Can removal of woody materials from forests for renewable bioenergy production be environmentally sustainable? A recent review in Energy, Sustainability and Society demonstrates that a wide range of environmental and social values can be protected when harvesting forest biomass, such as harvest residues, salvaged sub-merchantable trees, diseased or dead trees, and whole-tree thinnings.

Historic legal deeds are one of the most abundant resources in British archives, yet we know a surprisingly little amount about how they are manufactured. In a recent article in Heritage Science, numerous parchments were studied, indicating a preference for using sheepskin parchment. Intriguingly, it seems this may have been to deter fraud. Sean Paul Doherty discusses the findings.

What exactly makes memes transmitted through online social networks go viral? Research published recently in Applied Network Science uses machine learning techniques to examine and predict the success of a meme. Furthermore, these memes could provide a looking glass into the thoughts of internet users in the time of COVID-19. Nóra Balogh, a co-author of the study, talks about the findings.

The bicycle is arguably the most sustainable and eco-friendly mode of transport but biking safety remains a prime concern, especially in cities. Konstantinos Pelechrinis and his co-authors propose a model which provides interpretable findings for practical change.

The “Saltzman Collection” is made up of samples of Peruvian dyes that were gathered in the 1970s. When Ruth Ann Armitage and her co-workers analyzed the collection for their publication in Heritage Science, they did not realize they only knew part of the story. Here, Dr. Armitage and Kay Antúnez de Mayolo recount the full story of the collection of these dye samples.

The “Saltzman Collection” is made up of samples of Peruvian dyes that were gathered in the 1970s. When Ruth Ann Armitage and her co-workers analyzed the collection for their publication in Heritage Science, they did not realize they only knew part of the story. Here, Dr. Armitage and Kay Antúnez de Mayolo recount the full story of the collection of these dye samples.