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Les conséquences du changement climatique sont particulièrement aiguës au Kenya, où 80 % des terres sont arides ou semi-arides. Quelle perspective critique et constructive le concept d’habitabilité peut-il offrir dans ce contexte ? Fondé sur un travail de terrain réalisé au Kenya en 2022 et 2023, cet article entend affiner une définition in situ de l’habitabilité, en utilisant exclusivement des données qualitatives issues de deux phases de recherche, complétées par des exercices de vidéo-cartographie. Loin de proposer une lecture positiviste de l’habitabilité, portée par une conception exclusivement mécanique et linéaire des dynamiques de mobilité, cette étude propose de mieux relier l’habitabilité aux pratiques quotidiennes, aux habitudes, aux solidarités, voire aux résistances qui constituent la vie ordinaire des habitants des communautés et des personnes déplacées. L’habitabilité se situerait alors au cœur de l’intrication entre socialité et spatialité, entre social et biologique, qui définit – selon Stanley Cavell – la forme de vie humaine. The consequences of climate change are particularly acute in Kenya, where 80% of the land is arid or semi-arid. What critical and constructive perspective can the concept of habitability offer in this context? Based on fieldwork carried out in Kenya in 2022 and 2023, this article aims to refine an in-situ definition of habitability, using exclusively qualitative data from two research phases, supplemented by video-mapping exercises. Far from proposing a positivist reading of habitability, driven by an exclusively mechanical and linear conception of mobility dynamics, this study proposes to better link habitability to the daily practices, habits, solidarities and even resistances that make up the ordinary lives of community dwellers and displaced persons. Habitability would then lie at the heart of the intricacy between sociality and spatiality, between the social and the biological, which defines – according to Stanley Cavell – “the human form of life.”

Les conséquences du changement climatique sont particulièrement aiguës au Kenya, où 80 % des terres sont arides ou semi-arides. Quelle perspective critique et constructive le concept d’habitabilité peut-il offrir dans ce contexte ? Fondé sur un travail de terrain réalisé au Kenya en 2022 et 2023, cet article entend affiner une définition in situ de l’habitabilité, en utilisant exclusivement des données qualitatives issues de deux phases de recherche, complétées par des exercices de vidéo-cartographie. Loin de proposer une lecture positiviste de l’habitabilité, portée par une conception exclusivement mécanique et linéaire des dynamiques de mobilité, cette étude propose de mieux relier l’habitabilité aux pratiques quotidiennes, aux habitudes, aux solidarités, voire aux résistances qui constituent la vie ordinaire des habitants des communautés et des personnes déplacées. L’habitabilité se situerait alors au cœur de l’intrication entre socialité et spatialité, entre social et biologique, qui définit – selon Stanley Cavell – la forme de vie humaine. The consequences of climate change are particularly acute in Kenya, where 80% of the land is arid or semi-arid. What critical and constructive perspective can the concept of habitability offer in this context? Based on fieldwork carried out in Kenya in 2022 and 2023, this article aims to refine an in-situ definition of habitability, using exclusively qualitative data from two research phases, supplemented by video-mapping exercises. Far from proposing a positivist reading of habitability, driven by an exclusively mechanical and linear conception of mobility dynamics, this study proposes to better link habitability to the daily practices, habits, solidarities and even resistances that make up the ordinary lives of community dwellers and displaced persons. Habitability would then lie at the heart of the intricacy between sociality and spatiality, between the social and the biological, which defines – according to Stanley Cavell – “the human form of life.”

AbstractThe summer of 2018 was characterized by prolonged heatwaves over Northern Europe, associated with persistent atmospheric blocking, and an unusually northward jet stream location over Scandinavia. Whilst event attribution studies tend to focus on the change in probability or magnitude of the extreme temperatures themselves, we provide context to these studies by examining whether there are human induced trends in the atmospheric circulation that might affect the likelihood of similar extreme circulation patterns and associated heat waves occurring in the future. We examine trends and variability in summer jet latitude, blocking frequency and overall circulation pattern over the Scandinavian sector in a variety of reanalyses and climate model ensembles. Both the number of blocked days, and the average jet location for summer 2018 were unprecedented in the reanalyses, and rare in climate model simulations. We found no robust evidence of past or future externally forced changes in summer blocking frequency over Scandinavia in model simulations, whilst trends in circulation analogs were also largely insignificant. Trends in jet latitude were dependent on the time period examined, models included and other analysis choices. Overall, we found no robust evidence for systematic trends in average or extreme years toward Summer 2018‐like conditions for any of the three indices, nor in the frequency of co‐occurring extreme northward jet latitude and high blocking frequency. We conclude that Summer 2018s circulation can likely be explained by internal atmospheric variability.

