Electronic collars less effective than reward-based training, research finds

by Alistair Berry, University of Lincoln

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Training dogs with electronic collars is no more effective than traditional training methods, according to new research.


Animal behavior researchers at the University of Lincoln conducted a study looking at the efficacy of training with electronic or "E-collars," which deliver a small electric shock to dissuade unwanted behavior, such as ignoring commands.

Researchers analyzed video footage of training sessions where "come" and "sit" commands were given. Training with an E-collar was found to be no more effective than training without, with positive reinforcement found to be the most effective method. The dogs learned to obey commands most quickly when trainers gave consistent signals and rewarded correct responses.

These findings refute claims by some dog trainers that E-collars are a good alternative to reward based training to address highly motivated activities such as wildlife chasing, particularly considering potential risks to the dog's wellbeing, and that their use can lead to unnecessary suffering during dog training.

Professor Jonathan Cooper from the Animal Behavior, Cognition and Welfare Research Group, said: "The Reward-Based Control Group had a higher proportion of obeys after first command to both 'Come' and 'Sit' commands and required fewer multiple commands to initiate a recall or complete a sit response. This suggests that the reward-based training was the most effective approach not only for recall, which was the target behavior in training, but also for other commands. Given the additional potential risks to the animal's well being associated with use of an E-collar, we conclude that dog training with these devices causes unnecessary suffering and increased risk to a dog's wellbeing, without good evidence of improved outcomes."

The work published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science supports legislation against the use of these devices in pet training in place in Wales and Scotland, provides further evidence to support the end of their sale, possession and use across the whole of the UK.


Explore furtherBest way to train farm dogs has lessons for all dog training

More information: Lucy China et al. Efficacy of Dog Training With and Without Remote Electronic Collars vs. a Focus on Positive Reinforcement, Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2020). DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00508

Provided by University of Lincoln

Radar developed for rapid rescue of buried people

E A POE APPROVED

by Jens Fiege, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Testing the radar-based detection of the vital parameters of a group of people as they move naturally in an environment at Fraunhofer FHR (from left to right: Siying Wang, Alexander Bauer, Manjunath Thindlu Rudrappa and Reinhold Herschel). Credit: Patrick Wallrath/Fraunhofer FHR

When someone is buried by an avalanche, earthquake or other disaster, a rapid rescue can make the difference between life and death. The Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR has developed a new kind of mobile radar device that can search hectare-sized areas quickly and thoroughly. The new technology combines greater mobility with accurate detection of vital signs.

Some regions of the world record hundreds of earth tremors a day. Most of these are of a minor nature—but occasionally an earthquake strikes of such destructive power that it destroys buildings and triggers tsunamis that lay waste to huge areas. Faced with this kind of disaster, rescue crews often struggle to locate and dig out injured people quickly enough to save them. Although radar devices can provide useful assistance, current systems are limited to stationary operation. Set up in a fixed spot, they can only search up to a distance of twenty to thirty meters, depending on the radar specifications. In disasters involving large-scale destruction, this distance is simply too short.

Based in Wachtberg, Germany, Fraunhofer FHR offers a technology that aims to significantly increase the search radius. "What we've developed is a mobile radar system that locates people buried under rubble by detecting their pulse and breathing," says Reinhold Herschel, a team leader at Fraunhofer FHR. "Our longer-term goal is to mount this radar device on a drone and fly it over the disaster site. This would make searches faster and more effective even in areas extending over various hectares."

Multiple transmitters and receivers enable different vantage points

In basic terms, the radar device works by emitting waves. Part of each wave is reflected by the debris, but some of the wave passes through the rubble and is reflected by people and anything else buried underneath it. The distance to an object is calculated by measuring how long the signal takes to return to the detector in the radar system. If that object is moving—even if it is just a buried person's skin rising and falling by a few hundred micrometers with each heartbeat—this changes the phase of the signal. The same applies to the tiny movements caused by their breathing. People typically take a breath no more than 10 to 12 times a minute, while the heart beats an average of 60 times a minute, so it is relatively simple to distinguish between these different signal changes using algorithms. The researchers can also determine exactly where the buried person is located.


This is made possible by a special type of radar known as MIMO, which stands for multiple input, multiple output. MIMO radars use multiple transmitters and receivers to set up different "vantage points" which can then be used to identify the exact location where paramedics should dig for survivors.

