Topic: conservation

This meeting critically examines whether ecological forecasting can become accurate enough for conservation and biodiversity management. Demographic and ecosystem models, observations, statistical inference and machine learning address interacting species under climate and other pressures. Terrestrial, marine and polar examples explore predictability limits, uncertainty, model benchmarking and research-informed decisions. Programme participants include Emily G Simmonds (University of Edinburgh, UK); Benjamin Planque (Institute of Marine Research, Norway); Michael Dietze (Boston University, US

Study weathering and conservation of building stone using three-dimensional printed test materials. Reproduce damaging environmental conditions in the laboratory, develop methods to detect contour scaling and investigate ways to limit its formation or propagation.

Phillip Broadwith and Frances Briggs examine disruptions to chemical supply chains associated with the Strait of Hormuz, including feedstocks and materials beyond fuel. The episode also discusses conservation and chemical-safety concerns around historic Antarctic expedition laboratories where ageing picric acid may remain. These stories are presented in their original July 2026 context.

Portia Wong and Paolo Momigliano discuss population-genetic research on pangolins and its relevance to the illegal wildlife trade. The episode connects genomic evidence with conservation questions and the challenges of tracing threatened wildlife populations.

David Cooper assesses progress towards the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 2030 targets and 2050 goals. He explains why biodiversity matters for human security and wellbeing, drawing on recent assessments of conditions in the UK and globally. The lecture considers prospects for recovery and argues that conservation efforts need complementary changes across economic sectors and society to address biodiversity loss and support people and nature together.

Daniel Simberloff discusses biological invasions, ecological theory and evidence from field experiments. The conversation explores how introduced species alter communities and ecosystems, and how long-running research informs conservation and management decisions.

Toni Lyn Morelli and Alexej Sirén discuss how climate change alters the geographical distribution of species. As habitats change, movement can offer plants and animals a route to persistence, but it also reshapes ecological relationships. The episode examines these shifts and their implications for conservation and the communities that share affected environments.

Across evolution and, in particular, in brain evolutionary development we can observe how diverse adaptive biological mechanisms are displayed as a solution to environmental demands. In this talk, I will discuss some examples of emerging evolutionary developmental strategies allowing to increase brain computational capacities and how neurodevelopmental conservation, divergence, and convergence would inspire AI systems optimization.