Science & Society News

January 25, 2016

Global Nitrogen Footprint Mapped for First Time

CO2 Hotspots: Human Impact On Local Climate

Early Agriculture Staved Off Global Cooling

Can Human Action Actually Suppress Next Ice Age?

Latest Headlines

updated 5:10pm EST

Pressure Building on Global Water Supply

Jan. 25, 2016 — A new study projects that global demand for water could more than double by 2050, increasing pressure on already scarce water resources. Water efficiency and water saving measures could stabilize ... read more

Link Between Food Advertising, Child Food Consumption

Jan. 25, 2016 — Unhealthy food advertising does increase food intake in children, new research confirms. The analysis showed that unhealthy food advertising exposure significantly increased food consumption in ... read more

Global, National Burden of Diseases, Injuries Among Children and Adolescents

Jan. 25, 2016 — A new report examines global and national trends in the fatal and nonfatal burden of diseases and injuries among children and adolescents in 188 ... read more

Descendants of Black Death Confirmed as Source of Repeated European Plague Outbreaks That Would Fade and Roar Back Over Centuries

Jan. 25, 2016 — An international team of researchers has uncovered new information about the Black Death in Europe and its descendants, suggesting it persisted on ... read more

Playground Paints Should Be Monitored to Reduce Potential Danger to Public Health

Jan. 25, 2016 — Playground equipment should be monitored more regularly to ensure toxic metals contained within paints do not present a ... read more

Record Warm Years Almost Certainly Due to Human-Made Climate Change

Jan. 25, 2016 — Recent record warm years are with extremely high likelihood caused by human-made climate change. Without greenhouse-gas emissions from burning coal and oil, the odds are vanishingly small that 13 out ... read more

Secondhand Smoke Hazardous to Hookah Bar Workers

Jan. 25, 2016 — Workers at New York City hookah bars are inhaling hazardous levels of carbon monoxide and nicotine while at work, signaling yet another breach by their employers of New York City's anti-smoking ... read more

Are Football Players Too Obese?

Jan. 22, 2016 — In the world of American football, there is a stigma that players need to increase their overall body size to make an impact on the field. But, new research from a movement science professor suggests ... read more

Most Cases of Brain-Damaged Newborns Not Due to Mismanaged Deliveries

Jan. 22, 2016 — A new study is providing new evidence that the vast majority of babies who are born with severe brain damage are not the result of ... read more

Building a Health Care Information Economy Based on Patients' Control of Data

Jan. 20, 2016 — The time is right for a broad range of stakeholders to push for a health care information economy founded on the basic principle that patients should ... read more

US Program For Whooping Cranes Might've Caused Parenting Problems

At Davos, World Leaders Get Real About Killer Robots

35 China Restaurants Under Probe For Seasoning Food With Opium Poppies

1,175 Rhinos Killed by Poachers in S.Africa Last Year

New Research Uncovers Hidden Bias in College Admissions Tests

Jan. 25, 2016 — A little over two years after the College Board released research rebutting findings concerning the board's testing methods, researchers have raised new questions in a paper about test bias, ... read more

Why Entrepreneurs Don't Lose

Jan. 25, 2016 — Entrepreneurs statistically fail more often than not, but new research suggests that the financial risk is not as great as previously thought, as failed entrepreneurs can return to the salaried ... read more

The Best Way to Help Homeless Youth Is Hardly Ever Used

Jan. 25, 2016 — Teens without homes, many of whom have suffered at the hands of those entrusted with providing them care and kindness, often refuse to seek warmth and nourishment at shelters. But there's new ... read more

The Indigenous Internet

Jan. 25, 2016 — Improving computer literacy and building internet and communications technology (ICT) skills in Indigenous communities is more about understanding the opportunities rather than imposing ... read more

Better Healthcare Could Reduce Crippling Personal Costs of Tuberculosis Care in China

Jan. 25, 2016 — Improved universal healthcare is urgently needed to lower catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) for low-income tuberculosis (TB) patients in China, according to a study. Expanding universal ... read more

Coexisting With Dangerous Carnivores

Jan. 22, 2016 — A new study measures the psychological predictors of tolerance for tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, where the large carnivores have a rocky and sometimes violent relationship with local ... read more

Should India's 'Quacks' Be Trained to Deliver Basic Patient Care?

Jan. 22, 2016 — Should unqualified practitioners be trained to deliver basic patient care to alleviate India's doctor shortage, asks a special ... read more

Survey: Most Americans Support Smart Guns

Jan. 21, 2016 — Nearly 60 percent of Americans, if they buy a new handgun, are willing to purchase a smart or childproof gun – a weapon that is only operable in the hands of an authorized user – new research ... read more

NYC Pedestrian Traffic Makes for Safer Street Crossings: Google Street View Study

Jan. 21, 2016 — Researchers have developed a novel method to assess how the streetscape affects the chances pedestrians will be injured by drivers. Using Google Street View the researchers assessed the pedestrian ... read more

Teen Pregnancy Is Not an Isolated Issue

Jan. 21, 2016 — Researchers made a telling discovery: Young motherhood has different consequences for different women, depending on socioeconomic and other ... read more

Low Reflective Ability Is Risk for Professionalism Lapses During Medical School and Beyond

Jan. 21, 2016 — A new study is one of the first to provide quantitative evidence to support anecdotal claims linking reflective ability of medical students and professional behaviors of future ... read more

Guidelines for Human Genome Editing

Jan. 21, 2016 — As countries around the world seek to craft policy frameworks governing the powerful new genetic editing tool, policy makers need to determine 'thresholds of acceptability' for using the ... read more

Targeted School Closure Policies May Help the Fight Against Pandemic Influenza

Jan. 21, 2016 — Targeted school closure policies may help mitigating the spread of pandemic influenza, while entailing lower social costs than more traditional policies, such as nationwide school ... read more

How the Economy Affects Traffic Fatalities

Jan. 21, 2016 — With the recent fall in gas prices, most drivers might be thinking that now they can afford to take that road trip, take a quick jaunt to the outlet mall, or just drive to work instead of taking ... read more

Many Clean-Tech Subsidies Should Be Greater

Jan. 21, 2016 — Governments often offer subsidies to consumers for clean-technology products, from home solar panels to electric vehicles. But what are the right levels of subsidy, and how should they be calculated? ... read more

New Reconstruction Method Improves Facial Recognition for Forensic Purposes

Jan. 21, 2016 — An improved reconstruction method for facial recognition based on camera images has been invented by researchers. This method yields a better score in ninety percent of the examined cases, and helps ... read more

Parental Support Has Positive Effect on Children's Eating Behaviours

Jan. 21, 2016 — Parental support programs in areas with the greatest needs can have a positive effect on the consumption of unhealthy food and drink and on weight increases in obese children, according to a ... read more

Timely Action Needed to Meet Climate Targets

Jan. 21, 2016 — The Paris Agreement of the UN climate change conference is deemed a historic step for climate protection, but its success depends on rapid implementations. The consequences of delaying global carbon ... read more

Survey Finds the Percentage of Undergraduate Women at 9 Colleges Who Were Sexually Assaulted During 2014-2015 Academic Year Varied Considerably

Jan. 20, 2016 — In a survey of students at nine U.S. colleges and universities, the percentage of undergraduate women who experienced a sexual assault, defined as sexual battery or rape, during 2014-2015 academic ... read more

Can Performance Brands Cause a Placebo Effect?

Jan. 20, 2016 — A common marketing message from consumer brands is "you will perform better with us." Research has examined whether using performance brands such as Nike and 3M had any effect on ... read more

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