Breathwork Unlocks Psychedelic States Without Drugs

BY PLOS, SEPT. 22, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/breathwork-unlocks-psychedelic-states-without-drugs/

Breathwork with music can unlock psychedelic-like brain states, reduce fear, and create powerful feelings of bliss and unity — all without drugs. 

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Fast, music-driven breathwork was shown to induce psychedelic-like states, shifting brain blood flow and reducing negative emotions.

Participants described feelings of unity, bliss, and euphoria, suggesting breathwork may offer a safe, natural alternative to psychedelics in mental health treatment.

Breathwork While Listening to Music

Breathing exercises performed to music may bring about feelings of deep bliss, while also altering blood flow in areas of the brain involved in processing emotions. This finding comes from a study published recently in the open-access journal PLOS One by Amy Amla Kartar of the Colasanti Lab in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, U.K., and her colleagues. The research showed that these changes can take place even when the body shows signs of a stress response, and they are linked with a reduction in reported negative emotions.

In recent years, breathwork has become increasingly popular as a way to ease psychological distress. Certain approaches that involve faster or deeper breathing, often paired with music, can create altered states of consciousness (ASCs) similar to those brought on by psychedelic drugs. One form, known as high ventilation breathwork (HVB), may provide a drug-free option for achieving these effects, with fewer legal and ethical barriers to widespread use in therapy. Despite its growing appeal, the biological processes and personal experiences behind HVB-induced ASCs have not been studied in depth.

Exploring Altered States of Consciousness

To address this gap, Kartar and her team investigated how HVB produces ASCs in people with experience practicing the technique. They collected self-reported data from 15 online participants, 8 in-lab participants, and 19 who underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Each person completed a 20- to 30-minute session of continuous, rhythmic breathing set to music. Within half an hour after the session, participants filled out questionnaires describing their experiences.

The results showed that the intensity of ASCs evoked by HVB was proportional to cardiovascular sympathetic activation, as indicated by a decrease in heart rate variability, indicating a potential stress response. In addition, HVB-evoked ASCs were associated with a profound decrease in blood flow to the left operculum and posterior insula – brain regions implicated in representing the internal state of the body, including breathing.

Also, despite HVB causing large and global reductions in blood flow to the brain, there was a progressive increase in blood flow during the session to the right amygdala and anterior hippocampus, which are brain regions involved in the processing of emotional memories. These blood flow changes correlated with psychedelic experiences, demonstrating that these alterations may underlie the positive effects of this breathwork.

Oceanic Boundlessness and Psychedelic Parallels

During all experimental sessions, participants reported a reduction in fear and negative emotions, with no adverse reactions. Across participants and experimental settings, HVB reliably enhanced ASCs dominated by Oceanic Boundlessness (OBN), which is a term coined by Freud in 1920 that describes a set of related feelings including spiritual experience, insightfulness, blissful state, positively experienced depersonalization, and the experience of unity. OBN is considered as a defining aspect of ASCs evoked by psychedelic substances, such as psilocybin.

According to the authors, their study was novel and exploratory and requires replication by future research including larger sample sizes and a control group to separate the effects of music on the brain. Despite these limitations, the findings provide a better understanding of HVB and direct research to investigate its therapeutic applications.

Mapping the Brain During Breathwork

The authors add: “Our research is the first to use neuroimaging to map the neurophysiological changes that occur during breathwork. Our key findings include that breathwork can reliably evoke profound psychedelic states. We believe that these states are linked to changes in the function of specific brain regions involved in self-awareness, and fear and emotional memory processing. We found that more profound changes in blood flow in specific brain areas were linked to deeper sensations of unity, bliss, and emotional release, collectively known as “oceanic boundlessness.”

Amy Kartar, lead author, adds: “Conducting this research was a fantastic experience. It was thrilling to explore such a novel area – while many people anecdotally recognize the health benefits of breathwork, this style of fast-paced breathing has received very little scientific attention. We are very grateful to our participants for making this work possible.”

A Natural Path to Transformation

Dr. Alessandro Colasanti, P.I., adds: “Breathwork is a powerful yet natural tool for neuromodulation, working through the regulation of metabolism across the body and brain. It holds tremendous promise as a transformative therapeutic intervention for conditions that are often both distressing and disabling.”

The Life of Earth

https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/

Study Finds Common Meds Leave Lasting Imprints on the Gut, Even Years After You Stop Taking Them

BY ESTONIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL, SEPT. 22, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/study-finds-common-meds-leave-lasting-imprints-on-the-gut-even-years-after-you-stop-taking-them/

Medications may leave microbial “fingerprints” that last years after use, according to new research from the University of Tartu. Credit: Shutterstock

Medications used many years earlier can still influence the human gut microbiome, according to a large-scale study conducted by the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics.

Researchers examined stool samples and prescription records from more than 2,500 participants in the Estonian Biobank’s Microbiome cohort and discovered that most medications tested were associated with shifts in gut microbes.

Many of these changes persisted for years after patients had stopped taking the drugs. The influence was not confined to antibiotics; antidepressants, beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and benzodiazepines also left lasting microbial “fingerprints.”

Importance of medication history in microbiome research

“Most microbiome studies only consider current medications, but our results show that past drug use can be just as important as it is a surprisingly strong factor in explaining individual microbiome differences,” said Dr. Oliver Aasmets, lead author. This highlights that it is critical to account for drug usage history when studying links between the microbiome and disease.

Credit: Karl-Erik Piirimees



Surprisingly, benzodiazepines, which are commonly prescribed to treat anxiety, were found to influence the gut microbiome to a degree similar to broad-spectrum antibiotics. The study also revealed that medications within the same drug class, such as diazepam and alprazolam, can vary in the extent to which they disturb microbial communities.

Confirmed long-term microbial shifts

Follow-up samples from a subset of participants confirmed that starting or stopping certain drugs caused predictable microbial shifts, suggesting causal effects. Despite the small sample size of the second time-point analysis, the authors were able to verify long-term effects of proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and antibiotics, such as penicillins in combination and macrolides.

“This is a comprehensive systematic evaluation of long-term medication effects on the microbiome using real-world medical health records,” said Professor Elin Org, corresponding author. “We hope this encourages researchers and clinicians to factor in medication history when interpreting microbiome data.”

The Life of Earth

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New Study Shatters Long-Standing Myths About Primate Origins

BY JASON GILCHRIST, EDINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY.SEPTEMBER 22, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/new-study-shatters-long-standing-myths-about-primate-origins/

The first primates were about the size of a mouse lemur: tiny.

 Credit: Jason Gilchrist

Primates originated in cold environments, not the tropics. Their past adaptations reveal insights for conservation today.

Many people picture our earliest primate ancestors moving through dense tropical forests, yet new evidence suggests they actually endured cold environments.

As an ecologist who has spent years studying chimpanzees in Uganda and lemurs in Madagascar, I am deeply interested in the habitats that influenced our evolutionary history. These discoveries challenge long-held ideas about when and where our lineage first developed.

Understanding the origins of human evolution is central to understanding ourselves. The same environmental pressures that shaped our ancestors continue to shape us today and will influence our future as well.

Climate as a driver of evolution

Climate has always played a critical role in determining which species thrive, which adapt, and which vanish. With global temperatures rising, insights from the past are more valuable than ever.

A recent study led by Jorge Avaria-Llautureo at the University of Reading, along with colleagues, examined the geographic origins of primates and the climates of those ancient regions. The findings were unexpected: instead of emerging in warm, tropical habitats as previously assumed, the earliest primates appear to have lived in cold, arid environments.

Teilhardina was one of the first primates. 

Credit: Mark Klingler, Carnegie Museum of Natural History



These environmental challenges are likely to have been crucial in pushing our ancestors to adapt, evolve and spread to other regions. It took millions of years before primates colonized the tropics, the study shows. Warmer global temperatures don’t seem to have sped up the spread or evolution of primates into new species. However, rapid changes between dry and wet climates did drive evolutionary change.

Earliest primates and their traits

One of the earliest known primates was Teilhardina, a tiny tree dweller weighing just 28 grams – similar to the smallest primate alive today, Madame Berthae’s mouse lemur. Being so small, Teilhardina had to have a high-calorie diet of fruit, gum and insects.

Fossils suggest Teilhardina differed from other mammals of the time as it had fingernails rather than claws, which helped it grasp branches and handle food – a key characteristic of primates to this day. Teilhardina appeared around 56 million years ago (about 10 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs) and species dispersed rapidly from their origin in North America across Europe and China.

It is easy to see why scientists had assumed primates evolved in warm and wet climates. Most primates today live in the tropics, and most primate fossils have been unearthed there too.

Cold origins and surprising habitats

But when the scientists behind the new study used fossil spore and pollen data from early primate fossil environs to predict the climate, they discovered that the locations were not tropical at the time. Primates actually originated in North America (again, going against what scientists had once believed, partly as there are no primates in North America today).

Over 56 million years, primates have evolved into all sorts of shapes and sizes. 

Credit: Monkeys: Our Primate Family exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland/Jason Gilchrist

Some primates even colonized Arctic regions. These early primates may have survived seasonally cold temperatures and a consequent lack of food by living much like species of mouse lemur and dwarf lemur do today: by slowing down their metabolism and even hibernating.

Challenging and changeable conditions are likely to have favored primates that moved around a lot in search of food and better habitat. The primate species that are with us today are descended from these highly mobile ancestors. Those less able to move didn’t leave any descendants alive today.
Lessons for conservation today

The study demonstrates the value of studying extinct animals and the environment they lived in. If we are to conserve primate species today, we need to know how they are threatened and how they will react to those threats. Understanding the evolutionary response to climate change is crucial to conserving the world’s primates, and other species beyond.

When their habitats are lost, often through deforestation, primates are prevented from moving freely. With smaller populations, restricted to smaller and less diverse areas, today’s primates lack the genetic diversity to adapt to changing environments.

But we need more than knowledge and understanding to save the world’s primate species, we need political action and individual behavior change, to tackle bushmeat consumption – the main reason primates are hunted by humans – and reverse habitat loss and climate change. Otherwise, all primates are at risk of extinction, ourselves included.

The Life of Earth

https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/

Our actions are dictated by 'autopilot' not choice, finds study

SEPT. 22, 2025, by U. of Surrey, edited by S. Harley, reviewed by A. Zinin

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-actions-dictated-autopilot-choice.html

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Habit, not conscious choice, drives most of our actions, according to new research from the University of Surrey, University of South Carolina and Central Queensland University.

The research, published in Psychology & Health, found that two-thirds of our daily behaviors are initiated "on autopilot", out of habit.

Habits are actions that we are automatically prompted to do when we encounter everyday settings, due to associations that we have learned between those settings and our usual responses to them.

The research also found that 46% of behaviors were both triggered by habit and aligned with conscious intentions, suggesting that people form habits that support their personal goals, and often disrupt habits that conflict with them.

While there have been previous attempts to estimate the prevalence of habits in our day-to-day lives, this study used a new method to capture habits in action. The international research team surveyed 105 participants from the UK and Australia, sending six random prompts to their phones each day for a week, asking them to describe what they were currently doing, and whether it was triggered out of habit or done intentionally.

The study found that 65% of daily behaviors were habitually initiated, meaning people were prompted to do them out of routine rather than making a conscious decision.

Professor Benjamin Gardner, Professor of Psychology at the University of Surrey and co-author of the study, said, "Our research shows that while people may consciously want to do something, the actual initiation and performance of that behavior is often done without thinking, driven by non-conscious habits. This suggests that 'good' habits may be a powerful way to make our goals a reality.

"For people who want to break their bad habits, simply telling them to 'try harder' isn't enough. To create lasting change, we must incorporate strategies to help people recognize and disrupt their unwanted habits, and ideally form positive new ones in their place."

The findings may have broader implications for public health and wellness interventions. The researchers recommend that initiatives designed to help people adopt new behaviors, like exercising or eating healthier, should focus on building new, positive habits.

For example, for someone trying to take up exercise, inconsistent exercising may not be enough. The most effective strategy would involve identifying an everyday situation in which exercise can realistically be done—for example, at a certain time of day, or following a regular event, like leaving work—and consistently doing some exercise in that situation.

Likewise, to break a bad habit like smoking, simply wanting to quit may not cut it. The most effective strategies would involve disrupting triggers (e.g. avoiding places where they used to smoke) and creating new routines (e.g. chewing gum after a meal instead of having a cigarette).

Dr. Amanda Rebar, Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina and lead author of the study said, "People like to think of themselves as rational decision makers, who think carefully about what to do before they do it.

"However, much of our repetitive behavior is undertaken with minimal forethought and is instead generated automatically, by habit."

Dr. Grace Vincent, Sleep Scientist and Associate Professor at Central Queensland University and co-author of the study, said the findings offer hope to people trying to develop healthier lifestyles. "Our study shows that two-thirds of what people do each day is sparked by habit, and most of the time those habits are also aligned with our intentions.

