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Researchers looked at trust in scientists in 68 countries and found relatively high levels of trust everywhere The TISP Many Labs study of 71,922 people included those living in under-researched nations of the Global South The majority of survey participants believe that scientists should be more involved in society and policymaking. Public trust in scientists is still high, according to a survey carried out in 68 countries by an international team of 241 researchers, led by Dr Viktoria Cologna (Harvard University, ETH Zurich) and Dr Niels Mede (University of Zurich). The study found no evidence of the oft-repeated claim of a crisis of trust in science. The team, which included Aston University School of Psychology’s Dr James Reynolds and Dr Charlotte Pennington, also found that the majority of survey participants believed that scientists should be more involved in society and policymaking. This study is the result of the Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism (TISP) Many Labs study, a collaborative effort that allowed the authors to survey 71,922 people in 68 countries, including many under-researched countries in the ‘Global South’. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the study provides global, representative survey data on the populations and regions of the world in which researchers are perceived to be most trustworthy, the extent to which they should engage with the public and whether science is prioritising important research issues. Dr Mede said: “The study is the most comprehensive post-pandemic snapshot of trust in scientists, societal expectations of their involvement in society and policymaking and public views on research priorities.” Across 68 countries, the study finds that the majority of the public has a relatively high level of trust in scientists (mean trust level = 3.62, on a scale of 1 = very low trust to 5 = very high trust). The majority of respondents also perceive scientists as qualified (78%), honest (57%) and concerned about people’s wellbeing (56%). However, the results also reveal some areas of concern. Globally, less than half of respondents (42%) believe that scientists pay attention to the views of others. Additionally, many people felt that the priorities of science are not always well-aligned with their own priorities. The researchers call upon scientists to take the results seriously and find ways to be more receptive to feedback and more open to dialogue. The findings confirm the results of previous studies that show significant differences between countries and population groups. In particular, people with right-wing political views in Western countries tend to have less trust in scientists than those with left-wing views. This suggests that attitudes toward science tend to polarise along political lines. In most countries, however, political orientation and trust in scientists were not related. A majority of respondents want science to play an active role in society and policymaking. Globally, 83% of respondents believe that scientists should communicate with the public about science, providing an impetus for increased science communication efforts. Only a minority (23%) believe that scientists should not actively advocate for specific policies. 52% believe that scientists should be more involved in the policymaking process. Participants gave high priority to research to improve public health, solve energy problems and reduce poverty. On the other hand, research to develop defence and military technology was given a lower priority. In fact, participants explicitly believe that science is prioritising the development of defence and military technology more than they would like, highlighting a potential misalignment between public and scientific priorities. Dr Cologna said: “Our results show that most people in most countries have relatively high trust in scientists and want them to play an active role in society and policymaking”. Dr Reynolds, a senior lecturer at Aston University School of Psychology, said: “This research demonstrates that people from all around the globe still have high trust in science and want scientists involved in policymaking. When we face great challenges, such as threats to public health or energy crises, the public recognise the importance that scientists can play and want us involved. This is also true of the UK where levels of public trust in science is one of the highest globally.” Dr Pennington, a senior lecturer at Aston University School of Psychology, said: “This project showcases the importance and power of big team science to answer fundamental questions about human behaviour. By pooling our expertise and resources, we were able to reach over 70,000 people and improve sample diversity and representation by recruiting from 68 countries. Overall, the study resulted in an optimistic finding – that people generally trust scientists and agree that they should engage more in society and policymaking. Such trust is important because it allows people to make research-informed decisions about their own lives.” Find out more about the research in Nature Human Behaviour by visiting https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02090-5.
The Staff Wellbeing (SWell) project was carried out in conjunction with Birmingham Children’s Hospital and NHS England Paediatric critical care (PCC) staff experience high levels of moral distress, post-traumatic stress disorder and burnout Two simple, low-resource wellbeing sessions can be delivered by staff for staff without specialist training. The Staff Wellbeing (SWell) project, led by Aston University researchers in collaboration with Birmingham Children’s Hospital and NHS England, has developed two simple, easy-to-deliver sessions to improve the wellbeing of staff in paediatric critical care (PCC) units in UK hospitals. PCC staff are known to experience high levels of moral distress, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and burnout, but often feel little is offered to help them with their mental health. The SWell team at Aston University, led by Professor Rachel Shaw from the Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, realised following a literature review that there are no existing, evidence-based interventions specifically designed to improve PCC staff wellbeing. Initial work by SWell identified the ‘active ingredients’ likely to create successful intervention designs. Together with a team from NHS England, the Aston University researchers set up the SWell Collaborative Project: Interventions for Staff Wellbeing in Paediatric Critical Care, in PCC units across England and Scotland. The aim of the project was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of implementing wellbeing interventions for staff working in PCC in UK hospitals. In total, 14 of the 28 UK PCC units were involved. One hundred and four intervention sessions were run, attended by 573 individuals. Professor Shaw said: “The significance of healthcare staff wellbeing was brought to the surface during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s a problem that has existed far longer than that. As far as we could see researchers had focused on measuring the extent of the problem rather than coming up with possible solutions. The SWell project was initiated to understand the challenges to wellbeing when working in paediatric critical care, to determine what staff in that high-pressure environment need, and what could actually work day-to-day to make a difference. Seeing PCC staff across half the paediatric critical care units in the UK show such enthusiasm and commitment to make the SWell interventions a success has been one of the proudest experiences in my academic career to date.” The two wellbeing sessions tested are low-resource and low-intensity, and can be delivered by staff for staff without any specialist qualifications. In the session ‘Wellbeing Images’, a small group of staff is shown images representing wellbeing, with a facilitated discussion using appreciative inquiry - a way of structuring discussions to create positive change in a system or situation by focusing on what works well, rather than what is wrong. In the ‘Mad-Sad-Glad’ session, another small group reflective session, participants explore what makes them feel mad, sad and glad, and identify positive actions to resolve any issues raised. The key ingredients in both sessions are social support – providing a psychologically safe space where staff can share their sensitive experiences and emotions without judgement, providing support for each other; self-belief – boosting staff’s self-confidence and ability to identify and express their emotions in response to work; and feedback and monitoring – encouraging staff to monitor what increases their stress, when they experience challenging emotions, and what might help boost their wellbeing in those scenarios. Feedback from staff both running and participating in the SWell interventions was very positive, with high satisfaction and feasibility ratings. Participants like that the session facilitated open and honest discussions, provided opportunities to connect with colleagues and offered opportunities for generating solutions and support. One hospital staff member responsible for delivering the sessions said: “Our staff engaged really well, and it created a buzz around the unit with members of the team asking if they could be ‘swelled' on shift. A really positive experience and we are keeping it as part of our staff wellbeing package.” The team concluded that even on busy PCC units, it is feasible to deliver SWell sessions. In addition, following the sessions, staff wellbeing and depression scores improved, indicating their likely positive impact on staff. Further evaluations are needed to determine whether positive changes can be sustained over time following the SWell sessions. The work was funded by Aston University Proof of Concept Fund and NHS England. Donna Austin, an advanced critical care practitioner at University Hospital Southampton paediatric intensive care unit, said: “We were relatively new to implementing wellbeing initiatives, but we recognised the need for measures to be put in place for an improvement in staff wellbeing, as staff had described burnout, stress and poor mood. SWell has enabled our unit to become more acutely aware of the needs of the workforce and adapt what we deliver to suit the needs of the staff where possible. Staff morale and retention has been the greatest outcomes from us participating in the SWell study and ongoing SWell related interventions.” Read the paper about the SWell interventions in the journal Nursing in Critical Care at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nicc.13228. For more information about SWell, visit the website.
