ScienceDaily: Society - June 18, 2024
Top society research news
A new approach to neuroimaging analysis
A new method for neuroimaging analysis is shown to work with small groups of participants, opening the door for many studies that don't have access to massive sets of brain images.
New study offers a better way to make AI fairer for everyone
Researchers show a new way of thinking about the fair impacts of AI decisions.
Image: Phonlamai Photo/Shutterstock.com
Synthetic data holds the key to determining best statewide transit investments
Synthetically generated population data can reveal the equity impacts of distributing transportation resources and funding across diverse regions, according to new research.
Low-sodium alternatives can lead to major health gains in Indonesia
Excess sodium intake and a lack of potassium are major contributing factors towards high blood pressure in Indonesia, prompting calls for low-sodium potassium-rich salt substitutes (LSSS) to be readily available to improve health and curb health costs.
AI can help doctors make better decisions and save lives
A recent study found that hospitalized patients were 43 percent more likely to have their care escalated and significantly less likely to die if their care team received AI-generated alerts signaling adverse changes in their health.
Does exercise in greenspace boost the individual health benefits of each?
Research suggests exercising in a park or other natural setting is more beneficial than exercising indoors.
A conservation market could incentivize global ocean protection
Thirty-by-thirty: protect 30% of the planet by 2030. While conservation is popular in principle, the costs of actually enacting it often stall even the most earnest efforts. Researchers have now proposed a market-based approach to achieving the 30x30 targets in the ocean.
Only one in 20 therapies tested in animals reach approval for human use
An analysis of reviews of translational biomedical research reveals that just 5% of therapies tested in animals reach regulatory approval for human use. The umbrella review summarizes other systematic reviews and provides high level evidence that while the rate of translation to human studies is 50%, there is steep drop off before final approval.
The yuck factor counteracts sustainable laundry habits
Most people today would lean towards environmentally friendly life choices, but not at the expense of being clean. When it comes to our washing habits, the fear of being perceived as dirty often wins out over the desire to act in an environmentally friendly way. And the more inclined we are to feel disgusted, the more we wash our clothes. This is shown by a unique study that examines the driving forces behind our laundering behaviours and provides new tools for how people's environmental impact can be reduced.
Parliamentary members use simpler language on hot days
Climate change has many widespread and complicated effects on the well-being of people and the planet, and a new study has now added a surprising one to the list. After analyzing the language used in seven million parliamentary speeches around the world, it shows that high temperatures lead to a significant and immediate reduction in politicians' language complexity.
Outdoor recreation noise affects wildlife behavior and habitat use, study finds
We may go to the woods seeking peace and quiet, but are we taking our noise with us? A recent study indicates that the answer is yes -- and that this noise can trigger a fear response, as if escaping from predators. This new science calls into question whether otherwise high-quality habitat truly provides refugia for wildlife when recreationists are present and underscores the challenges land managers face in balancing outdoor recreational opportunities with wildlife conservation.
Researchers found that U.S. adults are fairly confident in linking wildfires and heat to climate change, but less confident when it comes to other extreme weather events like hurricanes, flooding or tornadoes.
6,000 years ago, men and women had equal access to resources
Using isotope geochemistry, scientists have uncovered new information about the Barmaz necropolis in Valais (Switzerland): 14% of the people buried 6,000 years ago at this site were not locals. What's more, the study suggests that this Middle Neolithic agropastoral society -- one of the oldest known in the western part of Switzerland -- was relatively egalitarian. The isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur contained in the bones reveal that all members of the community, including people from elsewhere, had access to the same food resources.
Younger workers feel stressed, lonely and undervalued
Younger workers are struggling with feelings of loneliness and a lack of appreciation at work and tend to feel more comfortable working with people their own age, according to a recent survey.
Incorporating 'touch' into social media interactions can increase feelings of support and approval
Including 'tactile emoticons' into social media communications can enhance communication, according to a new study.
Cocaine trafficking threatens critical bird habitats
In addition to its human consequences, cocaine trafficking harms the environment and threatens habitats important to dozens of species of migratory birds, according to a new study.
Humans are the elephant in the room where conservation is debated
Studies working to map conservation historically have left humans out of the equation. This study proposes ways to build in the outsized footprint created by people in wild places.
Ritual sacrifice at Chichén Itzá
Rising to power in the wake of the Classic Maya collapse, Chichen Itz was among the largest and most influential cities of the ancient Maya, but much about its political connections and ritual life remain poorly understood. Close kin relationships, including two pairs of identical twins, suggests a connection to the Maya origin myths of the Popol Vuh.
Hybrid work is a 'win-win-win' for companies, workers
In the largest study yet of working-from-home professionals, economists reveal that employees who work from home two days a week are just as productive, likely to get promoted, and far less prone to quit.
Significant increase in nitrous-oxide emissions from human activities, jeopardizing climate goals
Emissions of nitrous-oxide (N2O) -- a potent greenhouse gas -- have continued to rise unabated over the past four decades, according to an international team of scientists.
Female AI 'teammate' generates more participation from women
An artificial intelligence-powered virtual teammate with a female voice boosts participation and productivity among women on teams dominated by men, according to new research.
Virtual reality as a reliable shooting performance-tracking tool
Virtual reality technology can do more than teach weaponry skills in law enforcement and military personnel, a new study suggests: It can accurately record shooting performance and reliably track individuals' progress over time.
We spend more with cashless payments
A study has found that when using cashless methods of payment, individuals tend to spend more when purchasing.
Major milestone in cutting harmful gases that deplete ozone layer and worsen global warming
A new study has revealed significant progress in the drive to reduce levels in the atmosphere of chemicals that destroy Earth's ozone layer, confirming the success of historic regulations limiting their production.
Unregulated sales of a toxic and hallucinogenic mushroom endanger public health
Americans' interest in a potentially harmful 'magic mushroom' is soaring, according to a new study. The scientists suggest that the growing market for Amanita muscaria may be sparked in part by emerging clinical research supporting the safety and efficacy of psilocybin as a treatment for depression.