed dreams! #avfc
UK among 10 countries to build 100GW wind power grid in North Sea
- landmark pact to turn the ageing oil basin into a “clean energy reservoir”
#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/environment/...