Is life unique to Earth and found nowhere else amongst an estimated 40 billion planets in our galaxy? Or is it ubiquitous throughout the galaxy as well as among the many billions of other galaxies in the observable universe? Some astronomers have argued that life is a fundamental feature of the universe, among them Prof. Chandra Wickramasinghe ...
The development of heat engines in the 19th century brought the concept of energy to the fore. It effected changes in the states of matter – solid, liquid and gas – breaking down the ordered solid states into the more disordered states of liquids and gases. The idea developed of entropy – a measure of disorder – as a core concept, ...
... with mountaineer and photographer Tristan Cameron-Harper back to see us with more scenes from his travels in Orkney. Eric Walker looks upward into the Orkney night sky, and Sandy Smith brings us news of the outcome of the Great Molecule Hunt and draws the winning entry ...
”This is one of my favourite walks, through farmland then along the coast of Scapa Flow with lovely views, before coming back in land, and through a small pocket of woodland. The walk is on a mixture of farm tracks, coastal paths and quiet roads. Take a snack/drink with you. “
Darwin thought life evolved like a tree growing, with a single common trunk opening out into a myriad of branches and twigs. But today, says Prof. Ford Doolittle of Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, at the forefront of fundamental research in evolutionary ...
Bowhead whales travel thousands of miles every spring to feed on the rich plankton concentrations of Disko Bay, West Greenland. But why do the plankton concentrate there, and what does Arctic ice melt mean for their future? Dr Neil Banas of Strathclyde University ...
Geologists Dr John Flett Brown and Dr Adrian Hall look at the sea-cliffs of Orkney’s west coast. The dynamic duo explore the Old Red Sandstone along the shore and discuss the effects of monster waves in Atlantic storms. "Few coasts on Earth," they declare, "match the magnificence ...
It matters where whisky is made: distilleries highlight the influence of local climate, sea air, soil and terrain. But at the heart of the production process are the cells of yeast, which at the start would have been wild yeasts appearing naturally. Could they too have an effect on flavour and aroma? And could that give ...
Join the Festival team as they sit back after intensive weeks of work on the Festival, with time for discussion and breaks to hear some music in varied style. They’re looking forward to welcoming you!
A science festival has a radical role in developing a creative climate for a region. Here is the story of how it began, and how Orkney was involved from an early stage in the concept.
