ScienceDaily: Society - December 10, 2024
Top society research news
What motivates Americans to eat less red meat?
Limiting red meat consumption is key to a sustainable and healthy diet, yet Americans are among the world's largest consumers of red meat. A new study reveals the demographics of American adults who choose not to eat red meat and finds that environmental concerns may matter more to them than health risks.
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Loneliness and isolation: Back to pre-pandemic levels, but still high, for older adults
Loneliness and isolation among older Americans have mostly returned to pre-pandemic rates, but that still means more than one third of people age 50 to 80 feel lonely, and nearly as many feel isolated, a new national study shows.
Readers trust news less when AI is involved, even when they don't understand to what extent
Researchers have published two studies in which they surveyed readers on their thoughts about AI in journalism. When provided a sample of bylines stating AI was involved in producing news in some way or not at all, readers regularly stated they trusted the credibility of the news less if AI had a role. Even when they didn't understand exactly what AI contributed, they reported less trust and that 'humanness' was an important factor in producing reliable news.
Bucking conventionality, boys in Norway are making early gains in reading English as a second language and even outperforming girls at age 10 and 13 -- a new a study of more than one million students suggests.
Why people remember certain things and not others
Exactly why do people remember what they remember? A recently published review paper sheds light on this fundamental question and the relationship between factors that influence human memory.
Scientists urged to pull the plug on 'bathtub modeling' of flood risk
Recent decades have seen a rapid surge in damages and disruptions caused by flooding. Experts call on scientists to more accurately model these risks and caution against overly dramatized reporting of future risks in the news media.
High heat is preferentially killing the young, not the old, new research finds
Many recent studies assume that elderly people are at particular risk of dying from extreme heat as the planet warms. A new study of mortality in Mexico turns this assumption on its head: it shows that 75% of heat-related deaths are occurring among people under 35 -- a large percentage of them ages 18 to 35, or the very group that one might expect to be most resistant to heat.
How neighborhood enhances cooperation
Helping out your neighbor or minding your own business? A challenging choice with different benefits for each decision. Game theory provides guidance in making such choices -- from a theoretical perspective. Novel findings reveal new network structures that enhance cooperation throughout a system. These insights have potential applications also in biology.
The U.S. is forecasted to fall in its global rankings below nearly all high-income and some middle-income countries. Drug use disorders, high body mass index, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure are driving mortality and disability higher across the U.S. Future scenarios for health outcomes identify the states that are forecasted to gain ground, face stagnation, or grow worse. Scientific evidence underscores the urgent need to prioritize public health to prevent the economic consequences of sickness, disabilities, and premature mortality in the U.S.
Mangroves save $855 billion in flood protection globally, new study shows
Mangroves have been shown to provide $855 billion in flood protection services worldwide, according to a new study.
Climate change threatens global food supply: Scientists call for urgent action
As climate change accelerates, scientists are sounding the alarm about its potentially devastating impact on the world's food supply. Researchers warn that without rapid changes to how we develop climate-resilient crops, we could face widespread food shortages leading to famine, mass migration, and global instability.
Unlocking the science of sleep: How rest enhances language learning
Sleep is critical for all sorts of reasons, but a team of international scientists has discovered a new incentive for getting eight hours of sleep every night: it helps the brain to store and learn a new language.
Cardiovascular disease symptoms surprisingly high in young refugees
Many individuals seeking asylum in the United States show increased stress and pain symptoms that are associated with indications of cardiovascular disease.
In five cancer types, prevention and screening have been major contributors to saving lives
Improvements in cancer prevention and screening have averted more deaths from five cancer types combined over the past 45 years than treatment advances, according to a modeling study. The study looked at deaths from breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer that were averted by the combination of prevention, screening, and treatment advances.
Antipsychotic medications don't always work the way they're supposed to
A study analyzed data from nearly 500,000 Canadian patients who lived in nursing homes across Canada between 2000 and 2022. It found that residents who were given antipsychotic medications showed a significant worsening of their behaviors. In fact, nearly 68 per cent of residents who used antipsychotics had more problems with their behavior during follow-up checks.
Study explores risks of chemical exposure from household products
Researchers characterize the chemical makeup of 81 common household items. Researchers also evaluated the potential risk to users.
College students' insomnia linked more strongly with loneliness than screen time
Being lonely is a bigger hurdle to a good night's sleep for college students than too much time at a computer or other electronic screen, a new study suggests.
Emoji use may depend on emotional intelligence and attachment style
Higher emotional intelligence is linked to more emoji use with friends, while avoidant attachment is associated with less emoji use with friends and dating or romantic partners, according to a new study. This pattern of results varies across genders and relationship types, with women using emojis with friends and family more frequently than men.
20th century lead exposure damaged American mental health
Exposure to car exhaust from leaded gas during childhood altered the balance of mental health in the U.S. population, making generations of Americans more depressed, anxious and inattentive or hyperactive, according to researchers. They estimate that 151 million cases of psychiatric disorder over the past 75 years have resulted from American children's exposure to lead.
AI helps researchers dig through old maps to find lost oil and gas wells
Undocumented orphaned wells pose hazards to both the environment and the climate. Scientists are building modern tools to help locate, assess, and pave the way for ultimately plugging these forgotten relics.
Perceptions of parent cannabis use shape teen attitudes
Teens who think their parents use cannabis are more likely to hold favorable attitudes toward the drug and to consider trying it themselves, according to a new study. The research also reveals that parental monitoring and the closeness of parent-child relationships play crucial roles in adolescents' views about cannabis, often with distinct effects based on the parent's gender.
Owning a home in the US linked to longer life
A new study finds that owning a home in early adult life adds approximately four months to the lives of male Americans born in the early twentieth century.
Largest study of CTE in male ice hockey players finds odds increased 34% with each year played
A large study, of 77 deceased male ice hockey players, has found that the odds of having chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) increased by 34% each year played, and 18 of 19 National Hockey League players had CTE. CTE is a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated traumatic brain injuries and most frequently found in former contact sport athletes exposed to repetitive head impacts (RHI). While many perceive CTE risk as limited to enforcers, this study makes it clear that all male ice hockey players are at risk.
New research reveals the unique human ability to conceptualize numbers may be rooted deep within the brain.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks released a new report this week highlighting environmental changes and extremes that impact Alaskans and their livelihoods. 'Alaska's Changing Environment' provides people with timely, reliable and understandable information on topics ranging from temperature and precipitation changes to salmon and polar bears.
Countdown to an ice-free Arctic: New research warns of accelerated timelines
Scientists demonstrate how a series of extreme weather events could lead to the Arctic's first ice-free day within just a few years.
A study of American and Canadian universities found most are including climate change in the curriculum for future urban planners, but they vary widely in their approaches to preparing the future professionals for mitigating, adapting to and being resilient to climate change in their profession.
A caving expedition yields valuable insight into the challenges of field research
Researchers describe how they gathered useful data from a group of people living in extreme conditions, as well as the challenges they faced and the lessons they learned.