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Kevin Richard Butt

Reader in Ecology, University of Central Lancashire
Kevin teaches ecological, field-based and research-related subjects within Biology, Geography and Environmental Sciences. His expertise lies within the realms of soil ecology. Kevin’s primary focus is on research and, for example, he has collaborated with the Natural History Museum, Forest Research, Scottish Natural Heritage and the British Land Reclamation Society. Overseas research has involved work with numerous Universities and other institutions. Kevin also supervises research students in areas of applied ecology.

Kevin has published widely in the sphere of soil ecology with a focus on the use of earthworms and the services they provide. These ecosystem services can be harnessed e.g. to improve soil quality within the context of soil restoration and in low input agriculture. Kevin’s research also involves organic waste management and ecotoxicology.

Kevin joined the University of Central Lancashire in 1994. He was initially involved with teaching in areas of Conservation and Environmental Management, but over the years he has developed his research profile. This has led to National and International collaborations in temperate regions across the world. Kevin has spent time working in Ohio, USA, with the United States Department of Agriculture and in Finland at the Natural Resources Institute (LUKE). He is also visited in Preston by researchers keen to experience our earthworm husbandry facilities and visit active field experiments. Kevin has made numerous broadcasts on local and National radio and TV and was interviewed on BBC Radio 4 in 2016 about the discovery of the largest earthworm found in Britain on the Isle of Rum. Kevin has organised research meetings in Wales (2002), Scotland (2014) and in Poland (2018).

Economy

Some experts say the US economy is on the up, but here’s why voters don’t think so

Many Americans are gloomy about the economy, despite some data saying it is improving. The Economist even took this discussion to TikTok. When its US editor John Prideaux examined inflation, wage and employment numbers,...

Electric air taxis are on the way – quiet eVTOLs may be flying passengers as early as 2025

Imagine a future with nearly silent air taxis flying above traffic jams and navigating between skyscrapers and suburban droneports. Transportation arrives at the touch of your smartphone and with minimal environmental...

Electricity from farm waste: how biogas could help Malawians with no power

In sub-Saharan Africa, over 600 million people (more than 50% of the population) are without access to electricity. Malawi has one of the worlds lowest electricity access rates just 14.1% of the total population have...

High interest rates aren’t going away anytime soon – a business economist explains why

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at its May 1, 2024, policy meeting, dashing the hopes of potential homebuyers and others who were hoping for a cut. Not only will rates remain at their current level a...

US long-term care costs are sky-high, but Washington state’s new way to help pay for them could be nixed

If you needed long-term care, could you afford it? For many Americans, especially those with a middle-class income and little savings, the answer to that question is absolutely not. Nursing homes charge somewhere...

Politics

Taiwan is experiencing millions of cyberattacks every day

Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety of grey zone tactics to pressure...

What the Supreme Court is doing right in considering Trump’s immunity case

Following the nearly three-hour oral argument about presidential immunity in the Supreme Court on April 25, 2024, many commentators were aghast. The general theme, among legal and political experts alike, was a...

US Urges China, Russia to Reject AI Control in Nuclear Arms, Align with Global Norms

Paul Dean, a senior U.S. arms control official, emphasized the critical need for China and Russia to join the U.S. in declaring that humans will always decide on the deployment of nuclear weapons, not artificial...

US election: why it’s not the protesters’ votes that the Democrats should worry about

As hundreds of New York police officers in riot gear were called in to clear away a student protest at Columbia University on Tuesday night, the university president Nemat Shafik was saying she had no choice but to take...

Trump-proofing Nato: why Europe’s current nuclear deterrents may not be enough to face biggest threats since WWII

Though a second Trump presidency is not a foregone conclusion, Nato members are gearing up to Trump-proof the organisation and reviewing their defence strategies. Natos concerns about Trumps re-election were heightened...

Science

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Dark matter: our new experiment aims to turn the ghostly substance into actual light

A ghost is haunting our universe. This has been known in astronomy and cosmology for decades. Observations suggest that about 85% of all the matter in the universe is mysterious and invisible. These two qualities are...

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Technology

OpenAI Set to Unveil Google Rival Search Tool Next Monday, Sources Reveal

OpenAI, in partnership with Microsoft, is slated to announce a groundbreaking AI-powered search tool on May 13, challenging Googles dominance just a day before its major I/O conference, according to sources. OpenAIs...

Ripple Partner SBI Holdings to Form Joint Venture in Japan with Chiliz for Sports Tokens

SBI Digital Holdings, a Ripple Labs partner, has revealed plans to deliver sports fan tokens to the Japanese market. The company announced a deal with Chiliz on May 9 to launch a sports and entertainment joint...

Samsung Galaxy S24 Boosts Sales, Reaches Four-Year High in Q1 2024 Smartphone Market

Samsungs Galaxy S24 has propelled the companys smartphone sales in the US to a four-year high, marking a significant achievement. Galaxy S24 Drives Samsungs Surge: Smartphone Sales Soar, Earnings Rise, and Market Share...

Bitcoin Price Surges, Crypto Market Confirms Strong Recovery With Breakout

The crypto market saw increased trading volume during US hours as Bitcoins (BTC) price broke above a declining trendline. Is the crypto markets rebound confirmed, or is it a false breakout? Bitcoin Price Breakout The...

Elon Musk Teases Revolutionary Full Self-Driving V12.4, Cybertruck to Wait

Tesla CEO Elon Musk hints at the possible release of Full Self-Driving (FSD) V12.4 next week, with significant upgrades anticipated for Tesla drivers, excluding the Cybertruck for now. Elon Musk Teases Tesla FSD V12.4...