Communing with nature less and less

"There's a real and fundamental shift away from nature -- certainly here [in the United States] and possibly in other countries," said Oliver Pergams, visiting research assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Pergams and Patricia Zaradic, a fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program, Delaware Valley in Bryn Mawr, Pa., had previously reported a steady decline in per capita visits to U.S. national parks since the late 1980s -- which correlated very strongly with a rise in playing video games, surfing the Internet and watching movies. The researchers call this recent shift to sedentary, electronic diversions "videophilia." And they don't see it as healthy progress.

"The replacement of vigorous outdoor activities by sedentary, indoor videophilia has far-reaching consequences for physical and mental health, especially in children," Pergams said. "Videophilia has been shown to be a cause of obesity, lack of socialization, attention disorders and poor academic performance."

In the new study, Pergams and Zaradic sought to gather and analyze longitudinal survey data on various nature activities from the past 70 years -- including the 20 years since U.S. national park visits began their ongoing decline.

"We felt that national park visits in the U.S. were a pretty good proxy for how much people were involved in nature," said Pergams. "But we wanted to see if people were going less to other nature-related venues or participating less in nature recreation activities, both here and in other countries."

The biologists examined figures on backpacking, fishing, hiking, hunting, visits to national and state parks and forests. They found comparable reliable statistics from Japan and, to a lesser extent, Spain.

They found that during the decade from 1981 to 1991, per-capita nature recreation declined at rates from 1 percent to 1.3 percent per year, depending on the activity studied. The typical drop in nature use since then has been 18-25 percent.

As biologists, the researchers are also concerned about the ecological implications.

"We don't see how this can be good for conservation," Pergams said. "We don't see how future generations, with less exploration of nature, will be as interested in conservation as past generations."

Source: University of Illinois at Chicago

Scientists discover quantum mechanical 'hurricanes' form spontaneously
University of Arizona scientists experimenting with some of the coldest gases in the universe have discovered that when atoms in the gas get cold enough, they can spontaneously spin up into what might be described as quantum mechanical twisters or hurricanes.
Scientists close in on method to fight deadly childhood cancer
A multicenter team of researchers, including scientists from the University of Florida, has discovered a way to potentially block the growth of neuroblastoma, a type of cancer responsible for 15 percent of all cancer deaths in children.
First Tunable, ‘Noiseless’ Amplifier May Boost Quantum Computing, Communications
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado (CU) at Boulder, have made the first tunable “noiseless” amplifier. By significantly reducing the uncertainty in delicate measurements of microwave signals, the new amplifier could boost the speed and precision of quantum computing and communications systems.
Ghostly glow reveals galaxy clusters in collision
A team of scientists, including astronomers from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), have detected long wavelength radio emission from a colliding, massive galaxy cluster which, surprisingly, is not detected at the shorter wavelengths typically seen in these objects.
Research shows a walk in the park improves attention in children with ADHD
For children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tasks that require concentration such as doing homework or taking a test can be very difficult. A simple, inexpensive remedy may be a "dose of nature."
Scientists restore movement to paralyzed limbs through artificial brain-muscle connections
Researchers in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health have demonstrated for the first time that a direct artificial connection from the brain to muscles can restore voluntary movement in monkeys whose arms have been temporarily anesthetized. The results may have promising implications for the quarter of a million Americans affected by spinal cord injuries and thousands of others with paralyzing neurological diseases, although clinical applications are years away.
AGAP team poised to probe one of Antarctica's last unexplored places
A U.S.-led, multinational team of scientists from six nations will pierce the mysteries of one of the globe's last major unexplored places this month. Using sophisticated airborne radar and other Information Age tools and techniques, the scientists will virtually "peel away" more than four kilometers (2.5 miles) of ice covering an Antarctic mountain range that rivals the Alps in elevation, and which current scientific knowledge suggests shouldn't be there at all.
Looking through the broken mirror
Researchers at The University of Nottingham are hoping to learn more about the causes of autism and Asperger's Syndrome, by putting a controversial theory to the test.

Communing with nature less and less

Related stories:

News discussion: