Perhaps no other body part reveals as much about an animal’s relationship to its environment, says evolutionary biologist Otto Stenberg of the University of Helsinki, Finland. “Teeth have evolved to chop, pierce, crush and comb. They serve as sabres, scissors, mortar and pestle. The sheer diversity of tooth form and function is one of the most remarkable things about us mammals.”
There’s a worldwide shortage of software developers – with good pay and conditions, and the scope to work from home or anywhere with internet access. Maria Bell of Mesomorphic in Shetland joins Gordon Robinson of Orkney-based Kyloe Partners to see if they – and you – can come up with answers.
Sea buckthorn thrives in poor sandy soil by the sea, and can stabilise dunes and build up shelter – and it's nutritionally rich. Vitamins and amino acids, minerals and essential fatty acids, are abundant in its berries; their juice is a healthy drink and an intriguing flavour ingredient. Kirstie Campbell of Seabuckthorn Scotland tells its story and explores its possibilities for areas like Orkney.
Peedie Kirk Hall, Palace Road, Kirkwall Meet friends old or new and enjoy the best of Orkney cheese, meat, fish and baking. Come in good time for the best choice of food and for the Toast. The One O’Clock Toast today is in memory of Kristin Linklater, theatre director and vocal coach, who trained many well-known actors and established the Kristin Linklater Voice Centre in Quoyloo. It is given by her brother Magnus Linklater. Admission at door £10.
The Caithness author Neil Gunn dedicated his novel Highland River to his brother John, a mathematics and physics graduate. The book weaves together John’s pursuit of ideas in physics with a fisherman’s scanning of the sea to the far horizon – and also to the journey from the harbour upriver, in search of its distant source. Prof. Donna Heddle of UHI looks at the book and its setting.
Step back in time and discover the roots of astronomy with Dr Vassilios Spathopoulos, trying out replicas of some of the tools that charted the heavens long before modern technology. It’s a practical, informative drop-in session for anyone curious about how we’ve kept our eyes on the sky throughout history. The cost is covered by the museum entry ticket.
Madeleine Shepherd and Rebecca Kaye bring together data, art and mathematics in their work. The barometer on the wall by Victoria Street Church in Stromness led to Rebecca's design of a wind scarf. The pattern of flashes from Noup Head lighthouse led to an image capturing the patterns from lighthouses around the UK coast. Madeleine’s sources range from NASA image data to algorithmic pattern generation. Most recently she has been linking Fair Isle knitting traditions with computer-generated designs.
One of the novels of Eric Linklater, who died 50 years ago, spans Shetland, Faroe and Orkney past and present in a fateful mood showing how chains of events can build up to tragic conclusions. But the ending has a fresh picture of the nature of Time and a feeling of hope and redemption. And that picture of Time, says Dr Howie Firth, actually appears at the frontiers of physics today.
Dr Jamie Gallagher takes you on a guided tour of the building blocks that make up the planets, the universe – and us. "The periodic table has been an emblem of science for over 100 years. Behind this iconic classroom poster live tales of romance, murder, greed and wonder."
In hard times past Hudson’s Bay furs and Greenland whaling helped Orkney’s economy and people to survive. Today’s changing climate and an unsettled global situation is bringing northern regions together. Could this open a new frontier for Orkney?
Tinier and tinier quantities of DNA can now be detected – giving forensic scientists a problem: a crime scene may have traces of people who have never been there. To what extent can DNA be transferred from place to place, and how can different traces be sifted out? Dr Alexander Gray from the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science in Dundee describes the challenges.
Nordic Viola and Faroese ensemble Aldubáran capture the strangeness, wonder and melancholy of Norse legends in a performance of music, film and specially commissioned art. Music by Faroese, Scottish and Irish composers is accompanied on screen by video by Craig Sinclair and abstract art painted by Orla Stevens, “an artist who works from a deeply embedded sense of place.”
Does our digital world mean the end of tradition and older languages? On the contrary, say Prof. Maya Chacaby (Anishinaabe, Beaver Clan) of York University and virtual learning expert Benoit Buyse of UniVirtual: technology provides fresh ways to pass on heritage to a new generation.
Magnus Linklater, writer and former editor of the Scotsman, looks back at the lives of his parents Eric and Marjorie and his sisters Kristin and Alison and brother Andro, and at a time of global and local uncertainty looks ahead to the currents that may be shaping Orkney’s future, in conversation with Cameron Stout of BBC Radio Orkney.