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Social media snaps map the sweep of Japan’s cherry blossom season in unprecedented detail

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrian-dyer-387798">Adrian Dyer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-dorin-12573">Alan Dorin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolyn-vlasveld-1442834">Carolyn Vlasveld</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/moataz-elqadi-1442833">Moataz ElQadi</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Social media contains enormous amounts of data about people, our everyday lives, and our interactions with our surroundings. As a byproduct, it also contains a vast trove of information about the natural world. In a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0367253023001019#sec0024a">new study published in Flora</a>, we show how social media can be used for “incidental citizen science”. From photos posted to a social site, we mapped countrywide patterns in nature over a decade in relatively fine detail. Our case study was the annual spread of cherry blossom flowering across Japan, where millions of people view the blooming each year in a cultural event called “hanami”. The flowering spreads across Japan in a wave (“<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom_front">sakura zensen</a>” or 桜前線) following the warmth of the arriving spring season. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="ALT TEXT" /><figcaption>Celebrating the cherry blossom is a centuries-old tradition in Japan. Shutterstock</figcaption></figure> The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami">hanami festival</a> has been documented for centuries, and research shows climate change is making <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6bb4">early blossoming more likely</a>. The advent of mobile phones – and social network sites that allow people to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1574954116302321">upload photos tagged with time and location data</a> – presents a new opportunity to study how Japan’s flowering events are affected by seasonal climate. <h2>Why are flowers useful to understand how nature is being altered by climate change?</h2> Many flowering plants, including the cherry blossoms of Japan (Prunus subgenus Cerasus), require insect pollination. To reproduce, plant flowers bloom at optimal times to receive visits from insects like bees. Temperature is <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0200549">an important mechanism</a> for plants to trigger this flowering. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01269.x">Previous research</a> has highlighted how climate change may create mismatches in space or time between the blooming of plants and the emergence of pollinating insects. <iframe id="rtiQ0" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/rtiQ0/2/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> It has been difficult for researchers to map the extent of this problem in detail, as its study requires simultaneous data collection over large areas. The use of citizen science images deliberately, or incidentally, uploaded to social network sites enables <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_data">big data</a> solutions. <h2>How did we conduct our study?</h2> We collected images from Japan uploaded to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a> between 2008 and 2018 that were tagged by users as “cherry blossoms”. We used computer vision techniques to analyse these images, and to provide sets of keywords describing their image content. Next, we automatically filtered out images appearing to contain content that the computer vision algorithms determined didn’t match our targeted cherry blossoms. For instance, many contained images of autumn leaves, another popular ecological event to view in Japan. The locations and timestamps of the remaining cherry blossom images were then used to generate marks on a map of Japan showing the seasonal wave of sakura blossoms, and to estimate peak bloom times each year in different cities. <h2>Checking the data</h2> An important component of any scientific investigation is validation – how well does a proposed solution or data set represent the real-world phenomenon under study? <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=743&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=743&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=743&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Blossom dates calculated from social media images compare well with official data. ElQadi et al., Author provided</figcaption></figure> Our study using social network site images was validated against the detailed information published by the <a href="https://www.japan.travel/en/see-and-do/cherry-blossom-forecast-2023/">Japan National Tourism Organization</a>. We also manually examined a subset of images to confirm the presence of cherry flowers. Plum flowers (Prunus mume) look very similar to cherry blossoms, especially to tourists, and they are frequently mistaken and mislabelled as cherry blossoms. We used visible “notches” at the end of cherry petals, and other characteristics, to distinguish cherries from plums. Taken together, the data let us map the flowering event as it unfolds across Japan. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="An animated map showing cherry blossom flowering across Japan" /></a><figcaption>Images uploaded to social media over a ten year period 2008-2018, let us map the cherry blossom front as it sweeps across Japan. ElQadi et al., Author provided</figcaption></figure> <h2>Out-of-season blooms</h2> Our social network site analysis was sufficiently detailed to accurately pinpoint the annual peak spring bloom in the major cities of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo">Tokyo</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto">Kyoto</a>, to within a few days of official records. Our data also revealed the presence of a consistent, and persistent, out-of-season cherry bloom in autumn. Upon further searching, we discovered that this “unexpected” seasonal bloom had also been noted in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45898333">mainstream media</a> in recent years. We thus confirmed that this is a real event, not an artefact of our study. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Cherry blossom photographs from Flickr taken within Japan from 2008 to 2018 show an April peak as well as an unexpected smaller peak in November. ElQadi et al., Author provided</figcaption></figure> So, even without knowing it, many of us are already helping to understand how climate change influences our environment, simply by posting online photographs we capture. Dedicated sites like <a href="https://wildpollinatorcount.com/">Wild Pollinator Count</a> are excellent resources to contribute to the growing knowledge base. The complex issues of climate change are still being mapped. Citizen science allows our daily observations to improve our understanding, and so better manage our relationship with the natural world.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206574/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrian-dyer-387798">Adrian Dyer</a>, Associate Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-dorin-12573">Alan Dorin</a>, Associate Professor, Faculty of Information Technology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolyn-vlasveld-1442834">Carolyn Vlasveld</a>, PhD candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/moataz-elqadi-1442833">Moataz ElQadi</a>, Adjunct Researcher, Faculty of Information Technology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-snaps-map-the-sweep-of-japans-cherry-blossom-season-in-unprecedented-detail-206574">original article</a>. Images: Getty

Technology

The ultimate travel guide for film fanatics

More often than not, the stunning landscapes and sweeping vistas in film and television leave audiences craving a trip to fantasy worlds, with little to no idea how to get there. And for the talented team over at SetJetters, this was a problem they had to tackle. From their efforts came “the best way to search for, navigate to, and share your trips to the great film and television locations around the world”, all with their handy dandy “handheld travel guide”. SetJetters is a free app that allows people all across the globe to find the real-world locations where some of their favourite moments from the screen were filmed, and even offers them the opportunity to upload their own images and share their thoughts with fellow film fanatics. “Whether you’re a location geek out in the field or a film buff binge-watching at home and wondering where a great scene was filmed, SetJetters will not only help you find the answer – but also help you get to the location and right into the action,” SetJetters’ official Instagram account explained in a post. “Whether it’s close to home or across the globe, SetJetters is designed to be your handheld travel guide to the most exciting film locations, from the biggest studio franchises – like Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Mission: Impossible – to smaller independent films and classics.” And as Erik Nachtriev - a former filmmaker and co-founder of SetJetters - explained to Andrew Bucklow on the I’ve Got News For You podcast, the idea came about for the group during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. And they have no intentions of slowing down any time soon, with so much more still to be added to their passion project. “We have 91,000 movies, but we only have 6000 published, so you can see we have a lot of work to do as far as movies [go],” he said. “We actually intend to have movies in the hundreds of thousands eventually.” The team also hope to one day have enough data that they can determine the world’s most popular scenes and locations, something they believe may assist local economies in understanding the impact of big screen tourism in their area. “The biggest scenes, I would say, the craziest people about scenes are Twilight people. And the people who love the movie The Goonies from the ’80s,” he said of their findings so far, before adding that while their app has a global reach, most of its locations are focussed where the app originated - the United States of America. As well as its innovative map, the app also features something it calls the ‘ShotSync camera’, which allows users to place themselves directly into their favourite on-screen scenes. “We find that a lot of users like to take a picture immersing themselves in the scene. They want to be right where their favourite actor stood or inside their favourite scene,” Nachtriev explained. “There’s a really large emotional attachment to the scene and reliving it, so this was a way that we could develop this for them. “You bring up your camera and there’s a slider on your camera that comes up inside the app, and it shows the image of the scene. Whoever is taking the picture can slide the slider back and forth to make it transparent, so you can line it up almost exactly. You can even cosplay with your favourite costume. “Take the picture. It’ll show [it] like how it was in the movie and how it is with you there. A lot of the background changes. “People love that ‘then and now’ kind of thing.” Images: setjetters.com, @setjetters / Instagram

