Top Society News -- ScienceDaily Top stories featured on ScienceDaily's Science & Society, Business & Industry, and Education & Learning sections.
- Coal emissions cost India millions in crop damageson February 4, 2025 at 10:38 pm
New research shows grain yields critical to India's food security are dragged down 10% or more in many parts of the country by nitrogen dioxide pollution from power stations that run on coal. Economic losses from crop damages exceed $800 million per year.
- Forest landowner motivation to control invasive species depends on land use, study showson February 4, 2025 at 10:38 pm
Many U.S. forests are privately owned, particularly in the Eastern and North Central part of the country. This makes control of invasive plants and pests challenging because efforts must be coordinated across landowners. A new study explores how differences in ownership motivation affects willingness to control, and how economic incentives can be implemented most efficiently.
- Partnership working key to unlocking EV battery recycling problemon February 4, 2025 at 6:22 pm
Recyclers, battery manufacturers, and electric vehicle manufacturers must work together to revolutionize lithium-ion battery (LIB) recycling processes to meet ever-growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems.
- What's the best way to organize people to generate ideas? New research offers insighton February 4, 2025 at 6:21 pm
Is it better to work in large groups? Smaller ones? With other people who are similar or different? New research offers insight into these questions -- and some of the results are not what you'd expect.
- Half a degree further rise in global warming will triple area of Earth too hot for humanson February 4, 2025 at 6:21 pm
New assessment warns area the size of the USA will become too hot during extreme heat events for even healthy young humans to maintain a safe body temperature if we hit 2 degrees Celsuis above preindustrial levels. For those aged over 60, the same 2 degree rise would see more than a third of the planet's land mass cross this critical 'overheating' threshold.
- New study assesses impact of agricultural research investments on biodiversity, land useon February 4, 2025 at 6:18 pm
New, groundbreaking research shows how, at a local scale, agricultural research and development led to improved crop varieties that resulted in global benefits to the environment and food system sustainability.
- The cost of preventing extinction of Australia's priority specieson February 3, 2025 at 11:22 pm
A new study has estimated it would cost $15.6 billion per year for 30 years to prevent extinction for 99 of Australia's priority species. The research highlights the urgent need for increased funding to combat threats such as habitat destruction, invasive species and climate change.
- Electricity prices across Europe to stabilize if 2030 targets for renewable energy are met, study suggestson February 3, 2025 at 7:25 pm
National targets for solar and wind power will see reliance on natural gas plummet, reducing electricity price volatility across Europe, with major beneficiaries including the UK and Ireland, the Nordics, and the Netherlands.
- Global groundwater sulfate distribution map uncovers public health risks for 17 million peopleon February 3, 2025 at 7:25 pm
A recent study has revealed a startling public health threat: About 17 million people are at risk of gastrointestinal problems due to excessive sulfate levels in groundwater. This alarming finding emerged from the first high-resolution global groundwater sulfate distribution map.
- Building a circular future: Study reveals key organizational capabilities for sustainabilityon February 3, 2025 at 7:21 pm
A recent study by management scholars underscores the importance of organizations' dynamic capabilities for greener business practices. Analyzing data from 139 manufacturing companies, the research reveals that financial and technological expertise combined with adaptability to regulations and evolving consumer demands, are key to advancing the green transition.
- Researchers link India's food program to better health and stronger incomeson February 1, 2025 at 12:45 am
Despite humanity's scientific achievements and globalized economy, malnutrition remains a global issue. The United Nations estimated that 2.33 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023.
- Sound is a primary issue in the lives of skateboarders, study showson January 31, 2025 at 6:24 pm
Sound plays a significant and often poignant part of skateboarders' relationship with their sport, a new study shows.
- Experts publish framework for global adoption of digital health in medical educationon January 31, 2025 at 4:04 pm
A group of 211 international experts from 79 countries has today published a new framework to facilitate the design, development and implementation of digital health curricula in medical education worldwide.
