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    News — nature

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    See the Wind and Shadows

    The cottonwood seeds blow like snowflakes and leaves, dancing in the wind, showing the curves and eddies.   Also, when near a lake or flat area of a river, I can see the tracks the wind makes on the water.  "Cats paws"  they are called. You can see the lower parts of gusts laying tracks on the water.  When messing about in small boats  (sailboats, canoes, rowboats, windsurfers, paddleboards, rafts,...), your can seen the wind coming to you. 

    In the winter under a streetlight, you can see the shadow of the each snowflake rushing to join the snowflake as it hits the ground.  In the summer, you can see your bicycling shadow cast onto the 3-d background of the bushes, grasses, and trees.  When I hike near sunset, I see my shadow cast from me on down the mountainside ridge down onto trees on the slopes below.  Because the sun is a large sphere, not a single point source, when you look at shadow of branches onto the ground or snow, the shadow has sharp edges when the branch casting the shadow is near to the grouond.  But when it is highe , the edges of the shadow are blurrier, as different parts of the sun are casting different parts of the shadow edge.  It is similar when you look at an solar eclipse shadow- the shadow cast by small holes like a from a colander  are sharp when you hold the colander near a piece of paper and blurry when you hold the paper away from the colander.  

    Being Out in Nature Makes Us Healthy

    Trees give off anti-microbial compounds. People exercise and socialize out in wild places. "It reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, and preterm birth, and increases sleep duration."

    https://www.treehugger.com/health/huge-study-confirms-significant-health-benefits-nature.html

    Being in Wild Places Reduces Stress

    George Wuerthner sent out this

    Abstract: A growing number of studies have shown that visiting green spaces and being exposed to natural environments can reduce psychological stress. A number of questions concerning the effects of natural environments on levels of stress remain including, “Are activities engaged in natural environments more or less beneficial at reducing stress when compared to those done in more urban settings?” This study examined this question from the perspective of “levels of nature”. That is, data on levels of stress were collected from three sites, one site having wilderness-like characteristics, a second site representing a municipal-type park, and a third site representing a built environment (indoor exercise facility) within a city. Data were generated using biophysical markers (cortisol and amylase) and a psychological measure within a pre- and post-visit format. Findings suggest that visiting natural environments can be beneficial in reducing both physical and psychological stress levels, with visitors to a natural environment reporting significantly lower levels of stress than their counterparts visiting a more urbanized outdoor setting or indoor exercise facility. Keywords: biomarkers; human health; natural environments; psychological stress.
    Levels of Nature and Stress Response Alan Ewert 1,* ID and Yun Chang 2 ID 1 School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA 2 School of Kinesiology and Recreation, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA; ychan12@ilstu.edu * Correspondence: aewert@indiana.edu; Tel.: +1-812-855-8116 Received: 2 May 2018; Accepted: 14 May 2018; Published: 17 May 2018

    Neat Poem About Listening to Nature

    Here is a poem by Kristen Marshall. She is an active volunteer in the Boulder Rights of Nature group. Link Every Thursday she used to visit a sick friend, and make him pancakes. She often walks to get places. She would volunteer for the community bookstore. http://www.boulderweekly.com/entertainment/words/still-life/