Domestic Travel

This is our most detailed map of the brain’s memory centre

Australian researchers have created the most detailed map we have of the hippocampus - the brain’s memory control centre - which could change the way we think about memory. The hippocampus, a complex structure that looks like a seahorse, is located deep within the brain. It plays a vital role in forming memories and transferring memories from short-term to long-term storage, as well as in navigation, creating mental images, visual perception, decision making, and imagining fictitious or future experiences. The team of scientists from the University of Sydney created the map using MRI scans from a database created for the Human Connectome Project, and used techniques they developed to follow connections from all different parts of the brain to the hippocampus. “What we’ve done is take a much more detailed look at the white matter pathways, which are essentially the highways of communication between different areas of the brain,” said Dr Marshall Dalton, a Research Fellow in the School of Psychology. “And we developed a new approach that allowed us to map how the hippocampus connects with the cortical mantle, the outer layer of the brain, but in a very detailed way. “What we’ve created is a highly detailed map of white matter pathways connecting the hippocampus with the rest of the brain. It’s essentially a roadmap of brain regions that directly connect with the hippocampus and support its important role in memory formation.” Mapping the brain in this way has never been done before, due to technical limitations that only allowed connections between the hippocampus and other parts of the brain to be visualised in broad terms. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/brain-diagram.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> The seahorse-shaped hippocampus is located deep within the brain, and now scientists have created a detailed map of the connections between it and the frontal cortex and amygdala. Image: Wikimedia This scientific first has also come with some surprising discoveries that could change our understanding of human memory. While they found that their results mostly aligned with previous studies on primate brains, the team found that the number of connections between the hippocampus and some brain areas differed from what they expected. “We were surprised to find fewer connections between the hippocampus and frontal cortical areas, and more connections with early visual processing areas than we expected to see,” Dr Marshall said. “Although, this makes sense considering the hippocampus plays an important role not only in memory but also imagination and our ability to construct mental images in our mind’s eye.” Although the differences in the number of connections could be a result of limitations of MRIs, they could also explain some of the differences between humans and our primate cousins, particularly when it comes to short-term memory. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fj7lARXjrVY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> For example, chimpanzees have beaten humans at cognitive tasks that use game theory, a form of mathematics that relies on short-term memory, pattern recognition and rapid visual assessment. “Although we have achieved this high-resolution mapping of the human hippocampus, the tract tracing method conducted on non-human primates – which can see down to the cellular level – is able to see more connections than can be discerned with an MRI,” mused Dr Dalton. “Or it could be that the human hippocampus really does have a smaller number of connections with frontal areas than we expect, and greater connectivity with visual areas of the brain. As the neocortex expanded, perhaps humans evolved different patterns of connectivity to facilitate human-specific memory and visualisation functions which, in turn, may underpin human creativity. “It’s a bit of a puzzle – we just don’t know. But we love puzzles and will keep investigating.” The team published their findings in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.76143" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neuroscience</a>. Image: Human Connectome Project

Mind

Mapping the labour and slavery risks in fashion supply chains

<div class="copy"> How did your clothes get to you, and who was properly paid for them in the process? The garment industry is notorious for worker exploitation and complicated, unclear supply chains. Both within and without the fashion industry, forced labour, and modern slavery, is on the rise. According to the new <a href="https://publications.iom.int/books/global-estimates-modern-slavery-forced-labour-and-forced-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Estimates of Modern Slavery</a> report, there were 50 million people around the world living in modern slavery: 28 million in forced labour, and 22 million in forced marriages. This is an increase of 10 million from when the report was done in 2016 – among other things, the number has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and armed conflicts. What does the garment supply chain look like? Cosmos investigates. <h2>The shape of the garment industry: four tiers (sort of)</h2> “In a broad sense, when retailers talk about their supply chains, they tend to talk with tiers zero to four,” explains Dr Alice Payne, an associate professor in fashion at Queensland University of Technology. Tier 0 is the company’s direct operations: retail, offices, and distribution centres, for instance. Each additional tier is a layer removed from them. “Tier 1 is the people and the organizations constructing the garments for them – so assembling and manufacturing,” says Payne. Tier 2 is fabric production, while Tier 3 is the production of the yarn that makes the fabric. “Tier 4 is raw materials,” says Payne. “Natural fibres like cotton and wool, that’s all the way back to the farm, or the forests that the trees come from that are then processed into viscose material. And the petrochemical industry, which is the feedstock for polyester, nylons, acrylics and so on.” In reality, there aren’t clear lines between these tiers – particularly further up the supply chain. Even something as ubiquitous as cotton has a very complicated history. “You’ve got the seed inputs to grow the cotton on the farm, the cotton has to be ginned – the seed and the lint separated – and then from the ginning, it’s shipped to a spinner to make it into a yarn. “Then the yarn producer will ship it often to other countries to be manufactured into a cloth. At any point along the chain, it might be dyed,” says Payne. “They can span the world over in terms of geographic location and can be really complex,” says Abigail Munroe, a modern slavery research and policy analyst at human rights group Walk Free, which compiled the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery report with the United Nation’s International Labour Organization and the International Organisation for Migration. <h2>The labour distribution along the supply chain</h2> Workers aren’t distributed evenly across these tiers. Spindles and looms are both highly mechanised processes, making the middle tiers less labour-intensive. The raw materials in Tier 4 can be equally mechanised, or labour-intensive to make, depending on the fibre. Assembling garments in Tier 1, however, demands a huge workforce. “It’s part of the nature of cloth – it’s fluid and malleable,” says Payne. “In the robotics space, they talk about how it might take months to teach a machine to fold a t -shirt because it’s just such a such a very difficult thing to manoeuvre and manipulate cloth.” Each seam on your clothes needs to be guided manually through a sewing machine – which is something of a boon for poorer countries wanting to bring in more industry. “The textile industry is often the first rung on the ladder for a country that’s industrialising,” says Payne. “What’s an industry to bring into a country when you’ve got a large labour force? Well, often garment assembly, because it’s fairly light machinery.” But this also comes with risks. <h2>Who gets paid</h2> According to the <a href="https://cleanclothes.org/poverty-wages" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clean Clothes Campaign</a>, a T-shirt which sells for €29 (A$43) sends €0.18 (A$0.27) back to the Bangladeshi garment worker who sewed it. Walk Free’s <a href="https://www.walkfree.org/reports/beyond-compliance-in-the-garment-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beyond Compliance in the Garment Industry</a> report has found similar levels of low payment across the supply chain. “In our assessment, workers would need to be earning almost 40% more to have their basic needs met,” says Munroe. Exploitation may be worse in the more distant tiers. “In general, across any kind of industry, workers further down the supply chains tend to face increased modern slavery risks,” says Munroe. “That can be for a number of reasons – some of these being that they’re more likely to work in the informal economy, and they’re more likely to be invisible to policies designed to protect them.” <iframe title="Huh? Science Explained" src="https://omny.fm/shows/huh-science-explained/playlists/podcast/embed?selectedClip=c7003c2f-954f-4ebf-b826-af090009d3ac&style=cover&autoplay=0&list=0" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0"></iframe> <h2>Tracing slavery</h2> Governments have taken steps to make companies monitor these supply chains, but there are still gaps in the legislation. In Australia, for instance, the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018A00153" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2018 Modern Slavery Act</a> requires companies with an annual revenue over A$100 million to produce annual reports on their supply chains and modern slavery risks within those chains. The UK has <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/contents/enacted" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">similar legislation</a>. Walk Free’s annual Beyond Compliance reports, track these disclosures and so far, they’ve looked at the hospitality, finance, and garment industries. While most of the garment companies in this year’s analysis had statements addressing modern slavery (an improvement on the hospitality and finance industries), 33% still didn’t meet minimum requirements set out by the acts. Over a quarter of companies didn’t produce any supply chain disclosure at all, while among those that did disclose, only 35% went beyond Tier 1. “There’s actually no penalties for companies that are within the threshold of the act, but don’t actually produce a statement,” says Munroe. And, even if those requirements are met, there’s little motivation to improve on reports. “We certainly see statements that are clearly being used as a box ticking activity,” says Munroe. “For both of those acts, even the Australian act which has more involved requirements, it’s completely disclosure-based. So simply reporting that the company needs to do more in relation to supply chain mapping or risk assessment – that’s enough.” Stricter legislation, such as the regulations <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/european-union-releases-draft-mandatory-human-rights-and-environmental-due-diligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">currently being proposed by the EU</a>, might include financial penalties for failing to comply, alongside obligations to prevent and mitigate human rights abuses right through the supply chain. The Australian government is <a href="https://consultations.ag.gov.au/crime/modern-slavery-act-review/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">currently reviewing</a> its modern slavery act, with a consultation period closing in just over a month. Future changes to the act might increase compliance – but for now, most of the places you buy clothes from aren’t making it clear where the garments have come from – or who’s being properly paid to make them. Image credits: Getty Images  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=213724&title=Mapping+the+labour+and+slavery+risks+in+fashion+supply+chains" width="1" height="1" /> </div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/garment-supply-chain-slavery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. </div>