- Earth scientists study Sikkim flood in India to help others prepare for similar disasterson January 30, 2025 at 9:16 pm
Experts from the global Earth science community have pieced together what happened during the massive Sikkim flood to try to help others prepare for similar disasters.
- Future of UK peatlands under threat due to climate changeon January 30, 2025 at 7:08 pm
The UK's peatlands face an uncertain future amid the escalating impacts of climate change. Peatlands are critical ecosystems for carbon storage and biodiversity, containing more carbon than all the world's forests despite covering just 3% of the global land surface. But new research reveals that vast areas of the UK's peatlands, including the Flow Country UNESCO World Heritage Site, are likely to be unsuitable for peat accumulation by 2061-80 due to climate change.
- Freshwater alga could be the next superfood that feeds the worldon January 30, 2025 at 6:58 pm
A green alga that grows in lakes and rivers could be the next 'superfood' -- helping scientists to tackle global food security challenges while promoting environmental sustainability.
- Optimism can boost saving, especially for lower-income individualson January 30, 2025 at 6:56 pm
Being optimistic about the future may help people save more money, and the effect appears strongest among those with lower incomes, according to new research.
- Researcher on energy revolution: Sustainability is still a work in processon January 30, 2025 at 6:54 pm
The world is experiencing more frequent and intense heat waves, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires due to rising greenhouse gas emissions. The energy sector is one of the largest contributors to climate change, yet it also plays a crucial role in the strategies needed to mitigate and adapt to its effects, contributing to the achievement of ambitious climate goals.
- COVID lockdowns disrupted a crucial social skill among preschoolers, trailblazing study findson January 30, 2025 at 12:45 am
Researchers discovered children ages 3 to 5 tested before and after COVID lockdowns had a significant gap in a key cognitive skill, particularly for children from homes with low financial resources and adults with less education. The data is among the first to show the pandemic's cognitive effects on children who were not yet students.
- Working dogs take a day to adjust to Daylight Savings Time, but pets are more flexibleon January 29, 2025 at 9:25 pm
Working dogs take a day to adjust to the change in routine caused by Daylight Savings Time, whereas pet dogs and their owners seem to be unaffected, according to a new study.
- Women exercising in gyms often face barriers including body image and harassmenton January 29, 2025 at 9:25 pm
When exercising in gyms, women face barriers across various domains, including physical appearance and body image, gym attire, the physical gym environment, and interactions with others, according to a new study.
- The benefits of speaking multiple languageson January 29, 2025 at 9:21 pm
New psychology research indicates that multilingual children may have enhanced executive function and perspective taking skills.
- How group size affects cooperation: Insights from brain scienceon January 29, 2025 at 5:12 pm
New research challenges conventional wisdom that larger group size reduces cooperation by showing that fluid connections and innate prosocial instincts enable humans to thrive in larger social circles.
- Landmark genetic study: Fresh shoots of hope on the tree of lifeon January 29, 2025 at 4:52 pm
In the most comprehensive global analysis of genetic diversity ever undertaken, an international team of scientists has found that the genetic diversity is being lost across the globe but that conservation efforts are helping to safeguard species.
- Sharp look into Ockham's razoron January 29, 2025 at 3:11 am
A new article argues that by relying too much on parsimony in modeling, scientists make mistakes and miss opportunities.
- Calorie labels on menus could make eating disorders worseon January 29, 2025 at 3:11 am
Calorie labels on restaurant menus are negatively impacting people with eating disorders, according to a new study. The review found that individuals who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder changed their behaviors if presented with a menu featuring calorie labels.
- Air pollution inequities linked to industrial swine facilities are detectable from spaceon January 28, 2025 at 5:43 pm
A UVA study uses satellite data to show that air pollution from industrial swine farms in Eastern North Carolina disproportionately affects marginalized communities.
- Complexity of tree-planting schemeson January 28, 2025 at 5:43 pm
Research with smallholder farmers in Kenya shows that tree-planting schemes must account for complex local issues and preferences.