Algorithm detects irregular heartbeats

What is unique about this technology is its combination of mobility and accurate detection of people's vital signs. The mobility advantage generally refers to examples such as mounting the device on a drone and flying it over the disaster site, but it is also possible to turn this principle on its head. Set up the system in a fixed spot, for example, and it can be used to detect the vital signs of people moving around close to the radar. There are a number of situations where this could be useful, such as providing first aid to large numbers of casualties in a sports hall following an earthquake. In this case, the radar device could be used to record vital signs and assign them to each individual to determine who is in most urgent need of assistance. In this example, the algorithm focuses primarily on detecting changes such as whether someone's heart is beating irregularly or a patient is breathing very rapidly. The radar system can distinguish the individual signals and display them separately. Accuracy is also high, with the device measuring pulse rates with 99 percent accuracy as compared to readings taken using portable heart rate monitors. More research is still needed on using the radar to find people buried under rubble, but researchers have already made significant progress in detecting vital signs close to the stationary radar system, successfully putting it to the test at distances of up to 15 meters. The next step towards a viable product would be to conduct a verification study with a partner in the medical arena.

Once the radar system has obtained a positive evaluation based on sufficient data, it can then move into a certification process with interested industry partners. It will probably take around two more years before the developers create a product that is accurate enough to detect buried casualties reliably in tricky scenarios such as soil or concrete and suitable for UAV-based applications. Fraunhofer FHR will be continuing its research in this area to meet this ambitious goal.


Explore further Tiny, fast, accurate technology on the radar

Provided by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

America's innovation edge now in peril, says report

by Jeff Falk, Rice University

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A sweeping new report urges significant policy and funding action to ensure the United States does not lose the preeminent position in discovery and innovation it has built since the end of World War II.

"The Perils of Complacency: America at a Tipping Point in Science and Engineering" was released today by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

"The United States became a world power—economically, militarily and culturally—in significant part by placing a high priority on innovation, fueled by advances in science and technology," the report's authors write. "This priority, in turn, required investing in R&D, especially fundamental research conducted in universities and national laboratories across the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine."

China is projected to become the world's largest economy when measured by gross domestic product by 2030, according to the report. "By 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States, China's strategic plan calls for it to be well on its way to becoming the unchallenged world leader in science, technology and innovation. These developments are perilous for America, which today, 50 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, is at a tipping point in R&D," the authors wrote.

The report assesses progress and setbacks in the five years since an earlier report, "Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream."

It will be discussed in a virtual presentation this afternoon, titled "Inadequate Investment: America, China and the Future of Innovation," which will feature remarks from Norman Augustine, retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin; Neal Lane, senior fellow in science and technology policy at the Baker Institute and former director of the National Science Foundation; and Jeanette Wing, the Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University and a professor of computer science.

"Recent developments are placing additional stress on the U.S. research system even as they underscore its indispensability in providing the fuel for American innovation and competitiveness as well as the know-how required to address the nation's many societal challenges," the authors write. "As this report was being prepared, a major coronavirus outbreak was impacting thousands of lives in China, America and other parts of the world. Meanwhile, security concerns have led some policymakers to propose draconian restrictions on the very same foreign researchers on whom we have come to rely to fill the persistent domestic talent gap in science and engineering."


One result of recent and proposed immigration restrictions is that other countries have become more competitive at attracting workers, the authors write. The report also says U.S. corporations are now more inclined to move R&D laboratories to other countries. "Compounding this problem is a continued weakness in U.S. support for basic and applied research; the fiscal year 2021 Presidential Budget Request would cut federal support for these categories by $7.9 billion, or just over 9%," the authors wrote.

2020 priorities

The authors expand on the recommendations outlined in the 2014 report, which focused on R&D priorities, and urge action to strengthen STEM education and the American workforce.

"The nation's pre-K–12 public education system has been in crisis for decades, and the urgent need to improve student achievement was one of the seven priorities listed in the 'Innovation: An American Imperative' call to action that was supported by over 500 organizations across the country," the authors wrote. "The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, in its 'Gathering Storm' report, laid out a strategy to address this crisis."

The report also recommends states return to providing sustained public university funding to the levels per student, in real dollars, that were in place prior to the 2008 recession.

"Restoring state funding for universities will enable those institutions to better serve the educational needs of the state's citizens, raise the skill level of the workforce, support full employment, form stronger partnerships with local companies and contribute to the country's overall science and technology enterprise," the authors write.

