Botany, Beams, and Things Unseen

What if we could discover and 'see' ancient roads and ruins without ever swinging a shovel or touching a trowel? The ability to use geophysical survey methods is already well understood... But recent research suggests that radiation could also reveal some fascinating insights. Everything around us—from the air we breathe to the ground beneath our feet—emits naturally occurring radioactivity. But did you know that the actions of our ancestors, from building roads to raising walls, sometimes resulted in measurable changes to this radioactivity? In this talk, we’ll explore how a nuclear industry tool called Groundhog is being used to detect these hidden features, revealing the past in a whole new way—no digging required!

In the last quarter of a century, researchers around the world have been proposing that plants are cognitive and intelligent—possessing abilities comparable to those of animals when it comes to solving problems and interacting with their environment. These claims have sparked both scientific criticism and public curiosity. But what are these studies, and what exactly are they showing? Can we really say that plants are cognitive? Let’s have a pint while we ruminate on what we actually mean by cognition and intelligence, explore what this emerging research reveals, and consider what plants may be capable of. Spoiler alert: there are no definitive answers—this is an open, rapidly developing field where almost everything is still to be discovered.