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What is nature?
By Roberta Attanasio Try to find an answer to the question “what is nature?” and you will be surprised. There is not a clear definition of “nature,” although there are a variety of opinions on what it is. Even in biology or ecology textbooks, you won’t track down an agreed-upon view of the word “nature”—despite the fact that its use is widespread. The Cambridge Dictionary defines nature as “all the animals, plants, rocks, etc. in the world and all the features, forces, and processes that happen or exist independently of people, such as the weather, the sea, mountains, the production of young animals or plants, and growth.” You may have noticed that the Cambridge Dictionary definition includes “happen or exist independently of people.” But is this true? Is it true that nature includes all that…
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Neil Young, Monsanto, Starbucks, and “The Monsanto Years”
By Roberta Attanasio About two months ago, legendary music icon Neil Young announced the release of “The Monsanto Years“, which will come out on June 29th. The album — the result of a collaboration between Neil Young and Promise of the Real, a band featuring Lukas and Micah Nelson (sons of the legendary Willie Nelson) — includes songs criticizing the multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto. The North American summer tour dates for “The Monsanto Years” have also been released — the tour starts July 5th at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Monsanto is a leader producer of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. For years, Young has railed against…
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Emotional Contagion and Social Networks
By Roberta Attanasio More than two decades ago, Gerald Schoenewolf described emotional contagion as a process in which a person or group influences the behavior of another person or group through the conscious or unconscious induction of emotional states and behavioral attitudes. However, “The science of emotional contagion goes back to 400 B.C., when Hippocrates, the founder of medicine, observed that some women seemed to transfer “hysteria” to one another. By the 1700s, researchers began to discover that people mirror the smiles and frowns they see on someone else’s face. In the late 1800s, German psychologist Theodor Lipps took the idea a step further, suggesting that this unconscious imitation was the root…
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“Iceman” Wim Hof and the Flow Within: The Immune System Goes with It
By Roberta Attanasio Scientists generally believe that it is not possible to voluntarily influence the autonomic nervous system, which regulates — among other physiological processes — heart rate, breathing, blood circulation and the immune response. However, results from a new study show that, using techniques developed by Wim Hof, it is indeed possible to modulate our own autonomic nervous system and, consequently, our own immune response. “Iceman” Wim Hof is internationally known for his unusual accomplishments — he ran a marathon above the Arctic circle and climbed the highest mountains on earth in only shorts, appeared on several television stations by sitting in a cylinder filled with ice cubes up to his neck, run…
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The Science of Chocolate: How Long Does it Survive in Hospital Wards?
By Roberta Attanasio The prestigious British Medical Journal is giving the best Christmas present ever to its readers: food for thought. The food is chocolate, the thought (or concern) is chocolate survival. A new research article published just a few days ago and entitled “The survival time of chocolates on hospital wards: covert observational study” presents the result of a study aimed “To quantify the consumption of chocolates in a hospital ward environment.” In other words, the study aimed to answer the following research question: How long does chocolate survive after being identified by healthcare assistants, nurses, and doctors? To answer this research question, observers — doctors familiar with the ward…
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Embarrassing Facebook Posts May Cause Anguish
By The Editors A new study from Northwestern University explores the strength of the emotional response to “violations” or ”threats” on Facebook – something that gets posted and results in embarrassment and may, sometimes, create anguish. Jeremy Birnholtz, one of the researchers, said: “Almost every participant in the study could describe something that happened on Facebook in the past six months that was embarrassing or made them feel awkward or uncomfortable.” The study, which will be presented in February 2014 at the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing in Baltimore, found that people concerned about social appropriateness and those with a diverse network of friends on…
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Facebook: High Connection and Low Well-Being
By The Editors Facebook may be big in helping people connect, but may not be that big in making people happy. Indeed, results from a study published in the scientific journal PLOSone indicate that Facebook use predicts decreases in a user’s well being. The study, entitled “Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults” (August 14, 2013), has been carried out by a group of investigators from the University of Michigan (U.S.) and the University of Leuven (Belgium). For the study, the researchers recruited 82 young adults, a core Facebook user demographic. All of them had smart phones and Facebook accounts. They used experience-sampling—one of the most reliable…
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It’s World Breastfeeding Week!
By The Editors World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO and UNICEF policy-makers in August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. According to the Innocenti Declaration, breastfeeding is a unique process that: Provides ideal nutrition for infants and contributes to their healthy growth and development. Reduces incidence and severity of infectious diseases, thereby lowering infant morbidity and mortality. Contributes to women’s health by reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and by increasing the spacing between pregnancies. Provides social and…
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What is Greenwashing?
By The Editors Greenwashing (or greenwash) is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “Disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.” In other words, the term “greenwashing” applies to the attempts made by companies, organizations or political entities to falsely promote products, services or programs as environmentally friendly, or to deflect attention from environmentally unfriendly activities. The general consensus is that the term “greenwashing” was originally coined in 1986 by Jay Westerveld, an environmentalist from upstate New York. Jay wrote an essay in which he claimed the hotel industry falsely promoted the reuse of towels as part of a broader environmental strategy, whereas the suggested…
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Indigenous Knowledge? Yes, It’s Global Knowledge
By The Editors Sharing global knowledge? Yes, indispensable knowledge on the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, the sustainable use of protected natural areas, as well as development and food security — all related to the indigenous peoples of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other countries, such as Canada and Australia. Indispensable knowledge that is being shared these days (May 26 – 29) in the capital city of Australia’s Northern Territory, Darwin. The occasion? The first World Indigenous Network (WIN) conference, which calls on native delegates from over 50 countries to help build a strong foundation for an innovative and well-grounded enduring World Indigenous Network. According to the World Indigenous Network website,…