"The recent tax placed on the earnings of endowments of (private) universities represents an altogether counterproductive trend and should be repealed promptly," the authors write. "Repealing this punitive tax will help universities control tuition, provide more financial aid and maintain modern research and teaching facilities. Doing so will also, hopefully, discourage further such narrowly targeted, counterproductive approaches."


Explore further

U.S. should launch a national energy innovation mission to reach climate goals, says report

More information: Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream: www.amacad.org/publication/res … rving-american-dream

Provided by Rice University

Existing political tensions intensify during pandemic: A 'glocal' observation

by Jonatan A Lassa, Ermi Ndoen, Rudi Rohi, Victoria Fanggidae, The Conversation

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Tensions have been rising between the Indonesian central government and the Jakarta administration over differences in dealing with the pandemic, leading to confusion and concerns about scattered strategies in mitigating the crisis.

In September, when hospitals in the country's capital were nearly full, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan made a critical and justified decision to reactivate the lockdown policy—known locally as large-scale social restriction, or PSBB.

Anies claimed the central government fully supported his decision.

The next day, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, said he was concerned Anies' decision to limit public mobility and business operations in the capital could worsen the economic downturn.

In saying this, Jokowi contradicted his previous statement that putting the economy before health was dangerous.

Why do jurisdiction tensions—in this Indonesian case, between the president and Jakarta governor—happen in such a crisis?

We argue that existing political tensions (either latent or open) are often intensified during crises and disasters.

Worsening gaps

Anies—Jokowi's former education minister turned political opponent – is a potential candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

The pandemic can intensify prior political divides. The amplifying of existing relational gaps between jurisdictions sometimes reveals deeper layers of conflict.

Political economic variables, such as rent-seeking and power interests, might explain the tension between central and local governments.


However, we argue that a genuine conflict can also arise based on a clash of crisis management imperatives. Each leader at a different level of jurisdiction understands the crisis and responds differently according to their own biases.

At least three types of biases can be observed during this pandemic: border bias, projection bias, and normalcy bias.

Border bias is an illusion that administrative boundaries can physically limit the spread of disasters.

This territorialism approach is often inadequate when facing large-scale catastrophes and crises that are trans-boundary in nature.

Projection bias prompts leaders to project their current mindsets and assumptions into an uncertain future.

For example, seeking to leave an economic legacy in his last term, Jokowi has become indecisive throughout the pandemic. He is reluctant to put "human first, economy second."

Public leaders in disaster and crisis settings often adopt normalcy bias—a habit of underestimating the probability of disruptions. They tend to accept interpretations that favor their interests and biases.

The interplay of the above biases compromises crisis-management decision-making during COVID-19.

Existing political divides are amplified during disasters when public leaders from different parties at different jurisdictions get involved.

In the United States, a similar conflict exists between President Donald Trump (a Republican politician) and New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (a Democrat) over the issue of quarantine.

In Australia, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (of the Labor Party) adopted a strict lockdown policy. This went against the policies of Prime Minister Scott Morrison (of the Liberal Party) who favors "re-opening the economy faster by improving COVID-19 contact tracing."

A debate about which level of government was responsible for the high death toll at aged-care facilities locked the Australian federal and Victorian state governments into a feud. In Australia, the pandemic also induces state rivalries and parochialism.

Conflicts like these occur around the world, from Europe to Latin America, with variations in complexity and intensity.

In Indonesia, we can also see such tension between lower-level governments.

In the province of East Nusa Tenggara, the municipal administration of Kupang recently decided to restrict movements out of concern that it didn't have enough capacity to handle an increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

Within hours, the provincial administration overruled the policy. It allowed mass gathering and parties as long as they complied with COVID-19 protocols, arguing that economic activities have to continue.

In East Java, the provincial administration and the municipal administration of the province's capital city, Surabaya, disagree on COVID-19 management issues such as allocation of mobile test labs, lockdown timeframe, hospital admission and transparency about new clusters.

Leaders of these administrations come from different political parties. While they are part of the same national coalition, they have different interests in the upcoming local election.

What is the public to do

There is no "one size fits all approach" to contain virus transmission. Even so, we can attribute a certain level of success to measures such as safe distancing, high testing rates, adequate contact tracing and quarantine, listening to experts and strategic border controls.

Whatever political parties or ideologies are in power, the public must pressure their governments to adopt those measures.