Florida Tech’s Pallav Ray Seeks to Improve Accuracy of Rainfall Predictions During Monsoon Season
Growing up in Kolkata, India, Pallav Ray recalls hot spring days leading up to summer’s monsoon season. Temperatures sat above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), rarely falling below that. When it rained, however, that’s when he could find relief – often by walking barefoot on the cool ground. Now an associate professor of ocean engineering and marine sciences at Florida Tech, Ray studies tropical climate dynamics and their variability using observations, models and theory. His paper, “Rain‐Induced Surface Sensible Heat Flux Reduces Monsoonal Rainfall Over India,” was published in Geophysical Research Letters and highlights research he said was inspired by his childhood in India’s hot climate. His research, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), found that including a variable that is often neglected by climate models could improve the accuracy of rainfall predictions. In turn, that could help agriculture industries better prepare for regional irrigation and flooding during monsoon season. Ray’s climate modeling research spans across the globe, from India, to Chicago, Ill., and most recently the Indo-Pacific Maritime Continent archipelago, which includes countries such as Indonesia and New Guinea. The variable, notated as “Qp,” represents precipitation-induced sensible heat flux, which is a component of surface energy that influences precipitation. It essentially accounts for how precipitation cools land surface temperatures. Qp is calculated using a formula accounting for the specific heat of rainwater, density of rainwater, the rate of rain, surface temperature and the temperature of raindrops when they hit the surface. This variable is important, Ray explained, because the temperature of raindrops is typically cooler than the temperature of the surface, so when it rains, the surface cools down. During monsoon season, land is warm and the ocean is cooler, which pushes moist air from the ocean to the land. The higher the temperature difference between the land and the ocean, the stronger the monsoon because it brings more moisture, Ray explained. In testing Qp, Ray and his team of researchers ran simulations investigating the variable’s role on precipitation. They found that when incorporating it, not only is anticipated precipitation reduced by up to 5% – which he says is a significant reduction – but the models also reflect changes in the spatial distribution of precipitation. “The moment we include that term, it cools down the surface, land surface. The temperature difference is smaller between the land and the ocean,” Ray said. “That reduces the overall precipitation overland because now less moisture is coming from the ocean.” In India, Ray explained, most models, overestimate precipitation. His results generated predictions that were much closer to observed rainfall. He says that inclusion of this variable in common climate models could influence India’s regional agriculture and irrigation strategies. According to Ray, rainfall is closely tied to the India’s industries, especially agriculture. He said the variable may have the greatest impact on seasonal rainfall predictions, which happen months in advance and determine how the country approaches its agricultural practices. Policymakers rely on seasonal rainfall predictions to anticipate and plan for summer monsoons, and the money allocated to deal with excess rainfall is “tremendous,” he said. “If you can do a seasonal prediction a few months in advance and your precipitation actually changed by 5%, it’ll change whether you’ll have an excess year versus you’ll have a deficit year,” Ray said. “I think that’s where the main, major impact is.” In his future research, Ray would like to explore how Qp would impact climate models over urban areas here in Florida. If you're interested in learning more about predicting monsoons and the other fascinating research Pallav Ray is doing at Florida Tech - simply contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.
Nona’s Story: HomeHealth Nurse Visit Leads to Life-Saving Care
Elena Gomez, RN, wears the dark blue scrubs of a ChristianaCare nurse, but Nona Lerza sees her as even more. “I call you an angel,” said Lerza, who credits Gomez with saving her life. Gomez, a ChristianaCare HomeHealth case manager, regularly visited Lerza, at her home in Middletown, Delaware, to check her blood pressure after a hospitalization. One day in February, with bad weather on the horizon, Gomez phoned Lerza to see if she could stop by for a check-in. That call – and Gomez’s persistence – turned out to be lifesaving. During her visit, Gomez found Lerza’s blood pressure was high – high enough to warrant emergency care. Lerza wasn’t eager to return to the hospital. But she trusted Gomez, and the strength of that connection convinced Lerza to heed Gomez’s advice and head to the emergency department. After arriving by ambulance, Lerza underwent quadruple bypass surgery at Christiana Hospital. Her cardiology team agreed – Gomez saved her life. Fully recovered, Lerza is now back to living independently in her home. “There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to say all she did for me,” Lerza said. “She closed my house up. She did everything for me that night and I can’t thank her enough. It seems very hollow to say thank you. But if she hadn’t come, I don’t know where I’d be today.” For Gomez – a second generation nurse – working as a HomeHealth nurse gives her the chance to build lasting relationships with patients. “We are here for the community; we are here for our patients; we are here for the families,” she said, “and we will do everything in our power to help them get better.”
