ScienceDaily: Society - December 17, 2024
Top society research news
Naughty or Nice? Many parents rely on threats to manage misbehavior -- from no dessert to no Santa
When young children's behavior becomes challenging, many parents resort to threats -- from taking away toys to threatening that Santa will skip their house, a national poll suggests.
Image: Azindianlany/Shutterstock.com
The psychological implications of Big Brother's gaze
A new psychological study has shown that when people know they are under surveillance it generates an automatic response of heightened awareness of being watched, with implications for public mental health.
Despite the population being almost four times larger than it was in 1982, a new study published in the journal Ecology suggests the northern muriqui monkeys remain at risk, especially in the face of ongoing habitat disturbances.
Staying sharp: Study explores how brain changes may affect financial skills
A new article sheds light on how age-related changes may affect the way we handle finances -- and how we can stay sharp as we age.
It's worth mixing it up: what combination of policies will lead to a clean energy future?
How can we ensure that as many households as possible adopt not only solar panels, but also their own battery to store solar energy, a heat pump, and an electric car? Researchers have looked into just this question.
The great ripple: How a tsunami can disrupt global trade
Tsunamis can cause immense physical damage to ports, but the economic cost does not stop there. The resultant disruptions of shipping lanes result in billions of dollars in losses every day, as was seen in the 2011 tsunami that hit the Tohoku Region. To better assess the ripple effect a tsunami could cause to shipping lanes in the South China Sea, a group of international researchers carried out 104 tsunami simulations.
Wildfire smoke has long been known to exacerbate health problems like heart disease, lung conditions, and asthma, but now a new study finds that smoke from these fires can lead to poor health thousands of miles away. Researchers found that medical visits for heart and lung problems rose by nearly 20 percent during six days in June, 2023, when smoke from Western Canadian wildfires drifted across the country, leading to very poor air quality days in Baltimore and the surrounding region.
Overfishing has halved shark and ray populations since 1970
A new analysis reveals that overfishing has caused populations of chondrichthyan fishes -- sharks, rays, and chimaeras -- to decline by more than 50 per cent since 1970. To determine the consequences, a team of researchers developed an aquatic Red List Index (RLI) which shows that the risk of extinction for chondrichthyan has increased by 19 per cent. The study also highlights that the overfishing of the largest species in nearshore and pelagic habitats could eliminate up to 22 per cent of ecological functions. Chondrichthyans are an ancient and ecologically diverse group of over 1,199 fishes that are increasingly threatened by human activities. Overexploitation by target fisheries and incidental capture (bycatch), compounded by habitat degradation, climate change and pollution, has resulted in over one-third of chondrichthyans facing extinction.
Mothers bear the brunt of the 'mental load,' managing 7 in 10 household tasks
The study, conducted in the US, found that mothers take on seven in ten (71%) of all household mental load tasks.
Researchers reduce bias in AI models while preserving or improving accuracy
Researchers developed an AI debiasing technique that improves the fairness of a machine-learning model by boosting its performance for subgroups that are underrepresented in its training data, while maintaining its overall accuracy.
Water and forests in Southern US
Climate and land use change have and will continue to alter streamflow regimes and water quality through the 21st century, with consequences for drinking water treatment costs, flood protection, and other ecosystem services, according to the new report. The report is designed to inform forest sector decision-makers and the interested public about observed trends, anticipated futures, and critical issues based on authoritative synthesis and interpretation of existing science, data, and 50-year projections.
Evaluating food safety control strategies for produce industry
Leafy greens can become contaminated with pathogenic E. coli or other bacteria through splashes of soil or contaminated irrigation water in the field, or through processing and handling. Growers and processors work hard to implement multiple safety procedures, but contaminated products still slip through the cracks and reach consumers. A new study looks at control measures and product testing in the produce supply chain, aiming to determine the most effective risk management strategies under a range of scenarios.
Model advances rational design of more effective maternal vaccines for newborns
Research on vaccines may help save more lives.
Diversity and inclusion accelerate the pace of innovation in robotics
Diverse and inclusive teams are not merely a moral imperative but also a catalyst for scientific excellence in robotics, scientists point out in a study. The team has outlined how a scientific community can benefit if its leadership fosters an environment of diversity and inclusion, and propose a leadership guide for roboticists to help reap these benefits.
'Us' vs. 'them' biases plague AI, too
A study by a team of scientists finds that AI systems are also prone to social identity biases, revealing fundamental group prejudices that reach beyond those tied to gender, race, or religion.
Researchers reveal key factors behind Japan's plastic waste removal rates in rivers
Plastic pollution is a growing problem in Japan, prompting cleanup efforts to recover plastic litter from water bodies. However, research on recovery rates from different river basins remains limited. In a recent study, researchers from Japan conducted a nationwide analysis of plastic litter recovery in over 100 river basins, shedding light on the impact of climate change, population density, and natural disasters. Their findings will help inform future cleanup strategies and improve plastic management.
An international education expert, argues in a new study for an ecological shift to a 'school within a school' approach that would give students, teachers and parents the ability to guide their own education with autonomy and self-determination. The approach could replicate how businesses and natural ecosystems and species adapt and succeed. The approach is an alternative to the system-wide attempts at school reform that have repeatedly failed to produce effective change for nearly 200 years, he argues.
