© Amphon Jindawatthana/Shutterstock.com
We live in the Anthropocene where humans are changing Earth’s natural systems and biodiversity. We are facing a planetary emergency.
Our expertise in taxonomy, systematics and mineralogy drives our research in securing the future of our food, health and natural materials.
Our projects
Designing sustainable food systems
Future food
Mapping the distribution of wild species of food plants and the insects associated with them to help plant breeders prepare crops for the future.
EXCALIBUR: soil biodiversity in horticulture
Understanding soil biodiversity and dynamics.
Understanding disease biology and improving health outcomes for nature and people
Neglected tropical diseases
Relieving the suffering of some of the 1.4 billion people infected with a neglected tropical disease.
Schistosomiasis research group
Understanding and controlling this neglected tropical disease.
Resourcing the green economy
Critical elements research
Working to ensure the sustainable supply of raw materials for future generations.
Mining a sustainable future
Creating a cleaner, greener future at the Royal Society Summer Science exhibition 2021.
Other sustainability projects
Plastic in the Thames
Finding a large volume of unseen submerged plastic flowing into the marine environment.
FAME and fortune
Working to ensure the sustainable supply of raw materials for future generations in a major new European Commission-funded project.
Li4UK: Securing a domestic lithium supply chain for the UK
Demonstrating the feasibility of producing battery-quality lithium compounds from lithium found in UK rocks and geothermal waters.
Image credit: Hand holding soil © Shutterstock/bluedog studio
News and information about the Anthropocene
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AnthropoceneCalifornia condor: Saving North America’s biggest bird
It took a controversial conservation tactic to prevent these giant vultures from going extinct.
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NewsAlmost 70% of all plastic waste is produced by just 20 countries
Each year, 52 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the environment.
4 September 2024 -
Science newsPollution revealed as the greatest threat to healthy soils
Food security and biodiversity are threatened by the chemicals contaminating our soils.
3 September 2024 -
NewsArtificial intelligence could help to predict how endangered species are
The power of machine learning could be used to protect threatened fishes.
30 August 2024
