Lockdowns

How Wild Animals Actually Responded to Our COVID LockdownsThe COVID lockdowns and the subsequent reemergence of humans had some surprising effects on wildlife beyond “nature is healing” tropesBy Douglas MainA pair of male mule deer camera trapped in Cathedral Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. Credit: Cole Burton/UBC WildCoWhen the COVID pandemic hit British Columbia in spring 2020, Golden Ears Provincial Park closed its doors to visitors. No longer could hikers explore its hemlock forests or canoe in its lakes,…

A recent study explores the dynamics of nonpharmaceutical interventions in pandemic management, revealing how minor changes can significantly affect the optimal strategy.New research highlights the fine balance between health and economic strategies in pandemic response, introducing an innovative approach that adapts to changing virus dynamics.The COVID-19 pandemic raised questions about when and to what extent costly nonpharmaceutical interventions (e.g., lockdowns) should be used to slow the contagious spread of the…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Intelligent tutoring systems for math problems helped pupils remain or even increase their performance during the pandemic. This is the conclusion of a new study led by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and Loughborough University in the U.K. As part of their work, the researchers analyzed data from…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Ph.D. candidate Ludovico Napoli and Associate Professor Márton Karsai from the Department of Network and Data Science at Central European University (CEU) recently published a paper titled "Socioeconomic reorganization of communication and mobility networks in response to external shocks" in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). This collaborative effort with UNICEF and…

During COVID lockdowns, cougars were seen wandering through Santiago, Chile.Human behavior changed dramatically during lockdowns in the first months of the global <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>COVID-19</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>First identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China, COVID-19, or Coronavirus disease 2019, (which was originally called &quot;2019 novel coronavirus&quot; or 2019-nCoV) is an…

A recent study found that COVID-19 lockdowns dramatically influenced mammalian movement behaviors. In strict lockdown areas, animals traveled 73% farther and moved 36% closer to roadways, indicating a decrease in fear of human presence or traffic. These findings underscore the impact of human activity on wildlife and offer insights for future conservation efforts.A new study indicates that the reduced traffic and human mobility during the 2020 <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt"…

A new study suggests that regular diagnostic testing and self-isolation could be more effective in managing infectious diseases like COVID-19 than large-scale closures such as schools and businesses. The study, which incorporates the concept of “superspreading,” indicates that an optimized strategy of random testing combined with voluntary self-isolation can provide higher net benefits across various conditions, especially when compared to physical distancing mandates.A new study from the University of Wyoming suggests…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A history of participating in campus recreational sports can offset stress and contribute to academic competence even during high-stress periods such as a pandemic lockdown, shows a new study. Researchers at the University of Waterloo found that participation in activities such as fitness classes…

A recent study from the University of Waterloo reveals that prior involvement in campus recreational sports can reduce stress and boost academic competence, even during high-stress situations like pandemic lockdowns. The research found that pre-pandemic participation in fitness classes, intramural, and drop-in sports led to decreased stress levels and increased perceived competence in managing challenges and schoolwork during lockdown.A history of participating in campus recreational sports can offset stress and…

Empty Times Square during the pandemic. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The lockdowns at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic reduced the spread of infection by an estimated 56%, a recent study has found. If all governors did not issue any lockdowns until April 23, 2020, the number of cases would have been five times higher by April 30, 2020, the study asserts. …