Is excessive wealth immoral? Most people do not think so, but members of societies that are more equal and wealthy than average are more likely to believe it is wrong to have too much money. 

Researchers have revealed the declining health of coastal marshes several years before visible signs of decline, providing an early warning and opportunity to protect an ecosystem that serves as the first line of defense against coastal flooding.   

Many early-career scientists continue their academic careers at the same university where they studied, a practice known as academic inbreeding. A researcher at the HSE Institute of Education analysed the impact of academic inbreeding on publication activity in the natural sciences and mathematics. The study found that the impact is ambiguous and depends on various factors, including the university's geographical location, its financial resources, and the state of the regional academic employment market. A paper with the study findings has been published in Research Policy. 

Researchers from INRAE, MNHN, AgroParisTech and La TeleScop conducted the first metropolitan-scale cross analysis on the need to reduce lighting for six species groups and residents’ acceptance of changes to public lighting. The study, which focused on the Montpellier Méditerranée conurbation, resulted in a map that cross-references the needs of biodiversity with those of urban residents. This map identifies different zones where efforts to reduce public lighting are mutually beneficial and others where compromises are necessary. The findings, published in Nature Cities, show that a policy on lighting at night with spatial adaptations at the street and even streetlight levels can help balance the needs of biodiversity and residents’ expectations, particularly in terms of safety. The scientists developed a web application called SustainLight that compiles the results in an interactive map format to help city planners develop their local lighting policies.