ChristianaCare Reduces Health Care Costs by $6.2 Million While Improving Care for Medicaid Patients
ChristianaCare’s Delaware Medicaid Partners Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has set the standard for innovative, high-quality care at lower cost for the State of Delaware’s Medicaid population. According to the most recent data available, ChristianaCare’s ACO reduced health care spending by $6.2 million in 2023 while improving care for nearly 30,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in Delaware, including approximately 8,000 children. “We’re demonstrating that population health works,” said Christine Donohue-Henry, M.D., MBA, chief population health officer, ChristianaCare. “Our neighbors count on us to take care of them — and we can improve their health while also helping the state reduce health care costs. We do this by delivering high-quality care that emphasizes preventive care and proactive management of health conditions, and by investing in our population health infrastructure. “In this way, we can keep people healthier and reduce the need for them to access the most expensive kinds of care, such as emergency care and hospitalization.” ChristianaCare’s Medicaid ACO includes more than 1,900 primary and specialty care clinicians who partner with patients and families to prevent illness, manage chronic diseases and help them achieve their health goals. The ACO makes it easy for adults and children to get the screenings and treatments they need, improving overall health. ChristianaCare’s Medicaid ACO is one of four authorized by the State of Delaware and the only one to voluntarily accept downside financial risk at its launch in 2021, which means that if ChristianaCare’s Medicaid ACO is not successful in reducing cost and improving care for a particular year, the ChristianaCare ACO is required to make a payment to the state. By sharing in both savings and losses, the ACO controls state health care costs while maintaining high-quality care. Bending the Cost Curve by Focusing on High-Quality Preventive Care Alongside financial savings, ChristianaCare’s Medicaid ACO has improved care quality and worked to reduce health disparities. By focusing on preventive care, the ACO has helped adults and children get the screenings and treatment they need, leading to better health outcomes and fewer unmet needs. Since launching in 2021, ChristianaCare’s ACO has met all required quality standards and consistently improved its performance each year on key measures like diabetes management, blood pressure control and breast cancer prevention. Year over year, breast cancer screenings have increased by 4%, while patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) have shown improvement in blood pressure control. Notably, healthy blood sugar levels (HbA1c less than 8%) have also improved in patients with diabetes by 7%. In collaboration with its Medicaid health plan partners, ChristianaCare primary care and imaging teams host patient-centered health and wellness day events to increase access to care, close quality gaps and improve the overall health of the communities they serve. These events help patients get preventive screenings and services, supporting the ACO’s goals of better care and health equity. The ACO’s success is driven by its focus on caring for entire families, including addressing the needs of pregnant mothers and supporting children and adults throughout their lives, according to Rose Kakoza, M.D., MPH, senior clinical network director, ChristianaCare Clinical Alliance. Key programs include enhanced maternity care to support mothers and infants, expanded mental health services and social support programs that address food and housing needs. By integrating clinical care with social support — such as help with food and housing — the ACO is working to break cycles of poor health across generations. This approach also has practical benefits. For example, the improved mental health of a parent strengthens the family environment, supporting children’s well-being and development. “By making significant investments in population health and addressing both medical needs and the social drivers of health, we’ve not only improved health outcomes but also more effectively managed costs for Delaware’s most vulnerable residents, helping to reduce state spending,” Kakoza said. About Delaware Medicaid Partners Delaware Medicaid Partners ACO, led by ChristianaCare, uses a family-centered approach to save money and improve care for Medicaid patients. By combining medical care with social support, the ACO addresses the unique needs of Medicaid patients, improving health and promoting equity. Care coordination is provided by ChristianaCare’s CareVio®, whose team of nurses, social workers, and pharmacists help patients with serious health conditions get the care they need. CareVio uses real-time data to prevent complications that could lead to unnecessary hospital stays or emergency visits. Through ongoing collaboration and innovation, Delaware Medicaid Partners ACO aims to set an example for other states working to improve care while managing costs.