"This means that if we set out to create a positive habit, whether that's around better sleep hygiene, or nutrition, or general well-being improvements, we can rely on an internal 'autopilot' to take over and help us maintain those habits.

"Unfortunately, not all habits are created equal. Exercise was the exception in our findings, as it was often triggered by habit, but less likely to be achieved purely on autopilot, compared to other behaviors."

The Life of Earth

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The Dark Matter of Food: Why Most of Nutrition Remains a Mystery

BY D. BENTON, SWANSEA U, SEPT. 21, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/the-dark-matter-of-food-why-most-of-nutrition-remains-a-mystery/

Food is far more than calories and nutrients, it’s a chemical universe we’ve barely begun to map. Unlocking this “nutritional dark matter” could transform our understanding of health and disease. 

Credit: Shutterstock

What we eat is packed with hidden chemistry that may hold the key to both disease and health.

When the human genome was first sequenced in 2003, many believed this breakthrough would reveal the full origins of disease. Yet, genetics accounts for only about 10% of overall risk. The remaining 90% is shaped by environmental factors, with diet playing a particularly significant role.

Globally, poor nutrition is estimated to contribute to roughly one in five deaths among adults over the age of 25. In Europe, dietary factors alone are responsible for nearly half of all cardiovascular fatalities.

Despite decades of public health campaigns urging people to reduce fat, salt, and sugar, obesity rates and diet-related diseases have continued to climb. Clearly, something is missing from the way we think about food.

Beyond calories and nutrients

For much of modern history, nutrition has been described in simplified terms, viewing food primarily as fuel and nutrients as the building blocks of the body. Attention has focused on about 150 well-known chemicals such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins. However, researchers now believe that the human diet actually contains more than 26,000 distinct compounds, the majority of which remain largely unexplored.

Here is where astronomy provides a useful comparison. Astronomers know that dark matter makes up about 27% of the universe. It doesn’t emit or reflect light, and so it cannot be seen directly but its gravitational effects reveal that it must exist.

Nutrition science faces something similar. The vast majority of chemicals in food are invisible to us in terms of research. We consume them every day, but we have little idea what they do.

Some experts refer to these unknown molecules as “nutritional dark matter.” It’s a reminder that just as the cosmos is filled with hidden forces, our diet is packed with hidden chemistry.

When researchers analyze disease, they look at a vast array of foods, although any association often cannot be matched to known molecules. This is the dark matter of nutrition – the compounds we ingest daily but haven’t been mapped or studied. Some may encourage health, but others may increase the risk of disease. The challenge is finding out which do what.

Foodomics as a new approach

The field of foodomics aims to do exactly that. It brings together genomics (the role of genes), proteomics (proteins), metabolomics (cell activity) and nutrigenomics (the interaction of genes and diet).

These approaches are starting to reveal how diet interacts with the body in ways far beyond calories and vitamins.

Take the Mediterranean diet (filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil, and fish, with limited red meat and sweets), for example, which is known to reduce the risk of heart disease.

But why does it work? One clue lies in a molecule called TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide), produced when gut bacteria metabolize compounds in red meat and eggs. High levels of TMAO increase the risk of heart disease. But garlic, for example, contains substances that block its production. This is one example of how diet can tip the balance between health and harm.

Gut microbes and food chemistry

Gut bacteria also play a major role. When compounds reach the colon, microbes transform them into new chemicals that can affect inflammation, immunity and metabolism.

For example, ellagic acid – found in various fruits and nuts – is converted by gut bacteria into urolithins. These are a group of natural compounds that help keep our mitochondria (the body’s energy factories) healthy.

This shows how food is a complex web of interacting chemicals. One compound can influence many biological mechanisms, which in turn can affect many others. Diet can even switch genes on or off through epigenetics – changes in gene activity that don’t alter DNA itself.

History has provided stark examples of this. For example, children born to mothers who endured famine in the Netherlands during the Second World War were more likely to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and schizophrenia later in life. Decades on, scientists found their gene activity had been altered by what their mothers ate – or didn’t eat – while pregnant.

Mapping the hidden food universe

Projects such as the Foodome Project are now attempting to catalogue this hidden chemical universe. More than 130,000 molecules have already been listed, linking food compounds to human proteins, gut microbes and disease processes. The aim is to build an atlas of how diet interacts with the body, and to pinpoint which molecules really matter for health.

The hope is that by understanding nutritional dark matter, we can answer questions that have long frustrated nutrition science. Why do certain diets work for some people but not others? Why do foods sometimes prevent, and sometimes promote, disease? Which food molecules could be harnessed to develop new drugs, or new foods?

We are still at the beginning. But the message is clear – the food on our plate is not just calories and nutrients, but a vast chemical landscape we are only starting to chart. Just as mapping cosmic dark matter is transforming our view of the universe, uncovering nutritional dark matter could transform how we eat, how we treat disease and how we understand health itself.

The Life of Earth

https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/

New Eye Drops Sharpen Aging Eyes in Just One Hour

BY EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CATARACT AND REFRACTIVE SURGEONS, SEPT. 20, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/new-eye-drops-sharpen-aging-eyes-in-just-one-hour/

A few daily drops may bring back the clear, youthful vision lost with age. 

Credit: Shutterstock

Imagine tossing aside your reading glasses and regaining crisp, youthful vision with just a few drops a day.

New research suggests that specially formulated eye drops can significantly improve near vision in people with presbyopia — age-related difficulty focusing on close objects. Patients reported sharper sight within an hour, sustained improvements for up to two years, and only mild, temporary side effects.

Eye Drops That Sharpen Sight Without Glasses

Almost everyone experiences presbyopia as they get older, which makes it harder to focus on nearby objects and read small print. For many, the solution is reading glasses, but new research suggests that relief could be as simple as applying special eye drops two or three times each day.

At the 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS),[1] researchers presented the results of a retrospective study involving 766 patients. Most participants were able to read two, three, or even more additional lines on the Jaeger chart, a tool used to measure near vision, after using the specially designed drops. This improvement lasted for as long as two years.

An Innovative Alternative to Glasses and Surgery

Dr. Giovanna Benozzi, director of the Center for Advanced Research for Presbyopia, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, said: “We conducted this research due to the significant unmet medical need in presbyopia management. Current solutions, such as reading glasses or surgical interventions, have limitations, including inconvenience, social discomfort, and potential risks or complications. There is a group of presbyopia patients who have limited options besides spectacles, and who are not candidates for surgery; these are our primary focus of interest. We sought to provide robust clinical evidence supporting an innovative pharmacological solution to offer patients a non-invasive, convenient, and effective alternative.”

