NatureVolve issue 5 by NatureVolve Magazine

Issue 5

Featuring.. Celebrating the

10th Anniversary

of the NASA Space Telescope Launch..

Scottish rocks prove ‘boring billion’ wasn’t boring after all.. Neuroscience art & more

Explore..

Cover image:

‘The Great Nebula in Orion’ image from article on p11. Copyright protected. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/WISE Team. All rights reserved. Image courtesy NASA/JPLCaltech. Endorsement by Caltech, JPL or NASA does not apply.

NatureVolve.com Communicating science Combining art

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NatureVolve would like to thank the following who contributed to issue 5 Individuals: Amy Hilton Deepali Parmar Dr D. Pylarinos Erno Matrahazi Francois Beauxis-Aussalet Ilan Kelman Ildiko Mecseri Rupshi Mitra Sheena Worthington Sonja Inske Steven Duplij Lizah van der Aart Groups: Argaty Red Kites (Tom and Lynn Bowser) Space Dynamics Lab The Crafty Pickle (Madi and Arthur). University of Aberdeen (Robert Turbyne, Adrian Hartley) Wild art for Australian wildlife (M. Taxoham, Shauna Spratt, Taylor Davis, Sharon Cordeiro) Thanks also to Etzou E-learning OpenAcademics PapaPhD Podcast Penguin Random House & Martin Vargic STEM Advocacy Institute (SAi)

Editor’s note Welcome to issue 5 of NatureVolve

We are excited to share issue 5 with you, featuring perspectives from a diversity of creative thinkers.

Science & research presents a focus on the physical sciences, with leading advancements in space science, and fossil discoveries in the Scottish Highalnds. With modern day concerns in mind, in Conservation, we hone in on current issues such as natural disasters, wildlife conservation and food waste. Moving onto the Scicomm section, the works of leading creative biological science communicators are showcased, including an infographic related to COVID-19. Transitioning into Art and Written Word, there are vibrant and unique nature-inspired creations to show. NatureVolve creatively communicates science with wider audiences, not only as a publication, but a community. Thanks to all readers and members who have helped us to share the ideas of scientists and artists through five free digital issues. We now have opportunities for current readers to join us as a lifetime member to continuously receive full-length issues of NatureVolve for a lifetime, and access extra community perks. Please enjoy issue 5! Best wishes,

Contents Art

SCIENCE Chemical engineer seeks sustainable solutions to recycle autocatalysts

Overhead Power Transmission Lines and Forests: An ill-regulated Relationship?

Space Dynamics Lab Celebrates 10th 11 Anniversary of NASA Space Telescope Launch Scottish rocks prove ‘boring billion’ wasn’t so boring after all

Amy Hilton

Ildikó Mecséri

Erno Mátraházi

Artists raising funds for Australian Wildlife

Written Word

conservation Visitor centre protects red kites in the Scottish Highlands

How can we prepare for disasters intensified by climate change?

Fermenting food for a sustainable future

Vargic’s Cosmic Compendium

In my Garden... there

Weekdays

extra

scicomm Paintings inspired by neuroscience

NatureVolve announcement

Scicomm illustrator showcase: Sonja Inske

Messages from supporters

Scicomm illustrator showcase: Lizah van der Aart

Access previous issues

Science

SCIENCE

engineering

Chemical engineer seeks sustainable solutions to recycle autocatalysts Autocatalysts are used by engineers to create

desired chemical reactions. Made from ceramics or metal, and coated with chemicals, they can be installed in the exhaust of a car to convert pollutants from the combustion of fuel into harmless gases. Such solutions can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to the ongoing global problem of climate change, but the disused materials that make up autocatalysts can be badly wasted by industries. It would be beneficial to find ways of recycling these materials, safely and efficiently. Sheena Worthington is a Doctoral researcher in Chemical Engineering investigating potential approaches to recycle autocatalyst materials.

Top right: Portrait of Sheena Worthington. © Sheena Worthington. All rights reserved. Directly above: Eco concrete interlocking blocks by Smart Creative Technologies Ltd. © Smart Creative Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. For more information, see www.blockwalls.co.uk and www.quinnovations.co.uk © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

SCIENCE

engineering

Q & A - Sheena Worthington Please tell us about your background and how you developed an interest in chemical engineering. My name is Sheena Worthington, a PhD researcher on the Eco-innovation project which is part funded by the ERDF and in collaboration with Smart Creative Technologies Ltd. I am originally from the Philippines where I completed my degree in nursing, then I completed my degree in pharmaceutical science in the UK which has led me here into the new field in chemical engineering. I applied for PhD funded programs, then I received an offer from the University of Chester. However prior to obtaining a spot at the next academic year, I was asked by the school to prepare a presentation and have an interview. I had to prepare a 15 minute slide about Autocatalysts, ceramics, extracting alumina from bauxite, gypsum, silica/silicates, magnesium oxide, ICP-AES, X-ray diffraction and so on. I was accepted in their program, and as the year goes by I am loving my research project, I believe my focus, passion and commitment are the main ingredient in succeeding during my PhD.

What are autocatalysts and why is it harmful to send these materials to land-fill? An autocatalyst is an elliptical cross section or cylinder consisting of metal or ceramic shaped into a fine honeycomb structure, and sheathed with a mixture of chemicals and a fusion of palladium, platinum and rhodium. It is fitted in the inner part of the stainless steel canister (the entire body is called catalytic converter). Situated in a vehicle’s exhaust line, it transforms the harmful gases from the combustion of fuel into harmless gases.

“..an autocatalyst is an elliptical cross section or cylinder consisting of metal or ceramic.. it transforms the harmful gases from the combustion of fuel into harmless gases.”

Above: Distinctive arrangement of parts of the catalytic converter. Image courtesy of ClearMechanic.com ClearMechanic owns the image and owns the image copyright. All rights are reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

SCIENCE

engineering

How can the waste management of autocatalysts be made more sustainable?

Has industry shown interest in your project’s recycling concept?

It can be more sustainable by the introduction of the modern industrial ecosystem. Every year, the ceramic industry produces a significant amount of waste. This is particularly the case for the production of paving and roof tiles, clay bricks, refractory insulation fibres, sanitary wares, sewage sludge molten ash, electrical insulators, blast furnace slag, and glasses. These are under the group of the demolition sector and construction sector, where the waste materials are sent to landfill, due to them being non-conducive in terms of recycling (Diago et. al., 2018).

I am working in collaboration with Smart Creative Technologies Ltd. and my recycling approach will contribute towards their creation of eco concrete interlocking blocks. The presence of the similar phases such as; Zeolites, Magnesium silicates and Calcium silicates in the ceramic insulation fibre can manufacture a hybrid hydraulic cement for Smart Creative Technologies’s eco concrete interlocking blocks.

The utilisation of the ceramic waste by the modern industrial ecosystem typically consist of magnesium silicates and calcium silicates. Because of the presence of the similar phases it can manufacture a hybrid hydraulic cement.

Being a commercially viable recycling method, what would be the likely challenges of implementing it? Currently the proposal scheme is still in its infancy. The future success of the project depends on the quantity recovered, how pure it is, and the available market for the products recovered.

Final thoughts Alongside Sheena’s PhD project, New Chemical Processing and Recycling Technologies for Autocatalysts, an approach is being developed, that could help industries sustainably recycle autocatalyst waste materials. While the concept is in its early stages, we wish the best for the future progress of Sheena’s innovative ideas and PhD studies. To find out more about Sheena’s work, see Researchgate.

Bio

Links

I am currently a PhD Researcher, Laboratory Demonstrator and an Exam Invigilator employed by the University of Chester within the Eco Innovations Team and Smart Creative Technologies Ltd (see www.quinnovations.co.uk) working in the Chemical Engineering Laboratory. I have been employed by the University of Chester since 09 October 2017.

Twitter: @ScientistSheena

I am currently involved in extracting silicon, aluminium, magnesium and calcium compounds from the ceramic insulation fibres to recycle them and turn them into secondary raw material. This will be done with chemistry materials and processing techniques. This will also benefit the environment and the economy by preventing it to be sent to landfill. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

Instagram: ScientistSheena LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sheenajamila-b-worthington4b9713130 YouTube: youtu.be/NROj4AgypWc p7

SCIENCE

engineering

Overhead Power Transmission Lines and Forests: An ill-regulated Relationship? Editor’s comment

by Dr D. Pylarinos

Transmission lines are essential for providing us with electricity in

our homes. Setting up these networks can be especially vital, yet, challenging in remote locations. How these power transmission lines are constructed in the natural environment is essential for engineers to consider, to not only minimise environmental impacts, but maintain the functionality of the power lines. Trees pose problems to transmission lines, as fallen branches and trees can cause damage. Dr. Pylarinos is an engineer who explains more on this subject, suggesting improvements for the regulation of transmission lines with forests.

Top, right: Transmission lines and forests (picture from the author’s personal collection). Directly above: Fire passing under (or near) a transmission line often results to a power line fault (picture from the author’s personal collection). All images above: © Dionisios Pylarinos. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

SCIENCE

engineering

A power system is an electricity network that consists of three basic elements: generation, transmission and distribution. A transmission network may include underground cables, but it is usually mostly consisted of overhead transmission lines. The term “overhead transmission line” includes both the high voltage conductors that carry the electricity and the structures that support them (towers or poles equipped with various equipment e.g. insulators, ground conductors etc). Line routes are designed following a techno-economic approach that aims to ensure the lowest possible cost while maintaining safety standards. The actual construction cost is not the critical issue, being relatively stable. The key factor is the cost of land that, along with public pressure related to visual pollution and various safety and health risks, leads power lines to follow routes along remote areas. The “pass-through-remote-areas” rule is generally followed worldwide, but the actual legislation varies between different countries and this makes a significant difference in the case of forests. When a transmission line is constructed, a small area, around each tower, is purchased, leased or expropriated. The optimal technical approach is to fully prohibit any activity in proximity to the whole line’s length by owning the land. This, however, is highly impractical as the cost would rise enormously. A partial expropriation is usually enforced that regulates or prohibits activities within certain distances from the line. In Greece, for example, the owner of the land under the line may be allowed to build but only to a certain height when in a certain distance from the line.

But what happens, and what should happen, when a transmission line goes through a forest? The first answer that pops in mind and that is often followed is to allow them to grow but only to a certain height (and to a certain length if they approach the line sideways). The matter becomes more complicated in countries where forests are property of the state and are heavily protected under law, such as in Greece, which means that you are only allowed to trim a tree in order to keep just the right distance from the line throughout the year, always under the supervision of the Forest Service to ensure that the © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

trimming is just right (and not at all excessive). The Forest Service is expected to create and maintain firebreak zones, but the need of firebreak zones and the existence of transmission lines are not combined in any way, at least in Greece and several other countries. This myopic approach leads to a series of unfortunate results, some obvious and some not so obvious. Maintaining the trees under a certain height actually poses an unnecessary safety risk for workers, with the use of heavy machinery, or the climbing of trees to reach the right height, while being exposed to falling tree parts. Trimming trees under or near lines may also require switching off the line for safety reasons (which could mean a higher operation cost and also a stability risk of the system). The repetitive trimming also creates a high yearly cost for the transmission line operator and for the Forest Service that also has to supervise the works. There is always the risk of misjudging the growth rate of a certain tree or the distance between the tree and the line. This would allow the tree to grow closer to the line between the trimmings, potentially creating a transmission line fault and thus a fire hazard. Neighboring trees may pose a threat to the line even when trimmed correctly. In the case of strong winds, a tree branch, or even a whole tree, may be carried onto the line. Such a fault may lead to heavy complications that include outages and black-outs. p9

SCIENCE

engineering

The inspection and maintenance cost for the transmission line also rises. Moving through a forest may require moving on foot, which means less time efficiency and higher costs. Even when vehicles are used, the surrounding environment may pose threats for the personnel, and bring a risk of damage risks for the vehicles (for example ill-maintained roads, falling trees and branches etc). Problems in navigation are also to be expected. Further, more recent techniques such as aerial inspection (with the use of drones or planes equipped with cameras) provide significant technological breakthroughs which could be cost-cutting and more efficient. For example, trees approaching lines from a sideways direction may be spotted using vertical aerial images, cutting the costs of inspections regarding the distance between trees and lines, if trees were not allowed to grow under the line. However, a policy that allows trees to grow under transmission lines nullifies such advancements. It should also be noted that fire products (heat, smoke, flame etc) are well known to cause faults when a fire passes under (or near) a transmission line. For all the above reasons, it is highly likely that most transmission line operators would prefer to have the responsibility and bear the costs of maintaining a fire break zone under their transmission lines, rather than the tree-trimming policy. This approach would mean improved safety and lower costs for both forests and lines. Overhead transmission lines and forests often have an illregulated relationship, associated with unecessary costs and risks. This has been the result of pre-established views that should be reconsidered to achieve optimal safety and costs for both power systems and forests.

Top: A fallen tree prohibits vehicles from reaching a certain tower (picture from the author’s personal collection). Middle and below: Fire passing under (or near) a transmission line often results to a power line fault (picture from the author’s personal collection). All images above: © Dionisios Pylarinos. All rights reserved.

Bio

Links

Dr D. Pylarinos (PhD in ECE) is a Substation & Transmission Line Engineer for the Crete-Rhodes Transmission System Operation Section, HEDNO S.A., Greece. Before that, he worked in several positions in both industry and academia.

Web: talos-ts.com/index.php/

He is the Editor-In-Chief of “Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research”. He has authored over 60 published works (papers, chapters, books etc). © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

pers-pages/pylarinos

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ dpylarinos/ ETASR: www.etasr.com ORCID: orcid.org/0000-00015511-795X

p10

SCIENCE

space science

Press release - North Logan, Utah, 18 December, 2019.

Space Dynamics Lab Celebrates 10th Anniversary of NASA Space Telescope Launch In a spectacular predawn launch on December 14, 2009, a United

Launch Alliance Delta II rocket roared to life carrying the 1,457-pound Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer into space. Space Dynamics Laboratory manufactured the state of the art telescope for NASA to map and catalog the sky with far better sensitivity and resolution than previous space based infrared survey telescopes..

Above: The Great Nebula in Orion is featured in this sweeping image from the SDL-built WISE telescope, built by the Space Dynamics Laboratory. The constellation of Orion is prominent in the evening sky throughout the world from about December through April of each year. The Orion Nebula (also cataloged as Messier 42) is located in the sword of Orion, hanging from his famous belt of three stars. The star cluster embedded in the nebula is visible to the unaided human eye as a single star, with some fuzziness apparent to the most keen-eyed observers. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/WISE Team). Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. Endorsement by Caltech, JPL or NASA does not apply.

p11

SCIENCE

space science

Thor’s Helmet, Omega, Pleiades. These names evoke wonder, inspire awe, and represent just three of the three-quarters of a billion objects WISE took pictures of on its orbital journey above the Earth. During its 13-month long original mission, the telescope scanned the entire sky in infrared light and sent back 2.6 million images, including remote galaxies, stars, nebulae, and asteroids. For years to come, generations of scientists will benefit from the treasure trove of WISE photos to better understand the universe and our place in it. “WISE was one of those unique history-making missions that relatively few people have the honor to be a part of,” said H. Scott Hinton, president of SDL. “For decades, NASA and SDL have worked together to help reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind. The nine hundred dedicated engineers, technicians, scientists, and business professionals of SDL remain grateful to engage in NASA’s advances in science, technology, and space exploration.”

Above: Thors Helmet. This heroic image from the SDL-built WISE telescope is of a special cloud of dust and gas in the constellation Canis Major cataloged as NGC 2359. The nebula is more commonly known as Thor’s Helmet due to its remarkable resemblance to depictions of the headwear donned by the famed Norse god of thunder and lightning. Thor’s Helmet is about 30 light-years across, and its distance from Earth is estimated to be about 15,000 light-years. This image covers an area of sky about 2.5 times the size of the full Moon. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/WISE Team). All rights reserved. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. Endorsement by Caltech, JPL or NASA does not apply.

SDL designed WISE to detect heat given off by objects in space ranging in temperature from minus 330 degrees Fahrenheit to 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. Because WISE was designed to look for objects cooler than human eyes can observe, the telescope was built to detect infrared light. The mission also required that the telescope remain cooler than the objects it was photographing—an engineering challenge of galactic proportion.

“In order for WISE not to be blinded by its own heat signature, we constructed a thermos-like structure called a cryostat. The telescope was placed in the middle of the cryostat, and solid hydrogen surrounded the telescope, cooling it to minus 440 degrees Fahrenheit,” said Pedro Sevilla, SDL’s mission operations lead and NEOWISE program manager.

Above: WISE at SDL. This image of the WISE telescope shows engineers from the Space Dynamics Laboratory working on the telescope at SDL facilities in North Logan, Utah, in 2009. SDL and NASA celebrate the tenth anniversary of the successful launch of the spacecraft this week. (Credit: SDL/USU-Donna Barry). All rights reserved. p12

SCIENCE

space science

“Within about ten months, the solid hydrogen that cooled the telescope sublimated off into space, slowly warming up the telescope and ending its original mission in January 2011.” Some important discoveries made by WISE include uncovering millions of hidden black holes; discovering hundreds of brown dwarfs— the coldest class of stars; discovering previously unknown comets and asteroids; helping to largely rule out the theory of a “Planet X” orbiting in the far reaches of our solar system; and discovering the most luminous galaxy in the universe, shining with the light of more than 300 trillion suns.

“Within about ten months, the solid hydrogen that cooled the telescope sublimated off into space, slowly warming up the telescope and ending its original mission in January 2011.”

Following its initial mission success, the spacecraft was put into on-orbit hibernation in February 2011. But, the WISE story doesn’t end there. In September 2013, NASA woke up the sleeping spacecraft to assist NASA’s efforts to identify and characterize the population of nearEarth objects. With two of its original four infrared cameras still working, NASA renamed the mission NEOWISE, and it began hunting the universe for comets and asteroids that pass within 28 million miles of Earth’s orbit. To date, WISE and NEOWISE have discovered over 35,000 asteroids and 28 comets. 291 of the found objects are considered near-Earth objects, of these, 52 are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids. Three asteroids discovered by WISE, 246861-Johnelwell, 243516-Marklarsen, and 249539-Pedrosevilla, were named in honor of SDL employees who made significant contributions to the WISE program.

Above: The Great Nebula in Orion is featured in this sweeping image from the SDLbuilt WISE telescope, built by the Space Dynamics Laboratory. The constellation of Orion is prominent in the evening sky throughout the world from about December through April of each year. The Orion Nebula (also cataloged as Messier 42) is located in the sword of Orion, hanging from his famous belt of three stars. The star cluster embedded in the nebula is visible to the unaided human eye as a single star, with some fuzziness apparent to the most keen-eyed observers. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/WISE Team). All rights reserved. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. Endorsement by Caltech, JPL or NASA does not apply.

Bio

Links

Celebrating its sixtieth year, the Space Dynamics Laboratory is headquartered in North Logan, UT, and has offices in Albuquerque, NM; Bedford, MA; Dayton, OH; Huntsville, AL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and Washington, D.C.

For more information on the WISE mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ WISE/main/index.html

As one of 14 University Affiliated Research Centers, the Space Dynamics Laboratory serves as a trusted advisor of the U.S. government and a strategic Department of Defense research center. For more information, visit www.sdl.usu.edu.

For more information on the NEOWISE mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ neowise/main/index.html

p13

SCIENCE

geoscience

Press release - Aberdeen, United Kingdom. 9 January, 2020

Scottish rocks prove ‘boring billion’ wasn’t so boring after all.. Scottish rocks have provided evidence of a

by Robert Turbyne

previously unknown ice age that has shed new light on the evolution of the planet. Scientists from the University of Aberdeen have analysed rocks in the Torridon area of the northwest Highlands and uncovered evidence of debris dropped from melting icebergs in lakes.

Top right: Landscape showing the study area across the Loch, where the dropstone discovery was made. All rights reserved. Directly above: Loch in the Torridon region of the NW Highlands. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

p14

SCIENCE

geoscience

The rocks date from the period known as the ‘boring billion’ which took place from 1800 to 800 million years ago. The term is used by geologists to describe what was thought to be a relatively calm period in Earth’s evolution, with little climatic upheaval. However, this latest discovery suggests the era may have included another ice age to add to those that have occurred throughout Earth’s history – proving that it wasn’t so boring after all. Professor Adrian Hartley led the study – published in the Scottish Journal of Geology – along with colleagues from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Geosciences. Professor Hartley said: “In Earth’s middle ages it is thought that not very much happened on the planet. “Throughout this so-called ‘boring billion’ the global climate was temperate and unchanged. Life was limited to algae in the ocean, the land was completely barren and oxygen was 10 per cent of what it is now. “Until now, no evidence for climate change had been discovered but our study has shown there was ice at Earth’s surface during this period.

“Similar studies have allowed us to reconstruct the recent glacial history of the Earth, but this takes us much further back in time to when Scotland was located at 35°S - the same latitude as South Africa.. ..It’s the first evidence globally for glaciation at this time in Earth’s history – proving it wasn’t such a boring billion after all.”

Bio

Links

The dropstones were discovered by chance on an undergraduate field trip. Adrian Hartley led the study with co-authors who are all PhD students at Department of Geology & Geophysics at the University of Aberdeen. The full team helped to provide geological descriptions of the rocks in detail.

Contact - Robert Turbyne Email: Robert.turbyne@abdn.ac.uk

p15

announcement

Communicating science is a common challenge. How can we better engage the public with science? We believe effective science communication can be achieved with understandable story telling, creative visuals and high English standards.

We are now helping scientists and researchers engage their projects with the public through press releases and copyedits.

Press release

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Have research news to share? Receive a press release about your project for your own use and distribution, and be guarenteed a readership in the thousands. Not published yet? Copyediting your manuscript for English language clarity and flow can increase favourable results during journal submission.

p16

Conservation

p17

conservation

wildlife

Visitor centre protects red kites in the Scottish Highlands Red kites were once persecuted and dwindling

in numbers. Once, these birds were so rare they were only found in Central Wales. Thanks to conservation efforts, red kites are seen across many parts of the UK. Scotland was a once former home of red kites, where the species has recently recovered in numbers. Argaty Red Kites in the District of Stirling is a visitor and conservation centre helping to revive numbers in the region.

p18

conservation

wildlife

Q & A - Tom Bowser (Argaty Red Kites) How did red kites capture your interest? Red kites were reintroduced to central Scotland between 1996 and 2001 by the RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage. Very soon after the first birds were released they began to roost on our farm, Argaty. Red kites are truly beautiful birds and my parents instantly fell in love with them. When birdwatchers began flocking to Argaty we started providing the kites with a daily supplementary feed, topping up what they find in the wild and keeping them from scavenging near busy roads, train tracks and shooting estates (all places where they might come to harm). My father built a hide and we began inviting people to come and watch the kites feed. For my part, although kites were absent from central Scotland for the first 12 years of my life, I feel as though they were always here. I can’t imagine our skies without kites. These are fascinating birds and we’ve been lucky to live alongside them, feeding them daily, monitoring their nests and ringing their chicks for the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme. Each year we learn a little more about them and our interest in them grows.

Why is it important to conserve red kites in Scotland? I think that it’s important to conserve kites in Scotland for a number of reasons. Firstly, in the Middle Ages kites were said to be Britain’s most common raptor. They were extirpated in Scotland and England due to human persecution – people wrongly believed that they were a threat to lambs and to adult game birds and persecuted them mercilessly. In fact, kites are largely scavengers, hunting only small prey, but people did not believe it and wiped them out.

“..kites are largely scavengers, hunting only small prey, but people did not believe it and wiped them out.. by reintroducing and preserving kites we are righting that historical wrong..”

p19

conservation

wildlife

By reintroducing and preserving kites we are righting that historical wrong, returning them to a landscape they ought never to have been removed from.

Why is central Scotland a suitable location for red kite conservation?

Human persecution remains the single biggest threat to kites and it is very important that we continue to highlight this. Kites are a vital part of the ecosystem and history shows that when any native animal is removed, the whole food chain suffers. With a biodiversity crisis on our hands, we must bring an end to the wildlife crime that continues in some parts of the British countryside.

From old statistical accounts we know that kites were once plentiful in central Scotland. Kites like open countryside. They need some mature woodland for nesting and roosting in, but spend most of their time on the wing, soaring high on thermal currents, seeking out carrion. Central Scotland has just the right ratio of trees to open landscape and the kites thrive here. That is one of the reasons that this area was selected for the reintroduction in the first place.

Red kites are largely confined to Western Europe. Britain has 17% of the world population, and that number is rising. With kite populations falling in some European countries, it’s vital in the international context that we preserve a healthy population in Britain.

The presence of buzzards in the area was also important. The RSPB took this as an indication that raptor persecution was no longer an issue here. (When choosing reintroduction sites they had to be sure that the kites wouldn’t be killed off by people who viewed them as a threat.) In the early years of the

“Human persecution remains the single biggest threat to kites..”

p20

conservation

wildlife

reintroduction, some kites were killed, sadly. We’ve lost several to poisoning and shooting over the years, particularly in intensive shooting areas, however in recent times, raptor killing in this area seems to have declined. This is thanks to the police, the RSPB and members of the Raptor Study Group, who have worked hard to tackle problem estates. Freed from this threat, this area is ideal for kites.

Please tell us about how Argaty Red Kites started and what the public can expect to see when visiting.

“The theory was

that the best means of protecting kites was to allow people to see them and fall in love with them..”

Argaty Red Kites is a partnership between us and the RSPB. Part of the RSPB’s action plan when reintroducing kites to Scotland and England was to provide viewing facilities so that people could enjoy these birds from a respectful and responsible distance. The theory was that the best means of protecting kites was to allow people to see them and fall in love with them. That way, if kites were persecuted, the public outcry would be deafening.

p21

conservation

wildlife

When the birds began to roost of Argaty, the RSPB’s red kite team used to provide the birds with a supplementary feed to help them adjust to life in the wild. My parents took over this feeding and began running viewing tours. 23 years later we are still doing the same thing. Each afternoon an Argaty ranger takes visitors to our viewing hide. We tell people about the birds, then put out some meat for them and watch them dive. It’s always a spectacular show. In winter, particularly in cold weather, we can have as many as 60 kites coming for food.

While numbers are smaller, the show is still incredible. Kite chicks grow remarkably quickly and thus require huge amounts of food. Their poor parents have to come and go constantly, grabbing food, taking it back to the nest, then returning for more! It can almost look like they’re running a beep test!

In spring and summer the birds disperse to their nesting sites and only those that are nesting locally come for the food.

Final thoughts By allowing the public to view red kites at Argaty Red Kites, the conservation centre not only benefits the visitors, but raises awareness of the species, showing how striking and fascinating these once-threatened birds are.

Public engagement is boosting the conservation of red kites, along with the support of the RSPB. While it is encouraging to see how kites have been sucessfully reintrodcued to many parts of the UK, human persecution is still a conservation concern.

Bio

Links

My name is Tom Bowser. Along with my parents, Lynn and Niall, I run the Argaty Red Kite project, central Scotland’s only red kite feeding station.

Web: www.argatyredkites.co.uk

Each day we feed the birds and invite people to come and watch them and learn their history. We also run a red squirrel hide, host various wildlife walks and talks at the centre and work with the SSPCA releasing rehabilitated animals on Argaty.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ argatyredkitesuk/ Twitter: @argatyredkites Instagram: argatyredkites

p22

conservation

disasters

How can we prepare for disasters intensified by climate change? The previous few years have seen some concerning hazards

and disasters occuring globally, widely believed by scientists to have been worsened by climate change. Widespread flooding across the world, and the Australian wildfires, are but a few disasters that hit the headlines. Ilan Kelman is a environment and sustainability researcher who has widely studied world disasters. As we talk with Ilan, some insights are shared on why these occur, as well as ways to adapt.

Above: Marc Chagall’s stained glass window in the United Nations headquarters remembering Dag Hammarskjöld and those who died in the airplane crash with him (New York, New York, 2007). © Ilan Kelman. All rights reserved.

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conservation

disasters

Q & A - Ilan Kelman Please tell us a little about your background and your current research My background is mainly related to environment and sustainability, focusing on links among disasters, preventing disasters, and health, including the integration of climate change into these topics while connecting them to other development aspects, notably migration and livelihoods. Three principal areas are covered in my research and application: 1. Peace and conflict: How and why disasterrelated interventions (disaster diplomacy, including for climate-related hazards) and health-related interventions (health diplomacy, including pandemics) do and do not influence conflict and cooperation. See disasterdiplomacy.org 2. Island sustainability: Creating and maintaining safer and healthier communities on islands and in isolated areas, including border, Arctic, and mountain

communities. See islandvulnerability.org and Many Strong Voices manystrongvoices.org which I codirect. 3. Risk education: Increasing the effectiveness and impact of risk education, focusing on health and disaster risks, including climate change. See riskred.org Post-disaster and cure-related investigations and actions are an essential part, but I prioritise continual disaster and health risk management in order to implement solutions before it is too late.

“..I prioritise continual disaster and health risk management in order to implement solutions before it is too late.”

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disasters

Having researched numerous disaster cases, have you seen any common themes about their causes? We know exactly what causes disasters: vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities are not just about the current state of possible impacts from hazards, but are also about the societal (encompassing political, historical, and cultural) processes which led to the current state and the possible futures which could emerge from the current state. Creating and perpetuating vulnerabilities is complex. People can choose to live in harm’s way, for instance by purchasing a house in the floodplain to enjoy beautiful river views without taking adequate measures to reduce flood damage. More often, people are forced into vulnerable situations such as not evacuating due to legitimate fear of sexual violence in the public storm shelter or living in structures that would not withstand a moderate earthquake due to lack of affordable and available alternatives. Many people cannot afford to heat their homes during winter or cool them during summer.

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Usual seasonal weather can then kill thousands of people each year due to their vulnerability.

What is your perspective on the Australian bushfires and the response to the situation?

Poverty arises for numerous, complex reasons ranging from government ideology to individual choices on expenditures.

While climate change is influencing wildfire characteristics, we can do plenty to stop wildfires becoming wildfire disasters. Urban expansion has brought people and houses into burnable areas. Nonetheless, property owners can follow advice regarding protecting their properties from embers, flames, and smoke.

Subsidising poor people for basic living expenses, or ensuring that building codes exist and are enforced, are ideological choices. In being for or against them, we make active choices on vulnerability which are choices about more people or fewer people dying when hazards manifest. Often, some societal groups make vulnerabilityrelated choices for others without consulting or informing them. These human decisions and behaviours, based on values and attitudes, are the fundamental causes of disasters.

It can also be a hard decision about evacuating early to be out of harm’s way or else staying behind to defend one’s home--and hopefully succeeding. No guarantees ever exist of saving property, but we have seen the difference in Australia between those whose dwellings survived and those who sadly lost everything or who tragically perished while staying behind to defend.

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“The key to dealing with bushfires is preparing years in advance, including being ready to lose one’s home..” Yet one major challenge, even with evacuating, is the smoke. It creates dangerous levels of air pollution with health impacts including asthma, heart and lung disease, strokes, and harm to foetuses. The mental health impacts of experiencing wildfires must also be addressed, especially where people have lost loved ones or properties. Rebuilding is not an easy choice, but then rebuilding should include measures to counter future burning. Let’s hope that the response moves us into long-term thinking about reducing disaster risk. The key to dealing with bushfires is preparing years in advance, including being ready to lose one’s home, knowing that fires are part of the ecosystem and could happen any year, even if now being much worse. Similar lessons apply to other hazards.

Top, left: Sub-Arctic field camp bonfire in Manitoba. (Copyright Ilan Kelman 1995.) Middle, left: Flooded cars in St. Ives, England (February 2001). Directly left: Boulder Falls, Colorado (2006). All images: © Ilan Kelman. All rights reserved.

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How might populations better foresee and adapt to the continued impacts of climate change?

vulnerabilities causing storm-related disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 and Hurricane Irma in Barbuda in 2017.

We can better adapt to climate change impacts by doing what we need to do anyway: tackle vulnerabilities. Climate change will make some hazards worse, will reduce potential problems from other hazards, and will have no influence on further sets of hazards. One example is that many storms including tropical cyclones seem to be decreasing in frequency but increasing in intensity due to climate change. Consequently, to deal with climate changeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impacts, simply reduce vulnerabilities which we should be doing irrespective of climate change.

One big exception is heat waves, with expectations of high fatality numbers. Climate change is almost certain to produce heat-humidity-time combinations which will kill us unless we stay indoors with temperature control.

Given that storms happen anyway--the hurricane season in the Caribbean is called so for a reason-we should be ready to deal with rain, wind, and sea flooding no matter how frequent or intense the storms are. Climate change did not affect the basic

This is not possible in many areas of the world depending on agriculture or for people who cannot afford to pay for air conditioning. Outdoor labour will have to be severely curtailed with knock-on effects for food, drinking water, livelihoods, and quality of life. Reducing vulnerabilities to heat which goes beyond the realm of survivability is not easy unless we are willing to leave swathes of land uninhabited.

Final thoughts Environmental hazards such as flooding, droughts and wildfires are increasingly being modified with ongoing climate change. With forward thinking measures, Ilan Kelman suggests there are ways we can prepare for potential disasters to come.

We may have to adopt the expectation that some hazards will worsen with the onset of climate change in the future, that realistically helps us to plan and prepare while attempting to mitigate the growing problem of climate change.

Bio

Links

Ilan Kelman is Professor of Disasters and Health at University College London, England and a Professor II at the University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.

Web: www.ilankelman.org Twitter: @Ilankelman LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ilankelman Instagram: ilankelman Academia: ucl.academia.edu/IlanKelman ResearchGate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Ilan_ Kelman

His overall research interest is linking disasters and health, including the integration of climate change into disaster research and health research. ÂŠ NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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sustainability

Fermenting food for a sustainable future Food waste is a globally widespread issue, with financial, environmental and ethical costs. In the US, food is estimated to be wasted 30-40% of the time. In the UK, just short of 2 million tonnes of food is wasted by the food industry every year. These dramatic figures show how important it is to consider a more sustainable future in how we handle food. The problem inspired two nutritionists, Madi Myers and Arthur Serini, to set up The Crafty Pickle - to ferment healthy foods and explore methods of reducing food waste. The founders share the inspiration behind the craft, with more on nutrition and sustainability.

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Q & A - Madi and Arthur (The Crafty Pickle) Please tell us about your background and why you started The Crafty Pickle. Arthur and I met while we were studying for our MSc in Human Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen. We’d have endless conversations over pints about our love of food, the health effects of different foods and how much we hate the amount of food that’s wasted. Arthur also shared my love of experimenting with fermentation so he’d always be the first to try my latest batch of sauerkraut and provide honest but constructive feedback! But it was on a road trip to the West Coast of Scotland where we took jars of sauerkraut and bottles of komboucha (kept out of the fridge for days on end) where we started to really solidify the idea for The Crafty Pickle.

“..why not make a business where we could harness the power of fermentation to try and fight food waste?”

We both wanted to work for ourselves but doing something that might make a difference – so why not make a business where we could harness the power of fermentation to try and fight food waste? Being able to use our nutrition knowledge to educate and inform was also key, so The Crafty Pickle just made sense; we could also teach workshops passing on the skills of fermentation while dispelling nutrition nonsense at the same time.

How do you combat the issue of food waste through your craft? We use as much perfectly edible but surplus or imperfect-looking fruit and veg to create our fermented products as possible. This means working with organisations of all sizes (and sometimes just lone growers) to access and rescue produce. We initially partnered with the charity CFINE (Community Food Initiatives North East) who manage FareShare here in Aberdeenshire, redistributing surplus food within the community. At times, some of this surplus goes to waste for various reasons. We help reduce that within CFINE’s organisation. We also donate a percentage of our sales to support the incredible and important work they do to tackle food insecurity. At the moment we don’t have consistent access to surplus produce so we can’t guarantee that every batch we make contains rescued food. We’re always looking for new growers, manufacturers, retailers or distributors to work with so that we can make use of produce that would otherwise just be chucked. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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How do you combine scientific and creative aspects during the food fermentation process? The type of fermentation we use is what’s called ‘wild fermentation’. This means we create conditions to support the growth of the microbes which we want to thrive; typically the naturally occurring lactic-acid bacteria which live on all fruit and veg. Because each piece of fruit and veg is unique in exactly where it’s grown, how it’s been handled, its age etc this means there’s going to be a slightly different ecosystem of microbes in every recipe. This gives an element of difference between each and every batch we make, even though our processes are exactly the same. This is why we love wild

fermentation, it means we’re constantly on our toes, assessing the perfect length of fermentation for each batch and the subtle differences in taste, colour and texture. However, safety is extremely important to us so we always test every batch we produce not just for taste but for pH, so that we know fermentation has progressed enough to create an acidic environment inhabitable to pathogenic and food spoilage bacteria. Although we have our 4 main products (a kimchi and 3 different sauerkrauts) we love to experiment with creating new ferments. This also means we can take advantage of different types of produce we’ve managed to rescue. For example, while at a farmer’s market last year we were gifted a box of unwanted leeks which we then turned into a delicious chipotle leek kraut. Below: A hands-on fermenting foods workshop for the community. © The Crafty Pickle. All rights reserved.

Below: Sore nosd

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What is the nutritional benefit of fermented foods? Being nutritionists, we love this question, but there’s no simple answer! You might have read or been led to believe that fermented foods are a cure-all for every condition or symptom you might have. But really we don’t have that much evidence for their direct effects and interactions with health. This is because there is a huge breadth of different types of ferments (several thousands!), our bodies are highly complicated and to be honest people just aren’t doing the research. But this is not to say that there isn’t anecdotal evidence that people introducing fermented foods have found benefits to their skin, to gut complaints etc. But it’s difficult to nail down why this might be.

Thinking about the vegetable ferments we make, is it the nutritional quality of the vegetables themselves which helps? Or is it the live cultures consumed when eating a raw, unpasteurised ferment? We know that the process of fermentation can make certain phytonutrients in plant foods more bioavailable and might even produce more vitamins too, but it’s hard to make blanket statements about all fermented foods. Through the work that we do (and we talk about this when we hold our fermentation workshops) we try to highlight the fact that the effects on our health are multi-factorial and although eating more of our fermented foods can help to increase diversity in your diet and get more veggies, they’re not a panacea.

Final thoughts With The Crafty Pickle, Madi and Arthur are sharing their knowledge about food fermentation, not ony through their craft products, but hands-on community workshops as well. Throughout the process, the team are promoting sustainable approaches to handling food waste. Healthy eating is also encouraged, even though the true health benefits of fermented foods in general are only speculated. For now, the gut-friendly benefits from the fermented foods boil down to a gut feeling and personal experience. There is much room for the potential health effects of fermented products to be investigated scientifically.

Bio

Links

Madi & Arthur are two nutritionists who set up The Crafty Pickle Co. in the North East of Scotland (United Kingdom), aiming to reduce food waste by using as much surplus or imperfect produce as possible to craft raw, vegan, gut friendly fermented foods.

Web: www.thecraftypickle.co.uk Facebook: @craftypickleco Instagram: @craftypickleco Twitter: @craftypickleco Email: hello@thecraftypickle.co.uk

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Scicomm (Science communication)

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sciart

Paintings inspired by neuroscience Rupshi Mitra is a neuroscientist and artist who communicates key ideas and inspirations behind the field of neuroscience through artwork.

Rupshi shares some of these paintings here, and explains how neuroscience inspired these creations. Here, the artist demonstrates that the worlds of science and art are not so far apart.

In search of my neuronal history (below)

“The impact of our environment and our experience in our lifetime is artistically captured in my painting ‘In search of my neuronal history.’ I positioned an individual on the far-reaches of a neuronal tree, where he looks beyond the horizon, in a quest to discovery his neuronal history and life’s many experiences.” Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, Size: 16” x 20”. © Rupshi Mitra. All rights reserved.

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sciart

Brain is wider than the sky (right) “In this artwork, I tried to capture my vision of brain and a neuron that I regularly draw for my scientific research, as a central feature of our cognitive ability. I painted a realistic 3D neuron expanding its branches from the depth of a brain, which itself is immersed in a deep sea under wide expanse of a calm blue sky. The neuron has no limit to its growth ad expanse, depending on what environment we nurture. The title is inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem, that starts with the same lines, capturing the essence of brain’s immense capability of synthesizing our world.” Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, Size: 23”x 33”. © Rupshi Mitra. All rights reserved.

Neuron’s Dance (right) “Neurons in a brain’s network constantly reach out to different layers of brain tissue to form new connections. Neurons are capable of impossible feats and they are whole-heartedly supported by their neighbours and best friends, glia cells, which provides undying and strong support to each neuron. Thus, neurons’ best functions comes out through their ‘glia-ful’ dance.” Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, Size: 12” x 16”. © Rupshi Mitra. All rights reserved.

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sciart

Neuron’s Vision (right) It is more through our memory than our vision that we remember longpast events, fantasies and glimpses from our childhood, from years lived long before the present time. Through turns of neurons we relive our life’s story from the past and create new stories from present for future retrieval. Thus, our mind’s eye exists in the branches of our neurons. Medium: Watercolor on paper 8.5”X11.5”. © Rupshi Mitra. All rights reserved.

Bio I am Rupshi, a neuroscientist and Assistant Professor in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (home.resilieo.com). I am also an artist by passion. To me, art and science are not different, but the same subject can be appreciated and experimented differently in our brain. An artist’s brain observes the world, creates a unique beauty, and extends our world through own creative art.

Links Emali: rupshim@gmail.com Digital gallery: www.rupshimitra.com

A scientist’s brain observes the same world and figures out its full beauty through experiments and innovation. Through my art and science, I aim to reach a meaningful unison of our artistic and scientific universe. I believe, our highest capacity for understanding this universe lies deep within our brain, in every turn and twist of our neurons.

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illustrator

Scicomm illustrator showcase Sonja Inske Intro

My background is in education and medical science. I worked as an instructional designer and a regular (graphic) designer but last year, I decided to take the leap to follow my passions and become a science illustrator. It was the best decision Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever made, not only because I absolutely love what I do but also because I truly believe that science should be accessible and appealing for as many people as possible, and art is one of the best ways to achieve that.

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illustrator

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illustrator

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illustrator

Olfactory epithelium (right)

Bio

Links

My name is Sonja (it’s actually Sofia in my passport, but most people do not call me that). I was born in Siberia, Russia and I now live in Saint Petersburg.

Email: sonjainske@gmail.com

For as long as I can remember, I had two passions, art and science. Previously, I worked as an instructional designer and graphic designer, but last year, I decided to take the leap to follow my passions and become a science illustrator.

Web: www.sonjainske.com Instagram: sonjainske

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illustrator

Lizah van der Aart Bio

I am a post doc focusing on the area of Bacterial Cell Biology at the Newcastle University. In addition to this, I enjoy public outreach and promoting STEM to a wider audience.

Links Find out more on Lizah van der Aart’s twitter: @LizahvdA

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Art

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Art

Artist interview

Amy Hilton Interviewed by François Beauxis-Aussalet, the author.

Amy Hilton is an artist who studied at

Goldsmiths College, University of London, and explores the intersections of art and nature in her works. Francois Beauxis-Aussalet is an art collector and writer from France who interviewed the artist about her perspective and inspirations, as we can see here.

Top left: Mirror - Window ii, Spazio Nobile, 2017, dry pastel on paper and marble, 60 x 50 cm, variable dimensions. Directly above: Amy Hilton creating artwork. All images above: © Amy Hilton. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Artist interview

Q & A - Amy Hilton Amy, the stones are your inspiration. Do you find that there is an art of nature? Absolutely. There is a concept in China that comes from a neo-Confucian philosopher who is called ‘li’. This concept refers to traces in jade, fibers in muscle tissue, shapes of clouds or moving water. It evokes the very random patterns, sometimes irregular, which exist around us and in us, but with a harmonious composition and a beauty that we can not always describe .. it is the way in which nature could express itself : always in transition, hectic and cyclical. I am very sensitive to this idea.

And I try, through my paintings and my drawings, to transpose the spirit of this ‘li’ to better understand my relation to nature, to the cosmos. I see the veins of the marbles as the marks of the flow of energy which passes through all things, which connects the microcosm to the macrocosm.”

Top right: Synhistanai, 2012, from project Sumbolon Found stone, 23.6cm x 12.5 cm. Directly above: Sublimation, 2018, dry pastel on paper, 120 x 80 cm. All images above: © Amy Hilton. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Art

Artist interview

There is a very strong vital impulse in your paintings, colors and shapes that vibrate. Is art life or should it also be about death? It seems to me that life and death are two sides of the same circle. There is an ontological approach very present in my research and when I work it sometimes I think about the two subjects often.

How is your aesthetic research going? I am sensitive to minimalism, abstraction and poetry. I am very spontaneous and intuitive and I suppose that it is transcribed through the techniques that I sometimes use hazardous. On the other hand, before I execute drawings or paintings, there are long moments of reflection.

A creation and not a copy? To make my watercolors, the particles of water and ink move, diffuse, I influence them with very small movements, or by my breath. They sediment and form like traces of dreams, each very unique.

Disclaimer: Article originally published in Art’nMag for Art’nBox (July ‘18).

Artist Bio

Links

Amy Hilton is an artist who was born in 1986 in Lincolnshire, England, and now lives and works in Paris. Having studied at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Amy’s artowrk has been displayed in Galerie Fatiha Selam, Paris, Martin Kudlek Gallery, Cologne and Spazio Nobile Gallery, Brussels.

Artist website: www.amyjhilton.com

About the author

Links

Francois Beauxis-Aussalet is an art collector, consultant and writer. Based in the Paris area of France, Francois has diverse artistic interests across painting, drawing, photography and modern art.

Email: francois.beauxis@eurydiceconsulting.com

Email: amyjhilton@yahoo.com

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Art

art gallery

Ildikó Mecséri Bio

Ildikó Mecséri is a Hungarian artist. Her art deals with spiritual and metaphorical themes, drawing her inspiration from the Bible, history and her travel experiences. Art has been her passion from her early years, but she has studied cultural management and economics in universities. Later she has made a career change and painting with oil became her passion. She would like to inspire, motivate and encourage people through her paintings.

Links Web: www.mecseriart.com Twitter: @mecseriart

Artwork In the beginning (above)

“A salt crystal under microscope. Nature is the greatest artist.” Medium: oil painting on canvas, size: 60 x 75 cm. © Ildikó Mecséri. All rights reserved. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

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Hydro balance (right) “It shows the special role of forests in affecting weather. There is proven scientific evidence that forests on seashores create clouds and rain and help to transport rain to the continent.” Medium: oil painting on canvas, size: 70 x 100 cm. © Ildikó Mecséri. All rights reserved.

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photography

Erno Mátraházi Bio

Erno Mátraházi is 50 years old and based in Budapest, Hungary, pursuing the hobby of nature-photography. Living in Budapest, Erno often walks in the hills and mountains by the city. The highest point in the area is 527m on the top of János-hegy. Normafa is one of the most popular hiking sites and provides a stunning viewpoint to the city of Budapest. Ususally, Erno starts to walk from there, capturing photos inspired by nature in the surrounding landscape.

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Art

art gallery

“A piece of my heart”

‘Everything blooms around her. Even the air seems to have taken on the colour of the lovers. If there is one certainty, it is that she will always carry with her those feelings of her love, despite the huge distance and pain associated with it. Hope and patience characterise this young love.’

My first early idea of Australia was the Kookaburra bird, born from a rhyme that my mother and grandmother used to sing to me as a child. Singing the rhyme out loud now, feels almost tragic. I wonder if children of future generations will know of the Kookaburra at all. I hope with all my heart. ‘Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree, Merry merry king of the bush is he, laugh, kookaburra laugh, kookaburra, Gay your life must be!’

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art gallery

“My work captures the essence of our beloved pets. Whether it be cat, dog, or horse, each portrait focuses on the individual features of each animal to enhance their expression. My creative process involves multiple reference images that culminate in a final portrait in both graphite and colored pencil to highlight each individual hair and whisker that makes my subject unique.”

About the group We are a small group of like minded artists from around the globe, who have connected to help raise funds for the Australian wildlife who were recently affected by the catastrophic bush-fires which ravaged their habitat. A lot still need medical care and temporary homes till they are able to live freely. We have donated artworks where in 100% of the sale proceeds goes to our chosen charity (Wildlife Victoria) via their donation page.

Please visit our Facebook page where we have displayed the artworks and detailed buying information. p51

Written Word

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Written Word Book flash

Vargic’s Cosmic Compendium

Space, the Universe and Everything Within It By Martin Vargic Published by Penguin Random House

Editor’s thoughts A stylish front cover is taster to the astronomical content of the book, with a nicely printed image of the universe behind the golden letters, spelling “Vargic’s Curious Cosmic Compendium. Space, The Universe, and everything within it”. Even the contents and introduction pages strike the eye, with a bombastic border packed with astronomical illustrations to build intrigue, that becomes a common theme on each page.

Delving deeper into the book takes the reader on a journey through diverse themes of the cosmos; from the cloud types of our atmosphere, to spaceships and maps of the solar system.

About the author

Published in November 2019, the book seems to push boundaries in science communication, with its impressive design quality and imaginative illustrations. Rich visuals outweigh the informative text.

His first book, ‘Vargic’s Miscellany of Curious’ was prominently featured on a multitude of high profile media sites.

A recommended read for all, as all ages and backgrounds are bound to take something out of Vargic’s Curious Cosmic Compendium, if not to at least ignite the imagination when look up at the night sky. © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.

No affiliation or endorsement implied.

Martin Vargic is a graphic designer from Slovakia who became well known in January 2014, from his work ‘Map of the Internet 1.0’.

Links Find the book on Amazon.

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Written Word poetry

In my Garden... there By Deepali Parmar

In my Garden

...there are bees buzzing whispers about something I’ve forgotten. …there are leaves rustling complaints about the songs I never wrote. In my Garden …there are birds coming to see if I have blossomed enough. …there are sun rays streaming to wash away all shadows of doubt. In my Garden …there is the soil of love, fluffing to welcome seeds of ease. …there is all of me that’s growing on every limb, every branch, growing to see that it was always me out there, in here… everywhere. ...growing to find me ripen or wither and learn to be natural, yielding. In my Garden ...there is a “me” that never dies tending to the “me” that is always dying. In my Garden I am home and …I shall always bring myself to stay.

Bio Deepali has stayed curious about the natural world and how natural inspirations are channelled through personal expressions in her poetry, and other forms of artwork. Deepali regularly updates her blog The How of Now with thoughtful written word pieces and visual artworks, including paintings.

Links Blog: www.medium.com/@ thehowofnow

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Written Word poetry

Weekdays By Steven Duplij

All I see is daily grey grind,

There is no escape from it, alive. I grow into uselessness by way of trepidation. A shriek into futility - there is no salvation. Minutes pass by and get scattered, Years pass by giving no salute. Have they ever really mattered? Time comes for us to be subdued. Formulas of tenderness are in disguise somewhere, Lest they be reduced to a zero, an empty spot. Lips are getting dry and bare— There’s no one to tempt them, make them hot. Suppressed by darkness, understated feelings Cannot be hidden by things that used to have some meaning. Why should we fuss, regret, be in despair? We’ll be appreciated at some point, later on... somewhere...

Bio Steven Duplij (Stepan Douplii) is a theoretical physicist, poet and musician from Kharkov, Ukraine, who now works at Univ. of Münster, Germany. Born in Chernyshevsk-Zabaykalsky, Russia. Doctor Phys.-Math. Sci. (Habilitation), Editor of “Concise Encyclopedia of Supersymmetry” (Springer 2005), more than hundred scientific publications. Poems and mini-prose in different languages were published in national and international literary journals and books.

Links English translation from Russian by Larissa Kulinich Original: https://www.stihi.ru/2019/11/16/9474

Homepages: ivv5hpp.uni-muenster.de/u/douplii http://homepages.spa.umn.edu/~duplij

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announcement

Thank you for reading issue 5! So far weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve shared five free digital issues globally, with the aim to share science and art in unision. Next, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to share even more with you. To continue to receive our full-length digital issues for a lifetime, and connect with others, we now have opportunities to become a lifetime member.

Become a NatureVolve Lifetime Member Joining us as a lifetime member gives you full issues of NatureVolve regularly, for life, plus special perks; access to our members-only forum, online community, opportunities for support, and competitions. Another thank you to all contributors to our issues, our online following, as well as those who shared their thoughts of the publication with their testimonials. To let us know your feedback please email our editor, or to enquire to be featured, please register interest online.

In the final pages of this issue we will now share some messages from our supporters.

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supporter

community

What is Open Acadmeics?

Overwhelming, lonely, and difficult are only a few of the words by which academic work can be described. Being a first generation PhD, I know just how lonely this journey can be. Lonely in the sense that members of your family and many times friends as well, do not understand what you are going through. Higher education within the academic environment is quite different from other paths. Questions such as “When are you going to finish?” and “When are you going to get a real job?” exemplifies the lack of understanding we academics often are confronted with. To find support, people often turn to social media, as it can be a very powerful and supportive forum for people to come together, but also a place where bullying and exclusions frequently occur. In December 2019, I therefore decided to create a new community on Twitter. OpenAcademics represents the attitude that I want people to have.

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supporter

community

Open and inclusive to people of different ethnicities, different gender/pronouns, different languages, different appearance, having different prerequisites and facing different challenges, having different backgrounds, working in different disciplines and at different career stages. OpenAcademics is open to everyone and encourage you to embrace differences and show people respect and support. Diversity and inclusion makes us stronger. Stronger Together! During the short time our community has been active, we have gathered a substantial following of over 6000 members. Most excitingly, these members are truly multidisciplinary with backgrounds in practically all sections of higher education. OpenAcademics is also a global community with representation of academia in countries across the globe. Come join our friendly community and show fellow academics how respectful, helpful, supportive and kind we can be, and hopefully we can all learn a lot. One member wrote that she was “thankful for this inclusive space!” and another member said “thank you for the family you are creating!”. OpenAcademics is more than just a community, it is a family! Find our community on Twitter at:

@OpenAcademics

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educational resources

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never too late to learn #etzougeneration another language Thomas Bak, a neuroscientist at the University of Edinburgh, believes that using different languages is good for the brain, and the more effort it takes, the better. With etzouelearning, learn all languages any time anywhere in face to face instant sharing with native tutors. The Awards winning education brand already provides instant one to one and group lessons to pupils in UK and is Number 1 for teaching French. Caroline Cassin, previous French teacher and entrepreneur brought the savoir-faire of her supplementary Saturday school online and families, students all ages enjoy a fast, enjoyable, at home solutions. The brand was awarded in 2019 BestDigital Tech and New Finalist Ousttanding Entrepreneur of the year 2019 Brillant Business Brillant Business Awards H&B and Best Start Up digital for Et Zou e-learning and is teaching now English with the Cambridge methodology. The Etzou generation never misses a class as they decide where and when to learn something new.

Find us on social media Instagram: @etzougeneration Twitter: @etzougeneration Facebook: @etzouelearning

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supporter

media

Each Thursday, join

David Mendes on PapaPhD.com as he interviews guests who have carved inspiring career paths fot themselves after graduate school.

● Mental health ● Career exploration ● Life planning ● Self-care habits ● Winning strategies “This podcast has wonderful interviews with those who’ve completed their PhD’s where they talk about what brought them to the path they are currently on in their career. When it comes to thinking about networking and thinking outside the box as far as next steps after your PhD program, this is the podcast to subscribe to.” – Integrative and Comparative Biology Blog

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NatureVolve issue 5

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Visitor centre protects red kites in the Scottish Highlands