More dreams of the rarebit fiend: food sensitivity and dietary correlates of sleep and dreaming.

Background: Despite centuries-old beliefs and anecdotal evidence that food can influence one's sleep and dreams-an example being the classic d cartoon series-the topic has only rarely been researched.

Methods: We asked 1,082 participants to complete an online survey to test specific hypotheses on why people perceive that food affects their dreams, including whether specific foods influence dreams directly (food-specific effects), through physiological symptoms (food distress), or via altered sleep quality (sleep effects). Survey measures included standard demographic variables, targeted probes about self-perceived effects of specific foods on dreams, questions about diet, food intolerances and allergies, personality questionnaires, measures of sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and the Nightmare Disorder Index.

Zoborg: On-Demand Climbing Control for Cyborg Beetles.

Transitioning from horizontal surfaces to vertical walls is crucial for terrestrial robots to navigate complex environments. Replicating such impressive surface transitions in artificial insect-scale robots has been particularly challenging. Here, innovative control schemes are introduced that enable ZoBorg (a cyborg beetle from Zophobas morio) to successfully climb walls from horizontal planes.

Bone-marrow macrophage-derived GPNMB protein binds to orphan receptor GPR39 and plays a critical role in cardiac repair.

Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) is a type I transmembrane protein initially identified in nonmetastatic melanomas and has been associated with human heart failure; however, its role in cardiac injury and function remains unclear. Here we show that GPNMB expression is elevated in failing human and mouse hearts after myocardial infarction (MI). Lineage tracing and bone-marrow transplantation reveal that bone-marrow-derived macrophages are the main source of GPNMB in injured hearts.

COVID lockdown significantly impacted microplastic bulk atmospheric deposition rates.

Here, microplastic atmospheric deposition data collected at an urban site during the French national lockdown of spring 2020 is compared to deposition data from the same site in a period of normal activity. Bulk atmospheric deposition was collected on the vegetated roof of a suburban campus from the Greater Paris and analysed for microplastics using a micro-FTIR imaging methodology. Significantly lower deposition rates were measured overall during the lockdown period (median 5.

The high optical brightness of the BlueWalker 3 satellite.

Large constellations of bright artificial satellites in low Earth orbit pose significant challenges to ground-based astronomy. Current orbiting constellation satellites have brightnesses between apparent magnitudes 4 and 6, whereas in the near-infrared Ks band, they can reach magnitude 2 (ref. ).

Macroplastic transfer dynamics in the Loire estuary: Similarities and specificities with macrotidal estuaries.

The quantification of macroplastic fluxes transferred by rivers toward the pelagic environment requires a better understanding of macrodebris transfer processes in estuarine environments. Following the strategy adopted in the Seine estuary, this study aims to characterize macroplastic trajectories in the Loire estuary. Between January 2020 and July 2021, 35 trajectories were monitored using plastic bottles equipped with GPS-trackers.

Complexity-biodiversity relationships on marine urban structures: reintroducing habitat heterogeneity through eco-engineering.

Urbanization is leading to biodiversity loss through habitat homogenization. The smooth, featureless surfaces of many marine urban structures support ecological communities, often of lower biodiversity, distinct from the complex natural habitats they replace. Eco-engineering (design for ecological co-benefits) seeks to enhance biodiversity and ecological functions on urban structures.

Outside the Safe Operating Space of the Planetary Boundary for Novel Entities.

We submit that the safe operating space of the planetary boundary of novel entities is exceeded since annual production and releases are increasing at a pace that outstrips the global capacity for assessment and monitoring. The novel entities boundary in the planetary boundaries framework refers to entities that are novel in a geological sense and that could have large-scale impacts that threaten the integrity of Earth system processes. We review the scientific literature relevant to quantifying the boundary for novel entities and highlight plastic pollution as a particular aspect of high concern.

Effects of deployment of electric vehicles on air quality in the urban area of Turin (Italy).

This study aims to evaluate and quantify the environmental, health, and economic benefits due to the penetration of electric vehicles in the fleet composition by replacing conventional vehicles in an urban area. This study has been performed for the city of Turin, where road transport represents one of the main primary emission sources. Air pollution data were evaluated by ADMS-Roads, the flow traffic data used for simulation come from a real-time monitoring.

Amazonia as a carbon source linked to deforestation and climate change.

Amazonia hosts the Earth's largest tropical forests and has been shown to be an important carbon sink over recent decades. This carbon sink seems to be in decline, however, as a result of factors such as deforestation and climate change. Here we investigate Amazonia's carbon budget and the main drivers responsible for its change into a carbon source.

