Spectral responses of the human circadian system depend on the irradiance and duration of exposure to light

10.1126/scitranslmed.3000741Science Translational Medicine23131ra33

Endangered Species Act listing: three case studies of data deficiencies and consequences of ESA 'threatened' listing on research output

Determining whether a species warrants listing as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act depends on the government's assessment of the species' extinction risk, usually in response to a petition. Deciding whether data are sufficient to make a listing determination is a challenging part of the process. We examined three case studies involving corals. A petition for deep-sea corals was rejected for full status review of the species, based on insufficient information on population trends and threats. Information on threats for 82 tropical corals was sufficient to propose listing of 66 species. Significant population declines and identified threats resulted in listing two Atlantic Acropora corals as 'Threatened'. There was no decrease in journal publication rate on the Acropora species after that listing, and no decrease in research permit applications in marine protected areas. However, the effects of listings on research that might help to sustain or recover species remains largely unknown

Monetary union and the economic geography of Europe

Monetary union is likely to change the spatial structure of economic activity in the EU. This article reviews what is known about these effects and discusses the implications for EMU. We argue that EMU is likely to promote a modest increase in specialization amongst EU countries, although industry-specific shocks are sufficiently small for this not to pose further difficulties for macroeconomic management. Improvements in market access are likely to raise income levels in insiders relative to outsiders. Taking a very long-term view, the urban structure of the EU might be expected to become more polarized, developing a steeper size distribution

Reconciling Tourism Development and Conservation Outcomes Through Marine Spatial Planning for a Saudi Giga-Project in the Red Sea (The Red Sea Project, Vision 2030)

The Red Sea Project (TRSP) is a development that extends over 28,000 km2 along the shores of the Red Sea that will progress to become a sustainable luxury tourism destination on the west coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The destination incorporates the Al Wajh lagoon, a pristine 2,081 km2 area that includes 92 islands with valuable habitats (coral reefs, seagrass, and mangroves) and species of global conservation importance. The Red Sea Development Company, responsible for the execution of TRSP, has committed to achieve a net-positive impact on biodiversity while developing the site for sustainable tourism. This requires reaching conservation outcomes superior to those of a “business as usual” scenario for an undeveloped site. After careful optimization of the development plans to explore every opportunity to avoid impacts, we applied marine spatial planning to optimize the conservation of the Al Wajh lagoon in the presence of development. We subsequently tested five conservation scenarios (excluding and including development) using Marxan, a suite of tools designed to identify priority areas for protection on the basis of prescribed conservation objectives. We succeeded in creating a three-layer conservation zoning, achieving conservation outcomes as those possible in the “business as usual” scenario. Subsequently, we designed additional actions to remove existing pressures and generate net positive conservation outcomes. The results demonstrate that careful design and planning could potentially allow coastal development to enhance, rather than jeopardize, conservation. © Copyright © 2020 Chalastani, Manetos, Al-Suwailem, Hale, Vijayan, Pagano, Williamson, Henshaw, Albaseet, Butt, Brainard, Coccossis, Tsoukala and Duarte

Directed interactions between visual areas and their role in processing image structure and expectancy

Salazar RF, Konig P, Kayser C. Directed interactions between visual areas and their role in processing image structure and expectancy. Eur J Neurosci. 2004;20(5):1391-401