Beauty & Style

Mapping memories in the brain

More than a century ago, <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/building-memory-in-the-early-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/building-memory-in-the-early-years/">memory</a> pioneer <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022537178904437" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022537178904437">Richard Semon</a> predicted a “unified engram complex”, that is, a complex of connected brain regions that would all be involved in the recall of a single memory. Now, a new study by researchers at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, US, suggests Semon may have been on to something. Evidence is mounting that a single memory dances across many different brain regions at once, linked to clusters of memory recall-cells called engrams. In the new <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29384-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>, published in Nature Communications, the team of researchers identified and ranked dozens of areas that hadn’t previously been thought associated with memory. By conducting experiments on mice in the lab, they ultimately built a huge map of all the brain regions that seem involved with the art of remembering. So, how did they do it? Mapping memory in mice To test which brain regions might be roped into memory recall, the team performed a set of experiments on mice. Firstly, they analysed 247 brain regions in mice that were taken from their home cage to another cage where they were exposed to a small but memorable electrical zap. In one group of mice, their neurons were engineered to become fluorescent when they expressed a gene required for memory encoding (i.e. storing the information as a memory). In another group, cells activated by remembering the electrical zap were fluorescently labelled. Once the mouse brains were preserved, the researchers could use a computer to count the fluorescing cells in each sample. This allowed them to create a brain map of regions with a clear link to memory encoding and memory recall. By comparing these mapped regions to the brains of control mice that weren’t exposed to zaps, they were able to discount certain regions, and produce a ranked order of 117 regions with a clear likelihood of involvement in memory. To really be an engram cell, the authors theorised, a neuron should be activated in both the encoding (recording) and recall (remembering) of a memory. <iframe src="//players.brightcove.net/5483960636001/HJH3i8Guf_default/index.html?videoId=6303670603001" width="528" height="300" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Many brain regions found likely to be involved in encoding a memory (top) were also found to be involved in recall upon reactivation (bottom). Credit: Tonegawa Lab/MIT Picower Institute What they found was a massive engram complex. “These experiments not only revealed significant engram reactivation in known hippocampal and amygdala regions, but also showed reactivation in many thalamic, cortical, midbrain and brainstem structures,” the authors write. “Importantly when we compared the brain regions identified by the engram index analysis with these reactivated regions, we observed that around 60% of the regions were consistent between analyses.” Manipulating memories Having ranked all the regions likely to be engaged in the engram complex, the team decided to test its predictions. The researchers engineered some of the mice so that cells activated by memory encoding would also become controllable with flashes of light (a technique known as “optogenetics”). They then applied flashes of light to select brain regions from their engram index list to see if, when hit with the light stimulus, the mice would freeze in place, which is a classic fear behaviour. “Strikingly, all these brain regions induced robust memory recall when they were optogenetically stimulated,” the researchers write. Stimulating areas that their analysis suggested were insignificant to memory, on the other hand, did not produce freezing behaviour – suggesting they weren’t recalling the zap. Then, they tested how each region in the complex connects to one another, and found that stimulating just one part of the complex would produce a less robust memory recall than stimulating all – inferred because stimulating just one region produced a less dramatic freeze response. It suggests that this massive memory complex can make memories stronger. What’s all the fuss? You might wonder, why put these poor little mice through such experiments? But the neuroscience of memory is important; the more we understand it, the more we can understand when it goes wrong. Co-lead author Dheeraj Roy says that by storing a single memory across such a massive complex, the brain may be making memory more efficient and resilient. “Different memory engrams may allow us to recreate memories more efficiently when we are trying to remember a previous event (and similarly for the initial encoding where different engrams may contribute different information from the original experience),” he says. “Secondly, in disease states, if a few regions are impaired, distributed memories would allow us to remember previous events and in some ways be more robust against regional damages.” This second point could suggest the way to an actual clinical application of this engram complex. “If some memory impairments are because of hippocampal or cortical dysfunction, could we target understudied engram cells in other regions, and could such a manipulation restore some memory functions?” Roy says. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=187851&title=Mapping+memories+in+the+brain" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/body-and-mind/mapping-memories-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/amalyah-hart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amalyah Hart</a>. Amalyah Hart is a science journalist based in Melbourne. She has a BA (Hons) in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Oxford and an MA in Journalism from the University of Melbourne. Image: Getty Images </div>

