Monday 8 September 2025
Afraid of the dark?
Perhaps too much light is the big problem
By Paul Marchant
Outline: The speaker addressed the subject of ‘Casting Light on Evidence & Evidence on Light’ at Headingley Café Scientifique, 11½ years ago. This session updates matters and discusses whether more lighting enhances or reduces safety. It will explain the methods and results of studies into the effect on road safety and crime of changing Leeds’ 80,000 street lamps to white light over nearly nine years. For results see https://academic.oup.com/jrssig/article/20/3/30/7190566 & https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12061-025-09675-1 . The issue of lighting research is placed in the context of problems in research generally. Do note all science is in essence social science in that it is done by people in a society … and we humans do have flaws! Some issues are noted in committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/39590/html/ et seq.
A big problem with the brightening night-time Earth is the effect on the natural world. Some of these issues will be discussed.
Speaker: Paul Marchant came to Leeds to do a PhD aiming to examine the heat radiation left over from the Big Bang. This involved him in data analysis and statistics. He later obtained a MSc in Applied Statistics and later still was recognised as a Chartered Statistician by the Royal Statistical Society. He worked at what is now Leeds Beckett University contributing statistical input to research, and since retirement has held visiting fellowships both there and at the University of Leeds.
Venue: The New Headingley Club, 56 St Michaels Road, LS6 3BG
Time: Room opens 7:30, talk begins promptly at 7:45pm
Entry: Donation please for room hire and expenses: £4 at the door
Café Scientifique Headingley is a programme run under the auspices of the Headingley Development Trust
– see http://headingleydevelopmenttrust.org.uk
Our next online meeting will be:Our next online meeting will be:Monday 25th January at 7.30
“The Promise of Gravitational Waves” by Sue Bowle