Martin Hodson

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...

The last meal of Tollund Man: new analyses of his gut content The last meal of Tollund Man, a bog body from Early Iron Age Denmark, has been re-examined using new analyses of plant macrofossils, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, steroid markers and proteins found in his gut. Some 12–24 hours before he was killed, he ate a porridge containing barley, pale persicaria and flax, and probably some fish.

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...

Palaeoecology Postdoc Position UK 2026 Fully Funded | HigherJobz Fully funded Amazon Palaeoecology Postdoc at University of Nottingham, UK. Research Associate role. Apply by 13 March 2026.

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

Dissolved Silicon and Its Origin in Belgian Beers—A Multivariate Analysis - Silicon Beer is a quintessential part of Belgian heritage. We performed a detailed analysis of factors controlling Si content in Belgian beers as a case study to coincide with the 2011 IBiS meeting in Antwerp...

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.

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)

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 Energy secretary Ed Miliband says clean energy project is part of efforts to leave ‘the fossil fuel rollercoaster’

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/...

The highest temperature ever recorded in Victoria is 48.8°C at Hopetoun on 7 Feb 2009.
The forecast for Tuesday at Ouyen Victoria is 49°C.

Yes, please!

Here is a working Starter Pack for Plant Ecophysiologists! Please let us know if you want to be added to this list in a comment or DM. #botany #plantecophys #PhysFam

go.bsky.app/Pbq39H7

❗Decline in botanical education threatens response to climate action and food security

www.ucd.ie/newsandopini...

Research reveals what inspires people to study plant biology, a subject essential for addressing biodiversity loss, climate change, and food security.

#PlantScience 🧵1/2

UK households to get £15bn for solar and green tech to lower energy bills The government has announced the details of its long-awaited Warm Homes Plan which promises to cut energy bills.

Good news, "but the Conservative Party said the scheme will "saddle households with high ongoing running costs"." Rubbish!! We have solar, a battery, and an electric car, and it is costing us £50 a month to run the lot!!!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

1) Bananas were first domesticated in Melanesia, especially New Guinea, between 7,000–10,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence from Kuk Swamp confirms early cultivation, with phytoliths showing deliberate planting of Musa acuminata 🧵(1/5)

www.apscience.org.au/pbf_02_3/

JRI Book Club 'Here Comes the Sun' 'Here Comes the Sun', Bill McKibben, published by WW Norton & Company, 2025 McKibben delivers a compelling, hopeful manifesto for our climate-stricken world. McKibben charts the breathtaking surge...

The next @johnrayinitiative.bsky.social book club is on February 23 @ 19:30–21:00 UK time. We will be discussing ‘Here Comes the Sun’ online, the latest book by Bill Mckibben @billmckibben.bsky.social All welcome!
jri.org.uk/book_events/...