- Innovative one-minute video game boasts 80% success rate in diagnosing autismon January 28, 2025 at 5:38 pm
A new one-minute video game is able to accurately and efficiently identify children with autism from those who have ADHD or are neurotypical.
- Strategic corporate social responsibility can create social, economic valueon January 28, 2025 at 5:36 pm
Strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts that are directly related to a hospitality company's core business operations and competencies can help companies create both social and business value, according to researchers.
- Floating solar increases greenhouse gas emissions on small pondson January 27, 2025 at 9:20 pm
While floating solar -- the emerging practice of putting solar panels on bodies of water -- is promising in its efficiency and its potential to spare agricultural and conservation lands, a new experiment finds environmental trade-offs.
- Scientific approach can optimize bike lane planningon January 27, 2025 at 9:19 pm
develop a model that can help municipalities choose optimal locations as they expand their cycling lane networks in response to growing demand.
- Global sea level very likely to rise between 0.5 and 1.9 meters by 2100 under high-emissions scenarioon January 27, 2025 at 5:47 pm
An interdisciplinary team of researchers has projected that if the rate of global CO2 emissions continues to increase and reaches a high emission scenario, sea levels would as a result very likely rise between 0.5 and 1.9 meters by 2100. The high end of this projection's range is 90 centimeters higher than the latest United Nations' global projection of 0.6 to 1.0 meters.
- Botanic Gardens must team up to save wild plants from extinctionon January 27, 2025 at 5:45 pm
The world's botanic gardens must pull together to protect global plant biodiversity in the face of the extinction crisis, amid restrictions on wild-collecting, say researchers.
- A new experimental system to bring quantum technologies closer to studentson January 27, 2025 at 5:42 pm
The world of quantum physics is experiencing a second revolution, which will drive an exponential leap in the progress of computing, the internet, telecommunications, cybersecurity and biomedicine. Quantum technologies are attracting more and more students who want to learn about concepts from the subatomic world -- such as quantum entanglement or quantum superposition -- to explore the innovative potential of quantum science. In fact, understanding the non-intuitive nature of quantum technology concepts and recognizing their relevance to technological progress is one of the challenges of 2025, declared the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by UNESCO.
- Inconsistencies in hospital toxicology screening protocols following serious motor vehicle collisionson January 27, 2025 at 5:41 pm
A new study has found that drug screening practices may be inconsistent with potential downstream effects in reporting to the RMV.
- Researchers invent a new tool to help lower the cost of tomorrow's medicineon January 27, 2025 at 5:41 pm
Researchers have developed a new chemical tool that could help lower the cost of prescription medications. The tool, called AshPhos, is a ligand, or molecule, that makes it easier to create special carbon-nitrogen bonds. These bonds are the backbone of more than half of all medicines on the market today.
- Vacations are good for employee well-being, and the effects are long lastingon January 27, 2025 at 5:38 pm
If you're like many Americans, you probably didn't take all your vacation time this year. Even if you did, it's highly likely you didn't fully unplug while off the clock. But you might want to change that if you want to improve your health and well-being, according to a new review article.
- Progress and challenges in brain implantson January 24, 2025 at 8:11 pm
A scientific team looks at the progress and challenges in the research and development of brain implants. New achievements in the field of this technology are seen as a source of hope for many patients with neurological disorders and have been making headlines recently. As neural implants have an effect not only on a physical but also on a psychological level, researchers are calling for particular ethical and scientific care when conducting clinical trials.
- How human activity has shaped Brazil Nut forests' past and futureon January 24, 2025 at 8:10 pm
Researchers use genomic data to study the decline in genetic diversity in the Amazon Basin, particularly in Brazil Nut trees. The research uses genomic data to understand this keystone species' genetic health and adaptability, help reconstruct its demographic history, and assess the long-term impacts of human interaction on forest ecosystems. The findings emphasize the need for conservation strategies to consider both ecological and anthropogenic factors.