The public must scrutinize decisions made by any democratically elected government.

How a policy is made (whether it is scientifically based) and its objectives (to contain, to suppress, or to "live with" the virus) are more important than who made it and which parties they are from.

Some encouraging evidence has shown that at the community level this approach works.

Villagers of Panggungharjo in Bantul, Yogyakarta, established a collaborative response model where they developed their own measures to protect themselves from the pandemic.

These include monitoring movements of people in and out of the village and allocating rooms for village-level quarantine. They also encouraged community trading via an e-commerce platform.

The challenge is to upscale such collective consciousness and solidarity to the municipal, provincial and higher levels.


Explore further

Jakarta to reimpose partial lockdown as virus cases surge

Provided by The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Revamped MIT Climate Portal aims to inform and empower the public

by Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A graphic from the revamped MIT Climate Portal illustrates the section of the website on What Can Be Done About Climate Change? Credit: Rick Pinchera

Stepping up its ongoing efforts to inform and empower the public on the issue of climate change, MIT today announced a dramatic overhaul of the MIT Climate Portal, climate.mit.edu, which provides timely, science-based information about the causes and consequences of climate change—and what can be done to address it.

"From vast wildfires to an unusually active hurricane season, we are already getting a glimpse of what our climate-changed future looks like," says Maria T. Zuber, MIT's vice president for research. "With this website, we aim to communicate in rigorous but accessible ways what the science tells us: Yes, human-caused climate change is an urgent, serious problem; and yes, we can do something about it. Addressing climate change is an institutional priority, and this kind of public engagement is one way we hope to accelerate solutions."

Survey research shows that increasing numbers of people, both in the United States and around the world, are concerned about climate change. But in the U.S., research also shows that members of the public rarely hear about or discuss the issue. Researchers at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication have suggested that there might exist a climate change "spiral of silence," in which "even people who care about the issue shy away from discussing it because they so infrequently hear other people talking about it."

MIT's efforts at public engagement on climate change are intended to help break this "spiral"—encouraging people to discuss climate change while also providing them with resources to discuss it in a way informed by the latest science and research. These engagement efforts are part of a commitment the Institute made in its 2015 Plan for Action on Climate Change "to offer the public a trusted source of climate change information, to engage leaders and citizens in the effort for solutions, and to use MIT's expertise in online education to dramatically expand our reach."

"We often talk about reaching people whom we call the 'climate curious' –— people who want to learn more about what climate change means for them and their communities and, of course, what they can do about it," says John Fernández, the director of the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative and a professor in the Department of Architecture. "Our goal is for this website to become a dependable resource for people across the U.S. and all over the world, so that they can have effective conversations about the urgency of the climate problem and our ability, even now, to reduce the grave risks it presents."

A graphic from the revamped MIT Climate Portal illustrating the section of the website on What We Know About Climate Change? Credit: Rick Pinchera

Managed by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, the MIT Climate Portal features a range of content, including a comprehensive climate change primer and climate-related news from all corners of the Institute. New features launched today include brief "explainers," written by faculty and scientists at MIT, that provide high-level overviews of important topics like wildfires, carbon pricing, renewable energy, and ocean acidification. Also new to the website is an "Ask MIT Climate" feature, where members of the public can get answers to their own questions about climate change. (If you have a question about climate change that you would like the MIT Climate Portal to answer, email climate@mit.edu.)


The site also offers a clearinghouse of everything climate-related happening at MIT, from events to course offerings, to keep interested students, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff members up to date. Just as importantly, it creates a digital meeting place for members of the MIT community to share their latest work on climate change. Faculty, students, and staff across the Institute for years have made significant contributions to improving public understanding of and engagement with climate change, with tools like the climate simulators created by the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative; the Climate CoLab platform; and a number of public events, contests, and educational materials. The site will make these resources accessible in one place.

In addition to the MIT Climate Portal, MIT had previously launched two other digital resources for the public: an online, Webby Award-winning interactive primer on climate change, and a podcast series, TILclimate (short for "Today I Learned: Climate"). Both of these resources are accessible through the portal.

By enlisting MIT students in editorial aspects of the new website, the project is also proving to be a valuable hands-on educational tool. For example, for the "Ask MIT Climate" feature, students take questions about climate change submitted by users and then, under the guidance of MIT faculty members, research the answers and write responses.

