ScienceDaily: Society - July 09, 2024
Top society research news
Brain-imaging study reveals curiosity as it emerges
You look up into the clear blue sky and see something you can't quite identify. Is it a balloon? A plane? A UFO? You're curious, right? A research team has for the first time witnessed what is happening in the human brain when feelings of curiosity like this arise. The scientists revealed brain areas that appear to assess the degree of uncertainty in visually ambiguous situations, giving rise to subjective feelings of curiosity.
Image: Jorm Sangsorn/Shutterstock.com
Employees prefer human performance monitors over AI, study finds
Organizations using AI to monitor employees' behavior and productivity can expect them to complain more, be less productive and want to quit more -- unless the technology can be framed as supporting their development, research finds.
Companies that mitigate climate change reduce their cost of capital
A recent study explored the relationship between corporate climate change mitigation actions and the cost of capital for 2,100 Japanese listed companies from 2017 to 2021. The findings reveal that companies that maintain lower carbon intensity and disclose more climate-related information can reduce their capital costs. Conversely, mere commitments to climate change without actionable measures do not significantly impact costs.
Why some abusive bosses get a pass from their employees
How dust pollution from shrinking Great Salt Lake affects communities disproportionately
Exposure to wind-blown dust from exposed playa of the Utah lake is worse in Hispanic neighborhoods, according to new research. Findings suggest restoring the lake could ease social inequities associated with air pollution.
Scientists map how deadly bacteria evolved to become epidemic
Pseudomonas aeruginosa -- an environmental bacteria that can cause devastating multidrug-resistant infections, particularly in people with underlying lung conditions -- evolved rapidly and then spread globally over the last 200 years, probably driven by changes in human behavior, a new study has found.
Clever pupils don't need to attend academically selective schools to thrive, study finds
New findings challenge the idea that academically selective schools are necessary for clever pupils to achieve good outcomes.
Why do you keep your house so cold? Science says: Ask your parents
Childhood home temperature and community connectedness can help predict how U.S. residents set their thermostats, offering new ways to encourage energy conservation and combat climate change, according to a new study.
Wastewater is a viable medium for growing lettuce in hydroponic systems
Urban agriculture has the potential to improve food security through local, efficient, and sustainable food production. Examples of urban food systems include hydroponics, where plants grow in a nutrient solution without soil, and aquaponics, which combines hydroponics with raising fish in tanks. A new study examines the use of aquaponics wastewater as a growth medium for lettuce in a hydroponic system. This practice can potentially create a circular ecosystem for organic waste recycling and food production.
Home test reveals the risk of heart attack in five minutes
Researchers have created a questionnaire test for home use that quickly identifies high risk of heart attack. A study shows that it has the same level of accuracy as blood tests and blood pressure measurements.
How to increase the rate of plastics recycling
A US nationwide bottle deposit program could increase recycling of PET plastic to 82 percent, with nearly two-thirds of all PET bottles being recycled into new bottles, at a net cost of just a penny a bottle when demand is robust. At the same time, policies would be needed to ensure a sufficient demand for the recycled material.
Researchers develop predictive model for cross-border COVID spread
Post-COVID research has extensively focused on the efficacy of internal travel restrictions and cross-border travel has received less attention due to challenges in accessing quality data. In a major multidisciplinary collaboration effort across Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, a group of researchers -- including mathematicians, physicists and computer scientists -- have published a pioneering study on the spread of infections across Nordic borders from spring until the end of 2020. The report sheds light on the efficacy of cross-border travel restrictions, helping us better understand which measures actually make a difference.
High ceilings linked to poorer exam results for university students
Ever wondered why you performed worse than expected in that final university exam that you sat in a cavernous gymnasium or massive hall, despite countless hours, days and weeks of study? Now you have a genuine reason -- high ceilings.
What was behind the 2021-2022 energy crisis within Europe?
A team of researchers had already been working with electricity price data for years before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, exploring statistics and developing forecasting methods. Now they zero in on how prices in different countries relate and how countries were affected by the energy crisis and address the interdependencies of different markets. Their approach combines statistical physics and network science, identifying communities and the fundamental spatiotemporal patterns within the electricity price/time data from all countries. The researchers hope their work will strengthen the European perspective in the political debate about electricity markets and prices, because problems like this are best tackled via international cooperation.
Study explores what motivates people to watch footage of disasters and extreme weather
The release in July 2024 of the blockbuster film Twisters (centred around a social-media celebrity storm-chaser) demonstrates an ongoing public fascination in hazards and extreme weather. The arrival of camera and streaming technologies have made it easier to collect and share such footage in recent years, resulting in often dramatic footage being live-streamed on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Discord. Now, a new study has analyzed what might be motivating people to watch these streams -- in some instances for up to 12 hours at a time.
A new study shows how the global economy could claw back billions of dollars lost each year due to workplace injuries and illness.
Watching others' biased behavior unconsciously creates prejudice
We unconsciously form prejudice toward groups when we see biased people interact with members of a group. That is according to new research by psychologists, who show for the first time that observational learning is an important mechanism of prejudice formation.
Crucial gaps in climate risk assessment methods
Researchers have uncovered significant flaws in current climate risk assessment techniques that could lead to a severe underestimation of climate-related financial losses for businesses and investors.
True scale of carbon impact from long-distance travel revealed
The reality of the climate impact of long-distance passenger travel has been revealed in new research.
Spotted apex predator being pressured by spotted pack hunters -- and it's our fault
Leopards, who are already in decline, can't keep up with hyenas when people are around. As we humans move into the their territories more and more, we are helping to disturb and unbalance ecosystems. This has been shown in a new study where researchers used camera traps to observe both large carnivore species.
Tax on antibiotics could help tackle threat of drug-resistance
Taxing certain antibiotics could help efforts to tackle the escalating threat of antibiotic resistance in humans, according to a new study.
How researchers are using digital city-building games to shape the future
Researchers have come up with exciting and sophisticated new mapping technology enabling future generations to get involved in creating their own future built landscape. They say that planners are missing a real trick when it comes to encouraging and involving the public to help shape their own towns, cities and counties for the future. They also say that games platforms can be used to plan future cities and also help the public immerse themselves in these future worlds.
A team of researchers suggest that eyed needles were a new technological innovation used to adorn clothing for social and cultural purposes, marking the major shift from clothes as protection to clothes as an expression of identity.
A few surgical procedures account for high number of opioid prescriptions
A handful of common surgical procedures account for large shares of all opioids dispensed after surgery in children and adults.