ScienceDaily: Society - October 31, 2023
Top society research news
Window to avoid 1.5°C of warming will close before 2030 if emissions are not reduced
Without rapid carbon dioxide emission reductions, the world has a 50% chance of locking in 1.5°C of warming before 2030.
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Complex data becomes easier to interpret when transformed into music
Researchers in the field of human-technology interaction have demonstrated how a custom-built 'data-to-music' algorithms can help to better understand complex data. The transformation of digital data into sounds could be a game-changer in the growing world of data interpretation.
High engagement, high return: The secret to student success
High engagement, high return. That's the advice from education experts for teachers looking to improve student outcomes. Researchers found that less than a third of teachers are engaging students in complex learning, limiting student opportunities for building critical thinking and problem solving.
Monitoring nuclear weapons stockpiles with radio waves
Monitoring whether states are complying with disarmament treaties is not an easy task. An international team has been exploring remote monitoring with the help of two antennas and a couple of mirrors.
Virtual meetings tire people because we're doing them wrong
New research suggests sleepiness during virtual meetings is caused by mental underload and boredom. Earlier studies suggested that fatigue from virtual meetings stems from mental overload, but new research shows that sleepiness during virtual meetings might actually be a result of mental underload and boredom.
Cat-ching criminals with DNA from pet hairs
Cat hair could be the purr-fect way to catch criminals, according to researchers.
AI can alert urban planners and policymakers to cities' decay
As urbanization advances around the globe, the quality of the urban physical environment will become increasingly critical to human well-being and to sustainable development initiatives. However, measuring and tracking the quality of an urban environment, its evolution and its spatial disparities is difficult due to the amount of on-the-ground data needed to capture these patterns.
Certain online games use dark designs to collect player data
The privacy policies and practices of online games contain dark design patterns which could be deceptive, misleading, or coercive to users, according to a new study.
Youngest children in their class with ADHD are just as likely to keep the diagnosis when enter adulthood as older pupils in their year group. In the past, scientists have questioned the validity of ADHD in younger pupils, arguing they are only diagnosed because they are less mature than their peers. But this study shows that these children are no more likely to lose ADHD diagnosis over time than those born towards the start of the school year.
Mobile stroke units increase odds of averting stroke
Receiving a clot-busting drug in an ambulance-based mobile stroke unit (MSU) increases the likelihood of averting strokes and complete recovery compared with standard hospital emergency care, according to researchers.
People with autism less likely to succumb to bystander effect, research finds
A well-established psychological theory states that most of us are less likely to intervene in a bad situation if other people are present, and this 'bystander effect' also applies to workplace settings. However, new research shows that people with autism are less likely to be affected by this social contagion than neurotypical people. They are less likely to stay silent in the face of gross misconduct or even just everyday mistakes, pointing to the positive aspects of autism and how organizations can benefit from hiring more neurodivergent people, findings reveal.
75% of exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested
The tropical wood type ipe is popular for building exclusive wooden decks, and in North America and Europe, the demand for the material has increased sharply. Now, a study shows that more than three-quarters of all ipe from the top producing region in Brazil could have been harvested illegally.
'Robin Hood' approach for tracking biodiversity
Researchers have developed a framework that can help scientists understand trends in biodiversity by using data from well-characterized species to provide insights on data-deficient species. The framework provides a how-to guide for researchers and practitioners to implement.
Do or dye: Synthetic colors in wastewater pose a threat to food chains worldwide
Dyes widely used in the textile, food and pharmaceutical industries pose a pressing threat to plant, animal and human health, as well as natural environments around the world, a new study has found. Billions of tons of dye-containing wastewater enter water systems every year, and a group of researchers say that new sustainable technologies including new membrane-based nano-scale filtration are needed to solve the issue, adding that legislation is needed to compel industrial producers to eliminate colorants before they reach public sewage systems or waterways.
Community-developed guidelines for publishing images help address reproducibility problem in science
The use of images in scientific papers is more popular than ever, but there have been no common standards for their publication -- until now.
How adults understand what kids are saying
Adult listening abilities are critical to the ability to understand children's early linguistic efforts, according to new research.
Marine protected areas and climate change
New research offers a way to build climate resilience into the designs of ocean and coastal areas intended to protect marine species. The researchers recommend establishing numerous marine protected areas across political borders, starting with the Southern California Bight.
Brain injury expert says important changes still needed to law defining death despite reform pause
After surveying the views expressed by 41 advocacy, medical, and transplant-focused organizations on the Uniform Determination of Death Act, a brain injury expert is calling for much-needed reforms to the legal definition of death in the United States.
New method to analyze implications of large-scale flood adaptation
In a test of their new analysis tool, researchers show where 'moving up' or 'moving over' may make the most sense for those affected by the 2022 Pakistan flood, and what costs it would entail.
In Prehispanic Cancun, immigrants were treated just like Maya locals
Ancient people immigrated to Cancun Island and were treated just like locals, according to a new study.
UK air pollution regulations will reduce deaths, but do little to protect ecosystems
Existing air pollution regulations will reduce thousands of premature adult deaths in the UK, but even the most effective technically feasible actions, which will save thousands more lives, will do little to protect the country's sensitive ecosystems, find researchers.
Single model predicts trends in employment, microbiomes, forests
Researchers report that a single, simplified model can predict population fluctuations in three unrelated realms: urban employment, human gut microbiomes and tropical forests. The model will help economists, ecologists, public health authorities and others predict and respond to variability in multiple domains.
Report warns about risk tipping points with irreversible impacts on people and planet
A new report finds that drastic changes are approaching if risks to our fundamental socioecological systems are not addressed. The Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023 warns of six risk tipping points ahead of us: Accelerating extinctions; Groundwater depletion; Mountain glaciers melting; Space debris; Unbearable heat; and an Uninsurable future.
A sustainable future is based on a learning society
A holistic transformation is needed for the planet to accommodate people's pursuit of well-being. A new study explores a Theory of Planetary Social Pedagogy as a driver of a transformative process based on a learning society.
Pig welfare outweighs climate concerns for consumers
Consumers would rather pay more for higher-welfare pork than for pork with a reduced climate footprint, according to a new study.
Adapting to climate change: Individuals take action while governments plan
While governments may take the lead in planning and financing climate change adaptation measures, such as incentivizing green infrastructure, individuals currently are most often the ones implementing actions to adapt to climate change, according to new research.
What an animated taco reveals about curiosity and patience
Curiosity paradoxically increases people's eagerness for answers and their patience to see the whole picture, finds a new study by neuroscientists. The research might help teachers and students alike by describing a side of curiosity that encourages us to stay engaged instead of seeking immediate relief.
More animal welfare or more environmental protection?
Which sustainability goals do people find more important: Animal welfare? Or environmental protection? Human health is another one of these competing sustainability goals. A team of researchers have now found that consumers surveyed in their study would rather pay more for salami with an 'antibiotic-free' label than for salami with an 'open barn' label that indicates that the product promotes animal welfare.
Climate report: 'Uncharted territory' imperils life on Earth
An international coalition of climate scientists says that the Earth's vital signs have worsened beyond anything humans have yet seen, to the point that life on the planet is imperiled.
Two regions of the brain critical to integrating semantic information while reading
Two different regions of the brain are critical to integrating semantic information while reading, which could shed more light on why people with aphasia have difficulty with semantics, according to new research.
Givers to crowdfunding campaigns enjoy vicarious success
Recent research has found that backers of crowdfunding projects participate, in part, because they enjoy a sense of indirect success and the feeling that they are contributing to something bigger than themselves.