"We see this as a powerful learning opportunity, a way for MIT students to strengthen their content knowledge about climate change, energy, and sustainability, but also to improve their ability to effectively communicate complex science and engineering topics to diverse audiences, a critical skill that will serve them well after they leave MIT," says Fernández.

The new website is not static: New content will be developed and added over time, and all departments, labs, and centers at MIT that work on climate change are invited to contribute to it. Members of the MIT community who want to learn more about getting involved, or who have ideas for subjects to cover, are encouraged to contact the Climate Portal team.


Explore further

Climate engineering should not be considered a public good, new research shows

More information: MIT Climate Portal: climate.mit.edu/

Provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Danish King enshrined in his own clothes, but appeared with his brothers' when examined

by Birgitte Svennevig, University of Southern Denmark

The motif is birds, probably peacocks, flanking a stylized tree or cross. It consists of several silk pieces sewn together. One piece, 30x40 cm, covers the front of the pillow and about a third of the back, while the rest consists of strips about 5 cm wide, cut off without regard to the pattern. The colors are golden and two light blue shades. Credit: Nationalmuseet/The National Museum of Denmark

The cathedral in Odense, Denmark, has for nine centuries held the relics of the Danish King St. Canute the Holy and his brother Benedikt. They were both murdered here in AD 1086, and just a few years later, in AD 1100, King Canute was sanctified.


The history of the relics has been that of turmoil at times, varying from initial worship of the Catholic believers to being walled up and hidden after the protestant reformation in AD 1536.

Since the 19th century the brothers' wooden shrines have been on display in the cathedral as heritage objects of national importance.

How old are the silks?

The shrines of Canute and Benedikt have long been a puzzle in Danish history. They both contain several well-preserved textiles of silk and linen and the question is: How old are the textiles and what is their historical context?

Now, researchers have examined some of the textiles in the two shrines. They conclude that King Canute's shrine no longer holds the precious silk textiles placed in it at his enshrinement.

Instead it is likely that the textiles from his brother's shrine at some point were moved to King Canute's shrine.

According to historical sources, both brothers were covered in valuable textiles when enshrined. Sources have described how Canute's shrine in AD 1536 was lined with beautiful and rare silk.

Decades later, both shrines were walled up in the cathedral, placed vertically so that the bones and textiles lay in a heap at the bottom of each shrine, and hereafter there are no reportings of the precious textiles in King Canute's shrine when it was re-examined in AD 1694 and AD 1833.

The Eagle Silk blanket was originally 195-230 cm wide, but today the remains measure 110 cm high and 133 cm wide. It is woven as samite, a fine weaving technique developed in Sasanid Persia (AD 226-661). The original colors were dark blue, dyed with woad and indigo, and red, dyed with madder and sappanwood. Credit: Nationalmuseet/The National Museum of Denmark

"It is tempting to suggest that the king's precious textiles have been stolen at some point after AD 1582, says professor and an expert in archaeometry," says Kaare Lund Rasmussen from University of Southern Denmark.

When the two shrines were removed from their walled up hiding places and prepared to be put on display in 1874, researchers at the time were puzzled by the absence of valuable textiles in King Canute's shrine—his brother Benedikt had the more valuable textiles—and they declared themselves unable to judge in which of the shrines the found fabrics belonged.

They decided to move the best textiles from Benedikt's shrine to King Canute's shrine, so that he could be presented with the most beautiful, most precious textiles when on display under a glass lid. Professor Kaare Lund Rasmussen and colleagues have performed chemical analysis of the textiles in both shrines and conclude that they are of the same age, and that their age fit with AD 1086, when the two brothers were enshrined.

Birds and eagle motif

"Together with historical sources this convinces us that today, King Canute lies in his shrine with what is actually his brother's burial textiles, says," professor Kaare Lund Rasmussen.

Among the textiles, intended for Benedikt but later placed with Canute, are a pillow with birds and a textile called the Eagle Silk.

"They are exquisite and beautiful, but King Canute's textiles must have been even more exquisite," says Kaare Lund Rasmussen.

According to senior researchers at the Danish National Museum, Ulla Kjær and Poul Grinder-Hansen, the luxurious silks may have been sent from South Italy to the shrines in Denmark by King Canute's widow, Edel, possibly brought home by Canute's half-brother, King Erik I, Ejegod.

