ScienceDaily: Society - March 11, 2025
Top society research news
Limiting screen time protects children's mental health
A recent study suggests that limiting screen time and promoting physical activity from childhood may help safeguard mental health in adolescence. The findings are particularly significant given that mental health problems affect up to 30% of young people and pose a growing societal challenge
Receiving low-glucose alerts improves diabetic drivers' safety on the road
A Japanese study has found that the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, equipped with sensors that alert diabetics when their blood sugar levels drop, can potentially make diabetic drivers safer on the road. Those who used the devices had lower incidences of low blood sugar and reported increased confidence in driving.
To investigate the prevalence and consumption of endangered eels, a research team examined 327 individual eel products purchased across 86 retailers throughout Singapore. The team discovered prevalence of the Anguilla rostrata, commonly known as the American eel, in the sample. While not critically endangered like the European eel, the American eel is also considered an endangered species. The findings suggested a possible shift in trade and consumption of eel to the American eel. Given these findings, the research team called for specific attention to the American eel, with increased enforcement and monitoring needed as proactive steps necessary to avoid the same dramatic population declines that have been documented in other eel species like the European eel.
AI-based math: Individualized support for schoolchildren
Researchers have developed an AI-based learning system that recognizes strengths and weaknesses in mathematics by tracking eye movements with a webcam to generate problem-solving hints. This enables teachers to provide significantly more children with individualized support.
Security veins: Advanced biometric authentication through AI and infrared
A researcher succeeded developing highly accurate biometric authentication based on images of the palms of hands taken with a hyperspectral camera.
Improving school readiness for children with low birth weight
School readiness not only impacts kids' academic success, but also their long-term economic and health outcomes. Unfortunately, research reveals a concerning gap in school readiness for children with low birth weight, with only one-third of these children being on track. A new study identifies five key protective factors that can support children, especially those with low birth weight, in reaching developmental milestones that are critical to school readiness.
Highly radioactive nuclear waste: how to keep it from oblivion
Sweden's radioactive nuclear waste will be stored in a sealed bedrock repository for 100,000 years. It will be hazardous for a very long time. So how can we ensure that humanity does not forget that it is there? Researchers have come up with a proposal for how to keep the memory alive over generations.
Lightening the load of augmented reality glasses
Despite the popularity of augmented reality, AR wearable technologies haven't gained traction due to the weight and bulk associated with batteries and electronic components, and the suboptimal computational power, battery life and brightness of the devices. A team of researchers recently improved the practicality of light-receiving AR glasses by increasing the angle of incidence light capable of producing an adequate projected AR image from five degrees to roughly 20-30 degrees.
Urban highways cut opportunities for social relationships
Urban highways promise to get people to their destinations faster -- and bring them together. But at the same time, they reduce social connections between people within the city, especially at distances of less than 5 km, according to a new study.
New study examines how physics students perceive recognition
Experts see peer recognition as important to student success in physics, and a new study gives college-level physics instructors insight into how students perceive the message from their classmates that 'you're good at physics.' Even when women receive similar amounts of recognition from peers as men for excelling in physics classes, they perceive significantly less peer recognition, the researchers found.
The art of well-being: Group activities shown to ease depression and anxiety in older adults
Group arts interventions, such as painting, dance, or music, significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in older adults, offering a powerful alternative to traditional treatments. The benefits are universal, with consistent results across different art forms, intervention types, and countries. Group arts interventions were particularly beneficial for care home residents relative to older adults who lived in the community. The findings support the inclusion of group arts interventions in social prescribing initiatives and healthcare guidelines, providing an accessible, cost-effective, and enjoyable way to improve mental well-being in later life.
Why some are more susceptible to developing PTSD symptoms than others
People with a more active amygdala (an area in the brain involved in processing information relevant to threats) are more likely to develop PTSD symptoms after experiencing trauma than people with a calmer amygdala.
How 'self-silencing' your opinion may change behavior
People who have a minority viewpoint on a controversial topic are more likely to 'self-silence' themselves in conversation -- and that may lead them to behave against their own beliefs, a new study found.
The ozone hole is healing, thanks to global reduction of CFCs
A new study confirms the Antarctic ozone layer is healing as a direct result of global efforts to reduce ozone-depleting substances.
Creativity boosts standardized literacy and numeracy test scores: Australia
A groundbreaking study shows that creativity plays an essential role in academic success, suggesting that students who think outside the box are more likely to excel in literacy and numeracy assessments.
New research shows impact of anxiety and apathy on decision-making
New research has uncovered that anxiety and apathy -- two common but distinct emotional states -- lead to fundamentally different patterns in how people learn and make decisions.
AI tool can predict water quality across the U.S.
Researchers have leveraged the power of continental scale water modeling and artificial intelligence to provide water quality forecasts across the country. Their findings offer a new application of the National Water Model, creating a pathway towards a national capacity to forecast water quality. Leveraging this new technology will allow public drinking water suppliers and operators nationwide to anticipate potential water quality disruptions with greater confidence.
Nearly 4 of 10 Americans report sports-related mistreatment
Nearly 40% of adult Americans say they've experienced some type of sport-related mistreatment in their lives, a new study shows. Mistreatment ranged from psychological and emotional to physical and sexual. But most people who reported mistreatment experienced more than one kind, the research found.