ZEN VIEW

Seeing well-designed gardens could relax us almost immediately because we look at them differently

In well-designed gardens, our gaze shifts quicker and more often. Researchers believe this could be key to understanding the relaxing effects gardens can have on viewers.

Frontiers

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Vantage point of the Murin-an garden in Kyoto the researchers used for the experiment in summer. Credit: Ueya Kato Zoen.

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Credit: Ueya Kato Zoen

When was the last time you sat in a garden and simply let your gaze wander? Observation gardens are built especially for this purpose, but can also fulfil other functions, such as providing aid for meditation.

Now, an international team of researchers has investigated what it is about these gardens that makes us feel more relaxed when we sit down to observe them. To do so, they assessed the impact of Kyoto’s famous Murin-an garden and compared it to a less vigorously maintained garden. The results were published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

“Well-designed Japanese gardens have evocative and abstract sceneries designed in great detail. These sceneries encourage the viewer to observe longer to understand the composition and meaning of the scenery, while the gaze wanders more and faster,” said first author Prof Seiko Goto, a researcher at Nagasaki University who specializes in landscape architecture.

“We found a correlation of rapid gaze shifts and a reduction in heart rate and improved mood. The reduction in stress experienced by viewers of a well-crafted Japanese garden is largely due to the design features that lead the viewer to engage in frequent, rapid horizontal shifts in gaze,” added senior author Prof Karl Herrup, a neurobiologist at the University of Pittsburgh.

Garden gazing

During a day of maintenance in early 2023, the researchers were able to get undisturbed access to the Murin-an garden. Similarly, the garden located at Kyoto University was visited little during the time they conducted the experiment there. A total of 16 students observed both gardens for seven minutes. The team recorded eye movements, heart rates before and during the observation, and mood before and after viewing the gardens.

Unlike in the university garden, in the Murin-an garden, viewers’ fixation points were spread more widely, covering the entirety of the field of view. “To induce such close attention of the viewer, not only quality of design but also quality of the maintenance is important,” Goto explained. “Viewers’ gaze keeps moving to seek more fascination on the well pruned trees and speckless ground.”

In addition, all participants indicated that they felt more relaxed, liked, and wanted to revisit the Murin-an garden more than the university garden. The Murin-an garden also produced a calming effect on heart rate and improved mood. The researchers said their findings could have some analogies to other therapies that utilize eye movement to reduce stress.

Havens for health

Other gardens could have a similar effect on onlookers, the researchers said, but the positioning of design elements is crucial. While both gardens incorporated water features, stones, trees, and a bridge, in the Murin-an garden, the viewer’s gaze is guided through horizontally arranged elements. In the university garden, however, the objects of greatest interest are in the center of the visual field.

“The Murin-an garden was designed as a viewing garden that should be appreciated from a specific vantage point relative to the design elements,” said Herrup. “It is this attention to detail that coaxes the eyes into the patterns that relieve stress.”

The researchers said their results may have been impacted by the limited time during which they could access the gardens and the fact that all participants were students. Their other work, however, has shown that the positive effects of gardens transcend factors such as age, ethnic background, and cognitive status.

The researchers said their work might help people affected by neurodegenerative diseases. “Gardens are generally seen as a hobby for the wealthy, but if appreciating Japanese gardens can induce a relaxing effect, which intuitively everyone feels, it could be used as a form of therapy in hospitals and welfare facilities,” Goto concluded. “I think it would be good if Japanese gardens are built not just as a luxury but as a means of mental care in our aging society.”

Murin-an garden in Kyoto viewed from a garden building. Credit: Ueya Kato Zoen.

Credit

Ueya Kato Zoen

Journal

Frontiers in Neuroscience

DOI

10.3389/fnins.2025.1581080 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Eye Movement Patterns Drive Stress Reduction during Japanese Garden Viewing

Article Publication Date

15-May-2025

 

The effect of physical fitness on mortality is overestimated

Uppsala University

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Marcel Ballin, Associated researcher at Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University.

