Purpose Virtual reality (VR) reduces experimental and clinical pain, but whether these effects extend to naturally occurring muscle pain (NOMP) during exercise remains unclear. This study examined whether immersive nature-based VR attenuates NOMP and improves motor performance during prescribed and self-regulated exercise. Methods Two within-participant crossover studies were conducted involving 12 (Study 1) and 24 (Study 2) h...

Polymer fluids are widely used in subsurface and geotechnical engineering applications. While the steady shear rheology of polymer fluids is known to be reasonably captured by a Carreau-like shear-thinning model, it is still not fully understood how their elastic rheological characteristics, beyond shear-thinning behavior alone, influence their flow in porous media. In this study, we numerically investigate these effects using...

Under conditions of dietary sodium (Na + ) excess, the kidneys may fail to adequately excrete Na + , potentially compromising blood pressure homeostasis. Body tissues, such as skin, can offer sites of short-term extrarenal Na + storage and previous research has shown that this can help guard against hypertension in small mammals (e.g., rodents). Large mammals have relatively greater Na + storage potential, but whether extraren...

Caterpillars (larval Lepidoptera) are one of the most ecologically and evolutionarily significant taxa on Earth. As both feeders and food, they shape the dynamics of enumerate ecosystems on land. Key to this prominent role in nature is the sensory systems that inform, guide, and trigger their behaviour. Gaining an understanding of caterpillar sensory ecology therefore promises to reveal fundamental insights into the broader pr...

Extreme climatic events and gradual climate change are increasingly anticipated to interact and reshape ecological communities. However, the combined effects of ocean warming, acidification and marine heatwaves on host‐associated microbial communities and their potential role in host adaptation remain poorly understood. Here, we assessed shifts in gut microbiome communities and their associations with physiological performance...

Rebuilding the depleted fisheries of the 21st century requires an understanding of past drivers of their decline. Despite Scotland's central role in the commercial exploitation of North Sea fisheries for over a century, associations between technological innovations, regulatory introductions and fishery landings have not previously been quantified. Here we use data from annual Scottish Government fisheries reports (1890–2020)...

Supine-dependent OSA is a well-recognised OSA phenotype and may relate to craniofacial structure. Our aim was to assess whether craniofacial photos are able to identify positional OSA, specifically supine-isolated OSA, in comparison to non-positional OSA. Frontal and profile craniofacial photographs of participants were acquired according to a standardised protocol. Photographs were analysed and compared between non-positional...

Seafood markets have become increasingly internationalised over the course of the twentieth century, induced by expanding footprints of fishing fleets, improved communication and transport infrastructure, and trade agreements. We compiled archival UK seafood import data from UK Government, SEAFISH and FAO sources to track the expansion of the UK’s global reach for seafood products from 1900 to 2020. UK domestic fisheries landi...

Fishing with active bottom‐contacting gears (here collectively described as 'bottom trawling') is considered the greatest source of anthropogenic disturbance to marine sediments. However, uncertainties are apparent in studies evaluating the severity of their impacts from fishing with these gears at the global scale. A major uncertainty is the estimation of the area of seabed disturbed by applying European‐based vessel size to...

In the next 10–20 years, several observatories will aim to detect the signatures of oxygenic photosynthesis on exoplanets, though targets must be carefully selected. Most known potentially habitable exo-planets orbit cool M-dwarf stars, which have limited emission in the photosynthetically active region of the spectrum (PAR, $$400< \lambda < 700$$ 400 < λ < 700 nm) used by Earth’s oxygenic photoautotrophs. Still, recent experi...

The topography of Madagascar and the strength of the Mozambique Channel Trough (MCT) modulate summer rainfall over southern Africa. A strong MCT hinders the penetration of moisture bearing easterlies from the South Indian Ocean into the mainland, thus reducing rainfall there and vice versa for weak MCT summers. Given the link between the MCT and rainfall, it is important to analyse how climate models represent the trough. Here...

Ocean warming and extreme heatwaves threaten marine species supporting commercial fisheries and aquaculture. Predicting the responses of these industries to chronic and acute warming depends on understanding which life stages are most vulnerable, the potential for stocks to adapt to changing thermal environments, and the availability of thermally adapted genotypes to help enhance stock resilience through strategic intervention...

Peatlands represent globally important habitats and carbon stores. However, human impacts and climate change leave peatlands with a substantial management challenge. Degradation of peatland habitats and their hydrological integrity is increasingly counteracted through the rehabilitation of peatlands including re-wetting and drain blocking. Research into how such management interventions affect peatland microbial assemblages is...