The idea that humans are facing a global extinction of experience of nature is popular, but there is poor empirical evidence of its reality. To shed more light on this, the scientists measured how the average distance from an individual's home to the nearest area with low human impact changed in the last decade. They found that humans currently live 9.7 km away from a natural area on average, which is 7% further away than in the year 2000.

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Photo: Juha Määttä

New research shows a continually warming world is leading to extended, late-summer weeks of water stratification in lakes, which prompts oxygen deprivation in the water provoking conditions called hypoxia (low oxygen) and anoxia (no oxygen) and negative consequences for fish and other species.

New research from Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows a continually warming world is leading to extended, late-summer weeks of water stratification, which prompts oxygen deprivation in the water provoking conditions called hypoxia (low oxygen) and anoxia (no oxygen) and negative consequences for fish and other species.

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The Atacama desert at 2,407 meters (7,896.98 ft) above sea level, Antofagasta, Chile. Photo: Elias Rovielo

The driest place on Earth is the Atacama desert, which is located along the western coast of South America's cone and stretches for about 1,600 kms. Some of the weather stations there have never recorded any rain in all of their years of operation.

But it's far from lifeless; many species that are unique to this region and have adapted to its harsh conditions can be found here.

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Milder for most but still highly contagious, Omicron has filled intensive care beds again at a hospital near Barcelona. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

The Omicron variant replaced the Delta variant as the dominant COVID-19 variant in the world, starting from late 2021 to early 2022. But, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant caused less severe disease than Delta, although it was better at escaping immune protection by vaccinations and previous infections.

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While academic conferences may provide valuable ground for researchers to showcase and discuss their work and receive feedback from attendees, the women among them are apparently less likely to speak up in them.

According to research published in the journal 'Psychological Science', women inquire less at such conferences owing to social anxiety. The fear of professional backlash from their colleagues hinders their ability to voice their questions.

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People who moved to another location to study are also more likely to switch labor market regions later in life. This is shown for the first time in an ifo Institute study looking at graduates from Munich’s suburbs. “Designing good location policies, especially for rural regions, relies on understanding what leads highly skilled workers to relocate,” says coauthor Valentin Lindlacher.

Medium-sized enterprises are often based in rural regions.

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A staff member sprays disinfectant in a residental area that is under restrictions following a recent coronavirus outbreak in Nanjing in China's eastern Jiangsu province on December 8, 2021. (Photo by AFP) / - LEHTIKUVA / AFP

According to new research, early warning signals or EWS could help in the monitoring of disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19.

The study has been published in the 'Biology Letters Journal'.

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Mosquitoes are known for hunting down their preferred 'human snacks' through CO2 exhalations, body heat, and odour. But, some of us often complain of getting more than our fair share of bites. There are numerous theories on why mosquitoes may prefer some humans over others -- blood type, blood sugar level, being a woman or a child, all without enough credible data.

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In the wake of national crises, such as financial crises or natural disasters, governments often raise taxes. This is the finding of a new study conducted by the ifo Institute. “The majority of tax increases made due to crises happen very quickly, either while the crisis is still happening or in the following year,” says Prof. Niklas Potrafke, Director of the ifo Center for Public Finance and Political Economy.

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After Covid-19 limitations were loosened in the UK, adults with asthma experienced about the doubled risk of having a severe asthma attack, according to recent research.

Episodes of progressive worsening of asthma symptoms, termed exacerbations or asthma attacks, are the major cause of illness and death in this condition. Asthma affects more than 5 million people in the UK and more than 300 million globally. Symptoms include breathlessness and chest tightness as well as wheezing and coughing.

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Photo: Yella Mella Macra

Fifty years after the famous 'marshmallow test' found that children who resist temptation do better on measures of life success, a study of preschoolers in Boulder and Japan reveals that what kids are willing to wait for depends on their cultural upbringing.

But 50 years after the seminal "marshmallow test" suggested this, a fresh, multicultural approach to the test adds a missing piece of the story: What kids are willing to wait for depends largely on their cultural upbringing.

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Students entering the Tampere university on September 4th 2021.

Students in higher education who do not meet the minimum credit requirement for financial aid have received a request for further information. The deadline for replies is 25 October 2021. Students can, for example, use the OmaKela e-service to reply.

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You might want to reconsider the next time you open your backdoor to allow your cat to go on its daily adventure. The outside holds a lot of unfavourable potential for cats. Like the dangers of contracting and spreading diseases, as well as the insatiable want to kill wildlife, which has been proven to decrease the numbers of local animals and destroy biodiversity.

According to a recent study by experts at the University of Maryland, humans are mostly responsible for reducing these dangers by keeping cats indoors.

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Photo: Andreas Eldh

A new study revealed that when attempting to avoid an unwanted thought, people frequently reject and replace it after it occurs. However, avoiding an association proactively can be much more efficient and help prevent the repetitive looping of unwanted thoughts.

The findings of the study were published in the PLOS Computational Biology by Isaac Fradkin and Eran Eldar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

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Students at the Kaisa House, the Helsinki University main library, in Helsinki, Finland.

This year, the number of applications submitted by international students is significantly higher than last year when going abroad to study was difficult because of the coronavirus situation.

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