The Chronicle

Oct 27

The Sundarbans Forest Tiger Part Three: Negotiation

Dr. Orton’s three-part miniseries explores the Sundarbans forest tiger and the people who live in its shadow. In part one, Dr, Orton...

Oct 4

The Sundarbans Forest Tiger Part Two: Protection

In her last post, Dr. Orton talked about the Royal Bengal Tiger of the Sundarbans and its reputation for being a fierce man-eater. She...

Sep 23

The Sundarbans Forest Tiger Part One: Danger

The Royal Bengal Tiger is one of the world’s most charismatic animals; yet not only is it an endangered species, it also has a reputation...

Aug 29

The Yellow Rattle Update: Starting a Wildflower Meadow

Last year, we started a wildflower meadow at Orton Academy to join the national effort to restore Britain’s wildflower meadows! Here, Dr....

Aug 23

Conservation and Communities: Getting Started with Your Own Independent Research Project

Many people dream of doing their own independent research, often for very personal reasons. Perhaps there is a book you want to write,...

Aug 7

Humans, Animals, Scholars: Why We Need Independent, Interdisciplinary Researchers

Dr. Orton was on track for an academic career in philosophy and assumed that a wildlife-related career was not an option. She is now an...

Jul 25

We Need to Talk about Mangroves

The 26th of July is International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. To celebrate, Dr. Orton describes her journey to...

Jun 20

The Fading Art of Fishing With Otters

Dr. Orton explores the dying art of fishing with trained otters on Bangladesh’s beautiful Chitra river… Shyam Biswas has been fishing...

Dec 11, 2022

The (Real) Seven Secrets of Bologna

Dr. Orton lived in the ancient Italian city of Bologna as a visiting research student for half of her doctoral degree. Here, she explores...

Oct 10, 2022

Slippery and Strange: How Stories Transfigure and Why We Should take Them Seriously

In the high-altitude Himalayan desert of Spiti, strange entities are said to lurk beneath the everyday world and you must appease local...

Sep 20, 2022

Thucydides and the Morality of Power

In a single episode of the Peloponnesian War, Athens slaughtered all Melian men of military age and sold Melian women and children into...

Aug 29, 2022

Where Beauty Meets Truth: How Maria Sibylla Merian Took on the world

Orton Academy and Research was born of a love of both knowledge and beauty. Dr. Orton investigates the Enlightenment entomologist who...

Jul 18, 2022

Still the Gods Remain

Dr. Orton investigates the Himalayan communities whose distinctive local beliefs outlived the Tibetan Empire. The Forgotten Empire The...

Jul 5, 2022

The Yellow Rattle Experiment

Dr. Orton explores the history of Britain’s wildflower meadows and launches the great yellow rattle experiment. Wildflower meadows have...

May 2, 2022

The Ship, the Shore and the Philosopher

Dr. Orton investigates the geometrical heist that stole our fate back from the gods. In the time of Homer, the Greeks were at the mercy...

Apr 13, 2022

Meetings with Monsieur Bertin

Dr. Orton describes her relationship with Ingres’ most compelling portrait. While I was living in Bologna as a PhD student, it was...

Nov 29, 2021

The Leopard and the Spotters: Snow Leopard Tales from the Himalayas

Dr. Orton tracks the legend of the snow leopard in Himalayan folklore and its transformation from an inebriated antagonist into a welcome...

Nov 25, 2021

The Radical Roots of Ancient Conservatism

Sophist, rhetorician and fifth-century Greek philosopher Protagoras of Abdera was not afraid to write books deemed dangerous enough for...

Sep 9, 2021

How to get into Berghain

Orton Academy Head of Research Dr. Jane Orton conducted fieldwork in the Himalayas investigating narratives about the region’s “hidden...

Aug 27, 2021

Plato and the Terrifying Beauty of Mathematics

- How A Mathematical Discovery Tormented the Ancient World - Orton Academy’s Head of Research Dr. Jane Orton reflects on the mathematical...

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