Mind

Map drawn from memory helps man reunite with his family after 30 years

A Chinese man who was abducted in 1989 was finally reunited with his family after three decades, thanks to a hand-drawn map of his village drawn from memory. Li Jingwei, who was just four years old when he was lured from his home and sold into a child trafficking ring, shared a video of the map of his childhood village to the video sharing app Douyin late last month. From this, police were able to match the map to a small village and a woman whose son had disappeared around the same time. Following the completion of successful DNA tests, Li Jingwei was reunited with his family in Yunnan province over the weekend. Footage of the reunion showed Li Jingwei and his mother meeting for the first time in over 30 years, with Li Jingwei carefully removing his mother’s face mask to examine her face before breaking down in tears and embracing her. Ahead of the highly anticipated reunion, Li wrote on his Douyin profile, "Thirty-three years of waiting, countless nights of yearning, and finally a map hand-drawn from memory, this is the moment of perfect release after 13 days. "Thank you, everyone who has helped me reunite with my family." Li was abducted near the southwestern city of Zhaotong in Yunnan province in 1989, and sold to a family living over 1800km away. Now living in Guangdong province, he had little success asking his adoptive parents or consulting DNA databases. So he turned to the internet. In the video, Li holds up a rough sketch of his childhood neighbourhood, and says, "I'm a child who's finding his home. I was taken to Henan by a bald neighbour around 1989, when I was about four years old. This is a map of my home area that I have drawn from memory.” The drawing included features such as a building he believed to be a school, a bamboo forest, and a small pond. In 2015, it was estimated that 20,000 children were being abducted in China each year. Image: Weibo

Travel Trouble

Mapping floods on every street in the world

<div class="copy"> Accurate, street-level data on flooding risk is tremendously useful when preparing for natural disasters. But this data can be very hard to come by, especially in poorer nations. Enter the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://floodmapping.inweh.unu.edu/" target="_blank">World Flood Mapping Tool</a>, a new site developed by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). The tool contains detailed 3D maps of all the world’s floods since 1985. “As temperatures continue to rise, the number of flood events will increase along with their severity,” says Hamid Mehmood, a GIS and remote sensing specialist at UNU-INWEH, who was lead developer on the tool. “No place is immune. And yet remarkably few regions, even in wealthy countries, have useful, up-to-date flood maps because of the cost and difficulty of creating them.” The free mapping tool, which is available on UNU’s <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://inweh.unu.edu/" target="_blank">website</a>, is designed to be simple to use. Users can select an area of the world map in which they’re interested, enter a time frame, and the tool generates a map showing which parts of the area were inundated. They can also view population density, land type and 3D images of building structures. “We need to prepare now for more intense and more frequent floods due to climate change,” says Vladimir Smakhtin, director of UNU-INWEH. “This tool will help developing nations in particular to see and mitigate the risks more clearly.” The tool uses satellite data from the Google Earth Engine to discern flooded land. The researchers tested the satellite-generated data against eight well-documented flooding events (including the February 2008 <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/flood-mackay-queensland/" target="_blank">Queensland floods</a>), finding the tool to be 82% accurate. The researchers say their tool will be particularly helpful for urban planning and development, as it can pinpoint precise areas that are at risk of flooding. “Painting a detailed picture of the historical and potential flood-risk areas will be invaluable for any urban and regional planning department,” says collaborator Duminda Perera. Image credits: Getty Images</div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/water/mapping-floods-on-every-street-in-the-world/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. </div>

Technology

Putting Aotearoa on the map: New Zealand has changed its name before, why not again?

Our names are a critical part of our identity. They are a personal and social anchor tying us to our families, our culture, our history and place in the world. For Māori, a name is intrinsic to, and linked by, our whakapapa (genealogy), often reflecting the elements observed, such as a river (awa), at the time of birth before entering Te Ao Mārama, the world of life and light. In law, names matter too. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Aotearoa New Zealand accepted in 1993, states that every child has the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx">right to a name</a>. The law governs the <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1995/0016/latest/DLM364128.html">naming</a> of individuals as well as the changing of names. But no such laws exist for countries. Nations can and do change their own names (such as when they gain independence), or have them changed by others (such as after a war). What worked for an earlier generation may not for later ones, as national values and identities evolve. This is the challenge presented in a <a href="https://www.teaomaori.news/nz-aotearoa-petition-gains-momentum-signatures-top-25000">petition</a> organised by Te Pāti Māori (Māori Party). As well as calling for Aotearoa to become the country’s official name, the party also wants to restore all original Māori place names by 2026. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424600/original/file-20211004-20-1b2dd75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Maori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer" /> What’s in a name? Māori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. GettyImages <h2>Names can change</h2> As these and other lands were colonised, so too were their original place names, with the colonisers seeking to assert their authority and versions of history. Power, the politics of language and the naming of places are all closely related. As the old saying goes, “the namer of names is the father of all things”. Many European explorers preferred to name what they “discovered” after something they were familiar with. New York was named by the British after they defeated the Dutch, who had named their settlement New Amsterdam, part of the region they called New Netherland. Before the arrival of the Dutch and British, the wider area was called manaháhtaan, from the Indigenous <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-native-new-yorkers-can-never-truly-reclaim-their-homeland-180970472/">Munsee</a> language of the <a href="https://thelenapecenter.com/">Lenape people</a>, which lives on in the name Manhattan. Closer to home, the Dutch name New Holland was slowly phased out in the early 19th century by the colonial authorities in favour of Australia, from the Latin “Terra Australis” (Southern Land), a reference to the mythical great unknown southern land “terra australis incognita”. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424603/original/file-20211004-18-gpc8qg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Aerial view of lower Manhattan" /> <h2>A short history of Nieuw Zeeland</h2> Over the years there have been various <a href="https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/petitions/document/PET_78333/petition-of-danny-tahau-jobe-referendum-to-include-aotearoa">petitions</a> and attempts to change the name of New Zealand, including in 1895 a call to <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.32106019787966&view=page&format=plaintext&seq=147&skin=2021&q1=Maoriland">officially adopt</a> “Māoriland”, already a common unofficial name for the country. When Abel Tasman sighted these well-populated shores in 1642, he called the place <a href="https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/lals/centres-and-institutes/dictionary-centre/newsletter/documents/NZWords-no4.pdf">Staten Land</a> in the belief it was somehow connected to an Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) in what is now modern Argentina. Later, however, a Dutch East India Company cartographer conferred the name <a href="https://teara.govt.nz/en/european-discovery-of-new-zealand/page-3">Nieuw Zeeland</a> (or Nova Zeelandia in Latin). “Zee” in Dutch translates as “sea”, and its English <a href="https://blog.oup.com/2009/10/watered-down-etymologies/">etymology</a> is complicated. It seems to be of Gothic origin, emerging from Germany, and was adopted into the languages of Northern Europe where, for example, Sjælland (sea-land) described a place closely connected to the sea. <h2>Māori on the first map</h2> Our country was not named directly after the link between land and sea, but rather after the Dutch place that already had this name — specifically, Zeeland in the south-west of the Netherlands. Forts in modern-day Taiwan and Guyana were also called Zeelandia by early Dutch explorers. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424605/original/file-20211004-17-gn8n0g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="portrait of James Cook" /> When James Cook arrived in 1769, Nieuw Zeeland was anglicised to New Zealand, as can be seen in his famous 1770 map. Cook renamed Te Moana-o-Raukawa as Cook Strait, and imposed dozens more <a href="https://www.bl.uk/the-voyages-of-captain-james-cook/articles/renaming-aotearoa-new-zealand">English place names</a>. He did, however, attempt to retain Māori names for both main islands: his map records “Eaheinomauwe” (possibly He-mea-hī-nō-Māui, or the things Māui fished up) for the North Island and “T Avai Poonamoo” (Te Wai Pounamu, or greenstone waters) for the South Island. The first reference in legislation to “New Zealand” was in the Murders Abroad Act of 1817, passed by parliament in England in response to increasing lawlessness in the South Pacific – including the maltreatment of Indigenous sailors aboard European ships. Paradoxically, perhaps, the act demonstrated a British view that New Zealand was not truly part of the British realm. <h2>Nu Tirene appears</h2> By 1835, a number of iwi (tribes) engaged in international trade and politics were using the name “Nu Tireni” to describe New Zealand in their correspondence with Britain. Nu Tirene then appeared in the 1835 Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand, and then Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840. The <a href="https://www.legalmaori.net/corpus">Māori Legal Corpus</a>, a digitised collection of thousands of pages of legal texts in te reo Māori spanning 1829 to 2009, contains around 4,800 references to Nu Tirene, Niu Tirani and Niu Tirene. The <a href="http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/timomla19871987n176415/">translation</a> into te reo Māori of the Maori Language Act 1987 refers to Niu Tireni, as does the Māori Language Act <a href="http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/timomla19871987n176415/">2016</a>. <h2>Locating Aotearoa</h2> The precise origin of the composite term “Aotearoa” is not known. But if we translate “Ao” as world, “tea” as bright or white, and “roa” as long, we have the common translation of “long bright world” or “long white cloud”. Sir George Grey used Aotearoa in his 1855 Polynesian Mythology, and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race, and in his 1857 Māori proverbs work, Ko nga whakapepeha me nga whakaahuareka a nga tipuna o Aotea-roa. The Māori Legal Corpus mentions Aotearoa 2,748 times, with one of the earliest written references being Wiremu Tamehana’s hui invitation to other chiefs in October 1862. The popularity of Aotearoa can be gauged from William Pember Reeves’ 1898 history of New Zealand: The Long White Cloud Ao Tea Roa. Today, government departments commonly use Aotearoa, and it appears on the national currency. One of the commonest expressions of personal and national identity is the “Uruwhenua Aotearoa New Zealand” passport. <h2>Time for change?</h2> Whether enough New Zealanders want a formal change isn’t clear. A <a href="https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/1news-poll-reveals-kiwis-think-changing-nzs-name-aotearoa">recent poll</a> showed a majority wanting to retain New Zealand, but a significant number interested in a combined Aotearoa New Zealand. Nor is there consensus on Aotearoa being the best alternative, with some debate about whether the name originally referred <a href="https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/ngai-tahu-leader-let%E2%80%99s-not-rush-name-change">only to the North Island</a> and Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu being used in the south. At the same time, there is a growing awareness of te reo Māori (as an official language, including among Pākehā) and understanding of our national names and their significance. This allows us to better understand where we have come from and where we want to go. By also acknowledging Māori names, we give substance to our distinctness as a nation. In time, perhaps, it will lead to us embracing a name that better reflects our history, our place in the world and our shared future.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168651/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/claire-breen-803990">Claire Breen</a>, Professor of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-waikato-781">University of Waikato</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alexander-gillespie-721706">Alexander Gillespie</a>, Professor of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-waikato-781">University of Waikato</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robert-joseph-1274506">Robert Joseph</a>, Associate Professor of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-waikato-781">University of Waikato</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/valmaine-toki-1179555">Valmaine Toki</a>, Professor of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-waikato-781">University of Waikato</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/putting-aotearoa-on-the-map-new-zealand-has-changed-its-name-before-why-not-again-168651">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Domestic Travel