At the time of Canute's canonization and enshrinement, silk weaving in Europe was not yet established outside the boundaries of the Byzantine Empire and silk was both a precious and much-coveted import article.

Explore further  How textiles undergo fossilization via mineralization

Provided by University of Southern Denmark

Spider home invasion season: why the media may be to blame for your arachnophobia

by Mike Jeffries, The Conversation

Credit: LukasPich/Shutterstock

Spiders have an unfortunate media presence. No number of studies emphasising their ecological value or the potential of their silks to inspire wonder materials can overcome the negative press. The more emotive and sensational the coverage, the more likely it is to travel.

Although the proportion of spider species capable of giving humans a bad bite is very small, and no known deaths have occurred in recent decades, we retain a fear. We tend to exaggerate the risk from spider bites, even in countries with no indigenous dangerous spiders, such as the UK. There is always the apocryphal arachnid lurking under the toilet seat, or panic over false widow spiders whose infestations have closed schools.

With the arrival of autumn comes lurid news stories of amorous house spiders "the size of your hand" invading homes to find somewhere warm and dry to mate and die. It happens every year, but the media's insistence on turning this small arachnid's breeding season into an annual spectacle could be doing more than selling papers. A new study from Italy suggests it could be stoking arachnophobia where it may otherwise not have existed.

House spiders 'the size of your hand' invading UK homes looking for love https://t.co/qDmkpDFZXI— The Independent (@Independent) September 4, 2020

A web of lies

Mediterranean recluse spiders have a (perhaps unwarranted) bad reputation in Italy. Credit: Antonio Serrano/Wikipedia

The researchers scoured the digital archives of Italian newspapers, looking for the use of "bite", "spider" and "sting" (not that spiders do sting, but don't let that spoil a good story) in stories published during the last ten years about four spider species thought of as dangerous: the yellow sac spider, the Mediterranean black widow, the Mediterranean recluse and the false wolf spider.

They found 314 media reports of spider encounters in Italy between 2010 and 2020—the majority being Mediterranean black widows or recluses. The reach of each article was measured by the number of shares on social media, along with any errors such as species misidentification or incorrect medical advice. The team counted the use of certain words, such as "devil, "terror" or "panic", to rate how each story sensationalised the encounter.

They found that media reports of spider attacks have increased in recent years, especially for the Mediterranean recluse. The rise coincided with a single report of loxoscelism – the deep ulcerations and necrosis of skin resulting from a spider bite—in Europe, and an Italian murder mystery novel in which the venom of the Mediterranean recluse is the murder weapon.

The spider species in the loxoscelism case was never definitively identified, but newspaper coverage of the Mediterranean recluse spiked nonetheless after the case was reported. Both the mysterious bite and the murder novel featured often in the increasing number of newspaper reports about these spiders. The press had found a compelling narrative to weave between a rare medical event and a well-timed work of fiction. Suddenly, recluse spiders weren't so reclusive.

Stories that shared more recent and startling encounters travelled further. This isn't surprising, the viral spread of content is greater if it provokes intense delight, fear or anxiety. But the emotional contagion, as the team put it, helps drive up the perceived risk from spider attack, creating unreasonable hostility towards arachnids.

Jumping spiders to the rescue

Spiders are often overlooked in conservation, despite controlling insect pests on farms and having important roles in food webs as both predators and prey. It won't help if their media profile is largely driven by overhyped stories about "devilish" attacks and life-threatening venom. The researchers go so far as to accuse some journalists of sensationalising their stories at the expense of blameless wildlife.

Spiders are easy targets for scaremongering, but there are ways to improve their reputation. After all, some lovable spiders are cherished in popular culture. I defy anyone to watch Charlotte's Web without sobbing.

Natural history documentaries seem to have seized on a candidate for improving the public image of spiders. If you see a cute spider feature on TV, it's almost always a jumping spider. Furry, not so long-legged and with a large pair of eyes, it's as if they're designed to dispel the idea that all spiders are sinister.

Incidentally, I'm a jumping spider, according to a BBC children's service quiz that reveals what kind of spider you are.

On the whole, spiders in films terrorise small American towns, but seldom trouble Italy. Nonetheless, Italian spiders suffering at the hands of hype enjoy some revenge in 2014's Arachnicide. A "truly joyous" spectacle of "bad Italian cinema", reads one review.

