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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.blogspot.com).
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ScienceDaily: Society - August 20, 2024
Top society research news
Study explains why laws are written in an incomprehensible style A new study on 'legalese' suggests this convoluted language acts to convey a sense of authority in legal documents. The researchers also found that even non-lawyers use legalese when asked to write laws.
Image: TheCorgi/Shutterstock.com Researchers develop index to quantify circular bioeconomy As the world faces the challenges of mitigating climate change and providing resources for a growing population, there is increasing focus on developing circular economies for sustainable production. But to evaluate strategies and impacts, it is necessary to have reliable metrics. Researchers have now developed a Circularity Index that provides a comprehensive method to quantify circularity in bioeconomic systems. In a new paper, they outline the method and apply it to two case studies -- a corn/soybean farming operation and the entire U.S. food and agriculture system. How 'winner and loser effects' impact social rank in animals -- and humans A new article provides a narrative review of the relevant similarities and distinctions between nonhumans and humans to assess the causes and consequences of winner and loser effects in humans. Urban street networks, building density shape severity of floods The design of streets and layout of buildings have an impact on a city's resilience in the face of increasingly severe floods brought on by climate change. Researchers look at buildings and other urban structures as physicists consider elements in complex material systems. With this insight, the researchers have developed a new approach to urban flood modelling and found their results helpful in analyzing city-to-city variations in flood risk globally. U.S. pediatric inpatient psychiatric bed capacity did not change 2017 -- 2020, despite increases in pediatric mental health emergency visits, according to a new study . Researchers also found substantial geographic variation in inpatient psychiatric bed capacity per 100,000 children, ranging from zero in Alaska to 75 in Arkansas. Over 90 percent of pediatric inpatient beds are in urban centers, raising concerns for youth living in rural areas. New twist on synthesis technique promises sustainable manufacturing Researchers developed a new method known as flash-within-flash Joule heating (FWF) that could transform the synthesis of high-quality solid-state materials, offering a cleaner, faster and more sustainable manufacturing process. Nitrogen interventions as a key to better health and robust ecosystems An international research team combined multidisciplinary methods to evaluate how nitrogen interventions could improve air quality and reduce nitrogen deposition. Their study found that interventions, such as improving fuel combustion conditions, increasing agricultural nitrogen use efficiency, and reducing food loss and waste, could significantly lower premature deaths attributed to air pollution, crop losses, and ecosystems risks. Methamphetamine-involved psychiatric hospitalizations have increased, study says A new study that details trends among psychiatric hospitalizations between 2015-2019 finds that while most hospitalizations did not involve any substances, methamphetamine-related hospitalizations have increased while overall number of psychiatric hospitalizations remained stable. Brain wiring is guided by activity even in very early development In humans, the process of learning is driven by different groups of cells in the brain firing together. For instance, when the neurons associated with the process of recognizing a dog begin to fire in a coordinated manner in response to the cells that encode the features of a dog -- four legs, fur, a tail, etc. -- a young child will eventually be able to identify dogs going forward. But brain wiring begins before humans are born, before they have experiences or senses like sight to guide this cellular circuitry. How does that happen? Why do researchers often prefer safe over risky projects? Explaining risk aversion in science A mathematical framework that builds on the economic theory of hidden-action models provides insight into how the unobservable nature of effort and risk shapes investigators' research strategies and the incentive structures within which they work, according to a new study. Sick days: Assessing the economic costs of long COVID A new study finds that the effects of long COVID have caused many Americans to miss extensive work time, and that 14% of study participants reported not returning to work in the months after their infection. The findings suggest that long COVID may have affected millions of Americans and generated steep economic costs, highlighting the need for policies to support those with the condition, researchers said. U.S. capable of achieving seafood independence Nearly 25% of European landscape could be rewilded, researchers say Europe's abandoned farmlands could find new life through rewilding, a movement to restore ravaged landscapes to their wilderness before human intervention. A quarter of the European continent, 117 million hectares, is primed with rewilding opportunities, researchers report. Blood pressure levels impacted by chronic occupational noise exposure A new study found in adult power loom weavers, chronic noise exposure not only increased their blood pressure overall, but also each year of exposure increased their odds of having high blood pressure by 10%. Work-related stress a clear risk factor for sick leave, study finds Middle-aged women who experience work-related stress have a significantly increased risk of future sick leave, a new study shows. Lack of influence and conflicts at work are clear stress factors. Climate reporting standards insufficient, must be expanded, say experts A new article concludes that current climate standards are not sufficiently incentivizing the big picture innovations necessary to deliver net zero, and must be expanded to include a company's broader influence on climate action. Pioneering research sheds light on how babies and young children understand the art of pretense Babies recognize pretense and around half of children can pretend themselves by 12 months, new research has found. Fracking frenzy in India: A water crisis in the making? India's plans to scale up fracking operations without robust regulations could spell disaster for the country's finely balanced water security, according to research. Dark