Jo Caird

An ambitious scheme is bringing life back to the heavily industrialised River Trent
Report by Jo Caird
Salmon used to be plentiful in the River Trent. So plentiful, in fact, that in the 1800s, Nottingham apprentices had a clause added to their contracts to specify that their dietary allowance would include salmon not more than twice a week. It was a similar story for lamprey and eels, migratory species that also used to swim up and down the Trent in huge numbers en route to their spawning gro...

The ocean can be a dangerous place, and not just from the creatures you might expect. A surprising range of marine species, including fish, reptiles, crustaceans and cnidarians, have the power to cause serious injury or even death to humans.
Strength often plays a role but, as this list demonstrates, size certainly isn’t everything in the deadliness stakes. Read on to learn about some of the world's most deadly sea creatures
10 most dangerous animals in the ocean
Box jellyfish
Found in coasta...

In 1839, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, a Frenchman, invented a process for capturing images on silvered copper plate. He made an impression; his name is a singular stand-out in the annals of early photography. But he was not a lone pioneer. Considerably less well known—in his native UK especially—is William Henry Fox Talbot, a contemporary whose calotype process ushered in the age of positive-negative photography, an innovation that was arguably more influential than even the daguerreotype.
“...

Amid growing interest – and outrage – about racial disparities in childbirth, one mother in the US has taken steps to positively shape her experience
In this photo, a woman in the US gives birth, supported by her mother, father and sister, plus midwife, doula and birth assistant. It was important to her to have a midwife and doula from her own community, people who would respect and value her experience as a woman of colour.
In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for black women in the US was 6...

Jo Caird heads to a Kent orchard to meet a group of modern gleaners, doing their bit to avoid food waste and to provide additional fruit and veg for the hungry
You’d never guess that this orchard, on Selson Farm on the eastern edge of the North Downs, has already been harvested by a team of professional pickers. To the untrained eye, each little tree still looks heavy with apples, baubles shining green and red in the bright sunshine.
Yet these are just what’s left of farmer David Bradley’s ap...

On campus with Zhengli Lim (Research Postgraduate, Mechanical Engineering).
People tell me my ribbon dancing looks very graceful from a distance. From my perspective, though, it’s complete chaos. I have no formal dance or gymnastics training. I like just feeling the music.
When I was 18 I discovered that I liked to dance at nightclubs. Years later, I thought, ‘This is fun, but what if I spice it up?’ I tried different things – a pilates bar, a gymnastics ball – and eventually en...

On campus with Dalitso Mwale (intercalated BSc Medical Sciences with Humanities, Philosophy and Law, Fourth Year), TikTok creator, Imperial Communications Division.

The power to influence
On campus with Dalitso Mwale (intercalated BSc Medical Sciences with Humanities, Philosophy and Law, Fourth Year), TikTok creator, Imperial Communications Division.
Words: Jo Caird Photography: Hannah Maule-ffinch
I go to the gym at Ethos, Imperial’s sports facility, five or six times a week. Before I came to Imperial, I’d go to the gym maybe twice a week – I was taking rest days all the time and I’d be so tired. Now I go even if I don’t feel like going because I know I...

The power to influence
On campus with Dalitso Mwale (intercalated BSc Medical Sciences with Humanities, Philosophy and Law, Fourth Year), TikTok creator, Imperial Communications Division.
Words: Jo Caird Photography: Hannah Maule-ffinch
I go to the gym at Ethos, Imperial’s sports facility, five or six times a week. Before I came to Imperial, I’d go to the gym maybe twice a week – I was taking rest days all the time and I’d be so tired. Now I go even if I don’t feel like going because I know I...

Interview with astrophysicist Professor Stephen Smartt

Offering fresh takes on art, youth culture and slavery, among other things, these cultural attractions are becoming instant landmarks
1. International African American Museum, South Carolina, US
Located at the arrival point for almost half of enslaved Africans brought to America, this new museum documents the unvarnished story of the African American experience. There are 12 permanent exhibitions, exploring everything from the empires of west Africa to life on a plantation. Check out the Afri...

A new project is investigating how different types of woodland affect wellbeing, and how planting can be tailored as a result. The good news? You can get involved
Trees are good for us. Studies show that spending time in nature calms us down, cheers us up, improves concentration and benefits us physically in all sorts of ways. But while the wellbeing impacts of trees are clear, we’re still in the dark as to th...

Just 23 per cent of working age adults with a learning disability have a paid job, compared to 76 per cent of the general population, according to the charity Mencap. As father to an adult daughter with learning disabilities, Ivybridge resident Simon Rundle had long been aware of this so-called disability employment gap. In 2018, on the cusp of retirement from his career as a professor in marine biology at Plymouth University, he decided it was time to do something about it.
A keen homebrewer...

A guide to musicals and plays at theatres across Britain