Scientists Want to Know How the Smells of Nature Benefit Our Health
Featuring Gregory Bratman, co-director of Nature and Health
James Urton · UW News · May 15, 2024
Spending time in nature is good for us. Studies have shown that contact with nature can lift our well-being by affecting emotions, influencing thoughts, reducing stress and improving physical health.
Everyone Says Trees Are Good for Us. This Scientist Wants to Prove It.
Bishop Sand · Washington Post · January 29, 2024
Featuring Kathleen Wolf, Nature and Health researcher
Aruni Bhatnagar looked up.
“This tree right here, it’s got a lot of good leaves so you can stick a lot of air pollutants in it,” Bhatnagar, a cardiology researcher, said as he gestured toward a magnolia tree on the U.S.
Nature and Health Director and Researchers Featured on Highly Cited Researchers 2023 list
Gregory Bratman, Nature and Health co-director, and Spencer Wood, a Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member, are recognized in the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2023 list from Clarivate. They join more than 40 UW researchers who received the honor this year.
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Nature May Be Key to Strengthening Our Attention
Gregory Bratman, co-director of Nature and Health is featured in this three-part series from Psychiatric News.
Nature May Be Key to Strengthening Our Attention
Katie O’Connor · Psychiatric News · Volume 58, Number 12
There are various theories on why nature exposure improves cognitive function.
Can Virtual Reality Mimic Nature’s Power to Make Us Healthier?
Meghan Bartels · Scientific American · July 14, 2023
Featuring Gregory Bratman, Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member
For decades, scientists have been exploring how exposing humans to nature—by planting trees along urban streets, visiting forests or even just growing houseplants—may improve physical and psychological health.
The Salt Lake Tribune: Equitable Access to the Outdoors will Improve Health and Conservation in Utah and Other States
Nalini Nadkarni, a Nature and Health researcher and Nature and Health Alliance member, is featured in The Salt Lake Tribune. In this piece, Nalini highlights how emerging cross-disciplinary collaborations are unlocking new findings in the field of nature and health.
Read moreFrom Labs to the Streets, Experts Work to Defuse Childhood Threats to Mental Health
The Picower Institute · May 18, 2023
Featuring Gregory Bratman, Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member
Threats to lifelong mental health can arise for young children from sources including poverty, abuse or neglect at home and racism, inequity and pollution outside their doors, but the hopeful message that a range of experts brought to MIT May 11 was that amid these many risks, approaches to provide effective protections and remedies are numerous and growing.
Environmental and Social Determinants of Child Mental Health
Threats to lifelong mental health can arise for young children from sources including poverty, abuse or neglect, racism, inequity, and pollution. On May 11, 15 neuroscientists, physicians, psychologists, public health researchers, and advocates came together to discuss new research and solutions to children’s mental health challenges during a daylong “Environmental and Social Determinants of Child Mental Health,” symposium hosted by MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and The JPB Foundation.
Read more at MIT News
BIPOC Research Collective at Nature and Health: Actions for Restoration, Sustainability and Health
Story by Allie Long
The traditional depiction of nature in research—as well as in US History, literature, art and most academic inquiries—is largely conceptualized to fit white-dominant narratives. More often than not, this comes at the direct expense and erasure of other cultures and experiences.
Five Ways to Get Kids Outdoors in Cold Weather
Ashley Speller · On the Pulse · February 9, 2023
Featuring Dr. Pooja S. Tandon, Nature and Health researcher
With a lack of summer sunshine, the ongoing days of winter and frigid temperatures can leave families and children feeling stuck indoors.