Top 10 murder capitals of the world

For the most part, travelling the world is an exciting, educational and enlightening experience. But beneath all the warmth, hospitality and culture, there can be a very dark side to many cities which goes unnoticed by most wide-eyed travellers. Counting down are the top ten murder capitals of the world, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-50-most-violent-cities-in-the-world-2015-1#10-so-lus-brazil-had-6471-homicides-per-100000-residents-41">based upon the number of homicides per 100,000 people</a>.\ 10. São Luís, Brazil <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/the-northeast/sao-luis">São Luís</a> is the largest city in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. It is a world heritage listed area, with its famous tiled buildings, and impressive museums and art galleries which entice tourists from all over the world. But the city also has the tenth highest murder rate in the world, with 64.71 homicides per 100,000 residents. In March this year, the city was rocked by a deadly spate of shootings which saw <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/06/ten-murders-in-five-hours-one-deadly-night-in-sao-paulos-dangerous-triangle">10 people killed in the space of just five hours.</a> The city is also known for high rates of other violent crimes, including assaults, rapes and muggings. The violence is said to be primarily attributable to gang warfare which dominates the region. But locals say that the city’s military police are also to blame – having killed 6,697 people in the city over the past decade. 9. Cali, Columbia It’s the capital of salsa music, and even played host to the World Games in 2013, but Cali’s appalling homicide rate of 62.25 people per 100,000 has left tourists thinking twice about exploring its lively streets. But credit should be given where it is due – crime in Cali has been falling since the early 2000s, when the homicide rate reached as high as 90 per 100,000 people. High crime has been attributed to a lack of investment in security, as well as mafia and drug wars, with over 1,700 assassins estimated to be working in the Cali to this day. 8. Fortaleza, Brazil Beautiful Fortaleza is the fifth largest city in Brazil and home to incredible beaches and parks, but the drug trade and organised crime has seen the homicide rate skyrocket to 66.55 per 100,000 people. The rise in violent crime has been accompanied by a <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Travel-g303293-s206/Fortaleza:Brazil:Health.And.Safety.html">similar increase in petty crimes</a> such as theft. Tourists are frequently warned to exercise caution when travelling to Fortaleza due to the high rate of kidnappings in the city. 7. Valencia, Venezuela Valencia is said to be home to some of the most attractive people on earth, including several beauty pageant winners. But it’s also one of the most dangerous places in the world, with 71.08 homicides per 100,000 people. In fact, former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear and her husband were brutally murdered by the roadside just last year. The reason for high crime rates includes easy access to weapons, corrupt officials and police, lax law enforcement and a prison system marked by violence. <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2014/01/violence-venezuela">90% of murders in Valencia go unpunished</a> – meaning that there is little to deter criminals from taking the law into their own hands. 6. Maceió, Brazil A quick Google search for Maceió yields postcard-worthy photos of a coastal paradise, but besides its pretty beaches, the city is known for being one of the most violent cities in Brazil, with a homicide rate of 72.91 per 100,000 residents. The area is marked by poverty and an huge disparity between the rich and the poor, which has underpinned violence and crime. In recent years, Maceió has tried to reinvent itself as a tourist hotspot, with the government recently forking out millions for new police resources, and ‘peace lessons’ being rolled out in classrooms to teach children to be less violent. However, many holidaymakers remain perturbed by the high murder rates. 5. Distrito Central, Honduras Widely considered to be <a href="http://news.nster.com/426-the-most-violent-cities-in-the-world-by-alex-flux.html?b=4">the most dangerous municipality in Honduras</a>, Distrito Central is largely controlled by street gangs, who are blamed for the high homicide rate of 77.65 per 100,000 residents. These gangs are involved in the distribution of drugs such as cocaine, morphine and heroin throughout Central America. The city is underpinned by extreme poverty; with almost 70% living below poverty line, and by corruption in the army, police and judicial system. 4. João Pessoa, Brazil The easternmost city in the Americas is home to large areas of parkland as well as beautiful beaches fringed by palm trees – but the streets on the outskirts of the city are not so nice. With a homicide rate of 79.41 per 100,000 residents, João Pessoa is one of the most dangerous cities in Brazil. Tourists are frequently robbed at gunpoint, with statistics reporting that 135.8 people are robbed per 100,000. 3. Acapulco, Mexico Yet another beach-fringed resort city, Acapulco is popular amongst tourists wishing to work on their tan and enjoy the nightlife – but it is also known for having the highest murder rates in Mexico, with a whopping 104.16 homicides per 100,000 residents. Like many other cities on this list, Acapulco is plagued by drug-related warfare and violence, with rival cartels fighting for control of turf following the death of a major cartel leader in 2009. 2. Caracas, Venezuela Caracas is the capital of Venezuela – but it is also one of the world’s crime capitals, with 115.98 murders per 100,000 people. High rates of kidnappings, gun crime, drug-related violence and human trafficking make it a dangerous place to live and visit. These problems are compounded by the fact that police and other authorities are plagued by corruption and rarely investigate crime. 1. San Pedro Sula, Honduras With an incredible 171.2 people killed per 100,000 residents – or 3 murders per day – San Pedro Sula takes the top spot on our list of murder capitals around the world. The country has faced extreme poverty after Hurricane Mitch destroyed major fruit plantations and factories – leaving many residents with no option but to turn to criminal means to support themselves and their families. The city is now known as a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316843/Horrific-collection-photos-grim-reality-life-San-Pedro-Sula-Honduras.html">major distribution point for illegal firearms and drugs</a>, as well as a hub for cocaine trafficking – and there are frequently deadly fallouts between gangs, police and army personnel. Written by Ugur Nedim. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/top-ten-murder-capitals-of-the-world/">Sydney Criminal Lawyers.</a>