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Credit: Mattias Pettersson

That fit people have a reduced risk of premature death from various diseases is a recurring result in many studies. New research from Uppsala University shows that people with high fitness levels in their late teens also have a reduced risk of dying from random accidents. This suggests that the associations seen in previous studies have probably been misleading.

Many observational studies have shown that people who exercise more and have good cardiorespiratory fitness early in life are at lower risk of premature death from causes such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, a new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology suggests that the association between physical fitness and a reduced risk of mortality may be misleading. 

“We found that people with high fitness levels in late adolescence had a lower risk of dying prematurely, for example from cardiovascular disease, compared to those with low fitness levels. But when we looked at their risk of dying in random accidents, we found an almost similarly strong association. This suggests that people with high and low fitness levels may differ in other important ways, which is something that previous studies have not fully taken into account,” says Marcel Ballin, associated researcher in epidemiology and lead author of the study. 

Based on conscription data from over 1 million men

In the study, the researchers leveraged data from 1.1 million Swedish men who were conscripted for military service between the years 1972 and 1995. The men, who were on average 18 years old at the time of conscription, were divided into five groups based on their fitness level at the time. They were then followed until their 60s or until they died. With access to the National Cause of Death Register, the researchers were able to see their cause of death. They subsequently used different methods to study the association between fitness level in late adolescence and premature death.

The researchers started with a traditional analysis of mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancer and from all causes, as in previous observational studies. They adjusted their statistical models for factors such as BMI, age at conscription, year of conscription, and parents’ income and education level. The results showed that the group with the highest fitness level had a 58 per cent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a 31 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer, and a 53 per cent lower risk of dying from all causes, compared with the group with the lowest fitness level.

Very similar risk of dying in random accidents

Next, the researchers examined how fitness was associated with the risk of dying in random accidents such as car accidents, drownings and homicides. They chose random accidents because they assumed that there ought to be no association between the men’s fitness in late adolescence and the risk of dying in random accidents. This method is called negative control outcome analysis and involves testing the validity of your results for a primary outcome by comparing them with an outcome where no association ought to be found. If, however, an association is found, it may indicate that the groups studied are not actually comparable, and that the study suffers from what is typically referred to as confounding. The researchers found that men with the highest fitness levels had a 53 per cent lower risk of dying in random accidents. Yet, it is unlikely that the men’s fitness would have such a big effect on their risk of dying in random accidents. 

These results were also confirmed when the researchers used the sibling comparison design. Using this method, the researchers compared the risk of premature death between siblings with different fitness levels to control for all the factors that the siblings share such as behaviours, environmental factors, and some genetic factors.

“It surprised us that the association with accidental mortality reflected the other associations, even after we controlled for all the factors that siblings share. This underlines how strong the assumptions are that you make in observational studies, since it appears to be very difficult to create comparable groups. The consequences may be that you overestimate the magnitudes of the effects you find,” says Marcel Ballin.

Picture confirmed in other studies

The study is one of the largest of its kind in which researchers used negative control outcomes to investigate whether the associations between fitness and mortality are in fact valid. The results in this study are also supported by other research. 

“That the effects of good cardiorespiratory fitness may be overstated might sound controversial to some, but the fact is that if you look at the results from studies others than traditional observational studies, a more nuanced picture does emerge. A number of twin studies for example have found similar results. Some genetic studies also suggest that there are genes that affect both the propensity to be physically active or have a good fitness level, and the risk of developing diseases such as cardiovascular disease,” Marcel says.

Important to base interventions on correct estimates

Marcel Ballin also argues that there are many different reasons for promoting physical activity. However, large-scale interventions or policy changes intended to apply to the entire population must be based on reliable estimates – otherwise there is a risk of expecting effects that have in fact been overestimated.

“Our results should not be interpreted as if physical activity and exercise are ineffective or that you should not try to promote it. But to create a more nuanced understanding of how big the effects of fitness actually are on different outcomes, we need to use several different methods. If we just ask the question in the same way, we will always get the same answer. It’s only when we get the same answer to a question that we have asked in slightly different ways that we can be sure that the findings are accurate,” says Marcel Ballin.