Return to Office Mandates: Top 3 Challenges for Employers and Employees
Full time return-to-office (RTO) mandates – most recently from JPMorgan Chase, Amazon and now the U.S. federal government – have made headlines across the country and caused consternation among remote and hybrid employees. Whether one is – or is not – a supporter of remote and hybrid work, the challenges that arise with RTO and with remote/hybrid arrangements are important to consider from both sides – employers and employees. Baylor University management expert Sara Jansen Perry, Ph.D., who studies employee stress and well-being, including the role of remote/hybrid work and leadership, said working from home has existed in some form for decades, and research suggests it will continue to be an option for many workers and organizations. "We know many employees value remote work so much as a benefit that they will choose jobs based on whether it is an option,” Perry said. “Fortunately, we have seen many benefits of remote work as well, including employee productivity, cost savings, enhanced work-life balance and well-being, to name a few. Even if employees return to the office a few days a week, these benefits can still be realized, including longer term organizational benefits in terms of retention and applicant attraction. However, if an organization is set on returning to office full time, there are some challenges they should consider and proactively address.” Perry highlights 3 key challenges about Return to Office mandates from the perspectives of both employers and employees, applying foundational topics in organizational psychology, among them leadership, trust, culture, performance management and retention. Those three key challenges are a must read and part of the entire article attached below: Are you a journalist looking to know more? The let us help. Sara Jansen Perry, Ph.D., The Ben Williams Professor of Management in the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University, is a nationally recognized researcher on employee stress and well-being, including the role of remote/hybrid work and leadership. Sara is available to speak with media about the recent Return to Work announcement for the federal bureaucracy. Simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
Expansion Plans? What's Behind Donald Trump's Approach to Canada, Greenland and Panama?
With the inauguration of President Donald Trump just days away, there are many people in America and abroad who are watching and waiting on the first moves of the incoming Trump administration. President Trump has been giving some bold suggestions about the importance of places like Greenland, Canada and Panama to America's national and economic security. Some are explaining Trump's approach as a negotiating tactic to spur on deeper conversations. Others are concerned there's some seriousness to his plans for expansion. Either way, it's getting a lot of coverage as the countdown is on to his resumption of the country's leadership. Last week, Trump waded boldly into global affairs — but he barely touched on those purported priorities. Instead, at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, he focused on a list of obscure, arguably eccentric goals: acquiring Greenland from Denmark, absorbing Canada as a very large 51st state, and retaking control of the Panama Canal. The president-elect said he would bring all three territories under U.S. control through economic coercion, but did not rule out using force to seize Greenland and the canal. January 13 - Los Angeles Times “That would really be something,” Trump said of the United States' taking control of Canada. “You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like. And it would also be much better for national security,” Trump said. “They’re great, but we’re spending hundreds of billions here to protect it.” Trump said that the subsidies include substantial military support and that the United States loses out through trade deficits. January 07 - NBC News President-elect Donald Trump has reiterated his desire for the US to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, calling both critical to American national security. Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over the autonomous Danish territory or the Canal, he responded: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two. "But I can say this, we need them for economic security," he told reporters during a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Both Denmark and Panama have rejected any suggestion that they would give up territory. January 08 - BBC The coverage has been intense, but there are still some questions to be asked: How would the world and America's allies react if President Trump applies pressure or force to make any of these countries comply? How might relations between Trump and the U.S. military and intelligence community change in his second term? And, is this just a tactic or could President Trump possibly be serious about his plans? Looking to know more? Professor Peter Campbell studies international security, civil-military relations, international relations and policy relevance. Peter is available to speak with media about this ongoing topic - simply click on is icon now to arrange an interview today.
