It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Wednesday, May 07, 2025
Better physical health probably follows religious and spiritual engagement, rather than vice versa, per six year longitudinal US study aiming to tease out this relationship
Better physical health probably follows religious and spiritual engagement, rather than vice versa, per six year longitudinal U.S. study aiming to tease out this relationship.
Better physical health probably follows religious and spiritual engagement, rather than vice versa, per six year longitudinal U.S. study aiming to tease out this relationship
“Which comes first”: Religious/spiritual engagement or health? Initial observations from longitudinal analyses
Article Publication Date
7-May-2025
In Reddit posts about climate change, just 1 in 25 links are to scientific sources - versus mass media and social media sources - evidencing the lack of science-based debate
In Reddit posts about climate change, just 1 in 25 links are to scientific sources - versus mass media and social media sources - evidencing the lack of science-based debate.
Article Title: The role of science in the climate change discussions on Reddit
Author Countries: Austria, Italy
Funding: The authors acknowledge support from the Lagrange Project of the Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation (ISI Foundation, to PC, MT, KK, DP, YM) funded by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino (Fondazione CRT), Italy. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
4 in 10 mpox social media memes spread misinformation or stigmatize minorities, though the majority are accurate and promote awareness, per analysis of 200 memes circulated during the global public health emergency. 4 in 10 mpox social media memes spread misinformation or stigmatize minorities, though the majority are accurate and promote awareness, per analysis of 200 memes circulated during the global public health emergency.
Only 0.001% of the deep seafloor visually observed in seventy years, revealing gaps and bias in ocean exploration and global biodiversity understanding
(Saunderstown, RI — May 7, 2025) In a groundbreaking study published today in Science Advances, researchers from Ocean Discovery League reveal that only a minuscule fraction of the deep seafloor has been imaged. Despite covering 66% of Earth's surface, the deep ocean remains largely unexplored. The study, "How Little We've Seen: A Visual Coverage Estimate of the Deep Seafloor," is the first to document that, in decades of deep-sea exploration, humans have observed less than 0.001% of the deep seafloor. This total area is roughly the size of Rhode Island or one-tenth the size of Belgium.
The deep ocean, defined as being deeper than 200 meters, sustains diverse ecosystems and provides essential services, including oxygen production, climate regulation, and crucial pharmaceutical discoveries, and plays a critical role in maintaining the health of our planet. Yet, despite its importance, research into this immense ecosystem is severely limited, with visual surveys primarily focused on just a few regions and countries. Visual imaging is one of the most critical methods to study the deep seafloor and is one of the three key pillars of ocean exploration, alongside mapping and sampling.
"As we face accelerated threats to the deep ocean—from climate change to potential mining and resource exploitation—this limited exploration of such a vast region becomes a critical problem for both science and policy," said Dr. Katy Croff Bell, President of Ocean Discovery League, National Geographic Explorer, and lead author of the study. "We need a much better understanding of the deep ocean's ecosystems and processes to make informed decisions about resource management and conservation.”
Using data from approximately 44,000 deep-sea dives with observations conducted since 1958, across the waters of 120 different countries, the study is the most comprehensive global estimate of deep-sea benthic observations to date and highlights the disparity in global exploration efforts. Given that not all dive records are public, the researchers assert that even if these estimates are off by a full order of magnitude, less than one-hundredth of 1% of the seafloor would have any visual records. In addition, almost 30% of documented visual observations were conducted before 1980 and often resulted in only black and white, low-resolution, still imagery.
Remarkably, over 65% of visual observations have occurred within 200 nautical miles of just three countries: the United States, Japan, and New Zealand. Due to the high cost of ocean exploration, a mere handful of nations dominate deep-sea exploration, with five countries— the United States, Japan, New Zealand, France, and Germany—responsible for 97% of all deep-sea submergence observations. This bias in geographic coverage and operator representation has led the oceanographic community to base much of its characterization of the deep ocean ecosystem on this incredibly small and unrepresentative sample.