Cruising

Why paper maps still matter in the digital age

Ted Florence is ready for his family trip to Botswana. He has looked up his hotel on Google Maps and downloaded a digital map of the country to his phone. He has also packed a large paper map. “I travel all over the world,” says Florence, the president of the international board of the <a href="https://imiamaps.org/">International Map Industry Association</a> and <a href="https://www.avenzamaps.com/">Avenza Maps</a>, a digital map software company. “Everywhere I go, my routine is the same: I get a paper map, and I keep it in my back pocket.” With the proliferation of smartphones, it’s easy to assume that the era of the paper map is over. That attitude, that digital is better than print, is what I call “technochauvinism.” In my book, <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/artificial-unintelligence">Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World</a>, I look at how technochauvinism has been used to create an unnecessary, occasionally harmful bias for digital over print or any other kind of interface. A glance at the research reveals that the paper map still thrives in the digital era, and there are distinct advantages to using print maps. Your brain on maps Cognitive researchers generally make a distinction between surface knowledge and deep knowledge. Experts have deep knowledge of a subject or a geography; amateurs have surface knowledge. Digital interfaces are good for acquiring surface knowledge. Answering the question, “How do I get from the airport to my hotel in a new-to-me city?” is a pragmatic problem that requires only shallow information to answer. If you’re traveling to a city for only 24 hours for a business meeting, there’s usually no need to learn much about a city’s layout. When you live in a place, or you want to travel meaningfully, deep knowledge of the geography will help you to navigate it and to understand its culture and history. Print maps help you acquire deep knowledge faster and more efficiently. In experiments, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.014">people who read on paper consistently demonstrate better reading comprehension</a> than people who read the same material on a screen. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551512470043">A 2013 study</a> showed that, as a person’s geographic skill increases, so does their preference for paper maps. For me, the difference between deep knowledge and surface knowledge is the difference between what I know about New York City, where I have lived for years, and San Francisco, which I have visited only a handful of times. In New York, I can tell you where all the neighborhoods are and which train lines to take and speculate about whether the prevalence of Manhattan schist in the geological substrate influenced the heights of the buildings that are in Greenwich Village versus Midtown. I’ve invested a lot of time in looking at both paper and digital maps of New York. In San Francisco, I’ve only ever used digital maps to navigate from point to point. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know where anything is in the Bay Area. Our brains encode knowledge as what scientists call <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.014">a cognitive map</a>. In psychology-speak, I lack a cognitive map of San Francisco. “When the human brain gathers visual information about an object, it also gathers information about its surroundings, and associates the two,” wrote communication researchers Jinghui Hou, Justin Rashid and Kwan Min Lee <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.014">in a 2017 study</a>. “In a similar manner to how people construct a mental map of a physical environment (e.g., a desk in the center of an office facing the door), readers form a ‘cognitive map’ of the physical location of a text and its spatial relationship to the text as a whole.” Reading in print makes it easier for the brain to encode knowledge and to remember things. Sensory cues, like unfolding the complicated folds of a paper map, help create that cognitive map in the brain and help the brain to retain the knowledge. The same is true for a simple practice like tracing out a hiking route on a paper map with your finger. The physical act of moving your arm and feeling the paper under your finger <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/06/smarter-living/memory-tricks-mnemonics.html">gives your brain haptic and sensorimotor cues</a> that contribute to the formation and retention of the cognitive map. Map mistakes Another factor in the paper versus digital debate is accuracy. Obviously, a good digital map is better than a bad paper map, just like a good paper map is better than a bad digital map. <a href="https://medium.com/@mitpress/3-recommendations-to-combat-technochauvinism-9099b257b92c">Technochauvinists</a> may believe that all digital maps are good, but just as in the paper world, the accuracy of digital maps depends entirely on the level of detail and fact-checking invested by the company making the map. For example, a <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/20/business/la-fi-tn-apple-google-maps-lost-20121220">2012 survey by the crowdsourcing company Crowdflower</a> found that Google Maps accurately located 89 percent of businesses, while Apple Maps correctly found 74 percent. This isn’t surprising, as Google <a href="https://www.google.com/streetview/understand/">invests millions in sending people</a> around the world to map terrain for Google StreetView. Google Maps are good because the company invests time, money and human effort in making its maps good – not because digital maps are inherently better. Fanatical attention to detail is necessary to keep digital maps up to date, as conditions in the real world change constantly. Companies like Google are constantly updating their maps, and will have to do so regularly for as long as they continue to publish. The maintenance required for digital content is substantial – <a href="https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/601767-maps-obsolete.html">a cost that technochauvinists often ignore</a>. In my view, it’s easier to forgive the errors in a paper map. Physical maps usually include an easily visible publication date so users can see when the map was published. (When was the last time you noticed the date-of-last-update on your car navigation system?) When you are passively following the spoken GPS directions of a navigation system, and there is, say, an unmarked exit, it confuses the GPS system and causes chaos among the people in the car. (Especially the backseat drivers.) The best map for the job Some of the deeper flaws of digital maps are not readily apparent to the public. Digital systems, including cartographic ones, are more interconnected than most people realize. Mistakes, which are inevitable, can go viral and create more trouble than anyone anticipates. For example: Reporter Kashmir Hill has written about a Kansas farm in the geographic center of the U.S. that has been <a href="https://splinternews.com/how-an-internet-mapping-glitch-turned-a-random-kansas-f-1793856052">plagued by legal trouble and physical harassment</a>, because a digital cartography database mistakenly uses the farm’s location as a default every time the database can’t identify the real answer. “As a result, for the last 14 years, every time MaxMind’s database has been queried about the location of an IP address in the U.S. it can’t identify, it has spit out the default location of a spot two hours away from the geographic center of the country,” Hill wrote. “This happens a lot: 5,000 companies rely on MaxMind’s IP mapping information, and in all, there are now over 600 million IP addresses associated with that default coordinate.” A technochauvinist mindset assumes everything in the future will be digital. But what happens if a major company like Google stops offering its maps? What happens when a <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/19/16910378/government-shutdown-2018-nasa-spacex-iss-falcon-heavy">government shutdown</a> means that <a href="http://satnews.com/story.php?number=827160505">satellite data</a> powering smartphone GPS systems isn’t transmitted? Right now, ambulances and fire trucks can keep a road atlas in the front seat in case electronic navigation fails. If society doesn’t maintain physical maps, first responders won’t be able to get to addresses when there is a fire or someone is critically ill. Interrupting a country’s GPS signals is also a realistic cyberwarfare tactic. The U.S. Navy has resumed training new recruits in <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11931403/US-navy-returns-to-celestial-navigation-amid-fears-of-computer-hack.html">celestial navigation</a>, a technique that dates back to ancient Greece, as a guard against when the digital grid gets hacked. Ultimately, I don’t think it should be a competition between physical and digital. In the future, people will continue to need both kinds of maps. Instead of arguing whether paper or digital is a better map interface, people should consider what map is the right tool for the task. <div><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/artificial-unintelligence"></a>MIT Press provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.</div> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/meredith-broussard-659409">Meredith Broussard</a>, Assistant Professor of Journalism, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/new-york-university-1016">New York University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-paper-maps-still-matter-in-the-digital-age-105341">original article</a>.

Retirement Income

Local authorities beg tourists not to use Google Maps to find “hidden beaches”

A spike in lost visitors has prompted the local authorities in Sardinia, Italy to warn tourists about using Google Maps to find hidden beaches. The island is famed for its white sand coves and stretches of sand. Local authorities have recently reported a spike in lost tourists who have tried to find the island’s “hidden beaches” but ended up on dangerous cliff edges instead. Emergency services and the fire brigade are regularly called out to rescue tourists who find themselves stuck on dirt tracks. A family who were travelling in a Porsche were forced to abandon the vehicle after nearly falling off a cliff. 144 vehicles have been rescued in two year and authorities are now putting up signs that advise visitors not to use Google Maps on the island. Baunei Mayor Salvatore Corrias told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/sardinia-google-maps-tourists-lost-baunei/index.html">CNN</a> that the signs are in both English and Italian, warning of the road tracks. He said Google Maps were "misleading" drivers and often took cars on "unpassable tracks". A Google Maps spokesperson told <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/10147431/tourists-google-maps-sardinia-beaches/">Sun Online Travel</a>: "We're aware of an issue in Sardinia where Google Maps is routing some drivers down roads that can be difficult to navigate due to their terrain. "We're currently working with the local government to resolve the issue and are investigating ways we can better alert drivers about these types of roads."

Travel Trouble

A selfie-loving emu is quickly putting a small Queensland town on the map

A town in the Queensland Hinterland in Australia is quickly finding itself on the map after news got out about a fun-run’s local mascot: Fluffy the emu. Fluffy has been turning up every Saturday to keep fun-run joggers company as they run through Nambour. The emu is even ready to help organisers set up before the sun rises. “We don’t get big numbers normally, but since Fluffy has been around our numbers have been increasing,” Parkrun organiser Melissa Taylor told 7 News. Organisers said that Fluffy has been boosting numbers as people are flying from around the nation to get a photo with the emu. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F7NEWSAdelaide%2Fvideos%2F2455662484494154%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> However, event organisers were worried last month as Fluffy and emu buddy Muffy might be forcibly relocated from the Nambour site due to a complaint. The complaint that was lodged to Queensland’s Parks and Wildlife Services. QPWS spoke to 7 News and said that at the time, there is no intention to remove the animals. Rangers would be monitoring the emus closely.

Domestic Travel

Google Maps fail leads nearly 100 drivers to an empty field

Nearly 100 Colorado drivers were misled by Google Maps last week as a car crash on the road leading to Denver International Airport caused the app to provide people with a detour. In a rush to get to the airport on time for their flights, many went via a narrow dirt road suggested by the app. According to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/26/us/google-maps-detour-colorado-trnd/index.html">CNN</a>, cars began sliding down the dirt road, which turned into a muddy mess. Some cars got stuck, which caused a traffic jam. “There were a bunch of other cars going down (the dirt road) too, so I said, ‘I guess it’s OK.’ It was not OK,” one driver, Connie Monsees, told CNN. Once you were on the dirt road, there was nowhere to make a U-turn. “The question is, why did Google send us out there to begin with? There was no turning back once you were out there,” Connie said. She ended up with a semi-damaged vehicle and two extra passengers, as she kindly offered two others a lift to the airport. Google Maps addressed the situation in a statement to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/google-maps-shortcut-colorado-turns-muddy-mess-hundred/story?id=63946068">ABC News</a>: “We take many factors into account when determining driving routes, including the size of the road and the directness of the route. “While we always work to provide the best directions, issues can arise due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather. We encourage all drivers to follow local laws, stay attentive, and use their best judgment while driving.”

Travel Trouble

How the new Google Maps update could save lives during natural disasters

Google Maps is useful for providing directions to places you’ve never been before, whether it’s the petrol station around the corner or a new and exciting adventure to a city. The app has since announced big changes, which include the ability to potentially save your life during a natural disaster. Google Maps has recently announced its SOS alerts were being updated to include real-time visual information as well as a navigation warning system in times of crisis. This is to help users better understand what they need to do to stay safe. The SOS alerts were introduced two years ago, but these changes are sure to be helpful, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/06/07/google-maps-update-could-save-your-life-during-a-natural-disaster/">New York Post</a> reports. The latest updates include “detailed visualisations about hurricanes, earthquakes and floods”. “In the days leading up to a hurricane, you’ll see a crisis notification card on Google Maps that automatically appears if you’re near the impacted area,” Hannah Stulberg, product manager of Google Maps, explains. “This card will direct you to a hurricane forecast cone, which shows the prediction of the storm’s trajectory along with information about what time it’s likely to hit certain areas, so you can use this information to plan how to react.” Google Maps also follows a similar process for earthquakes, where it will show earthquake shakemaps following the strike. Users are also able to see where the epicentre of the earthquake was, the quakes magnitude and how much it impacted the surrounding areas. The flood forecasts will be able to show you where flooding is likely to occur as well as how severe the flooding will be. Hurricane forecast cones and earthquake shakemaps will be rolled out on iOS, Android, desktop and the mobile web worldwide in coming weeks. Navigation warnings are set to hit iOS and Android soon as well.

Technology

Never get ripped off by a taxi again: Google Maps’ clever new alert

Google Maps is testing a new feature in India that allows you to be warned if a taxi driver is taking you off your intended course to increase your taxi fare. These new “off-route alerts” will send a notification to your phone every time you get side-tracked from the intended course by 500 metres. The feature has been developed by XDA-Developers and was designed to help ensure drivers do not stray too far from the route. You simply choose the “stay safer” button that’s located at the bottom of the screen on Google Maps where you would enter your destination for directions. After you’ve selected the button, Google Maps offers the ability to “share live progress with friends” as well as offering the “off-route alerts”. According to <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/google-maps-feature-will-alert-you-if-a-taxi-is-taking-you-offroute-to-increase-the-fare/b2993178-88c3-494f-b8ab-f99b6665c231">9News</a>, the feature isn’t yet available in Australia or New Zealand as it is only being tested in India at the moment. Google Maps is also aiming to introduce speed limit indicators as well as speed camera locations to its navigation technology. The maps app will warn you when you approach a fixed speed camera location as well as allow you to submit the location of mobile speed cameras to alert other drivers.

Technology

Never get ripped off by a taxi again: Google Maps’ clever new alert

Technology

The Kmart jumper “blunder” that has left shoppers divided

A Kmart shopper has taken to Facebook to share the ‘error’ she spotted on her son’s new jumper. On the Facebook forum Kmart Mums, the mum shared a photo of her three-year-old in a jumper from the retail store that had been given to him by his grandmother. Hundreds of shoppers have debated over the ‘glaring error’ since it was initially shared online – do you think Kmart got it wrong? <img width="499" height="725" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7819328/1_499x725.jpg" alt="1 (159)"/> The astronomy themed jumper, which features a dinosaur, has ‘east’ and ‘west’ printed on the opposite sides. Some members of the group said the mistake was “obvious”, while one customer admitted they had purchased the item without noticing the error: “OMG I bought this today and didn’t even notice.” One user slammed Kmart for the mix-up and suggested for the designers to “look at a compass”. <img width="500" height="1285" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7819329/2_500x1285.jpg" alt="2 (95)"/> However, the reason why east and west are reversed on a sky map is because the map shows the sky as you look away from earth, whereas a geographic map shows the Earth from above looking down. Therefore, east and west are correctly switched around. Some social media users realised that the jumper did not have an error and said the astrological map was correct “when looking at the stars”. One person wrote: “It’s a star map – it’s correct!” Another asked: “Did no one here learn about constellations and maps when they were in school?” Did you initially think there was an error on the jumper? Let us know in the comments below.

Beauty & Style

How to use Google Maps offline

Lisa Du is director of <a href="https://readytechgo.com.au/" target="_blank">ReadyTechGo</a>, a service that helps people gain the confidence and skills to embrace modern technology. With holiday season coming up, I thought I'd do another tip focused on travelling overseas. When I travel, I love exploring and getting myself lost. I usually rely on my handy smartphone to navigate me back, or to look up my next destination. How do I navigate without an internet connection? Google Maps has a very handy feature called Offline Areas. This allows you to download maps of certain areas onto your phone so you can access the map when you are not connected to the internet (like when you are roaming down local streets). The limitations When you download the maps, you need to have an internet connection, so it's best to do this when you are using wifi in your hotel. Once you have downloaded the "Offline area", you will only be able to access driving directions. The walking and cycling directions are only available "online" (with an internet connection). How to download google maps and use offline areas: On Apple devices, visit the App Store and download Google Maps One Android Devices, visit the Play Store and download Google Maps 1. Make sure you are connected to wifi, and open the Google Maps app. 2. Tap into the Search field, and type the name of a place or address Eg. I'm looking for a restaurant called Morning Glory in Hoi An. <img width="264" height="" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/e785dd9ba906ed79fad48bd7e/images/af85e475-6d35-4dd4-a7a0-45f7071968b1.png" class="mcnImage" style="max-width: 576px; line-height: 100%; outline: none; vertical-align: bottom; height: auto !important;"/> 3. When the result appears, tap on the place. 4. Tap on the 3 dots that appear in the top right. 5. Tap Download offline map. <img width="264" height="" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/e785dd9ba906ed79fad48bd7e/images/2e818dbd-fde2-4703-9bbf-4e741cfc96c1.jpg" class="mcnImage" style="max-width: 1080px; line-height: 100%; outline: none; vertical-align: bottom; height: auto !important;"/> 6. Make sure you are connected to wifi, and open the Google Maps app. 7. Use your fingers to drag the square and determine the size of the offline area you would like to download (Note that Google Maps shows you how much space this will use on your phone). 8. Tap Download <img width="264" height="" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/e785dd9ba906ed79fad48bd7e/images/d86ae130-909b-478a-a7ee-8e2d7ea713a6.jpg" class="mcnImage" style="max-width: 1080px; line-height: 100%; outline: none; vertical-align: bottom; height: auto !important;"/> Test out the offline map by switching “aeroplane mode” on your phone. If you can navigate that are using Google Maps, then you have correctly installed offline maps! Just be mindful that you do need storage available on your device so that you can download the map area.

Technology

How to save your parking location on Google Maps

Technology

Fascinating map reveals which countries have the most trouble sleeping

Have you ever lied awake in bed, <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/2017/03/tips-to-improve-sleep/" target="_blank">wishing you could fall asleep</a>, but your brain simply won’t shut off? No matter how desperately tired you are, you can’t stop thinking about even the most random things, both petty and deep. What happens when we sleep? What am I going to do this weekend? What are other people around the world doing right now? Well, as <a href="https://www.hillarys.co.uk/the-sleep-loss-map/" target="_blank">a smart new map</a> reveals, you’re not alone. At the time of writing, 225,917 of our international friends were in the exact same position over a 24-hour period, tossing and turning, trying to get that elusive shut-eye. The Sleep Loss Map, designed by UK home interiors company Hillarys, analyses Twitter users’ tweets related to sleeplessness and plots their location on the map, giving us a real-time view of which countries are struggling the most to get some sleep. Among the top five nations with the highest numbers of insomniacs are the US, Brazil, Argentina, UK and Mexico. According to Hillarys, the map was designed to help insomniacs feel less alone. “There’s something about being unable to sleep at night that makes everyone else in the world seem so far away,” a spokesperson Tara Hall told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4256198/Interactive-map-reveals-people-struggling-sleep.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>. “But that’s far from the case. As the Sleep Loss Map shows, not being able to sleep affects most people at times, from the neighbours to strangers in Australia.” The map also includes tips to help people get a better night’s rest, facts about sleeping, and even a helpful animated graphic for people to sync their breathing to, relaxing them and making sleep easier. What methods of beating insomnia have you found effective? Share your story with us in the comments below.

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Never get ripped off by a taxi again: Google Maps’ clever new alert

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How to use Google Maps offline

How to save your parking location on Google Maps

Fascinating map reveals which countries have the most trouble sleeping