Session Four

Time travel for beginners – Gary Brannan, Keeper of Archives and Special Collections, Borthwick Institute for Archives

From world-leading scholars to amateur genealogists, the Borthwick Institute for Archives provides a rich vein of raw material for research, curiosity and discovery, deepening our understanding of the world around us and quenching our curiosity to know more. For its Keeper, Gary Brannan, no two days are ever the same. Whether it’s a creative theatre company turning a fourteenth century Archbishop’s Register written in Latin into a bawdy morality play for the London stage featuring a runaway nun, or a high tech analysis of the DNA of parchment, the gems stored inside the archives never cease surprise and thrill. Hear how the Borthwick was – and remains – central to the University of York story and its mission to harness knowledge to the public good and how the digitalisation of its assets is opening this remarkable repository to a global audience at the click of a mouse.

Dirty little secrets in the family tree of blood – David Kent, Department of Biology

Every family has a relative that’s done something naughty. Sometimes the stories surface at weddings, other times they remain hidden forever, but occasionally they become so public that no family member can escape the taint. Now, suppose your family has more aunts, uncles and distant cousins than there are stars in a galaxy and begin to imagine the endless possibilities of what they have been up to. In this talk, Dr David Kent explores how advances in genome sequencing are providing powerful tools to identify these ‘naughty cousin cells’, constructing complex family trees to trace their lineage back to sperm and egg. With international collaborators at Harvard University, Great Ormond Street Hospital and the University of Cambridge, Dr Kent’s pioneering work is a cutting-edge detective story, uncovering the ‘dirty little secrets’ of these rogue cells that drive disease. Armed with this knowledge, more effective therapies can be developed to save children’s lives and deepen our understanding of the galaxy of cells inside the human body.

New economics for a world in crisis – Jasper Kenter, Department of Environment and Geography

Covid-19 has exposed deep cracks in today’s social and economic systems, from the clear links between the destruction of nature and the rise of new infectious diseases to the inequalities between those who are suffering the consequences of the pandemic most, and those who are least affected. But the pandemic has also shown how the world can respond to a global crisis: with huge changes of mindsets and habits, and major social and economic interventions. Reader in Deliberative Ecological Economics, Dr Kenter argues that now is the moment to make sure these changes evolve into pathways that create a just future for people and the planet, addressing not just the coronavirus emergency but also the climate, nature and inequality crises. Addressing our global crises demands a radical shift in economic thinking: a new economics grounded in a broad understanding of human well-being that underpins the generation of wealth through restoration rather than destruction of nature.

Revelation, restoration and renewal: the remarkable history of Pickering’s parish church paintings – Kate Giles, Department of Archaeology

Equal parts drama and detective story, the 600 year-old history of Pickering’s medieval wall paintings of saints and sinners demonstrates the continuing power of a parish church to inspire awe, affection and a sense of place and belonging. For local parishioners and the church’s countless visitors alike, these remarkable paintings bring the past vividly to life in the present. Dr Giles, whose longstanding research relationship with Pickering is a model of York’s civic engagement with the region, peels back the layers of history to reveal the hidden meanings of what many consider an act of Victorian vandalism; and explore how sites like Pickering were caught up in national debates about religious tolerance, clerical scandal and public interest in the past. It’s a story that testifies to the vital role that parish churches and academic research can play in connecting and strengthening communities in troubled times.

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