Peer-To-Peer Borrowing Surged During Pandemic, Research Finds
New research by Florida Tech assistant professor of business Alina Malkova, Ph.D explores how small businesses sought financing amid the COVID-19 pandemic’s unstable economic environment. Her paper, “Beyond banks: Navigating the shift to peer-to-peer lending for small enterprises,” published in the journal Research in Economics, developed a model to find whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected small-business owners’ demand for peer-to-peer (P2P) lending. Malkova found that more small business owners turned to P2P platforms during this time, primarily because they were more accessible and flexible than traditional banks. Borrowers could access P2P platforms online for convenient use, and the platforms’ advanced algorithms gave lenders more information about borrowers, such as neighborhood demographics, leading to a better understanding of their financial situation. “If you are an owner or borrower and you have short-term financial problems, it may help you,” Malkova says. “It helps you signal your situation.” Ultimately, Malkova says P2P platforms played critical role in overcoming financial barriers that inhibited small businesses in times of limited access to traditional funding. If you're interested in learning more or a reporter looking to speak with Alina Malkova - simply contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.
Trump, Trade and Tariffs What to Expect, Will They Work and Who Benefits?
The threat of 25 % tariffs on Canada and Mexico had newsrooms buzzing, politicians scrambling and economists calculating who wins and who loses when trade wars break out among usually amicable neighbors. Factor in Greenland and China - and the story went global. It was a topic that headlined the news as many have watched and waited since the election for President Trump's first days in office to see what the country can expect with incoming policy changes. President Donald Trump said in an Oval Office signing ceremony Monday evening that his administration will impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada on February 1, an extraordinary change in North American trade policy that could raise prices for American consumers. Trump still outlined his broader trade policy for his second term in an executive action Monday. But that action — described by sources as a “placeholder” — doesn’t institute new global tariffs that Trump promised on Day One. As a candidate, Trump proposed sweeping and across-the-board tariffs: up to 20% on imports from all countries, with a 25% tax on goods from Mexico and Canada, plus a punishing 60% levy on goods from China. He also pledged to use tariffs as a negotiating tool on other countries, including, for example, Denmark — putting pressure on the European nation to give control of Greenland to the United States. Asked Monday at an Oval Office signing ceremony about tariffs on China, Trump noted extensive tariffs he imposed during his first administration were still in effect after former President Joe Biden largely left them in place. And on universal tariffs, Trump punted, saying, “We may, but we’re not ready for that just yet.” The executive action signed Monday directed the secretaries of Commerce and Treasury and the United States Trade Representative to investigate the causes of America’s trade deficits with foreign nations, to determine how to build an “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs, to identify unfair trade practices and to review existing trade agreements for potential improvements. It also directs the government agencies to analyze how the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (the USMCA) signed by Trump in his first term is affecting American workers and businesses — and whether America should remain in the free trade agreement. January 21 - CNN As business and political leaders in many countries, especially North America wait for what's ahead, there are questions to be asked: What industries will be targeted? Will tariffs cause higher prices for consumers and increased inflation? Who wins if an all-out trade war happens? How will interwoven sectors like the auto industry and agriculture be impacted? If you're a journalist covering this ongoing story - then let us help. William J. Luther, Ph.D., is an associate professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University, director of the American Institute for Economic Research’s Sound Money Project, and an adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives William is available to speak with media. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Astrobiologist Manasvi Lingam, assistant professor of aerospace, physics and space sciences at Florida Tech, authored a new astrobiology textbook to serve as a resource for the rapidly growing multidisciplinary field. “From Stars to Life: A Quantitative Approach to Astrobiology,” published by Cambridge University Press, is primarily geared toward upper-level undergraduate and graduate students studying astrobiology, Lingam says. Co-authored by astrophysicist Amedeo Balbi (University of Rome), the book’s 15 chapters cover topics from the Big Bang theory to planetary habitability to the future of humankind. The book also includes practice problems that involve modern developments like GenerativeAI (e.g., ChatGPT). Lingam explained how he came up with the new textbook and why it can help shape astrobiology programs like Florida Tech’s. What inspired this textbook? Manasvi Lingam: [Florida Tech] was the first university in the whole world to start an undergraduate astrobiology major. We have a strong connection to the field. But it turns out, every time I teach the subject, I don’t have a textbook to use. I have my first book, which is “Life in the Cosmos,” but it’s 1,100 pages. It’s for graduate students. It’s not going to work for them. Every time I was trying to cobble together resources from different places. My co-author has the same problem except that he’s been teaching [astrobiology] for even longer, for 20 years. He doesn’t have a textbook either. There’s this old saying in English: if you want something done right, do it yourself. We decided, well, might as well just try to write it ourselves. That’s how it came to be. How does this textbook bridge the gap between introductory readings and graduate-level material? ML: Right now, there’s pretty much only one class of textbooks for astrobiology, and those are written for freshman- or sophomore-level undergraduates. There’s this emphasis on a broad overview but at an extremely qualitative level and sometimes offering somewhat weak explanations for various specific phenomena, such as, “Why did Mars lose its atmosphere? It just got eroded over time.” These kinds of limitations. Graduate literature is very specialized, oriented towards whatever subfield one is studying in astrobiology. You can have a whole book on the origin of life. You can have a whole book on just Mars. You can have a whole book on Titan and so on. The aforementioned introductory textbooks that exist are very broad, but they don’t really offer a tool to actually get started doing research in the more specialized field. There was this vital need to bridge the gap. That’s what this book is meant to do. How did you decide what content to include and what not to include? ML: This field begins almost with the Big Bang – the start of the universe – which is when the first elements were formed, including elements that are widespread in life like hydrogen. This tale begins almost with the beginning of the universe. It is a tale that is still ongoing and is going to unfold for trillions of years into the future. But, there was so much material to include in principle. We had to be quite selective about what topics to include. There are a number of courses that are taught around the world on this topic. We looked at dozens of them to find the common core within all of them, and then expanded on that core. That’s what constitutes our table of contents. While writing the textbook, how did you grow as a researcher and an educator? ML: There’s this implicit understanding in academia that if you can write something down clearly, and if you can articulate something clearly, that’s when you can really say you understand it. Often you can’t articulate what you need to say coherently and succinctly if it’s something very big. That’s what, of course, astrobiology is. In the process of writing the book as an educator, I think I was really able to see how various domains linked to each other. For instance, modulations of, say, the Earth’s climate that were driven not just by changes on Earth (including life itself!), but also by changes in the sun, by changes in the orbits of other solar system planets, but also phenomena that were taking place hundreds of light years away in the galaxy. You really see that everything is connected – there are hidden links to each other. I think that helped me discover the magic of the universe, so to speak, even more. From a research standpoint, there were some areas that I have not worked in a lot, but by writing this book, I’ve gotten a better understanding of those areas, like, say, Mars, and also certain microbiological and astrophysical aspects as well. I think that has provided new ideas that I hope to explore in the future. What do you want readers to learn throughout the book, and what should they walk away with? ML: What we want to do is build a holistic integrated understanding of different phenomena pertaining to life in the universe, but at a quantitative level, and still retain breadth without sacrificing depth in the process. It won’t necessarily make students ready for research because it’s still primarily an undergrad textbook, but it will give them a comprehensive understanding of how various processes are intertwined with each other. We want people to see the big picture without missing out on the detail, and to appreciate the beauty of life, Earth, the solar system, the Milky Way and the universe. Lingam plans to start teaching from this textbook in Spring 2025. The textbook is available for purchase on Amazon. Looking to know more about Astrobiology and the work Manasvi Lingam is doing at Florida Tech? Then let us help. Astrobiologist Manasvi Lingam, assistant professor of aerospace, physics and space sciences at Florida Tech and author is available to speak with media regarding this and related topics. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview.