The drops were originally developed by Dr. Benozzi’s father, the late Dr. Jorge Benozzi, at the same center. They combine two active ingredients: pilocarpine, which constricts the pupils and activates the ciliary muscle that adjusts the eye’s focus for objects at different distances, and diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that reduces inflammation and helps ease the discomfort often caused by pilocarpine.

Testing Pilocarpine Formulations Across Hundreds of Patients

Patients administered the eye drops twice a day, usually on waking and again approximately six hours later, with an optional third dose if symptoms recurred or additional visual comfort was needed. The group of patients (373 women and 393 men, with an average age of 55) was divided into three groups to receive one of three eye drop formulations. Each formulation had a fixed dose of diclofenac, but concentrations of pilocarpine were 1%, 2% and 3%.

The researchers assessed the improvement in how well patients could read the Jaeger chart without reading glasses (uncorrected near visual acuity) one hour after the first administration of the drops, and they followed up the patients for two years.

Rapid and Lasting Vision Improvements Observed

Dr. Benozzi told the Congress: “Our most significant result showed rapid and sustained improvements in near vision for all three concentrations. One hour after having the first drops, patients had an average improvement of 3.45 Jaeger lines. The treatment also improved focus at all distances.

“Impressively, 99% of 148 patients in the 1% pilocarpine group reached optimal near vision and were able to read two or more extra lines. Approximately 83% of all patients maintained good functional near vision at 12 months. Importantly, no significant adverse events like increased intraocular pressure or retinal detachment were observed.”

Impressive Outcomes Across All Dosage Groups

In the 2% group, 69% of 248 patients were able to read three or more extra lines on the Jaeger chart, and in the 3% group, 84% of 370 patients could read three or more extra lines.

The improvement in the patients’ vision was sustained for up to two years, with a median duration of 434 days. Adverse side effects were mild, with the most common being temporary dim vision, which occurred in 32% of cases, irritation when the drops were instilled (3.7%) and headache (3.8%). No patients discontinued the treatment.

Common adverse side effects of pilocarpine can also include eye redness, watery eyes, blurred vision, dim or dark vision, sensitivity to light or problems changing focus between objects, seeing flashes of light or “floaters” in vision, and, in rare cases, detached retinas.

Tailoring Treatment Based on Presbyopia Severity

Dr. Benozzi continued: “Nearly all patients experienced positive improvements in near visual acuity, although the magnitude of the improvement depended on the status of their vision before treatment at baseline. Our study revealed that optimal pilocarpine concentrations could be individualised depending on the baseline severity of presbyopia as assessed by the initial Jaeger scores. Patients with less severe presbyopia responded best to 1% concentrations, while those with more advanced presbyopia required higher 2% or 3% concentrations to achieve significant visual improvement.”

She concluded: “These results suggest this combination therapy offers a safe, effective, and well-tolerated alternative to traditional presbyopia management. It significantly reduces dependence on reading glasses, providing a convenient, non-invasive option for patients, although these eye drops may not eliminate the need for glasses in all individuals.

“Importantly, this treatment is not intended to replace surgical interventions, but rather to serve as a valuable solution for patients who need safe, effective, and personalised alternatives and seek freedom from the inconvenience of eyewear. Eye care professionals now have an evidence-based pharmacological option that expands the spectrum of presbyopia care beyond glasses and surgery.”

Long-Term Research and Next Steps in Presbyopia Care

Besides the group of patients in this study, Dr. Benozzi has other patients who have received the treatment for more than ten years. Dr. Benozzi plans further research to measure improvements in patients’ quality of life, and to explore the underlying physiological mechanisms of the eye drops.

Strengths of the study include the large number of patients included and the long follow-up time. It is the first systematic evaluation comparing three different pilocarpine concentrations in combination with diclofenac. A limitation is that it is a retrospective, single-centre study, which could limit the generalisability of the findings and introduce selection bias.

ESCRS President-Elect, Professor Burkhard Dick, chair of the ophthalmology department at the University Eye Hospital Bochum, Germany, was not involved in the research. He commented, “While surgery for age-related near vision loss has advanced, some patients are not candidates. The single-centre retrospective study by Dr. Benozzi suggests that eye drops containing pilocarpine and diclofenac may improve near vision for up to two years, but the limited design means the results may not apply to everyone. Long-term pilocarpine use can sometimes cause side effects such as reduced night vision, dimmer vision in low light, eye strain, irritation and, in rare cases, retinal detachment, while prolonged topical NSAID use may pose corneal risks. Broader, long-term, multi-centre studies are needed to confirm safety and effectiveness before this treatment can be widely recommended.”

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https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/

Has Climate Math Been Rigged This Whole Time?

By Utrecht U., Sept. 21, 2025

 https://scitechdaily.com/has-climate-math-been-rigged-this-whole-time/

 

New research reveals that climate fairness calculations have long favored wealthy, high-polluting nations by letting them delay urgent action while shifting responsibility onto vulnerable countries. Credit: Shutterstock

Scientists have uncovered a hidden bias in climate pledges that rewards big polluters and penalizes vulnerable nations.

Past calculations allowed high emitters to dodge responsibility and delay action. The new approach emphasizes historical responsibility, demanding steep cuts from wealthy countries and funding for poorer ones.

 
Climate Goals Under Scrutiny

Climate efforts are falling short of the Paris Agreement’s targets. To stay on track, each country is expected to contribute its ‘fair share’ of action. Yet researchers at Utrecht University uncovered a flaw in how fairness and ambition have been judged so far: “previous studies assessing countries climate ambition share a feature that rewards high emitters at the expense of the most vulnerable ones.” This discovery could have major consequences for global climate strategies. The study, led by Yann Robiou du Pont, appeared on September 3 in Nature Communications.

The team explains that past assessments were distorted because they relied on constantly moving baselines of rising emissions. Their new approach avoids postponing emission cuts and instead measures the immediate ambition gap that must be closed through stronger policies and financial support. With existing pledges still falling short, the findings highlight how courts are increasingly stepping in to ensure governments meet both climate and human rights duties. According to the study, the largest emitters, including the G7 nations, Russia, and China, bear far greater responsibility due to their historic contributions and greater financial resources.
Approach Based on Historical Responsibility Needed

Fair-share allocations divide the global carbon budget among nations according to principles such as historical responsibility, capacity, and development needs, providing each country with a proportional share of allowable emissions. Within the Paris Agreement framework, these allocations define what nations should commit to in order to keep global warming to 1.5°C and well below 2°C. 