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Journal

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology

DOI

10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf267 

Article Title

Cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence and premature mortality: widespread bias identified using negative control outcomes and sibling comparisons

Article Publication Date

15-May-2025

Wordpress.comrowlandpasaribu.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/paul-lafargue-the-right-to-be-lazy.pdf

Paul Lafargue - The Right To Be Lazy

The revolutionary socialists must take up again the battle fought by the philosophers and pamphleteers of the bourgeoisie; they must march up to the assault of ...

 

Learning as an adventure: The lecture theatre in the spaceship

In Project Chimera, Graz University of Technology's Game Lab Graz combines a VR computer game with educational problems in order to convey scientific content in a motivating way.

Graz University of Technology

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The Project Chimera logo is inspired by Yggdrasil, the tree of life in Norse mythology.

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Credit: HCC - TU Graz

The low-threshold, playful communication of complex scientific content is a challenge. A team from the Game Lab Graz at the Institute of Human-Centred Computing at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has developed a solution for this. The learning environment Project Chimera, implemented as a computer game, enables gamified, story-based learning of more complex content from the fields of science and technology. Funded by an Epic Mega Grant from software and games developer Epic Games (Fortnite, Unreal Engine), a team led by Johanna Pirker and Saeed Safikhani has created a virtual 3D world in which physics, mechanical engineering and soon also logic gates and gravity experiments are conveyed to users as part of a story with playful elements.

No classic learning programme

“What sets Chimera apart from other educational games is the gamification aspect and the story you experience,” says Johanna Pirker, head of the Game Lab Graz and initiator of Project Chimera. “Normally, learning programmes try to teach people something directly. We want the users themselves to develop the desire to get to know science better.”

One of the ways in which this is achieved is that the players in Project Chimera do not move through a classic learning environment, but through a damaged spaceship. There, tasks from various scientific disciplines have to be mastered so that the ship becomes functional again and the users can reach the bridge. To solve the tasks, which are designed like classic puzzles from computer games, players must first understand the necessary scientific principles and then apply them in practice.

Incentives through a quest-like structure

An example of this is the first problem after the character has entered the spaceship. The elevator is out of order, blocking the way to other floors and the bridge. To get the elevator running again, the players have to start its electric motor. Firstly, this means that the batteries need energy again. So, the users have to find out how batteries can be charged with the help of magnets. Once the batteries are full, the motor itself also has to be repaired, which leads to learning about the technology behind an electric motor.

This quest-like structure provides continuous incentives to learn more about a topic and to solve the tasks, bringing you closer to the next floor and ultimately the command bridge. Each floor on the route deals with a different scientific subject area and imparts the most relevant scientific principles until it is completed. There is also consideration of making the difficulty level of the game adaptable to different age groups, which means that Project Chimera could then also be used in schools.

Accompanying study shows motivation increase

The educational game has already been used at TU Graz with students in the field of mechanical engineering: “Working with a real engine is quite difficult in the classroom and it doesn’t always make sense,” says project leader Saeed Safikhani. “With Project Chimera, we give students the opportunity to experiment with it in a very uncomplicated way.” An accompanying study has shown that the motivation of students has increased through the use of the game. “Of course, we still need theoretical classes,” says Saeed Safikhani, “but with applications like Project Chimera, learners gain practical experience and develop more interest in theory at the same time.”

Project Chimera is available for free as a pre-alpha version on the gaming platform Steam. The game tries to achieve the visual and interaction quality of AAA games but due to its pre-alpha status, the game has not yet been optimised and therefore has very high hardware requirements.

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Method of Research

News article

The first quest is to charge batteries using magnets.



The faulty lift needs to be repaired.


Some tasks require a slightly rougher approach.

Credit

HCC - TU Graz

 

Research reveals why next-generation engine noise grinds our gears

Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Bristol

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Hot-wire measurement setup for a BLI configuration, featuring a ducted fan installed adjacent to a curved airframe surface. The setup enables high-resolution velocity field analysis to uncover the aerodynamic origin of the haystacking noise pattern and its link to perceived noise.

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Credit: Dr Feroz Ahmed

A breakthrough study has revealed why emerging electric aircraft engine technology sounds so annoying — and how to fix it.