Explore further 

Recluse or not? Scientists use Twitter to tackle spider questions

Provided by The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Spooky spiderweb found in Missouri looks big enough to 'catch' a human, social media users say

By Lauren M. Johnson, CNN

A Missouri Department of Conservation employee snapped a photograph of a huge spiderweb, and the department's social media followers couldn't help but comment on its spooky appearance.

© Missouri Department of Conservation/Facebook A Missouri Department of Conservation employee photographed a large orb weaver spiderweb while out on a trail near Springfield.

Media specialist Francis Skalicky shot the photo on a trail near Springfield recently, according to the department, which posted the image on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

The intricate, circular web was constructed between two trees, and the photo's perspective makes it look massive.

The web was made by an orb weaver spider, an arachnid known for its intricate web designs. They are large in size -- approximately a half-inch for females -- and are usually hairy or furry, according to the department's website. The spiders help to control the population of flies and other annoying bugs, but that's not the first thing that comes to mind.

Facebook users commented on how appropriate it was to see an orb web of this size in October, and one even mentioned it was "the kind that literally 'catch' people if they walk through them at night."

Others made their feelings on the spider known, while appreciating its beautiful work. Several comments mentioned finding a new place to live, while many joked that the photo should have had a disclaimer for those terrified of spiders.

But others found beauty in the spiderweb, with one user saying it reminded her a lace doily. Another user said it was reincarnation at work: "Christo has returned as an orbweaver spider!" referring to the conceptual artist who passed away earlier this year.

While these spiders are quite common, it definitely gets Halloween fans in the mood for the season.

The world's southernmost tree grows in one of the windiest places on Earth, but climate change is shifting those winds

by Brian Buma, The Conversation

The world's southernmost tree grows in one of the windiest places on Earth – but climate change is shifting those winds

On Isla Hornos, Magellan’s beech trees grow in wind-protected nooks and crannies. Credit: Andres Holz, CC BY-ND

In 2019, my research team and I found the world's southernmost tree on an island at the edge of South America. The diminutive tree is 42 years old, stretches several meters along the ground but is only half a meter, or about a foot and a half, tall. In some other place, this tree would grow tall and upright, but here, incredible winds warp and constrain the tree both in height and in where it grows. And due to climate change, those winds are changing.

Standing on the southern side of that wind-battered tree means all trees in the world are to your north, with nothing behind you but some grasses, ocean and Antarctica. Isla Hornos, also known as Cape Horn, supports a small population of Nothofagus betuloides – the Magellan's beech or coigüe. Wind is omnipresent. Cape Horn is one of the windiest places on the planet, and during the expedition, our team faced hurricane-force winds of 75 mph for days at a time.

This wind appears to be the main constraint for arboreal life on the island—trees are found only in sheltered locations behind cliffs and hills. While the area hasn't warmed dramatically, climate change is intensifying the westerly winds that rake the region. Evidence from the nearby Falkland Islands also indicates that the wind direction is shifting too. Because of this, forests on Cape Horn that were previously growing in sheltered areas are now exposed to wind. We found long stretches of dead trees along the edges of the small forests, suggesting that shifting winds caused by climate change may be killing off trees even as new sheltered areas emerge.

Credit: The Conversation

Species must either migrate, adapt or die in response to climate change. By monitoring the geographic edges of where a species lives—like the southernmost tree our team found—scientists can get a handle on the migration ability of various species. This is important for prioritizing conservation plans or when considering more extreme measures, like assisted migration, to help species keep pace with climate change.

Wind has received relatively little attention in regards to setting the limits of species, but it is quite important on mountains, oceanic islands and, as we now know, the overall global extent of trees. Changes in temperature and precipitation are often discussed as worries on a changing planet, but in places like Isla Hornos, climate change's effect on wind matters just as much.

Additionally, this area is relatively pristine—we didn't find a single invasive species, and there has been little human presence in the island, ever. As the climate changes, documenting this location so that scientists can know what is there and how it is changing is critical for future conservation.

Isla Hornos is remote, inhospitable and nearly untouched by humanity. Credit: Brian Buma, CC BY-ND

IslaThe researchers stand tall over the shrunken tree in the foreground during a rare break from the relentless, often hurricane-force winds. Credit: Andres Holz, CC BY-ND

Researchers still know relatively little about the southernmost forests of the world. While there is evidence that the winds have changed, the specific cause of death for forests can be determined only with long-term research.