The study also highlights the knowledge gap regarding seafloor habitats. Certain geomorphological features, such as canyons and ridges, have been the focus of significant research, while vast areas, including abyssal plains and seamounts, remain underexplored.
These findings underscore the urgent need for a more comprehensive and global effort to explore the deep ocean, ensuring that scientific research and conservation efforts accurately reflect the true extent of the seafloor. As noted in the study, if the scientific community were to make all assumptions about terrestrial ecosystems from observations of only 0.001% of that total area, they would be basing their assessments of all land-based life on Earth on an area roughly the size of Houston, Texas.
To address these challenges, the researchers call for expanding exploration efforts and utilizing emerging technologies to increase access to the deep ocean. With advancements in smaller, more affordable deep-sea tools, there is an opportunity to broaden the scientific community’s reach, including low- and middle-income nations in ocean exploration and research.
“There is so much of our ocean that remains a mystery,” says Dr. Ian Miller, Chief Science and Innovation Officer at the National Geographic Society, which contributed funding for this work. “Deep-sea exploration led by scientists and local communities is crucial to better understanding the planet’s largest ecosystem. Dr. Bell’s goals to equip global coastal communities with cutting-edge research and technology will ensure a more representative analysis of the deep sea. If we have a better understanding of our ocean, we are better able to conserve and protect it.”
This study represents a crucial step in understanding the gaps in ocean exploration and the need for comprehensive global strategies to ensure the protection and sustainable management of the deep ocean. The authors hope these findings will encourage more scientific collaboration, leading to a deeper understanding of our planet's most vital ecosystem.
Funding for this study was provided in part by the National Geographic Society and Rolex Perpetual Planet Expeditions program and the Cabot Family Charitable Trust.
About Ocean Discovery League Founded by deep-sea explorer Dr. Katy Croff Bell, Ocean Discovery League's mission is to accelerate deep-ocean exploration by developing accessible systems to broaden the community of those who explore and understand the deep sea. ODL is developing a strategic approach to expand the area of the seafloor that is explored, mapped, and characterized while reducing expenses by creating lower-cost, easier-to-use tools, technology, and training. These actions, combined with a more targeted approach to selecting exploration locations, will expand deep-sea exploration to a broader community of researchers and explorers.
How Little We’ve Seen: A Visual Coverage Estimate of the Deep Seafloor
Article Publication Date
7-May-2025
This heatmap shows the concentration of known deep-sea dives with visual observations in the Pacific Ocean.
This heatmap shows the concentration of known deep-sea dives with visual observations in the North Atlantic.
Deep-sea dive activity has been concentrated in a small number of locations, particularly Monterey Bay, USA, Hawai’i, USA, Suruga and Sagami Bays, Japan, and New Zealand. The heatmap represents the number of dive activities per 250 km2; the actual area observed on the seabed is too small to represent on a map at this scale.
This map displays the 2,130 km2 of total observed deep seafloor overlaid on the country of Belgium.
Since the 1980s, there has been a shift from global, exploratory deep submergence activity in the 1960s and 1970s to a focus on modern-day EEZs or areas that are now within national jurisdiction. In the 1960s, 51.2% of all dive activities took place in what is now the high seas; In the 2010s, that fraction dropped to 14.9% of all dive activities and dives were mostly concentrated within the EEZs of the United States, Japan, and New Zealand. Heat Map Animation of Dive Concentration in North Atlantic [VIDEO] |
Credit
Ocean Discovery League
Sunlight unlocks secrets to how Earth works
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
When our planet and the incoming sunlight align just right, stunning phenomena such as rainbows and halos can occur. More often, sunlight - or shortwave radiation - interacts with Earth in subtle but curious ways.
A new perspective study, published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, lays out how shortwave radiation research has led to improved fundamental understanding of Earth. The study also shares exciting prospects for how such advances can continue into the future.