Scientists at the University of Bristol in collaboration with the University of Salford have uncovered the root cause behind the particularly irritating noise produced by boundary layer ingesting (BLI) engines — a key technology in future electric and hybrid aircraft.

Building on earlier work that identified general noise sources in BLI systems, this latest research, published today in Nature npj Acoustics, dives deeper into the physics of aerodynamic sound generation, revealing how turbulent boundary layer flow interacts with rotating fan and duct components to produce two distinct and perceptually unpleasant acoustic signatures.

Key to this research is a fluid-mechanics-based assessment that uncovers the fundamental aerodynamic origin of two different types of broadband noise patterns, known as ‘haystacking’ — spectral features that affect how noise is perceived. In acoustics, ‘haystacking’ describes the effect of turbulent flow scattering tonal sound fields, causing the energy of a specific tone to be spread across a wider range of frequencies.

The study shows that at low thrust (during cruise), the weaker fan suction allows the airframe boundary layer flow to remain largely undisturbed. In this regime, flow ingestion is governed by airframe curvature-induced flow distortion, which exposes only the blade tips to low-momentum turbulent flow structures. Since the duct’s acoustic contribution dominates at low thrust, the primary noise-generating mechanism is the interaction between the turbulent flow and the duct’s internal acoustic field — resulting in duct haystacking.

At high thrust (during take-off), strong fan suction disrupts the airframe boundary layer flow, producing fan-induced flow distortion that draws in high-momentum, highly-unsteady turbulent flow structures across a larger portion of the blade span. This intense interaction between fan-induced distorted flow and rotating blades leads to fan haystacking, where the unsteady flow is repeatedly sliced by the rotating blades by a large portion of the rotating blade span.

Lead researcher Dr Feroz Ahmed, who was based in Bristol’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, while conducting this study, said: “These two hidden sound signatures — haystacking — make future embedded aircraft engines feel perceptually irritating, not just loud.

“By linking turbulent flow ingestion patterns to how people perceive noise, we are giving engineers the tools to design future aircraft that truly sound as quiet as they look.”

These insights offer a new roadmap for designing embedded engines that sound quieter, not just measure quieter – a vital step for improving public acceptance of future urban air mobility aircraft.

Using a high-fidelity wind tunnel setup that replicates real-world conditions, researchers gathered detailed flow and noise data across flight regimes using advanced instrumentation — including hot-wire anemometry, pressure sensors, and far-field microphones. This allowed them to isolate and connect each noise signature (haystacking) to both its aerodynamic cause and its impact on human perception.

The implications of this research are wide-ranging. These insights provide actionable design guidance for both large-scale transport aircraft — such as the Airbus ZEROe, ONERA NOVA, NASA/MIT Aurora D8, Airbus Nautilus, and MITSAX-40 — and for manufacturers of next-generation electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in the urban air mobility (UAM) sector, supporting efforts to meet the EU’s FlightPath 2050 goal of reducing aircraft noise by 65%. These findings could help design perceptually quieter engines for future electric aircraft and air taxis.

The team now plans to develop aerodynamic and acoustic control strategies to reduce both fan and duct haystacking. They are also looking to expand this analysis to other propulsion concepts involving turbulent flow ingestion, with the aim of shaping the future of quiet aviation.

BLI ducted fan test rig inside the anechoic chamber at the University of Bristol, featuring a ducted fan mounted on the curved S-plate and an overhead microphone array for aeroacoustic measurements.

BLI ducted fan test rig inside the anechoic chamber at the University of Bristol, featuring a ducted fan mounted on the curved S-plate and an overhead microphone array for aeroacoustic measurements.

Credit

Dr Feroz Ahmed

Paper:

‘Aeroacoustics and psychoacoustics characterization of a boundary layer ingesting ducted fan’ by Feroz Ahmed, Carlos Ramos-Romero, Antonio J. Torija and Mahdi Azarpeyvand in Nature npj Acoustics.

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Journal

npj Acoustics

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Aeroacoustics and psychoacoustics characterization of a boundary layer ingesting ducted fan

Article Publication Date

15-May-2025