Join Orkney wildlife guide Megan Taylor for a walk along the coastal path north from Burwick, up the west coast of South Ronaldsay. "This path takes you along beautiful cliff tops, giving plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife – from seabirds to seals, insects, flowers and if we’re lucky maybe even a cetacean."
The world of the dinosaurs included some flying reptiles – pterosaurs. But some smaller dinosaurs had feathers, and it’s now turning out that some of these could also fly under their own wing power. Prof. Michael Pittman of the Chinese University of Hong Kong tells the story of the origin of flight for the ancestors of the birds of today.
Fire on the Amazon, fire in the Arctic, heatwaves in India, drought in California – around the world reports are coming in of weather extremes and changing climate patterns. What's it like for people directly involved? Prof. Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University brings accounts and impacts from varied places.
The little shingly beach by Stromness Museum is the setting for an introductory workshop with artist Lin Chau, exploring ways of producing paper using natural resources. All equipment and material will be provided, and you can feel free to bring along some small decorative items to create layering effects and individual style.
It happens so often in social work and in mental health and many other areas. The professionals say the people don’t understand, and the people say they’re not being understood. A new strategy seeks to bring everyone together to tackle problems. It's described by Prof. Carole Norris-Shortle and Susan Affleck.
Catch up on the events of the day and meet up with friends over tea or coffee and fresh local produce. There’s a 10-minute story as well at around 3.30 pm. We’ll hear today from Jon Side about Elaine Bullard’s journeys to all parts of Orkney, to study and record the plants of the islands.
Join Whale and Dolphin Conservation at Yesnaby car park to watch out for whales, dolphins and porpoises. Over-18s only. There is no charge for this event. CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER
It’s often suggested that artificial intelligence will eventually take over all the skilled tasks we carry out. However, argues Prof. Iain Alasdair MacLeod, a key human ability is to successfully manage complex uncertainty. So, he says, we must think afresh about education, which traditionally teaches us to think about known situations.
They’re everywhere in our bodies, like thousands of little molecular machines, folded into complex three-dimensional shapes, which have a critical impact on the way in which each protein operates. How to predict the shapes has till now seemed an impossible challenge – but as Prof. David Shortle of John Hopkins University explains, recent advances in artificial intelligence have made a breakthrough.
Despite more than a century of research the nature of animal navigation remains mysterious. Many animals seem to have a magnetic sense, but this cannot explain their navigation abilities. Dr Rupert Sheldrake gives an overview of research and highlights the questions and discusses possible experiments for answering them.
Three cases of Highland malt whisky were discovered, frozen into the ice beneath Shackleton's base camp. Through careful analysis, its exact constituents were worked out, and the whisky recreated. Master brewer Ken Duncan tells the story, with polar historian Dr Maria Pia Casarini setting the scene.
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. Just follow this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87963488938?pwd=SHBGMVJ3UTRlVlFqaTJPWlR5d2wyQT09. 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.