Scientific insights derived from shortwave radiation have an extensive history. “There has traditionally been a lot of interest in understanding shortwave radiation variability” said author Jake Gristey with the University of Colorado's CIRES, also affiliated with LASP and NOAA's Chemical Sciences Laboratory. “Real world applications that directly benefit society are numerous, from agriculture to renewable energy to air quality”.
In the new study, Gristey highlights three examples of shortwave radiation research that have received notable recent attention.
First, a key challenge for current computer models of the atmosphere is pointed out: shortwave radiation is almost always represented in a series of separate columns. "Shortwave radiation transport in the horizontal direction - or between columns - is therefore unaccounted for" said Gristey. It is shown that horizontal shortwave radiation transport will be increasingly important for accurate simulations as atmospheric models continue to move toward finer spatial grids, demanding new research.
Second, satellite measurement gaps at different times of the day are discussed. "Shortwave radiation reflected by Earth can change drastically throughout the day, but many satellites only measure limited parts of the day" Gristey added. He argues that recent developments in small satellite technology and sensor miniaturization could be used to address this important measurement gap with a cost-effective constellation of small satellites in the near future.
Third, the spectral structure of shortwave radiation is addressed. “Shortwave radiation is actually composed of a spectrum of different colors – or wavelengths – that hold vast information” claimed Gristey. It is demonstrated that changes in the Earth’s surface and atmosphere could be inferred from satellite measurements of spectral reflected shortwave radiation. Gristey expects an upcoming fleet of satellites to fuel further advances in utilizing spectral shortwave radiation to understand Earth.
In the urban parks of Barcelona, Spain, the calls of a tropical parrot fill the air. The bright green monk parakeet, native to South America, has found a new home in European cities. Monk parakeets thrive in huge colonies where they communicate with each other using many distinct sounds—offering scientists a unique window into understanding the interplay of individual social relationships with vocal variety.
For social animals, communication is a key that unlocks the benefits of group living. It’s well known that animals with more complex social lives tend to have more intricate ways of communicating, from the clicks and whistles of dolphins to the calls of primates. While this pattern is found broadly in many species, a new study on wild parrots drills deep into the social and vocal lives of individual birds. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) analyzing the social networks of monk parakeets in Spain have uncovered how an individual’s social ties shapes the calls these birds make.
The MPI-AB scientists spent several months over the course of two years closely observing 337 monk parakeets, documenting their social lives as well as recording all their screeches, squawks, and whistles, which totaled 5,599 vocalizations. The team examined these calls in terms of repertoire diversity (how many different sounds a bird can make) and contact-call diversity (how much this specific type of call differs). They also mapped out the birds' social networks, analyzing everything from how often they interacted with others to the strength of their relationships.
Based on this data, the team could conclude that individual parakeets living in larger groups did indeed produce a more variable repertoire of sounds. They also found that female parakeets had a more diverse repertoire than males, which is unusual for birds, they say.
“This research is a really important first step,” says Simeon Smeele, the first author of the study. “It really looks like there are some call types that are used uniquely in social situations. And it’s really interesting to see that females appear to produce more of these, suggesting they are the more social sex.”
Social network analysis showed that parakeets with more central positions in the social structure—those that were potentially more influential in the group—tended to have more diverse vocal repertoires. In other words, the most social individuals seemed to have a better vocabulary than less social individuals.
“What I find really exciting is that we were able to link what individuals say to very specific levels of sociality,” says Smeele, who conducted the study as a doctoral student at MPI-AB. “For example, close friends that allowed each other to approach within pecking distance sounded less like each other, as if they were trying to sound unique in their little gang.”
The results offer clues about the evolution of complex communication including human language. Previous research has demonstrated that sociality is linked to a more diverse repertoire in species ranging from Carolina chickadees to marmosets. This study goes further by showing how vocal communication is shaped by the web of an individual’s social network.
Says Smeele: “The next big step is to better understand what each of the sounds mean, a real mammoth task, since most of the social squawking happens in large groups with many individuals talking at the same time!”
