The Open University

Useful resource for neurodiverse children: neurodiversity-toolkit.open.ac.uk

Economists and environmental scientists see the world differently – here’s why that matters Distinct disciplines are trained to notice different things.

Interesting: theconversation.com/economists-a...

Fascinating: societal-challenges.open.ac.uk/blog/how-can...

Global spatially explicit crop water consumption shows an overall increase of 9% for 46 agricultural crops from 2010 to 2020 - Nature Food Using the most recent Spatial Production Allocation Model 2020 crop data, agricultural green and blue water consumption is estimated. Water use increased by up to four-fifths for major crops in the pa...

Sobering thought: water use by crops rose over the years - crops are becoming thirstier www.nature.com/articles/s43...

Excellent presentation at annual international development lecture at OU #outalks by Prof Olivier de Schutter on The #Poverty of #Growth get the open access book to read the full story - strongly recommended

Martha Kearney: Why I'm concerned about our declining wildflowers The decline in UK wildflower meadows not only threatens wildlife, say experts, but could drive up certain food prices

Excellent story on personal initiative: Why I'm concerned about our declining wildflowers - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

How the National Trust’s art collections can shape meadow restoration Treasures inside the National Trust’s cultural collections can also draw attention to what is going on outside these estates.

Art and culture: How the National Trust’s art collections can shape meadow restoration theconversation.com/how-the-nati...

I can honestly say we hadn't discussed our title's in advance. :) Ps. my middle initial means 'King' too!

Project BEYOND – Broadening the engagement of young people in environmental science

Every heard of the ‘leaky pipeline’? NO, don’t worry, I am not complaining about British Gas or Thames Water, and there is no burst boiler at home, luckily! Leaky pipeline is a phrase that describes the loss of…

South Africa solar power: Pay-as-you-go system helps save lives The medical equipment keeping Mark Moodley's mother alive no longer relies on an erratic power supply.

Challenges and solutions: Solar power in South Africa
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Inspiring, empowering article- “We stand together” By Prof. Bridget Emmett @britishecologicalsociety.org

10-Minute Runs: Why Runners of All Levels Should Make Them a Daily Habit Here’s how a quick, casual jog can boost your mood, help you live longer, and more.

Studies suggest that taking 10-minute runs benefit everyone, no matter what pace you go, including those who are sedentary and those who are active.

Nice analysis of the longest phenological record available, 1200+ years of cherry blossom (Sakura) in Kyoto. Showing blossom times have been shifting for 137 years in response to warming

An local park with trees, paths and other infrastructure.

We have a Research Experience Placement with Dr Phil Wheeler advertised for this summer via @centa.bsky.social:
centa.ac.uk/centa-resear...

Project title: Using 3D models from smartphone video to
assess urban tree crown volume

🌿 The fourth webinar in the CASCADE Webinar Series will focus on #knowledge #exchange #evaluation

⏰ Friday 16th May 2025 at 1pm - 2pm BST (online)

Register here 👉 lnkd.in/ef9b-B4s

A black and white photo of the Walton Hall campus in Milton Keynes back in 1970. There are lots of open fields and trees, with a couple of long buildings in the centre.

Explore Milton Keynes' rich heritage and relationship with The Open University this #LocalHistoryMonth 📚

Dive into our online exhibition on the OU Digital Archive, charting the development of both the city and the university 👇
www.open.ac.uk/library/digi...

#MiltonKeynes #Archives

Canopy functional trait variation across Earth’s tropical forests - Nature Data from a variety of sources—including satellite, climate and soil data, as well as field-collected information on plant traits—are pooled and analysed to map the functional diversity of tropical fo...

Tropical forests are not all the same: they show many shades of geographical variation. Our new paper in Nature led by @jeaggu.bsky.social combines field and satellite data to make a first map the canopy functional traits of the world’s tropical forests: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Turbocharging the race to protect nature and climate with AI Rebalancing the planet must happen faster. Cambridge researchers are using AI to help.

Protecting nature and climate with AI: www.cam.ac.uk/stories/ai-a...

Lost fynbos seeds from underground ‘time capsules’ in South Africa can grow again – new study Hundreds of ancient fynbos species could regrow and restore a former pine plantation on Cape Town’s Table Mountain, but only if the remaining pine trees are removed.

Fascinating: theconversation.com/lost-fynbos-...

Green roof studied on Milton Keynes Open University building The Open University is the latest building in Milton Keynes to get a green roof.

Great to see this fantastic @ou-eees.bsky.social Open Societal Challenge green roof research project getting some exposure today (not to mention the sunshine it’s getting) bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx25xq6wxldo

Open University scientist given Moon samples from China mission Prof Mahesh Anand is the first UK scientist chosen to receive samples from the 2020 Chang'e-5 probe.

Well done Mahesh for this: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'Bridging Fields: working effectively with farmers' programme | Royal Agricultural University Our ‘Bridging Fields: working effectively with farmers’ programme is aimed at researchers from all disciplines and at all levels who are interested in working with farmers and in farmer-centric resear...

Do you want to work more collaboratively with farmers and growers?
📌 ‘Bridging Fields’, a new programme of webinars on farmer-centric research.
First on 8th May: ‘Backing Farmer-led Research’ by Esther Harper (BBSRC), Helen Browning (Innovative Farmers).
📝 More info: www.rau.ac.uk/research/kno...

Regenerative agriculture is championed as a way to provide food AND deliver for nature, but what does the evidence say?

Find out by joining us tomorrow for a free webinar with @tomheap.bsky.social, @jakefiennes.bsky.social & authors of our report

www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/rege...

Could AI text alerts help save snow leopards from extinction? In Pakistan, it's hoped newly-developed AI cameras could warn villagers via text to move their livestock if snow leopards enter the area.

Interesting: Could AI text alerts help save snow leopards from extinction? www.bbc.com/news/article...

Woman in a pink t-shirt looking up at a ceiling cave with striped rocks.

Happy Earth Day 2025! 🌏
Imagine living in a world which constantly whispers it's secrets to you. Stories that tell of creation and destruction, of magic and mystery, of beauty and power. This is a remarkable world where the keepers of such extraordinary stories are the rocks around us.

From Screen to Soil – Big Give This project uses immersive technology to connect people with nature, offering virtual 360-degree experiences guided by expert ecologists. It empowers …

British Ecological Society - "This year, we’re raising funds through Big Give’s Green Match Fund to create immersive 360-degree nature experiences, guided by expert ecologists, for young people and those facing barriers to accessing the natural world."
Thank you.
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...

The State of African Children 2025 Statistical Compendium - UNICEF DATA This compendium presents a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the status of children across Africa, delivering vital insights to support…

A comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the status of children across Africa, delivering vital insights to support evidence-based decision-making, resource allocation, and advocacy. data.unicef.org/resources/so...

Addressing health inequalities in greenspaces to age well: Part I socio-economic and transport access inequalities Natural spaces are beneficial to health and wellbeing and can help people to age well but there are a number of barriers to these in our society. This article explores these inequalities and what's...

Being in nature is great for health and wellbeing and can help you age well. But not everyone gets to enjoy it. Check out the articles on openlearn that talk about these inequalities and what's being done to fix it. @openuniversity.bsky.social
ow.ly/6psX50Vrqz3