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• Post #4373919

  “The discovery opens a window into a world that is dark, ancient and almost entirely hidden—but is far from lifeless.” Hundreds of feet below Earth's surface, rocks and water teem with fungi and support complex ecosystems of tiny organisms, according to a University of Michigan study, which finds that fungi are far more abundant deep below… https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/08/03/the-discovery-opens-a-window-into-a-world-that-is-dark-ancient-and-almost-entirely-hidden-but-is-far-from-lifeles...

• Post #4306253

  “The mental health needs of those arriving are significant, the trauma experienced is visible and beyond what resettlement teams are used to seeing”: From #Gaza to Scotland The number of people in Gaza who had one or more limbs amputated was estimated as between 5,000 and 6,000 as at… https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/08/01/the-mental-health-needs-of-those-arriving-are-significant-the-trauma-experienced-is-visible-and-beyond-what-resettlement-teams-are-used-to-seeing-from-gaza-to-scotland/

• Post #4306123

  How Severe Space Weather Could Affect UK Infrastructure. In May 2024 there were spectacular displays of the Northern Lights seen across the UK. The geomagnetic storm behind it also served as the biggest test in a generation of the UK's preparedness for severe space weather.... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/08/01/how-severe-space-weather-could-affect-uk-infrastructure/

• Post #4270125

  Gaelic Immersion Course – Apply Now Gaelic speakers from across Scotland and around the world could take the next step in their language journey through a five-day immersive programme on the Isle of Lewis, UHI North, West and Hebrides.... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/07/31/gaelic-immersion-course-apply-now/

• Post #4083158

  “Our children in #Gaza belong in the sports fields, not in mass graves.” "Soccer, volleyball, chess, hopscotch, tug-of-war, jumping rope — for children surrounded by relentless destruction and uncertainty in the Gaza Strip, games and play bring psychological relief, joy and the opportunity to be with friends and loved ones." - …... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/07/25/our-children-in-gaza-belong-in-the-sports-fields-not-in-mass-graves/

• Post #4057888

  What is the Future for Corrigall Farm Museum? Orcadians and past visitors to Orkney will remember with great fondness visits to Corrigall Farm Museum in Harray.... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/07/24/what-is-the-future-for-corrigall-farm-museum/

• Post #3934665

  Take Part in the Big Butterfly Count The Big Butterfly Count is now underway. Organised by Butterfly Conservation this important citizen science project is really easy to take part in - and you have until 9 August to do so.... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/07/19/take-part-in-the-big-butterfly-count-2/

• Post #3932923

  Helen’s Home Cooking, Video and Recipe for Curried Lettuce Soup. I know this sounds both weird and unlikely but, Kenny brought home two yellow label lettuces at 20p each so I had to find something to do with them; this is what I came up with.... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/07/19/helens-home-cooking-video-and-recipe-for-curried-lettuce-soup-3/

• Post #3745020

  In Kirkwall #Orkney kites for #Gaza

• Post #3710941

  Revealing the Fascinating Life of Handel’s Scottish Fiddler, Charles Macklean A researcher at the University of Aberdeen has uncovered new evidence showing that Charles Macklean, who died in 1745, was part of the small circle of professional musicians surrounding composer George Frideric Handel during his celebrated Dublin season of 1741–42.... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/07/10/revealing-the-fascinating-life-of-handels-scottish-fiddler-charles-macklean/

• Post #3642863

  Recovering Ancient DNA From Cave Paintings “This is not just about rock art”, says Hipólito Collado Giraldo. “It's about understanding how people used caves and where they left their marks”.... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/07/07/recovering-ancient-dna-from-cave-paintings/

• Post #3598406

  What to the slave is the 4th of July? #OnThisDay On 5 July 1852 fugitive slave Frederick Douglass delivered his 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, condemning the celebration as a hypocritical sham.... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/07/05/what-to-the-slave-is-the-4th-of-july-onthisday/

• Post #3555544

  The Lowest Nation-Wide Totals Ever Recorded for Grey and Harbour Seals Since 1996. From 2021 to 2025 the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) carried out surveys of Scotland's Harbour Seals which included data on Grey Seals too.... https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/07/03/the-lowest-nation-wide-totals-ever-recorded-for-grey-and-harbour-seals-since-1996/

• Post #3432265

  so disappointed that a member of the military, in uniform, went up to people at a Peace Vigil in #Orkney and expressed his anti Palestinian views - so unprofessional, and way below the standards of our military #RoyalRegimentofScotland

• Post #2167322

  Election 2026 : Voting Today to Elect Members of The Scottish Parliament Today, Thursday 7 May is polling day for elections to The Scottish Parliament. Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm. Many voters in Orkney will already have voted using postal voting. Counting of the votes begins on Friday 8 May at The Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall. As Orkney is the smallest constituency in Scotland the result will be expected quite quickly. https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/05/07/election-2026-voting...

• Post #2077682

  From Drone Surveys of Buried Glacier Ice to Water on Mars A team of researchers at the University of Arizona spent long days driving off-road, hiking rugged terrain and launching drones across Alaska and Wyoming in an attempt to understand how to explore hidden glaciers on Mars The team demonstrated that ground-penetrating radar mounted on drones can map the thickness of rocky debris covering glaciers on Earth. These results could help future astronauts locate… https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/...

• Post #2077671

  Candidates Come Together to ‘Stop Reform’: Election 2026 Three candidates who are standing against one another for the Scottish Election on 7 May, stood together today sharing their reasons for 'Stopping Reform. Kristopher Leask, Scottish Green candidate Highlands and Islands Region; Robert Leslie, Scottish National Party, Orkney Constituency; and Mike Macleod, Labour, Orkney Constituency, were helping volunteers to hand out leaflets produced by Stand Up to Racism… https://theorkneynew...

• Post #1922931

  Earth’s Greatest Enemy Showing on Earth Day, Wednesday 22 April, at the Phoenix Cinema, Kirkwall is a powerful new film. It uncovers a shocking blind spot in the climate conversation: the U.S. military. Exempt from international climate agreements and rarely scrutinised in mainstream reporting, the Pentagon is revealed here as the world’s single largest institutional polluter – spewing carbon, contaminating water, and scarring landscapes across the globe. https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/04/19/...

• Post #1814818

  The Gardeners of Orkney Book Launch On Saturday 9 May Fiona Grahame, author of The Gardeners of Orkney will give an illustrated talk about her research into her latest book. The event starts at 7pm in The Friends Room, St Magnus Centre, Palace Road, Kirkwall. The Gardeners of Orkney traces the lives of some of the men (and 1 woman) who were employed in gardeners across the islands during the age of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901). https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/04/21/the-gardeners-of-orkney-book...

• Post #1760981

  Weather Forecast 25 April : Bright, sunny spells, light showers possible in the morning. Information from The Met Office. Today 25 April : A cloudy start with a few light showers, brighter conditions reaching Shetland by mid morning and cloud breaking for Orkney soon after. Dry and bright with sunny spells during the afternoon, feeling cooler despite light winds. Maximum temperature 9 °C. Tonight: Dry with some evening sunshine, turning cloudier at times during the… https://theorkneynews.scot/...

• Post #1760980

  Being Aware By Bernie Bell. At a recent Art exhibition we bought this piece by Jennifer Litts My observation was….. “ ‘How Fragile Is A Fragile Soul?’ will speak to all the fragile souls out there who know that some are more fragile than others, some in different ways, and that some can cope with it better than others.” I’m reminded of when I’d been very ill, was recovering and, because when they saw me out and about I looked my old robust self, folk thought that I… https://theorkneynews.scot/...

• Post #1760979

  UHI Award Associate Professorships Associate Professorships have been awarded to four academics by the University of the Highlands and Islands: Antonia Thomas, UHI Archaeology Institute; Jen Harland, UHI Archaeology Institute; Michelle Beattie, UHI Centre for Rural Health Sciences; and Tom Wilding, Scottish Association for Marine Science, a partner of UHI. (clockwise from top left): Tom Wilding, Michelle Beattie, Antonia Thomas and Jen Harland. Professor Brian… https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/...

• Post #1760978

  “Have you seen the parts of me scattered?” Have you seen the smoke?Have you smelled the fire?Glimpsed my weakness?Seen my exhaustion?Have you seen the parts of me scattered? - Khartoun Salma, poet, killed, April 8 2026, by an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. 2,294 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israel since 2 March. 1.2million people have been forced to flee from their homes as Israel continues to do to Lebanon what it did (and still does) in Gaza - flattening… https://theorkneynews.scot/2...

• Post #1760976

  Weather Forecast 26 April : Mostly cloudy, outbreaks of rain spreading north. Information from The Met Office. Today 26 April : A bright start for Shetland but cloudier with a few spots of light rain at first for Orkney. Outbreaks of rain will become more frequent for Orkney in the afternoon, but Shetland will be mostly dry until evening. Maximum temperature 11 °C. Tonight: A cloudy evening with outbreaks of rain for Orkney which will spread across Shetland too. https://theorkneynews.scot/2026...

• Post #1760974

  Chernobyl #OnThisDay On 26 April 1986 he world's worst nuclear disaster occurred when the fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union exploded, resulting in 31 deaths and radioactive contamination spreading to much of Western Europe. Following the explosion, which killed two engineers and severely burned two others, an emergency operation began to put out the fires and stabilize the reactor. https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/04/26/chernobyl-onthisday/

• Post #1760972

  Voices from Scapa : Gathering the Stories Throughout May 2026, Scapa Flow Museum, Lyness, Hoy is looking for contributions from the public to take part in 'Voices From Scapa Story Month' - a month-long initiative dedicated to gathering and celebrating the lived experiences of people connected to Scapa Flow and the wider Orkney islands. Ellen Pesci, Curator, explained: “As both a curator and an Orcadian, I’m constantly working with the stories that make up Orkney’s… https://theo...

• Post #1760971

  Light Dispels Darkness Bernie Bell. In July 2023, I wrote of Evie Donaldson’s wonder-full circle of light in St. Magnus Cathedral “Sun-Circle in St. Magnus After visiting the Museum, we crossed the road to St. Magnus Cathedral to sit quietly and absorb what we’d just seen/experienced. And we saw….. ‘Annular’ by Evie Donaldson. I’ll quote from the information card 'An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, but when it is at or… https://theorkne...

• Post #1760970

  Weather Forecast 27 April : Cloudy and damp morning, drier and brighter later. Information from The Met Office. Today 27 April : A cloudy and damp start to the morning with light and patchy rain. Becoming drier through the day with some bright or sunnier spells developing. Maximum temperature 12 °C. Tonight: A fairly cloudy evening and night with occasional mist and fog patches, perhaps the odd spot of light drizzle. Winds will be light and variable. https://theorkneynews.scot/2026/04/27/weath...

• Post #1760969

  “The engineering activities of beavers leave a clear trail of evidence” Evidence of how climate change is impacting wildlife in Canada is being provided by new research in the expansion of beaver populations into the Canadian Arctic. The research combines tree‑ring analysis (dendrochronology), with satellite imagery of surface water to pinpoint the spread of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) in a remote part of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Led by… https://theorkneynews.scot/2026...

• Post #1760968

  Election 2026 : Defence and National Security. Elections to the Scottish Parliament take place on Thursday 7 May. In this series we look at what decisions are made in our parliament which affect daily lives in Scotland. So far we’ve looked at Education, NHS Scotland, Transport, Migration, Energy, Housing, Farming and Fishing, and Tourism. Defence and National Security. Powers over Defence and National Security are completely under the control of the UK Government. https://theorkneynews.scot/20...