Espresso Knowledge #24 - Listening to a quieter Earth

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Earth grew quiet during the global pandemic lockdown.

Researchers discovered that human-linked vibrations dropped by an average of 50 percent between March and May 2020. This is because of social distancing, drops in tourism and travel, and closure of services and industries.

Researchers studied data from 268 seismometers in 117 countries. These instruments measure noise caused by Earth's vibrations, which can be triggered by earthquakes and volcanoes, but also human activity. 

The study highlights how much human activities impact Earth, and lets us differentiate human and natural noise. 

Amidst the relative quietness, researchers listened to previously concealed earthquake signals, for example, which could potentially warn people of upcoming natural disasters.

Increasing urbanization and growing populations means more people will live in geologically hazardous areas.

It is more important than ever before to be able to differentiate between natural and human-caused noise.

Espresso Knowledge #23 - Modern slavery & Cannabis in England

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England's police have a narrow view of modern slavery.

A new study researched cases of foreigners arrested in connection with cannabis farming. It interviewed growers and officers.

Growers tend cannabis plants in flats and houses. Many are forced into this illegal work to pay off debt to gangs who smuggle them into England. They aren't imprisoned but have their passports seized and keep working under threat of violence towards themselves or family back home.

Police often does not recognize this form of modern slavery tied to trafficking and debt bondage. Many migrants are jailed for years.

Police questioning is limited, superficial. Victims - who often speak no english - are forced to explain themselves rather than the police digging deeper.

Officers should have detailed training and understanding of modern slavery and be willing to refer cases to special investigators.

The study is helping England prevent modern slavery.

Espresso Knowledge #22 - A kinder, gentler hockey

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A hockey league in Ontario is showing us a gentler side of sport, far away from hyper competitive professional and amateur hockey.

Before lockdown, one researcher spent several weeks with the Silver Skaters. Over 300 men play in age divisions, over 55, 63, 70.

Kristi Allain watched their games, spoke to them and their family members. She found life lessons of inclusion and compassion in the unique, caring culture of Silver Skaters.

Hockey was important to their lives, identities and understanding aging. Almost every player celebrated those who continued playing despite chemotherapy, heart surgeries, and broken bones.

For example, a goalie with a newly reconstructed hip returned after a lengthy absence. Players shot wide, valuing safety over personal achievement. There is no score keeping, no awards for best team or player.

The story of hockey, in some ways, can be a story of care and celebration of different abilities.

Espresso Knowledge SIP (Summary In Points) #3 - More urban residential green spaces mean smarter, more attentive & less aggressive kids.

More urban residential green spaces mean smarter, more attentive & less aggressive kids.

(1) So what, who cares?

• Children living in highly polluted urban environments perform poorly in memory, decision-making & IQ tasks, compared to those living in less polluted areas.

• Urban green spaces (e.g. city parks, community gardens, sports fields, forested areas) reduce pollution exposure, promote health & encourage social activities.

• We are rapidly urbanizing - almost 70% of global population will be urbanized by 2050.

• Well-planned cities with residential green spaces will help children develop intellectually & behaviourally.

(2) Study

• In 1992 & between 1996 & 1999, researchers assessed intelligence in 663 children (age range 7–15).

• They combined satellite/GIS data with residential information of participants (children + parents) to map out the degree of urbanization and greenery across the province of East Flanders in Belgium.

(3) Findings

• More urban residential green space is associated with higher intelligence & lower behavioral problems (including attention problems and aggressive behavior) in these children.

• Findings are independent of parents' education, household income & air pollution.

(4) Now what?

Findings will help policy makers and urban planners provide optimal, healthy environments for future generations.

This summary was adapted from the original article:

Residential green space and child intelligence and behavior across urban, suburban, and rural areas in Belgium: A longitudinal birth cohort study of twins

Espresso Knowledge SIP (Summary In Points) #2 - Ecology journals have alarmingly low code availability. We urgently need to increase it.

Ecology journals have alarmingly low code availability. We urgently need to increase it.

(1) So what, who cares?

Science and scientific research methods need to be open and transparent. Ecologists, like most scientists, use computer code to process raw data, do statistical analysis, simulate models, and create figures. Sharing code and data publicly helps others understand analyses, evaluate conclusions, and reuse code for future analyses. Scientists need understand each other's work and be able to verify it independently. That's how science moves ahead and the world moves forward.

(2) Study

Authors studied a random sample of 400 articles published between June 2015 and May 2019 in 14 ecological journals. As of June 2015, journals had either a mandatory code-sharing policy or encouraged authors to make their code available upon publication.

(3) Findings

Only 27% of articles had either all or some of the code that was central to the results. 79% had data available. It means that the lack of code-availability is severely limiting other scientists from reproducing results. Just over half (51%) made their code available for online code repositories.

(4) Now what?

Journals, institutions, funding agencies - Code-sharing should be a rule, not an option. Enforce it, not merely encourage it. Authors - take advantage of journals providing free archiving of data and code in digital repositories. Access to code should be essential and obligatory part of publication in ecology.

This summary was adapted from the original article:

Low availability of code in ecology: A call for urgent action