Further, there are only short climatic records from the island. Even basic information—like the length of the growing season—is still unknown. Repeat studies will need to be done if scientists really want to learn how life is changing in this remote but globally significant locale.

Revisiting this landscape to set up long-term research is important given the unique nature of this global signpost—the world's southernmost tree. More than that, however, I hope this expedition can rally people to study range edges around their own homes.

Together with National Geographic, ESRI and iNaturalist, on Sept. 26, I launched an interactive exploration challenge called The Edges of (All) Life exploration project. Anybody can look up the edges of species ranges in their own neighborhood and go searching for an individual that will push those boundaries out farther. I may have found the world's southernmost tree, but you could find the northernmost dogwood, the northernmost Douglas fir or the southernmost maidenhair fern. No matter where you live, there is likely a unique edge nearby, and finding these ranges is critically important for the conservation of that particular species.


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Study: Populations of widely spread tree species respond differently to climate change

Provided by The Conversation

Research links soil nitrogen levels to corn yield and nitrogen losses

by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

What exactly is the relationship between soil nitrogen, corn yield, and nitrogen loss? Most farmers would be forgiven for assuming a straightforward linear relationship: more nitrogen, more grain yield, and maybe, more loss. That's the assumption many nitrogen management models are based on, but it turns out there's very little published science to back up that assumption.

In a recent paper leveraging a multi-year dataset from 11 experimental plots and on-farm trials around the state, University of Illinois scientists definitively established the relationship between soil nitrogen at different growth stages and corn yield. The results provide more precise ways to manage nitrogen for grain yield while lowering nitrogen losses.

"Technology nowadays moves very fast. There's a lot of modeling tools out there to help growers match nitrogen to crop needs, but very little published data showing the relationship," says Giovani Preza-Fontes, doctoral researcher in the Department of Crop Sciences at Illinois and lead author on the paper. "Our work shows soil nitrogen explains the majority (46-61%) of the variation in grain yield. It is a good predictor."

This information could complement crop modeling efforts, but it should also help farmers feel more confident in their nitrogen management decisions at critical moments.

"When we get a lot of rain, people often guess that some nitrogen was lost from the soil, and may be inclined to put more on. We did this study to try to show how much the crop needs to have in the soil at different stages of growth," says Emerson Nafziger, emeritus professor in crop sciences and co-author on the study.

Researchers applied nitrogen at different rates, times, and forms, then measured the amount of soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) to see how much nitrogen was available to the plant over time. They measured SMN several times during the first half of the growing season, beginning when corn was about a foot tall and ending as the crop approached pollination.

Interestingly, they found the amount of SMN needed to maximize grain yield changed over time as the crop developed.

"In early June, with plants about a foot tall, we found that corn needed more nitrogen in the soil than it needed later. Ten to 14 days later, the SMN level needed for best yields had dropped by about one-third, and it stayed at that level for two more sampling periods, into early July. That's probably our most surprising finding," Nafziger says. "It's some of the first data that's been published on how soil nitrogen actually changes."

"We know the plant's taking up its nitrogen most rapidly during that period, and the fact that soil nitrogen isn't changing very much shows that the nitrogen is coming from soil organic matter through the process of mineralization. Mineralization is a microbial process favored by the same conditions that favor rapid crop growth, so it's at its maximum rate during this period," he adds.

In other words, adding more nitrogen during rapid growth may end up causing an excess of soil nitrogen that could lead to losses.

To better estimate potential losses, the researchers calculated a simple nitrogen balance (input as nitrogen fertilizer minus output, removed in grain) for each site and year.

"We confirmed there's a tradeoff between productivity and environmental impact. We found a 22% yield increase when SMN increased from deficient to optimal levels, but adding enough nitrogen also increased the probability of environmental nitrogen losses," Preza-Fontes says. "It's important to not only focus on increasing productivity when developing new tools for nitrogen management. We also need to account for potential nitrogen losses to meet sustainability goals in the region."

The article, "Relationship of in-season soil nitrogen concentration with corn yield and potential nitrogen losses," is published in the Soil Science Society of America Journal.


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Soil carbon and nitrogen mineralization after the initial flush of CO2
More information: Giovani Preza‐Fontes et al. Relationship of in‐season soil nitrogen concentration with corn yield and potential nitrogen losses, Soil Science Society of America Journal (2020). DOI: 10.1002/saj2.20117

Journal information: Soil Science Society of America Journal

Provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign