Nature Through the Lens

Science Communication
Written By Youth STEM Matters Team
Dark background with Youth STEM Matters logo on left, Sustainable Development Goals banner on right, and SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life On Land) icons centre.

It’s Nature Photography Day!

There’s a growing number of studies showing the beneficial effects of nature on human health. A 2019 review paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, titled ‘Physiological Benefits of Viewing Nature: A Systematic Review of Indoor Experiments’ [1] examined 37 articles that each presented evidence of the physiological effects that viewing nature (for example, videos, virtual reality, photos) can have. Overall, the researchers Jo, Song, and Miyazaki concluded that, relative to a control, simply viewing images of nature or natural scenery can make you more relaxed. This study adds to the evidence that suggests that nature therapy would be a good addition to existing treatments, particularly within preventative medicine.

So, here’s some photos of nature, taken by young people around the world!

 

Adithya Nair

Taken at a primarily alpine farming community, these photos depict the natural beauty of Wengen's (Switzerland) local landscape in perfect detail.

 

Poppy Bradley

Laser scanning confocal microscope images taken at magnification x20. These are tracheal stem cells from both paediatric and adult samples stained using antibodies with fluorescent attachments. This can be used as a diagnostic tool to see which signalling pathways are used by cells.

 

Mhairi McCann

A rocky shore on the west coast of Scotland, with the island of Arran in the background (left) and a beadlet anemone, found in one of the rockpools (right).

 

Shweta Pandey

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A photo of altocumulus clouds in tranquil sky at sunset.

 

Zainab Khan

Left: This shot was taken in October, when there was a chill in the air and some mist and fog arising as well. The colours of the leaves were beautiful, as always. Right: Just some good old greenery!

 

References

[1] H. Jo, C. Song and Y. Miyazaki, "Physiological Benefits of Viewing Nature: A Systematic Review of Indoor Experiments," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019. [Online]. Accessed: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234739

Youth STEM Matters Team

The Youth STEM Matters Volunteer Team are a group of 47 young people, based in 19 countries globally! We lead and run the Youth STEM Matters journal as volunteers.

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