The figure shows how national climate pledges (NDCs) compare with global pathways that would limit warming to between 1.5°C and 4°C. Under the approach as proposed in the research, global emissions are divided up in a way that reflects fairness and equity. The colors show whether a country’s pledge is strong enough to match a 1.5°C pathway or instead lines up with weaker pathways (2°C, 3°C, or 4°C). Credit: Yann Robiou du Pont, et al., Nature Communications.

By calculating each ambition and fairness assessment from the present situation, we increasingly let major polluting countries off the hook. This pushes a heavier burden onto countries that have done the least to cause the crisis, or, more realistically, brings the world towards catastrophic levels of global warming. Therefore, the authors propose calculating fair-share emissions allocations immediately based on each country’s historical contributions to climate change and their capacity to act.

Accounting for immediate responsibilities sets a new baseline. It would cause some countries’ emission paths to suddenly and drastically change instead of following a smooth decline. This approach would demand steep, immediate cuts mostly from wealthier, high-emitting countries. Since the cuts needed from these countries are too large to achieve locally, it requires substantial financial support for additional mitigation in poorer countries.

Importantly, removing the systemic reward for inaction affects the ranking of countries’ gap between their current pledges and fair emissions allocations, even within the group of high-income countries. Then, the USA, Australia, Canada, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have the greatest gap, requiring the most additional effort and finance. Much of the equity discussions is about developed versus developing countries, but this paper is particularly relevant for developed countries being rewarded for inaction compared to other and more ambitious developed countries.
Role in Climate Litigation

Fair-share studies like this one are increasingly used in climate litigation, such as the KlimaSeniorinnen case before the European Court of Human Rights. The court recognized that insufficient national climate action constitutes a breach of human rights and that countries must justify how their climate pledges are a fair and ambitious contribution to the global objectives.

Courts rely on these assessments to evaluate whether national emissions targets are sufficient and equitable. Biases in the assessments, therefore, have real-world impact: they can shape legal rulings, influence policy commitments, and inform public opinions. Courts are thus emerging as a key force in ensuring accountability and indirectly promoting cooperation when political and diplomatic negotiations fall short.

In a landmark advisory opinion issued on July 23, 2025, the International Court of Justice affirmed that countries have a legal obligation under international law to prevent significant harm to the climate system, emphasizing the duty to act collectively and urgently. “This strengthens and underscores the growing role of courts in enforcing climate justice,” says Robiou du Pont.
Paying the Debt

Solving the climate crisis is a moral imperative long identified by climate justice activists and scholars. Practically, we are observing that the lack of fair efforts by countries with the greatest capacity and responsibility to act and provide finance results in insufficient action globally. A fairer allocation of effort is likely to result in more ambitious outcomes globally. This study explains how immediate climate efforts and finance are key to align with international agreements to limit global warming.

 

 

The Life of Earth 

https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com

Why mosquitos might be attracted to you

Sept. 20, 2025. by D. Neff 

 https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-mosquitos.html

 Researchers in the Netherlands turned a major music festival into an unexpected laboratory to investigate a question that has long puzzled scientists and bug-bitten individuals alike: What makes some people more irresistible to mosquitoes than others?

For three consecutive days at the Lowlands festival in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands, scientists set up a unique pop-up research site inside a series of shipping container laboratories.

Instead of waiting for their favorite band, hundreds of festivalgoers lined up to volunteer for the "Mosquito Magnet Trial," a study designed to measure their personal attractiveness to the insects.

Inside the make-shift lab from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, groups of participants rested their arms against transparent acrylic boxes that had caged mosquitoes.

As the insects responded to the human scent, a camera and computer system recorded mosquito movements and calculated a unique attraction score for each person.

The study, which included over 500 volunteers, yielded a wide range of results, with some people sending mosquitoes scurrying to a sugar feeder while others became instant magnets.

The team's findings, published in a preliminary report at bioRxiv.org, reveal some surprising links between certain habits and mosquito attraction.

The researchers discovered that festival attendees who had recently consumed beer were 44% more attractive to mosquitoes than people who didn't, and recent cannabis users were also significantly more appealing to the insects.

Participants who had slept in close proximity to another person the previous night also registered a higher attraction score to the mighty little biters.

However, the team did find a simple way to fend off the tiny bloodsuckers. People who had applied sunscreen were about half as attractive to the mosquitoes as those who had not, suggesting a potential deterrent effect.

According to Felix Hol, a quantitative biologist who led the study at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, Netherlands, the public's eagerness to participate was a highlight of the project.

"You'd hear loud cheers when a score popped up on the scoreboard," Hol said in a news release, reflecting on the lively atmosphere. "I was really completely overwhelmed by the enthusiasm for the project and for science in general."

Hol cautioned that the findings should be interpreted with care, given the study's unconventional setting and the specific population of volunteers.

Unlike a traditional, highly-controlled lab environment, the festival's conditions introduced many variables. The researchers also noted that the study population—mostly young, camping-enthused attendees—may not be representative of the general public.

Despite these limitations, the study offers a fun and enlightening look at mosquito behavior and what might make people more or less susceptible to bites.

The results suggest that if you don't want to attract mosquitoes, "don't drink beer, don't smoke weed, don't sleep with people and put on your sunscreen," Hol said in the news release. As an alternative, "You can do whatever you want and put on long sleeves," he said.

 

 

The Life of Earth 

https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com

When is the First Day of Fall? Autumnal Equinox 2025

Written By: C. Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener, Sept. 10, 2025

 https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-fall-autumnal-equinox

 

Photo Credit Shairaa/Shutterstock

Facts, Folklore, and Everything You Need to Know About the Fall Equinox

Welcome, fall! The autumnal equinox—also called the September equinox or the fall equinox—arrives on Monday, September 22. Not only do temperatures drop, but plant life slows down, and so do we. Read about the first day of fall, plus some fun facts and folklore.

When Is the First Day of Fall 2025?

The fall equinox and the first day of autumn arrive on Monday, September 22, 2025, at 2:19 P.M. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. The equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide. Curious what time 2:19 P.M. EDT is where you live? Try our Time Zone Converter.

