Vincent Van-Goh-ing digital?

Rosie Bibby on 23 November 2023

The wonders of artificial intelligence (AI) are ever growing and no one can deny that this technology is impressive. However, some may complain about the lack of artistic creation that has gone into producing these images as they are determined by an algorithm. Artists, graphic designers and illustrators are just a few examples of professionals that have been affected by the AI art tools. Some say it removes all emotion from the skill because there is no creative process involved. Others believe it has the potential to drive hate related movements. There are many free AI art generators available online that can create art in a matter of seconds based on just a few words. I tried it out myself asking for a representation of “University of Leeds students” and got something that looks horrifyingly realistic. Let us know if this looks like you or anyone you know at the University of Leeds!

‘University of Leeds student’ typed into img2go.com

To create these pictures, the AI has sourced images and text from across the internet to comprise a database with over a billion pictures and uses an algorithm to create a new image from these. Alongside this mammoth data collection comes copyright issues as it has taken photographs and artworks from rights holders without their consent. Furthermore, the internet is also full of negative and unwanted imagery which could lead to some users harnessing the power of AI to create discriminatory, offensive and illegal material. As this is a relatively new technology, the law has not yet been updated to include ethical considerations around AI activity.

This has the potential to threaten the livelihoods of professional artists who rely on their work for income, therefore, there needs to be an increasing awareness and protection of online artwork to prevent artists being plagiarised and losing profit. The government must look into censoring what can be produced from AI to prevent people from using it to spread hate or illegal images. 

Earthshot Winners Announced: the People Taking on Climate Change 

Elizabeth Sprason on 23 November 2023

On the 7th November, five winners of the Earthshot Prize 2023 were announced by Prince William at a star-studded event in Singapore. Out of 1300 nominees, the winners included community projects, high tech startups, and charities. The Earthshot awards have gained great global interest and shines a spotlight on communities working to protect our planet.  

Image Credit: The Earthshot Prize (https://earthshotprize.org/our-vision-mission/)

The purpose of the Earthshot Prize is to accelerate sustainable development and innovation, and has 5 defining categories. By 2030, the five Earthshot winners aim to: Protect and Restore Nature by seeing a growth in natural habitats; Clean Our Air and ensure that globally the World Health Organisation standard is met; Revive Our Oceans and future proof them for the next generation; Build a Waste-Free World with a focus on removing single use plastics, and finally, Fix Our Climate which has the aim to build a carbon neutral economy.  

Each of the winners are awarded £1million to help develop their projects as well as receiving recognition and notoriety within the sustainability community. Back in 2020, Prince William set up the prize and is described by the Royal Foundation as “the most prestigious global prize for the environment in history”. From 2021 to 2030, a winner will be announced for each of the five categories having been judged by the Earthshot Prize Council (which includes in their midst Prince William himself and Sir David Attenborough).  

 The 2023 winners were varied. From a conservation community project in the Andes planting almost 10 million native trees since 2018, to an Indian food waste prevention scheme that empowers female farmers by supplying solar powered food processors. One company – Boomitra – uses AI and satellite images to help farmers restore their soil health and improves food security. 

The winner the Clean Our Air Earthshot, meanwhile, has developed a unique technology than can reduce greenhouse emissions by 40%. GRST (Green, Renewable and Sustainable Technology) uses water instead of NMP solvents to produce lithium batteries. This has the potential for a variety of uses from manufacturing to powering electric cars. Currently, lithium-ion batteries require destructive mining techniques to obtain the finite materials required. and as As the world moves away from fossil fuels, the demand for lithium will only increase, risking the future of many of earth’s habitats. Furthermore, using water is less toxic than NMP solvents and also makes the battery easier to recycle, thus ultimately reducing waste. With the prize money, the Hong Kong based start-up is set to build the world’s greenest lithium-ion battery factory in China and upscale its battery production. 

Other winners and nominees from previous years include The City of Milan Food Waste Hubs for the Build a Waste-Free World, Reeddi Capsules for Fix Our Climate, and The Great Bubble Barrier for Revive Our Oceans. One 2021 finalist is Vinisha Umashankar who at 14 created solar powered carts that improved ironing vendors health in India as an alternative to the charcoal stands used in her community.  

Seeing through the glamour, it’s clear to see the legacy the Earthshot prizes create, and the importance of the awareness it creates for the climate crisis. Who will win next? 

Image Credit: The Earthshot Prize (https://earthshotprize.org/our-vision-mission/)

Invaders From Your Garden

Rosie Bibby on 23 November 2023

You may have experienced the swarms of ladybirds in green spaces around Leeds or perhaps in your home. It’s getting to the time of year that ladybirds, alongside other overwintering animals, are looking to hunker down for the winter and hibernate. This is why they gather in large numbers, aiming to find a protected, warm spot like your windowsill!

Although, most of these ladybirds are not our native species but the invasive harlequin ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis), which arrived in the UK in 2004. It is thought they were introduced from Europe or the US as a natural form of pest control as they eat aphids, an aggressive herbivore of crop plants. However, the harlequins originally come from eastern Russia, China and Japan. You can identify the invasive Harlequin ladybirds by their orange legs, whereas our native species have a black body.

The harlequins often predate upon our native ladybirds and can also give them sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This disease is caused by a fungus that lives on their exoskeleton and can be visible with the naked eye. However, there is no concern of this STD being transmissible to humans, so no need to worry!

Other invasive species, however, are very problematic throughout the UK. One such invader is the signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, which was introduced to the UK in the 1970s as a food source. However, as a smaller member of the crustacean family, it turns out you don’t get much meat from crayfish. Therefore, many have been released into the wild where they have established large populations very successfully. They are such effective invaders because they breed rapidly and aren’t picky eaters; you may have spotted them in rivers or reservoirs and are often caught accidentally by fishermen.

Due to the UK’s temperate climate and poor border control, there are lots of well-established invaders including the Grey squirrel, Giant hogweed and the Asian hornet. It is also theorised that with climate change, the UK will become home to more invasive species as their thermal ranges shift northwards with the warming climate.

Insights into Little Known Medical Secrets 

Lily Page on 23 November 2023

Ever wondered about the behind the scenes of medicine throughout the 19th and 20th century? Want to know more about the work Florence Nightingale did? Or how prisons were used to perform population wide experiments to determine if the inmates had a genetic disposition to criminal acts? 

The Thackray Museum of Medicine is excited to announce the return of their popular annual “Insights Lectures” this autumn. The talks aim to further the mission for the public to engage with academic debate over the development and history of medicine. These talks go beyond what we can see in the museum collections and provide in-depth knowledge on how we look after ourselves and push us to assess our own needs by understanding the roots, peaks, and troughs of healthcare evolution. Leading researchers from a variety of fields will work in tandem to provide topical insights varying from medical history and the environment to ethics, politics and Victorian architecture. 

I spoke to Laura Sellers; the curator of the lectures, about the importance of the talks, and the clarity they provide in a contemporary world of swirling digital infodemics and medical misinformation, particularly since COIVD-19. Laura emphasises that as healthcare consumers, we must understand where things come from; the sources, the human cost and history of innovation, developing research and enlightening skeletal remains allowing reinterpretation of misunderstood communities. These elements allow us to re-frame the way we look at ourselves and others. For example, if we followed the advice of Donald Trump to inject disinfectant into our bodies (classed as an “expert” by his presidential title) during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can assume the death rates of the virus would have been significantly larger in the US. Consider the unfathomable concept that doctors used to promote cigarettes! By immersing ourselves in historical narratives, the lectures give the everyday public liberty and opportunity to understand how, why, and when information changes, allowing freedom to make informed decisions on our own health and wellbeing. 

The first of the monthly lectures commence on the 4th of November, where Laura Sellers and Dr Stella Butler (Librarian Emeritus at UOL and Honorary Research Fellow at UCL) will discuss Florence Nightingale’s revolutionary transformation of hospitals and a key psychological question as to whether criminality is a human characteristic that we can change or if it is innate to people. Laura was able to give us a preview of what is to come; during the 19th century, the concept of a “prison” was still unestablished. Early ideas focussed on time in prison representing a reformatory period whereby convicts would emerge cognitively changed. You may be surprised to hear that this did not work! Eventually, they concluded that healthcare was the only way to truly change prison life. From this idea, they could keep re-building and improving prisons, whether that be ventilation, or access to work, constant tweaks were made. 

“It was actually a prison doctor who discovered you can get Vitamin C from a potato!” 

He could do this because prisons essentially consisted of a controlled experimental body. Residents lived the same way, ate the same food, wore the same clothes, and performed the same labour; “everything about their lives was managed, which means you can effectively experiment on that population.” The results of observing and adjusting elements of prison life meant they could try and work out if criminality is, indeed, a changeable human characteristic or if it is innate to people. These observations fundamentally “changed how punishment happened in the UK”. 

Everyone learns in different ways and lectures are not for everyone. Laura is trying to use as many wide-ranging events and topics as possible, relevant to the Harehills and St. James’s Hospital community as well as the wider population of Leeds, particularly university students. Laura’s main objective is to reach and inform as many people as she can. The museum are increasing their use of digital platforms and local community engagement; “What we try and do is give people access in different ways”. Again, when reliable, impartial, and accurate medical information is readily accessible, we are free to make more informed choices for our health. 

The museum is located in Harehills, just a 30-minute walk from Leeds Train Station, with easy access to regular buses. The museum offers much more than just the Insights Lectures, including its Culture Club, targeted at a slightly younger audience (16-21). Tickets for the lectures are priced at £10 (or £60 for the full series) and can be found on The Thackray Museum of Medicine website under “What’s On“. 

Researchers Identify Largest Ever Solar Storm using Ancient 14,300-year-old Tree Rings

Zoe Parker on 23 November 2023

The climate crisis has caused the Earth to be ravaged in more storms and extreme weather events in recent years. We see large scale storms on other planets – Jupiter’s famous ‘Great Red Spot’ is actually an ongoing storm that was first seen in 1879 – and even on our sun. Solar storms can impact us on Earth due to how close we are to our host star. Although the sun hasn’t had a massive solar outburst within recorded human history, scientists know there have been some in the past. Known as Miyake Events, there have been a total of nine such solar storms, but none previously have been on the same scale as the one discovered on the 9th October this year in tree rings found in the Drouzet river, France.

Earlier last month a team of international scientists from institutions all over the world, including the University of Leeds, have announced that they have discovered evidence of the largest ever solar storm that is thought to have occurred over 14,300 years ago. They were able to do this by slicing apart the subfossil (remains of tree trunks that are not yet fully fossilised) into separate tree rings so they were ready for analysis. “We then carefully pieced together the separate trees to create a longer timeline using a method called dendrochronology [the study of annual tree growth]. This allowed us to discover invaluable information on past environmental changes and measure radiocarbon over an uncharted period of solar activity” explains Associate Professor Cécile Miramont, a member of the research team.

Tree rings of a buried subfossil tree in the Drouzet river. Photo Credit: Cécile Miramont 

What they were looking for was a large spike in radiocarbon levels. “Radiocarbon is constantly being produced in the upper atmosphere through a chain of reactions initiated by cosmic rays” said Professor Edouard Bard, the lead author of the study. “Extreme solar events including solar flares and coronal mass ejections can also create short-term bursts of energetic particles which are preserved as huge spikes in radiocarbon production occurring over the course of just a single year” he adds. The scientists compared the tree ring samples to Greenland ice core beryllium measurements and determined that both were caused by this giant solar storm.

As fascinating as this is, there is a warning to heed here. It’s imperative that research like this is done so that preparation can be done in the event that a solar storm does occur. Because of the way our energy and telecommunication systems work, if a solar storm hit tomorrow, they would be almost completely destroyed and cost billions of pounds to repair. Professor Tim Heaton, lecturer and researcher at the University of Leeds, warns that it could “permanently damage the transformers in our electricity grids, resulting in huge and widespread blackouts lasting months” as well as damaging satellites that “we all rely on for navigation and telecommunication, leaving them unusable. They would also create severe radiation risks to astronauts”.

Subfossil trees in the banks of the Drouzet river. Photo Credit: Cécile Miramont 

Very little is known about these solar storms, especially as they have never been observed with scientific instruments directly. “A precise understanding of our past is essential if we want to accurately predict our future and mitigate potential risks. We still have much to learn. Each new discovery not only helps answer existing key questions but can also generate new ones” states Professor Heaton.

The team have published a paper detailing their findings and can be found here.