ScienceDaily: Society - June 03, 2025
Top society research news
How you handle your home life can boost work performance, shows new study
A new study shows that people who proactively reorganise their family routines -- such as adjusting childcare schedules or redistributing domestic responsibilities -- are more likely to demonstrate adaptability and innovation at work.
Still on the right track? Researchers enable reliable monitoring of the Paris climate goals
Global warming is continuously advancing. How quickly this will happen can now be predicted more accurately than ever before, thanks to a method developed by climate researchers. Anthropogenic global warming is set to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2028 and hence improved quantification of the Paris goals is proposed.
Coastal flooding more frequent than previously thought
Flooding in coastal communities is happening far more often than previously thought, according to a new study. The study also found major flaws with the widely used approach of using marine water level data to capture instances of flooding.
Attachment theory: A new lens for understanding human-AI relationships
Human-AI interactions are well understood in terms of trust and companionship. However, the role of attachment and experiences in such relationships is not entirely clear. In a new breakthrough, researchers from Waseda University have devised a novel self-report scale and highlighted the concepts of attachment anxiety and avoidance toward AI. Their work is expected to serve as a guideline to further explore human-AI relationships and incorporate ethical considerations in AI design.
Researchers use deep learning to predict flooding this hurricane season
Researchers have developed a deep learning model called LSTM-SAM that predicts extreme water levels from tropical cyclones more efficiently and accurately, especially in data-scarce coastal regions, to offer a faster, low-cost tool for flood forecasting.
The EU should allow gene editing to make organic farming more sustainable, researchers say
To achieve the European Green Deal's goal of 25% organic agriculture by 2030, researchers argue that new genomic techniques (NGTs) should be allowed without pre-market authorization in organic as well as conventional food production. NGTs -- also known as gene editing --- are classified under the umbrella of GMOs, but they involve more subtle genetic tweaks.
Save twice the ice by limiting global warming
A new study finds that if global warming exceeds the Paris Climate Agreement targets, the non-polar glacier mass will diminish significantly. However, if warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, at least 54 per cent could be preserved -- more than twice as much ice as in a 2.7 C scenario.
Anthropologists spotlight human toll of glacier loss
Anthropologists have examined the societal consequences of global glacier loss. This article appears alongside new research that estimates that more than three-quarters of the world's glacier mass could disappear by the end of the century under current climate policies.
'Future-proofing' crops will require urgent, consistent effort
A professor of crop sciences and of plant biology describes research efforts to 'future-proof' the crops that are essential to feeding a hungry world in a changing climate. Long, who has spent decades studying the process of photosynthesis and finding ways to improve it, provides an overview of key scientific findings that offer a ray of hope.
Living libraries could save our food
Scientists have pioneered a new way to breed climate-resilient crops faster by combining plant genebank data with climate and DNA analysis. The method, tested on sorghum, could speed up global efforts to secure food supplies in a changing climate.
Does planting trees really help cool the planet?
Replanting forests can help cool the planet even more than some scientists once believed, especially in the tropics. But even if every tree lost since the mid-19th century is replanted, the total effect won't cancel out human-generated warming.
The future of AI regulation: Why leashes are better than guardrails
Amphibian road mortality drops by over 80% with wildlife underpasses, study shows
A new study shows that wildlife underpass tunnels dramatically reduce deaths of frog, salamanders, and other amphibians migrating across roads.
Earlier measles vaccine could help curb global outbreak
The global measles outbreak must trigger an urgent debate into whether a vaccine should be recommended earlier to better protect against the highly contagious disease during infancy, a new review states.
A cheap and easy potential solution for lowering carbon emissions in maritime shipping
Reducing travel speeds and using an intelligent queuing system at busy ports can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oceangoing container vessels by 16-24%, according to researchers. Not only would those relatively simple interventions reduce emissions from a major, direct source of greenhouse gases, the technology to implement these measures already exists.
Trees vs. disease: Tree cover reduces mosquito-borne health risk
A study finds small-scale tree cover in Costa Rica boosts biodiversity while limiting dangerous mosquito species.
A sweeping study of 7,000 years of monuments in South Arabia
New research brings together 7,000 years of history in South Arabia to show how ancient pastoralists changed placement and construction of monuments over time in the face of environmental and cultural forces.
Five things to do in virtual reality -- and five to avoid
A review of experimental research reveals how VR is best used and why it's struggled to become a megahit with consumers.
Nearly five million seized seahorses just 'tip of the iceberg' in global wildlife smuggling
Close to five million smuggled seahorses worth an estimated CAD$29 million were seized by authorities over a 10-year span, according to a new study that warns the scale of the trade is far larger than current data suggest. The study analyzed online seizure records from 2010 to 2021 and found smuggling incidents in 62 countries, with dried seahorses, widely used in traditional medicine, most commonly intercepted at airports in passenger baggage or shipped in sea cargo.
Mother's warmth in childhood influences teen health by shaping perceptions of social safety
Parental warmth and affection in early childhood can have life-long physical and mental health benefits for children, and new research points to an important underlying process: children's sense of social safety.
Involving communities in nature-based solutions to tackle urban climate and environmental challenges leads to innovation and multiple benefits, a study shows.
Electric buses struggle in the cold, researchers find
Researchers have released new insights on a pilot program involving all-electric buses in Ithaca, NY, USA -- with implications for cities, schools and other groups that are considering the electrification of their fleets, as well as operators, policymakers and manufacturers.
Without public trust, effective climate policy is impossible
When formulating climate policy, too little attention is paid to social factors and too much to technological breakthroughs and economic reasons. Because citizens are hardly heard in this process, European governments risk losing public support at a crucial moment in the climate debate.
Emotional responses crucial to attitudes about self-driving cars
When it comes to public attitudes toward using self-driving cars, understanding how the vehicles work is important -- but so are less obvious characteristics like feelings of excitement or pleasure and a belief in technology's social benefits.