rituals: Understanding society's fascination with death and disaster Understanding why the popularity of organized events steeped in themes of death, disaster and suffering, such as the well-known Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Jack the Ripper Walking Tours and Remembrance Sunday, could be key to a deeper understanding of society, say researchers. Hydrometeorology and location affect hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases in the US An analysis of 12 years of data collected from over 500 hospitals in 25 different states shows that weather, geographic location, and urban or rural location all appear to influence hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases. How bread dough gave rise to civilization A major international study has explained how bread wheat helped to transform the ancient world on its path to becoming the iconic crop that today helps sustain a global population of eight billion. Could manure and compost act like probiotics, reducing antibiotic resistance in urban soils? Research suggests that, in some cases, boosting urban soil health with compost and treated manure may reduce the amount of pathogenic and anti-biotic resistant bacteria. Rocks collected on Mars hold key to water and perhaps life on the planet: Bring them back to Earth Between July and November of 2022, NASA's Perseverance rover collected seven samples of sediment from an ancient alluvial fan in Jezero crater. While onboard analysis gave researchers some information about their origins, only detailed analysis on Earth can retrieve evidence of when water flowed on Mars and whether life arose there. Geophysicists had hoped to get these samples back by 2033, but NASA's sample return mission may be delayed beyond that date. Nighttime light data shows inequities in restoring power after Hurricane Michael Using nighttime lightdata from NASA, remote sensing, official outage records and census information, a study reveals notable differences in power-restoration rates between urbanized and rural areas and between disadvantaged and more affluent communities after Hurricane Michael in Florida's Panhandle. Block groups with higher proportions of minorities, multi-family housing units, rural locations, and households receiving public assistance experienced slower restoration of power compared to urban and more affluent neighborhoods. Research revealed how the use of ChatGPT to cheat on general chemistry multiple-choice exams can be detected through specific statistical methods. Researchers find possible inaccuracies in crash-reported child passenger injuries Researchers found discrepancies between crash reports and hospital data that might paint an incomplete or inaccurate picture of how crashes impact the safety of child passengers. Enhancing the quality of injury data reported in crash reports can aid researchers in assessing the effectiveness of various transportation safety strategies for children. In subdivided communities cooperative norms evolve more easily Researchers simulated social norms with a supercomputer. Their findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the evolution of social norms and their role in fostering cooperative behavior. Larger teams in academic research worsen career prospects, study finds Researchers reveal that individuals who finish their PhD in situations where the average team in their field is larger have worse academic career options. Work-related stress may increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm Job strain and effort-reward imbalance at work were associated with a greater chance of developing an abnormal heart rhythm condition, finds a new study. Policing may play a role in youth mental health crises New York City neighborhoods subject to higher rates of policing during the Stop and Frisk years also experienced higher burdens of psychiatric hospitalization among their adolescent and young adult residents -- independent of underlying neighborhood socio-economic characteristics. Climate change raised the odds of unprecedented wildfires in 2023-24 Unprecedented wildfires in Canada and parts of Amazonia last year were at least three times more likely due to climate change and contributed to high levels of CO2 emissions from burning globally, according to the a new systematic review. The State of Wildfires report takes stock of extreme wildfires of the 2023-2024 fire season (March 2023-February 2024), explains their causes, and assesses whether events could have been predicted. It also evaluates how the risk of similar events will change in future under different climate change scenarios. Australia offers lessons for increasing American life expectancy A new study comparing expected lifespans among six high-income English-speaking countries found that Australians live the longest while American lifespans faltered over the last three decades. Childhood maltreatment is associated with greater cognitive difficulties than previously thought New research suggests that the overreliance on retrospective self-reports of maltreatment in research has resulted in a biased evidence base that overlooks the challenges faced by children and young people with documented exposure to maltreatment. Scientists condition crocodiles to avoid killer cane toads Scientists have trialled a new way to protect freshwater crocodiles from deadly invasive cane toads spreading across northern Australia. Children born prematurely fall into three groups A new study finds that preterm-born children fit into three profiles, with markedly different results on tests that measure cognition and behavior. The atmosphere in the room can affect strategic decision-making, study finds The atmosphere within a group can influence the outcome of strategic decision-making, according to a new study. Researchers found that different atmospheres led to people speaking and interacting in different ways that changed how they made sense of the strategy. New interpretation of runic inscription reveals pricing in Viking age A new interpretation of the runic inscription on the Forsa Ring (Forsaringen in Swedish), provides fresh insights into the Viking Age monetary system and represents the oldest documented value record in Scandinavia. The inscription describes how the Vikings handled fines in a flexible and practical manner. Protecting surf breaks mitigates climate change, helps coastal communities Safeguarding places to hang ten and shoot the curl is an opportunity to simultaneously mitigate climate change, fuel tourism and help surrounding ecosystems, research has shown. |
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