Weathering Plastics as a Planetary Boundary Threat: Exposure, Fate, and Hazards.

We described in 2017 how weathering plastic litter in the marine environment fulfils two of three criteria to impose a planetary boundary threat related to "chemical pollution and the release of novel entities": (1) planetary-scale exposure, which (2) is not readily reversible. Whether marine plastics meet the third criterion, (3) eliciting a disruptive impact on vital earth system processes, was uncertain. Since then, several important discoveries have been made to motivate a re-evaluation.

Making seawalls multifunctional: The positive effects of seeded bivalves and habitat structure on species diversity and filtration rates.

The marine environment is being increasingly modified by the construction of artificial structures, the impacts of which may be mitigated through eco-engineering. To date, eco-engineering has predominantly aimed to increase biodiversity, but enhancing other ecological functions is arguably of equal importance for artificial structures. Here, we manipulated complexity through habitat structure (flat, and 2.

Calculation of external climate costs for food highlights inadequate pricing of animal products.

Although the agricultural sector is globally a main emitter of greenhouse gases, thorough economic analysis of environmental and social externalities has not yet been conducted. Available research assessing agricultural external costs lacks a differentiation between farming systems and food categories. A method addressing this scientific gap is established in this paper and applied in the context of Germany.

How safe are the new green energy resources for marine wildlife? The case of lithium.

Considering the increasing use of Lithium (Li) and the necessity to fulfil this demand, labile Li occurrence in the environment will be enhanced. Thus, additional research is needed regarding the presence of this element in marine environment and its potential toxic impacts towards inhabiting wildlife. The aim of the present study was to evaluate Li toxicity based on the exposure of Mytilus galloprovincialis to this metal, assessing the biochemical changes related with mussels' metabolism, oxidative stress and neurotoxicity.

The global scale, distribution and growth of aviation: Implications for climate change.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, global air transport demand was expected to triple between 2020 and 2050. The pandemic, which reduced global air travel significantly, provides an opportunity to discuss the scale, distribution and growth of aviation until 2018, also with a view to consider the climate change implications of a return to volume growth. Industry statistics, data provided by supranational organizations, and national surveys are evaluated to develop a pre-pandemic understanding of air transport demand at global, regional, national and individual scales.

Early trajectories of benthic coral reef communities following the 2015/16 coral bleaching event at remote Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles.

Documenting post-bleaching trajectories of coral reef communities is crucial to understand their resilience to climate change. We investigated reef community changes following the 2015/16 bleaching event at Aldabra Atoll, where direct human impact is minimal. We combined benthic data collected pre- (2014) and post-bleaching (2016-2019) at 12 sites across three locations (lagoon, 2 m depth; seaward west and east, 5 and 15 m depth) with water temperature measurements.

Algal blooms.

Schleyer and Vardi introduce the topic of algal blooms.

The costs of removing the unsanctioned import of marine plastic litter to small island states.

Small island states receive unprecedented amounts of the world's plastic waste. In March 2019, we removed as much plastic litter as possible from Aldabra Atoll, a remote UNESCO World Heritage Site, and estimated the money and effort required to remove the remaining debris. We removed 25 tonnes at a cost of $224,537, which equates to around $10,000 per day of clean-up operations or $8,900 per tonne of litter.

Transfer dynamics of macroplastics in estuaries - New insights from the Seine estuary: Part 2. Short-term dynamics based on GPS-trackers.

The dynamics of plastic debris were assessed in the Seine River, especially in the estuary, using plastic bottles equipped with GPS-trackers. In one year, 50 trajectories were recorded, covering a wide range of hydrometeorological conditions. Results show a succession of stranding/remobilization episodes in combination with alternating upstream and downstream transport in the estuary.

Erratum: Author Correction: Health and sustainability in post-pandemic economic policies.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-0563-0.].

Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change.

Climate change will affect psychological wellbeing. Substantial research has documented harmful impacts on physical health, mental health, and social relations from exposure to extreme weather events that are associated with climate change. Recently, attention has turned to the possible effects of climate change on mental health through emotional responses such as increased anxiety.

Net emission reductions from electric cars and heat pumps in 59 world regions over time.

Electrification of passenger road transport and household heating features prominently in current and planned policy frameworks to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. However, since electricity generation involves using fossil fuels, it is not established where and when the replacement of fossil fuel-based technologies by electric cars and heat pumps can effectively reduce overall emissions. Could electrification policy backfire by promoting their diffusion before electricity is decarbonised? Here, we analyse current and future emissions trade-offs in 59 world regions with heterogeneous households, by combining forward-looking integrated assessment model simulations with bottom-up life-cycle assessment.