Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · 1d

The village women turned astro-ambassadors.
A good news story from Ladakh:

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

‘The universe has opened up for us’: meet the astro-ambassadors who welcome stargazers to the Himalayas

A tourism initiative in India’s first dark sky reserve has brought new hope to a community as employment means they can stay close to their roots and culture

www.theguardian.com

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · 5d

Great piece on using historic archives to chart biodiversity loss - and a nice piece of (literal) field work!

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Century-old papers saved from the bin reveal changes in Europe’s plant life

Plant inventories dating back to 1884 and nearly thrown away enable unique time-lapse study of biodiversity in Swiss meadows

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Kate Teltscher

Christina Hourigan @treeseeker.bsky.social · 13d

Huge thanks to the team at @plantperspectives.bsky.social @whitehorsepress.bsky.social and @sarahwhpress.bsky.social for creating such stunning designs for our special #arborealhumanities issue!
Check out all the beautifully crafted papers, poetry and reviews at whp-journals.co.uk/PP/issue/vie...

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Reposted by Kate Teltscher

planthums-uk.bsky.social @planthums-uk.bsky.social · 15d

It's here!!! 200 pages of #research articles, #narrative #nonfiction, #poetry & #reviews - all on #trees! Many thanks to @whitehorsepress.bsky.social, @treeseeker.bsky.social & all our contributors url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/9ZIoCojPZH...

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · 14d

‘One of the most superbly beautiful of trees ... worth crossing the globe to see’.
For more on thawka-gyi or 'Pride of Burma', see the latest issue of Plant Perspectives. Open access:
www.whp-journals.co.uk/PP/article/v...

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Aug 26

What is the most beautiful flowering tree in the world? Find out in my essay for Plant Perspectives, ed. by the wonderful Caroline Cornish and Christina Hourigan.
Also features a brilliant essay on ackee by Heather Craddock,
@planthums-uk.bsky.social @treeseeker.bsky.social @hcraddock.bsky.social

Front and back cover of Plant Perspectives vol 2.2 with image of installation 'Of the Oak' by Marshmallow Laser Feast in Kew Gardens 2025 on the cover.

Amherstia nobilis, hand-coloured lithograph by Maxim Gauci, based on drawing by Vishnuprasad from Nathaniel Wallich, Plantae Asiaticae Rariores 1 (1830).

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Aug 5

For a welcome change, here’s a good news environmental story: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Joy and relief as lotus flowers bloom again in Kashmiri lake after three decades

Wular Lake once supported 5,000 people who harvested the plant’s edible roots, until the lake silted up after floods. Now the lotuses are back

www.theguardian.com

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Aug 3

This is sad news indeed.
Peter was extremely generous and encouraging to me when I was starting out on my career. He was very open to interdisciplinary research when that was quite unusual.

Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · Jul 28

The IHR is saddened by the death of Peter (P.J.) Marshall, historian of the British Empire, and a long-standing member of King's College London's History department. As a long-time friend, supporter, and Fellow of the IHR, he will be greatly missed and remembered for his kindness and courtesy.

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Jul 16

Yes, green glass was often recommended for ferns and orchids.

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Jul 16

19th-century glass houses at Kew were traditionally glazed green. What was unusual about the Palm House was the series of experiments to determine the precise shade!

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Reposted by Kate Teltscher

Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Jul 16

You're right, Sathnam!
The glass was originally pale green – a shade determined by the chemist Robert Hunt through a bizarre series of experiments involving the extracted juices of palm leaves!

Chemist Robert Hunt by William Buckler (1842) Pictured with camera and prism.

Diagram from Robert Hunt's record of experiments with green glass for the Palm House.

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Reposted by Kate Teltscher

Dr McInnes’s Monster @drbeard79.bsky.social · Jul 16

Still thinking about when me & @victorianmasc.bsky.social came up with Romantic poetry inspired sweets yesterday:

Me: Oooh I want a Grecian urn jelly
Maybe this could be MY side hustle
Daffodil ice lollies
Mont Blanc choc ice
Tyger Tyger chocolate bar involving chili maybe
Lonely Cloud Marshmallow
Prometheus gingerbread man
Laura: and marzipan eagle
I LOVE IT
Wordsworth and Co. Fine
Confectionery Co.
Me: Aww yeah

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Jul 16

You're right, Sathnam!
The glass was originally pale green – a shade determined by the chemist Robert Hunt through a bizarre series of experiments involving the extracted juices of palm leaves!

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Jul 16

So I guess today's the day to remind anyone interested in the history of Kew's Palm House to take a look at my book, Palace of Palms!
bsky.app/profile/rbgk...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Kew Garden: Palm House set for major renovation

The 175-year-old glass house will begin a £50m renovation in 2027.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Kate Teltscher

History Workshop @historyworkshop.org.uk · Jun 24

How was smell weaponised in settler colonial processes of scoping and transforming landscapes inhabited by indigenous people?

Meg Parsons and Karen Fisher on the use of the eucalyptus tree by Pākehā settlers on Māori swamp-land: www.historyworkshop....

The Swamp and the Gum Tree

Meg Parsons and Karen Fisher on how Pākehā settlers weaponised smell in the colonisation of Māori swamp-land.

www.historyworkshop.org.uk

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Jun 10

Really enjoyed working on this great project! The Kew Record Book is now freely available online. It's a unique document in the history of botany and horticulture, recording incoming and out going plants at Kew Gardens 1793-1809.
blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2023/05/trav...

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Jun 7

Fantastic news!
Many congratulations to Caroline Cornish on receiving the SHNH President’s Award for promoting and improving accessibility, inclusivity and diversity to the study of the history of natural history: shnh.org.uk/news/announc...
@planthums-uk.bsky.social

Announcement – Society for the History of Natural History 2025 awards - Society for the History of Natural History

SHNH President’s Award SHNH is delighted to award the SHNH President’s Award 2024 to Caroline Cornish. The Award recognises an individual or team’s contribution and impact in promoting and improving a...

shnh.org.uk

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Jun 6

Well, this is interesting.
The UK-Kenya exhibition at the 2025 Venice Biennale reimagines the Palm House at Kew Gardens as a timber structure. The decorative panels are made of sustainable materials.
'Vena Cava' by Mae-ling Lokko and Gustavo Crembil
venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org/geology-brit...

© GBR – Geology Of Britannic Repair, Vena Cava. Image by Chris Lane.

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · Jun 5

Just writing a paper about this pair, Thomas Dawodu and Ferdinand Leigh, the first Africans to train at Kew Gardens.
Come hear their remarkable story at Gardens & Empires conference, British Library, June 27-8, & online: events.bl.uk/events/garde...
@sathnam.bsky.social @eicathomefinn.bsky.social ‬

Formal photographic studio portrait of Thomas Dawodu, 1893

Formal photographic studio portrait of Ferdinand Leigh, 1893

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Reposted by Kate Teltscher

British Library @britishlibrary.bsky.social · May 2

Unearthed: The Power of Gardening is now open! 🌱

Discover botanical treasures, medieval manuscripts, contemporary artworks and the stories of the remarkable people and plants that shape our gardens today.

Book now: bit.ly/BLUnearthed
Members go free

A visitor looks at a display case containing a large scroll featuring various botanical drawings of leaves. Two framed prints of flowers are displayed on the wall behind them.

Two visitors look at a display of open books, featuring large bright botanical drawings of plants and flowers.

A visitor looks at an open book showing a large botanical drawing of a sunflower.

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Kate Teltscher @kateteltscher.bsky.social · May 2

Very excited about two Kew Gardens exhibitions on empire & botanical art this October:
– Flora Indica: recovering lost histories of Indian botanical art, curated by Henry Noltie & Sita Reddy.
– New work by The Singh Twins: Botanical Tales & Seeds of Empire.
www.kew.org/about-us/pre...

Intricat panel from painting by The Singh Twins with imperial emblems, butterflies and botanical images.

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planthums-uk.bsky.social @planthums-uk.bsky.social · Apr 18

#GARDENS & #EMPIRES - booking open! International conference @britishlibrary.bsky.social 27-28 June Convened by #BL, @rbgkew.bsky.social & @englishheritage.bsky.social Speakers include
@advollyr.bsky.social @sathnam.bsky.social & @corinnefowler.bsky.social
Booking: events.bl.uk/events/garde...

Gardens and Empires | British Library

The histories of plants and gardens are deeply entangled with the histories of empires. This conference investigates the impacts of these global connection

events.bl.uk

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Reposted by Kate Teltscher

Yale University Press London 📖 @yalebooks.bsky.social · Apr 23

Built in 1576 in a field in Shoreditch, the Theatre was London's first purpose-built playhouse and #Shakespeare's first theatre.

This timeline, from Daniel Swift’s book The Dream Factory charts the Theatre’s history:
yalebooks.co.uk/shakespeares...

#ShakespeareDay #shakespearebirthday #TheatreSky

Shakespeare's First Theatre: A Timeline - Yale University Press London

In 1576, in a muddy field in Shoreditch, James Burbage erected London’s first purpose-built commercial playhouse. A place of high culture and quick

yalebooks.co.uk

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Reposted by Kate Teltscher

Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · Mar 23

Undersea rewilding initiative to restore a kelp forest in West Sussex is celebrating amazing results for marine biodiversity.

Rewilding is needed just as much at sea as on land.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Kelp forest project in West Sussex having 'remarkable results'

The rewilding project off the West Sussex coast is celebrating its fourth anniversary.

www.bbc.com

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