Autumnal Equinox Dates

 

Year Autumnal Equinox (Northern Hemisphere) Autumnal Equinox (Southern Hemisphere)2025 Monday, September 22 Thursday, March 20
2026 Tuesday, September 22 Friday, March 20
2027 Thursday, September 23 Saturday, March 20
2028 Friday, September 22 Sunday, March 19

Note: Dates listed above are based on Eastern Time (UTC-5). Due to time zones, the date of the equinox may differ by +/- one calendar day in your location.

What Is the Autumnal Equinox?

The autumnal equinox is an astronomical event that marks the start of autumn (or fall). In the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox occurs in September; in the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs in March. 

What Is an Equinox?

During an equinox, the Sun crosses what we call the “celestial equator”—an imaginary extension of Earth’s equator line into space. The equinox occurs precisely when the Sun’s center passes through this line.

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, when the Sun crosses the equator going from north to south, this marks the autumnal equinox; when it crosses from south to north, this marks the vernal equinox. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the reverse.

After the autumnal equinox, days become shorter than nights as the Sun continues to rise later and nightfall arrives earlier. This ends with the winter solstice, after which days start to grow longer once again.

The word “equinox” comes from the Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, “night.” On the equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length. (See more about this below.)

 

Foliage makes fall such a special season! 

The Harvest Moon and Its Connection to Fall

One of our favorite pieces of trivia surrounding the autumnal equinox involves its relationship with the full Moon. Curiously, the full Moon that occurs nearest to the autumnal equinox is always called the Harvest Moon. 

Why is that?

Surprise, surprise: the name has to do with farming! Around the fall equinox, the full Moon rises around sunset for several nights in a row, traditionally providing farmers with just enough light to finish their harvests before the killing hard frosts of fall set in.

Typically, the Moon rises about an hour later each night, but around the time of the fall equinox, the angle of the Moon’s orbit and the tilt of the Earth line up just right and cause the Moon to rise only about 20 to 30 minutes later each night for several nights in a row!

An Astronomical Moon Name

The Harvest Moon is one of only two Moon names that are astronomical terms and aren’t tied to one specific month. Because the full Moon nearest to the equinox is always called the Harvest Moon, either September’s or October’s full Moon can take on the name. (The other astronomical Moon name is the Hunter’s Moon, which is the full Moon that directly follows the Harvest Moon. It can occur in either October or November.)

Fall Foliage

Note that fall foliage isn’t due to current weather conditions. This is a common misconception. Leaves change color because of the amount of daylight and photosynthesis. Learn more about autumn leaves.

Foliage is one of the most beautiful signs of fall! 

Signs of Autumn: Nature, Weather, and Traditions

What are your local signs of fall? In many regions of the Northern Hemisphere, the landscape silently explodes with vibrant colors of red, yellow, and orange. The leaves begin to drop off the trees, providing endless hours of jumping into leaf piles for kids—and raking up for parents!

Trees snapping and cracking in the autumn indicate dry weather.

Fall also brings some wonderful holidays, including Halloween and Thanksgiving, which carry us through the season until temperatures begin to drop, nights begin to get longer, and all the woodland critters start storing up for the long haul of winter.

And don’t forget about the end of Daylight Saving Time, when we “fall” back, setting our clocks back 1 hour and regaining an hour of precious sleep!

Plants and trees are slowing down to get ready for the colder season ahead as sunlight decreases. In the garden, asters and chrysanthemums bloom beautifully as orange pumpkins and corn mazes abound.

Football season is warming up, and so is sweater weather.

Also, notice the arc of the Sun across the sky each day as it starts shifting south. Birds and butterflies migrate along the path of our Sun!

Of course, you can you can easily notice the later dawns and earlier sunsets. See our sunrise/set tool for your area!

 

Aster flowers 

 

Fall Weather

It is the summer’s great last heat,
It is the fall’s first chill: They meet.
–Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

Another definition of fall is: nights of below-freezing temperatures combined with days of temperatures below 70°F (21°C). From here on out, the temperatures begin to drop.

Ancient Autumn Equinox Celebrations Around the World

The fall equinox has been a day of celebration for cultures since ancient days, when people tracked the transitions of Earth’s journeys around the Sun.

At Machu Picchu in Peru, an ancient stone monument called Intihuatana—meaning “Hitching Post of the Sun”—serves as a solar clock to mark the dates of the equinoxes and solstices.

In Mexico, the Mayans built a giant pyramid called Chichén Itzá. On the equinoxes, the light looks like a snake slithering down the pyramid’s steps.

In England, Stonehenge was also built with the equinoxes and solstices in mind.

 

Fall Equinox FAQs

Q: Are Day and Night Perfectly Equal on the Equinox?

A: Some say that during an equinox, day and night are equal. Well, not exactly. It depends on where you live.

On the equinox, the center of the Sun is indeed above the horizon for 12 hours. However, sunrise is said to begin when the upper edge of the Sun’s disk becomes visible above the horizon (which happens a bit before the center rises) and ends when the entire Sun has set. In this case, daylight is still a bit longer than nighttime.

Not only that, but the Sun is actually visible when it is below the horizon, as Earth’s atmosphere refracts the Sun’s rays and bends them in an arc over the horizon. Yes, you can see the Sun before the edge actually reaches the horizon! This causes daylight to be longer than 12 hours as well.

However, they are very close to equal (the total lengths may differ by only a few minutes).

Did you know our rise/set tool now provides day length? In Dublin, New Hampshire, USA—home of The Old Farmer’s Almanac—our day length on the equinox is 12:08 hours.

See our Sunrise/set calculator for day length in YOUR area.

Q: Is the Autumnal Equinox Really the First Day of Fall?

A: Based on the astronomical definition of seasons, yes, the autumnal equinox does mark the first day of fall. Astronomical seasons are based on the Sun’s position in the sky. According to the meteorological definition of seasons, which is based on temperature cycles and the Gregorian calendar, the first day of fall is usually considered to be September 1 in the Northern Hemisphere (March 1 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Q: Can You Balance An Egg On the Equinox?

A: There’s a bit of folklore that says you can stand an egg on its end on the equinox. Well, yes, it’s true (and fun to try). But it’s possible not only on the equinox. 

Enjoy Autumn!

The Life of Earth

https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com

The Solar Wind Is Hiding Strange Particles That Could Rewrite Space Weather

By Southwest Research Inst., Sept. 19, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/the-solar-wind-is-hiding-strange-particles-that-could-rewrite-space-weather/ 

 

This illustration shows Earth’s magnetosphere interacting with the solar wind. The magnetosphere shields the Earth from harmful solar and cosmic radiation.
Credit: NASA

Data may challenge and reshape current models of solar wind evolution.

