James Bond lives dangerously
The famous agent 007 has come close to death more than once, during the many missions where he has faced some of the worst villains in the history of cinema. But according to European researchers, James Bond was at greater risk of dying because of his questionable lifestyle. In a frankly humorous study published in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, three scientists analyze the behavior of the British secret agent over 3113 minutes spread over many films between 1962 and 2021. Almost everything happens. His alcohol consumption. His many sexual partners, on average 2.4 per movie. His questionable hygiene – he is seen washing his hands on only two occasions as his missions take him to 47 different regions of the globe. Researchers report that diarrhea happens so quickly in such circumstances. Which would hardly be practical, it must be admitted, to defend the interests of His Majesty.
Read the study
Quiz
Has the population of house sparrows declined in Europe since 1980?
FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY ARCHIVES PHOTO
The population of house sparrows is in decline.
There are 247 million fewer house sparrows in Europe today than there were in 1980, according to a recent study on the decline of birds on the Old Continent. After the sparrow, the wagtail (- 97 million), the starling (- 75 million) and the lark (- 68 million) are the bird species that have experienced the most significant decline in 40 years. The study was published on the Zenodo website.
The number
405 billion
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Soils store three times more carbon than plant biomass, including trees.
According to a study by McMaster University, we find the equivalent of 405 billion tonnes of carbon stored in the soil in Canada, the equivalent of global CO emissions2 for 30 years. The researchers made a map for the whole country, showing the carbon concentrations in the soil. In general, soils store three times more carbon than plant biomass, including trees. In Quebec, for example, forest biomass can store 4.3 billion tonnes of carbon while soils contain 45.7 billion tonnes. With this study commissioned by WWF-Canada, the authors hope that different governments will take their data into account in the fight against climate change.
Consult the Canadian map
Drought kills trees
PHOTO KARENE-ISABELLE JEAN-BAPTISTE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Trees are dying due to droughts.
The death rate for all tree species is on the rise in Europe. The cause ? The soils are increasingly drier, due to more and more intense episodes of drought. According to Estonian researchers, the mortality rate of Norway spruce increased by 60% between 2010 and 2020 compared to the period between 1995 and 2009. For Scots pine, the increase was 40%, and 36% for common beech. A phenomenon that could worsen the climate crisis, since trees help to store a significant amount of carbon. And planting millions, if not billions, of trees is not a viable long-term solution if the soils become too dry to survive. The study was published on the bioRxiv dissemination platform.
Impostor Syndrome: Better Employees
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, PRESS ARCHIVES
People with impostor syndrome tend to always try to do more.
Who does not know the syndrome of the impostor, the one which makes a person not feel qualified for the job which they occupy, for example? According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), these people actually make better employees, thanks in part to their ability to establish better relationships with their colleagues. These are the conclusions of a study published recently in theAcademy of Management Journal. According to the authors, people with impostor syndrome tend to want to make up for their supposed lack of skills by always looking to do more.