Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:
Twenty-eight citizen scientists from the North Carolina Nature Research Center traveled to the Amazon jungle for eight days in July. Mission: to document defoliation in the canopy for science, and to contribute knowledge of insect biodiversity for conservation. But the overarching, and unexpected, benefit was the inspiration and pure joy of unplugging technology. Absolute bliss was redefined: 1. hearing bird songs without traffic in the background; 2. talking thoughtfully to people without interruptive ringtones; 3. absorbing the smells and sights of a tropical jungle; 4. turning off those over-stressed brain circuits that respond 24/7 to bells, lights and texting; and 5. absence of anxiety attacks caused by multitasking in our technology-driven world.