A recent study led by Dr. Michael Starkey of the Southwest Research Institute has delivered the first observational evidence from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission of pickup ions (PUIs) and their related wave activity in the solar wind near Earth. NASA launched the MMS mission in 2015, deploying four spacecraft to study Earth’s magnetosphere, the magnetic field that protects the planet from harmful solar and cosmic radiation.
Formation and behavior of PUIs

PUIs are created when neutral particles traveling through the heliosphere become ionized by the solar wind. Once ionized, they are carried along with the solar wind and spiral around the local magnetic field, forming a plasma population with properties that differ from the standard solar wind particles.

In this study, PUIs displayed a characteristic velocity distribution, without the presence of other significant energetic ion or electron populations. Evidence of wave activity was identified using MMS magnetic field measurements, combined with theoretical predictions of expected wave growth modes based on models of the observed PUIs.

“The results of this study indicate that PUIs can in fact generate waves in the solar wind near Earth and motivate the need for further statistical studies of these processes,” Starkey said. “It may be that PUIs play a larger role in the heating and thermalization of the solar wind near Earth than previously 
thought, which would have large implications for models of the solar wind throughout the heliosphere.”

Modeling plasma populations

By modeling the individual ion components (solar wind and PUIs), the authors identified which populations could be responsible for the observed wave activity. They concluded that the observed waves were likely generated by helium and/or hydrogen PUIs, but due to instrument limitations, they were unable to pinpoint the precise ion species responsible.

At farther distances from the Sun, the relative density of PUIs in the solar wind increases, which increases their contribution toward the heating and thermalization of the solar wind through wave-particle interactions. At the outer edges of the solar system, PUIs contribute significantly to the total dynamic pressure in the solar wind, which has large implications for physical processes taking place at the termination shock and in the heliosheath. 

“Near Earth, the intensity of PUIs is relatively low, and so it is typically assumed that their contribution to wave-particle interactions in the solar wind is negligible,” Starkey added. “If this assumption is false, current theory and modeling of the solar wind and its evolution throughout the heliosphere would need to be updated.”

 

  

The Life of Earth 

https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com

New Lensless Camera Sees in 3D Using Ancient Pinhole Tech

By Optica, Sept. 19, 2025

 https://scitechdaily.com/new-lensless-camera-sees-in-3d-using-ancient-pinhole-tech/

 

Researchers use laser light to form a tiny “optical pinhole” inside a nonlinear crystal, which also turns the infrared image into a visible image that a traditional silicon-based camera sensor can detect. With this setup, the researchers captured clear, wide-depth images without using any lenses, even in very low light.
Credit: Kun Huang, East China Normal University

A lens-free system produces sharp mid-infrared images even in low light and over long distances, creating new opportunities for improved night vision, industrial inspections, and environmental monitoring.

Drawing on the centuries-old principle of pinhole imaging, researchers have developed a high-performance mid-infrared imaging system that operates without lenses. This new camera is capable of producing exceptionally sharp images across a wide range of distances and under low-light conditions, making it suitable for environments where conventional cameras often struggle.

“Many useful signals are in the mid-infrared, such as heat and molecular fingerprints, but cameras working at these wavelengths are often noisy, expensive, or require cooling,” said research team leader Heping Zeng from East China Normal University. “Moreover, traditional lens-based setups have a limited depth of field and need careful design to minimize optical distortions. We developed a high-sensitivity, lens-free approach that delivers a much larger depth of field and field of view than other systems.”

In a paper published in the journal Optica, the team outlines how they use light to create a tiny “optical pinhole” inside a nonlinear crystal. This crystal also converts the infrared image into a visible one. With this technique, they produced clear mid-infrared images featuring a depth of field greater than 35 cm and a field of view exceeding 6 cm. The same setup also allowed them to capture 3D images.

“This approach can enhance night-time safety, industrial quality control, and environmental monitoring,” said research team member Kun Huang from East China Normal University. “And because it uses simpler optics and standard silicon sensors, it could eventually make infrared imaging systems more affordable, portable, and energy efficient. It can even be applied with other spectral bands such as the far-infrared or terahertz wavelengths, where lenses are hard to make or perform poorly.”

Pinhole imaging reimagined 

Pinhole imaging is one of the earliest known methods for creating images, first described by the Chinese philosopher Mozi in the 4th century BC. In a traditional pinhole camera, light enters through a tiny opening in a sealed box and projects an inverted image of the outside scene onto the inner surface opposite the hole. Unlike systems that rely on lenses, pinhole imaging does not suffer from distortion, offers unlimited depth of field, and functions across a broad spectrum of wavelengths.

To adapt these benefits for modern infrared imaging, the research team used a powerful laser to generate an “optical hole,” or artificial aperture, within a nonlinear crystal. Thanks to the crystal’s unique optical properties, the infrared image is converted into visible light, enabling it to be captured by a conventional silicon camera.

According to the researchers, a specially engineered crystal with a chirped-period structure—capable of accepting light from many different angles—was crucial to creating a wide field of view. In addition, the upconversion detection method naturally reduces noise, allowing the system to perform effectively even under very low light conditions.

“Lensless nonlinear pinhole imaging is a practical way to achieve distortion-free, large-depth, wide-field-of-view mid-infrared imaging with high sensitivity,” said Huang. “The ultrashort synchronized laser pulses also provide a built-in ultrafast optical time gate that can be used for sensitive, time-of-flight depth imaging, even with very few photons.”

After figuring out that an optical pinhole radius of about 0.20 mm produced sharp, well-defined details, the researchers used this aperture size to image targets that were 11 cm, 15 cm, and 19 cm away. They achieved sharp imaging at the mid-infrared wavelength of 3.07 μm, across all the distances, confirming a large depth range. They were also able to keep images sharp for objects placed up to 35 cm away, demonstrating a large depth of field. 

3D imaging without lenses

The investigators then used their setup for two types of 3D imaging. For 3D time-of-flight imaging, they imaged a matte ceramic rabbit by using synchronized ultrafast pulses as an optical gate and were able to reconstruct the 3D shape with micron-level axial precision. Even when the input was reduced to about 1.5 photons per pulse — simulating very low-light conditions — the method still produced 3D images after correlation-based denoising.

They also performed two-snapshot depth imaging by taking two pictures of a stacked “ECNU” target at slightly different object distances and using those to calculate the true sizes and depths. With this method, they were able to measure the depth of the objects over a range of about 6 centimeters, without using complex pulsed timing techniques.