Excessive screen use by preschool-age children can lead to reduced sleep quality, exacerbating problems such as poor attention, hyperactivity and unstable mood, a new study suggests.
Air pollution in India linked to millions of deaths
A new study shows that long-term exposure to air pollution contributes to millions of deaths in India. The research emphasizes the need for stricter air quality regulations in the country.
The global divide between longer life and good health
People around the globe are living longer -- but not necessarily healthier -- lives, according to new research. A study of 183 World Health Organization (WHO) member countries found those additional years of life are increasingly fraught with disease.
Australia's extinction tally is worse than we thought
A new study estimates that more than 9000 insects and other native invertebrates have become extinct in Australia since European arrival in 1788 and between 1-3 additional species become extinct every week.
Adoption of AI calls for new kind of communication competence from sales managers
Artificial intelligence, AI, is rapidly transforming work also in the financial sector. A recent study explored how integrating AI into the work of sales teams affects the interpersonal communication competence required of sales managers. The study found that handing routine tasks over to AI improved efficiency and freed up sales managers' time for more complex tasks. However, as the integration of AI progressed, sales managers faced new kind of communication challenges, including those related to overcoming fears and resistance to change.
Soda taxes don't just affect sales: They help change people's minds
The city of Berkeley's first-in-the-nation soda tax a decade ago, along with more recent Bay Area tax increases on sugar-sweetened drinks, have not only led to reduced sales. They are also associated with significant changes in social norms and attitudes about the healthfulness of sweet drinks.
Mothers' language choices have double the impact in bilingual families
New research shows that mothers have twice the impact on language exposure, challenging traditional parenting advice. In a new study, researchers found that there wasn't a single strategy that could be singled out as 'best' to raise a child bilingually. But when they looked at parents' language use individually rather than the family's overall strategy, they had an unexpected and striking finding: mothers had up to twice the impact on language exposure compared to fathers. They believe these findings will have real-world impact for policymakers, health-care workers and professionals who closely work with and give advice to bilingual families.
Better environmental performance boosts profits and cuts costs
Using a new calculation method, researchers found in an international comparative study that investors value corporate environmental performance more than mere information disclosure. In some developed countries, beyond sustainability efforts, companies can improve environmental efficiency to enhance economic performance.
Resolving ambiguity: How the brain uses context in decision-making and learning
Life can be tricky. We have so many decisions to make. It's a good thing we have an orbitofrontal cortex and hippocampus to help us. These areas of the brain work together to help us sort through tasks that require resolving ambiguity, that is, situations in which the meaning of stimuli changes depending on context.
Work satisfaction, pay are worse for those who stutter, study finds
People who stutter have lower earnings, experience underemployment and express lower job satisfaction than those who don't stutter, a new study finds.
These are now the smokiest cities in America
Normally, America's smokiest cities lie out west. But Canada's unusually intense 2023 wildfire season smothered American cities in smoke farther east than is usual, according to new research.
Young children less likely than adults to see discrimination as harmful, researchers find
A study by a team of psychology researchers shows that young children in the United States are less likely than adults to see discrimination as harmful, indicating these beliefs begin at an early age. Moreover, the findings show that children see discriminatory acts -- negative actions motivated by the victim's group membership -- as less serious than identical harmful acts motivated by other reasons, unrelated to the victim's social identities.
AI predicts that most of the world will see temperatures rise to 3C much faster than previously expected.
Human disruption is driving 'winner' and 'loser' tree species shifts across Brazilian forests
Fast-growing and small-seeded tree species are dominating Brazilian forests in regions with high levels of deforestation and degradation, a new study shows. This has potential implications for the ecosystem services these forests provide, including the ability of these 'disturbed' forests to absorb and store carbon. This is because these 'winning' species grow fast but die young, as their stems and branches are far less dense than the slow growing tree species they replace. Wildlife species adapted to consuming and dispersing the large seeds of tree species that are being lost in human-modified landscapes may also be affected by these shifts.
Increased area income improves birthweight rates, researchers find
Higher incomes are often correlated with healthier pregnancies and babies, but is it really the money that matters? Sedimentary rocks that formed 390 million years ago, surprisingly, help provide the answer, at least for those who live above the Marcellus Shale formation, according to a team.
Long-distance friendships can provide conservation benefits
While sustaining friendships from afar can be challenging, they may offer unexpected benefits for environmental conservation. A new study found that these social ties can positively influence community-based conservation. While the study focused on 28 fishing villages in northern Tanzania, it has potential broader implications for global conservation efforts.
AI predicts Earth's peak warming
Artificial intelligence provides new evidence that rapid decarbonization will not prevent warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius. The hottest years of this century are likely to shatter recent records.
Tourism leads the pack in growing carbon emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from tourism have been growing more than 2 times faster than those from the rest of the global economy. The study tracked international and domestic travel for 175 countries to find tourism's carbon footprint is 9% of the world's total emissions.
Americans are uninformed about and undervaccinated for HPV
Research shows that HPV accounts for 70% of all throat cancers, but only one-third of the public is aware that HPV causes throat cancer.