Cafeteria food swaps

Although intention is important, my experience is that many people would like to contribute more to reducing climate change but are either blocked by system barriers or balancing competing priorities. I was definitely interested therefore in a research study that investigated how combining different menu options impacted overall emissions. Flynn and colleagues (2025) looked at the meal options in a UK university cafeteria.

http://connectingwithscience.org/2026/03/03/cafeteria-food-swaps/

Climate impacts of sports

The climate impacts of the sports I do are a frequent concern for me. I depend on the weather to do most of my sports. Therefore, the fact that my doing those sports also contributes to emissions and climate change leaves me conflicted. Being active in inclement weather requires more gear so that I can dress appropriately. Then there's the travel.

http://connectingwithscience.org/2026/02/17/climate-impacts-of-sports/

Listen to a podcast about happiness

I just finished listening to an episode of the podcast Ologies with Alie Ward and I honestly think the best use of my post this week is to recommend that you listen to it. The episode is Eudemonology (Happiness) with Dr. Laurie Santos. Given the times we are living in paying attention to how our brains don't crave what we need and hearing the science that says we can develop our optimism, not to mention having it put into perspective…

http://connectingwithscience.org/2026/02/03/listen-to-a-podcast-about-happiness/

Wildlife detection dogs

I listened to an episode of the podcast Ologies on Eco-odorology or science sniffing dogs, and became interested in learning more. They do touch on some of this in the podcast as well if you're interested in this topic. I was curious about the actual success compared to other methods and the breeds used. The guest on the podcast uses all rescue dogs, which I think is awesome.

http://connectingwithscience.org/2026/01/20/wildlife-detection-dogs/

The worldwide system of nitrogen

Systems thinking is a way of looking at things that recognizes the importance of interactions between parts. It is often contrasted with reductionism where the assumption is if we learn about the parts we can put the parts together to understand the whole. The study I found today is a clear example of why we need more systems thinking. Zheng and colleagues (2025) did a meta analysis of 30 years worth of studies from across the globe.

http://connectingwithscience.org/2026/01/13/the-worldwide-system-of-nitrogen/

Traditional management outperforms national protection

I'm really interested in the efficacy of traditional land and population management. There is quite a bit of evidence that First Nations and Indigenous communities have engaged in land and species management for centuries. This was actively prevented during colonization. As a result, declining population numbers and biodiversity arise from a combination of factors including both removal of traditional management…

http://connectingwithscience.org/2025/12/30/traditional-management-outperforms-national-protection/

Could school lunches help with sustainability?

Yes. Okay, there's more to say but that's the short answer. Providing school lunches to every kid on the planet could result in substantial improvements in global health and environmental benefits. Springman and colleagues (2025) modelled what would happen if every school age child in the world was provided with a healthy meal that followed guidelines for sustainable diets. Their findings are worth looking at.

http://connectingwithscience.org/2025/12/23/could-school-lunches-help-with-sustainability/

Is anyone else annoyed by fossil fuel companies advertising how green they are?

I admit that I get really irritated when I hear the ads from fossil fuel companies claiming that they are engaging in all these activities for a sustainable future. Ones like carbon capture and storage have not come close to meeting the need and others like hydrogen pipelines serve to maintain fossil fuel infrastructure "in the meantime." This makes it possible to delay transition,…

http://connectingwithscience.org/2025/12/16/is-anyone-else-annoyed-by-fossil-fuel-companies-advertising-how-green-they-are/

Oysters on drugs

When I used to teach invertebrate zoology, I found a surprising number of studies where they exposed different invertebrates to different drugs. My favourite was the spiders on drugs. You can search it and find images of the webs they built after exposure to different drugs. Today, an article popped up about oyster larvae and drugs, so, of course, I read it.

http://connectingwithscience.org/2025/12/09/oysters-on-drugs/

VR and phobias

I have arachnophobia (fear of spiders). I've been working on it because I know it doesn't make sense, and I would like to travel to some locations with more significant spiders without being terrified all the time that I will run into a spider. Therefore, I'm always intrigued by discussions of ways to help people overcome their phobias. But, I'm also skeptical.

http://connectingwithscience.org/2025/11/25/vr-and-phobias/