The researchers note that the mid-infrared nonlinear pinhole imaging system is still a proof-of-concept that requires a relatively complex and bulky laser setup. However, as new nonlinear materials and integrated light sources are developed, the technology should become far more compact and easier to deploy.

They are now working to make the system faster, more sensitive, and adaptable to different imaging scenarios. Their plans include boosting conversion efficiency, adding dynamic control to reshape the optical pinhole for different scenes, and extending the camera’s operation across a wider mid-infrared range.

 

 

 

The Birth of Modern Man 

https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com

'When people gather in groups, bizarre behaviors often emerge': How the rise of online social networks has catapulted dysfunctional thinking

By F. Seeme, D. Green, C. Kopp, Sept. 17, 2025

https://www.livescience.com/human-behavior/when-people-gather-in-groups-bizarre-behaviors-often-emerge-how-the-rise-of-online-social-networks-has-catapulted-dysfunctional-thinking-opinion

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people started attacking 4G and 5G over the false belief radio-frequency emissions was causing the disease.

 (Image credit: Busà Photography/Getty Images) 

The pervasive spread of misinformation can be tracked to cognitive limitations, social influence and the global spread of online networks. Combatting it has become an "arms race" between truth and lies.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, a bizarre conspiracy theory swept through global social media: that the disease was caused by radio-frequency emissions from 5G cell phone towers. The wild theories spread across social media platforms. The belief in this conspiracy was so fervent that the media reported more than 100 incidents of arson and vandalism against 5G (and 4G) infrastructure, as well as numerous instances of abusive or threatening behavior against telecommunications workers.

Why do bizarre events like this happen? In our recent review article, published May 19 in the journal Frontiers in Communication, we showed that conspiracy theories and other widespread incorrect beliefs emerge from complex interactions involving people's cognitive limitations, social influence in groups, and the global-scale spread of ideas across social networks.

This fatal combination of processes at different scales — individual, group and global — has led to the online problems we are seeing today. Their complexity makes the resulting social trends incredibly difficult to combat.

Primed for poor thinking and bizarre group behaviors

The root cause of poor thinking lies in our evolution. Our ability to cope with complex information is limited, so our brains take shortcuts, such as confirmation bias — the tendency to notice things that match our preexisting beliefs and ignore those that don't. For example, we quickly forget waiting in a fast queue but remember how annoying a slow queue is, and ask, "Why am I always in the slow queue?"

Another symptom of our inability to cope with complexity is the tendency to see malicious intent in complex, unexplained events. This tendency has planted the seeds for much injustice, from witch hunts to conspiracy theories. The reality is that unexpected events and behaviors often emerge through networks of interactions, without any conscious prompting.

When people gather in groups, bizarre behaviors often emerge. Like epidemics, false beliefs can spread from person to person. Were you ever afraid to ask a question in class? You think everyone else understands, and you don't want to look stupid, but sometimes, no one understands. Known as pluralistic ignorance, this problem underlies many social problems. For instance, people who are usually helpful often become passive bystanders in the presence of others and fail to help a victim.

A similar problem is groupthink: Everyone stops voicing their own opinion because they want to protect the reputation of their group, even if they disagree, and blindly follow the leader. Groupthink was implicated in many famous calamities, including the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Another problem with potentially disastrous consequences is polarization, where a group splits into two camps with mutually opposed, irreconcilable viewpoints that become increasingly separated over time.

Pluralistic ignorance, groupthink and polarization are all known to be "emergent" effects that arise naturally under suitable conditions. This self-organizing behavior of groups is often not understood, and frequently attributed to other causes. It is also why governments, media and public are often caught by surprise when groups suddenly emerge promoting strange agendas.

The above group behaviors emerge spontaneously when individual failures in cognition interact and lead to dysfunctional group behaviours. They are driven by a deep social drive for safety in a group. This fuels errors in the way we think and leads people to take the "safe" route and follow the crowd.

Rapid spread of extremist views

The problem today is that what in the past would have been the whisper of a few voices now has the potential to ignite widespread mayhem. Imagine living in a traditional village, hundreds of years ago. It's a small world. Ideas spread by word of mouth from person to person. They move outward very slowly, when visitors move from village to village. Even today, we still inhabit many kinds of "villages" — family, neighbors, colleagues, friends — and ideas spread as we move between groups.

The advent of mass media has given some people a far wider reach than ever before. It has aided propaganda while also amplifying extreme views. On the internet, groups of people are connected, irrespective of geographical distance, so individual views can be reinforced by large supporting groups.

Communities of like-minded people emerge via social media. This includes the rapid spread of extremist views and conspiracy theories. Connecting individuals with extreme views via social media allows very large groups to share malign views. Bizarre behaviors, like the 5G sabotage mentioned above, can surface, often very quickly.
 

The truth can't compete with lies

Why do deceptive messages spread well? They can be designed to seduce audiences by exploiting known cognitive biases. This technique is widely used in politically polarized media, social media and biased fact-checking. It exploits confirmation bias and motivated cognition. Truthful messages simply cannot compete with customized fakes.

Another well-known cause is the spreading behavior of social networks, especially when connected by very fast and pervasive digital networks. Studies have found that deceptive messages usually spread in a manner that resembles the models used by epidemiologists in medicine. Social media "influencers" often become "super-spreaders" of false and misleading content.

The above behavior suggests that authorities might suppress the spread of deceptive messages by treating them like epidemics. These are typically defeated by taking three steps: Suppress the source, limit the spread, and increase the immunity of the exposed population. If the pathogen is digital, this suggests blocking or de-platforming creators and spreaders of malign messages, filtering malign content on media platforms, and educating or training audiences to reject malign content.

This is easier said than done.

No way out

Creators and spreaders will leverage freedom of speech legislation, and/or migrate between platforms and media types. Meanwhile, audiences may persist in believing malign nonsense and are prone over time to forget what they are taught. Unfortunately, there is an immense diversity of ways to spread malicious messages.

The world is now confronted with the prospect of a perpetual "arms race" in tactics and technology between purveyors of propaganda and nonsense, and people trying to tell the truth, with audiences that frequently do not know enough to care about the differences between fiction and fact.

Communities that choose not to play in this "arms race" will be inundated with falsehoods and suffer increasing social discord as consensus on any issue of community concern will be disrupted to the point of paralysis. Communities that choose to confront malign actors will have to invest time and resources to play in the "arms race" and attempt to prevent or manage unwanted damage effects.

There is no simple panacea solution: expecting to find one is wishful thinking.

 

 

 The birth of modern Man 

https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com