AbstractThe summer of 2018 was characterized by prolonged heatwaves over Northern Europe, associated with persistent atmospheric blocking, and an unusually northward jet stream location over Scandinavia. Whilst event attribution studies tend to focus on the change in probability or magnitude of the extreme temperatures themselves, we provide context to these studies by examining whether there are human induced trends in the atmospheric circulation that might affect the likelihood of similar extreme circulation patterns and associated heat waves occurring in the future. We examine trends and variability in summer jet latitude, blocking frequency and overall circulation pattern over the Scandinavian sector in a variety of reanalyses and climate model ensembles. Both the number of blocked days, and the average jet location for summer 2018 were unprecedented in the reanalyses, and rare in climate model simulations. We found no robust evidence of past or future externally forced changes in summer blocking frequency over Scandinavia in model simulations, whilst trends in circulation analogs were also largely insignificant. Trends in jet latitude were dependent on the time period examined, models included and other analysis choices. Overall, we found no robust evidence for systematic trends in average or extreme years toward Summer 2018‐like conditions for any of the three indices, nor in the frequency of co‐occurring extreme northward jet latitude and high blocking frequency. We conclude that Summer 2018s circulation can likely be explained by internal atmospheric variability.

Abstract To thrive in extreme conditions, organisms have evolved a diverse arsenal of adaptations that confer resilience. These species, their traits, and the mechanisms underlying them comprise a valuable resource that can be mined for numerous conceptual insights and applied objectives. One of the most dramatic adaptations to water limitation is desiccation tolerance. Understanding the mechanisms underlying desiccation tolerance has important potential implications for medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, and conservation. However, progress has been hindered by a lack of standardization across sub-disciplines, complicating the integration of data and slowing the translation of basic discoveries into practical applications. Here, we synthesize current knowledge on desiccation tolerance across evolutionary, ecological, physiological, and cellular scales to provide a roadmap for advancing desiccation tolerance research. We also address critical gaps and technical roadblocks, highlighting the need for standardized experimental practices, improved taxonomic sampling, and the development of new tools for studying biology in a dry state. We hope that this perspective can serve as a roadmap to accelerating research breakthroughs and unlocking the potential of desiccation tolerance to address global challenges related to climate change, food security, and health.

Abstract To thrive in extreme conditions, organisms have evolved a diverse arsenal of adaptations that confer resilience. These species, their traits, and the mechanisms underlying them comprise a valuable resource that can be mined for numerous conceptual insights and applied objectives. One of the most dramatic adaptations to water limitation is desiccation tolerance. Understanding the mechanisms underlying desiccation tolerance has important potential implications for medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, and conservation. However, progress has been hindered by a lack of standardization across sub-disciplines, complicating the integration of data and slowing the translation of basic discoveries into practical applications. Here, we synthesize current knowledge on desiccation tolerance across evolutionary, ecological, physiological, and cellular scales to provide a roadmap for advancing desiccation tolerance research. We also address critical gaps and technical roadblocks, highlighting the need for standardized experimental practices, improved taxonomic sampling, and the development of new tools for studying biology in a dry state. We hope that this perspective can serve as a roadmap to accelerating research breakthroughs and unlocking the potential of desiccation tolerance to address global challenges related to climate change, food security, and health.

Anion exchange membrane water electrolyser showing the chemical structure of hydroxyl-conductive 2D hBN-based anion exchange membrane (AEM). The developed AEMs exhibit high hydroxyl conductivity, superior mechanical and electrochemical stability.

Anion exchange membrane water electrolyser showing the chemical structure of hydroxyl-conductive 2D hBN-based anion exchange membrane (AEM). The developed AEMs exhibit high hydroxyl conductivity, superior mechanical and electrochemical stability.