ScienceDaily: Society - October 03, 2023
Top society research news
Fair and sustainable futures beyond mining
Mining brings huge social and environmental change to communities: landscapes, livelihoods and the social fabric evolve alongside the industry. But what happens when the mines close? What problems face communities that lose their main employer and the very core of their identity and social networks?
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Calls for verbal abuse of children by adults to be formally recognized as form of child maltreatment
A new systematic review has highlighted the importance of identifying childhood verbal abuse by adults as a standalone subtype of child maltreatment, to ensure targeted prevention and address the lasting harm it can inflict.
Researchers blow whistle on forensic science method
If forensic experts have access to a suspect's gun, they can compare the microscopic markings from discarded shell casings with those found at a crime scene. Finding and reporting a mismatch can help free the innocent, just as a match can incriminate the guilty. But new research reveals mismatches are more likely than matches to be reported as 'inconclusive' in cartridge-case comparisons.
Discrimination alters brain-gut 'crosstalk,' prompting poor food choices and increased health risks
People frequently exposed to racial or ethnic discrimination may be more susceptible to obesity and related health risks in part because of a stress response that changes biological processes and how we process food cues, according to new research.
Metaphors for human fertilization are evolving, study shows
In a common metaphor used to describe human fertilization, sperm cells are competitors racing to penetrate a passive egg. But as critics have noted, the description is also a 'fairy tale,' rooted in cultural beliefs about masculinity and femininity. A new study by sociologists provides evidence that this metaphor remains widely used despite the profound shift in recent decades in social and scientific views about gender, sex, and sexuality. But her findings, based on interviews with a diverse sample of 47 individuals, also reveal that a more gender-egalitarian metaphor is circulating that describes sperm and egg as two halves of a whole.
Life satisfaction may not enhance cognitive functioning among some older adults
A new study examined psychological well-being among older individuals in the United States and United Kingdom and found that high life satisfaction was associated with increased cognitive functioning among most individuals, but it was less beneficial for people of low socioeconomic status, in poor health, or experiencing adverse psychological conditions.
How parents' work stress affects family mealtimes and children's development
Family mealtimes are important for parents and children as a space to communicate, socialize, and build attachment relationships. But it can be difficult for busy parents to balance family and work life. A new study explores how parents job stress influences their attendance at family mealtimes, and in turn, children's socioemotional development.
Study pinpoints the length of incidental activity linked to health benefits
A new wearables study tracking over 25,000 people provides the best evidence yet that short bouts of incidental activity, the kind we do as part of daily living, could reduce risk of heart attack, stroke and even premature death -- but the length of activity and intensity matters.
Increased risk of depression and anxiety when in higher education, study finds
Young people who are in higher education in England face a small increased risk of depression and anxiety, compared to their peers who are not attending higher education, finds a new study.
Job loss is linked to increased risk of miscarriage and stillbirth
Researchers have found a link between a pregnant woman or her partner losing their job and an increased risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. The study found a doubling in the chances of a pregnancy miscarrying or resulting in a stillbirth following a job loss.
Origin of cultural learning: Babies imitate because they are imitated
A new study shows that babies learn to imitate others because they themselves are imitated by caregivers.