- Bacteria found to eat forever chemicals -- and even some of their toxic byproductson January 23, 2025 at 9:31 pm
A team has identified a strain of bacteria that can break down and transform at least three types of PFAS, and, perhaps even more crucially, some of the toxic byproducts of the bond-breaking process.
- Imagining the physics of George R.R. Martin's fictional universeon January 23, 2025 at 4:31 pm
Researchers have derived a formula for viral behavior in the Wild Cards, a science fiction series written by a collection of authors about an alien virus called the Wild Card that mutates human DNA. The formula he derived is a Lagrangian formulation, which considers the different ways a system can evolve. It's also a fundamental physics principle, which also makes the fictional example a powerful teaching tool.
- UMaine-led team develops more holistic way to monitor lobster industryon January 23, 2025 at 5:21 am
After two years of data collection, quantitative and qualitative analyses, meetings and stakeholder interviews, a team of researchers developed new socioeconomic indicators to holistically monitor the lobster industry's resilience. The eight socioeconomic indicators identified by the team include coastal accessibility, operational condition, business investments, community composition, financial health, risk taking, personal spending and physical and mental health. Each indicator is backed by secondary data from state and federal agencies, as well as publicly available information from certain businesses and organizations.
- Life satisfaction measurement tool provides robust information across nations, genders, ages, languageson January 22, 2025 at 7:58 pm
Data from 65 countries suggests that the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) -- a widely used research tool -- generally holds up well when applied across diverse groups of people, underscoring its potential value in research and policymaking, according to a new study.
- Severe weather and major power outages increasingly coincide across the United States, study findson January 22, 2025 at 7:56 pm
An understanding of the relationship between severe weather and power outages in our changing climate will be critical for hazard response plans, according to a new study.
- While most Americans use a device to monitor their heart, few share that data with their doctoron January 22, 2025 at 6:12 pm
A new national survey found that while many Americans use a device to monitor their heart, few share that data with their doctor.
- Grass surfaces drastically reduce drone noise making the way for soundless city skieson January 22, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Porous land such as foliage significantly lowers noise made by drones and air taxis which could reduce disturbances for urban communities as Urban Air Mobility (UAM) grows.
- Why are most companies failing to benefit from AI? It's about the people not the techon January 22, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Successful uptake of new technology is a matter of emotions -- and with 4 in 5 companies saying they're failing to capitalize on its potential, managers need to know how to deal with them, say researchers.
- Research shows PTSD, anxiety may affect reproductive health of women firefighterson January 22, 2025 at 5:55 pm
Investigators found negative mental health conditions among women firefighters may reduce levels of key hormone associated with ovarian reserve.
- Recommendations for studying the impact of AI on young people's mental healthon January 22, 2025 at 2:05 am
Experts highlight the need for a clear framework when it comes to AI research, given the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by children and adolescents using digital devices to access the internet and social media.
- Building sentence structure may be language-specificon January 21, 2025 at 9:21 pm
Do speakers of different languages build sentence structure in the same way? In a neuroimaging study, scientists recorded the brain activity of participants listening to Dutch stories. In contrast to English, sentence processing in Dutch was based on a strategy for predicting what comes next rather than a 'wait-and-see' approach, showing that strategies may differ across languages.
- Signposting children to weight management services could happen when parents attend an adult programon January 21, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Parents attending an adult weight management program, who were worried about their child's weight, would accept support and signposting to services for their child if it was offered.
- A team with diverse expertise produces novel ideas -- but are they practical?on January 21, 2025 at 5:59 pm
A first-of-its-kind study shows that while teams with differing skill sets and perspectives bring fresh, unique ideas to the table, they often struggle to create practical, workable solutions -- raising important questions for managers and businesses worldwide.
- Violence on TV: What happens to children who watch?on January 20, 2025 at 4:38 pm
Boys exposed to violent screen content in the preschool years were more likely to become antisocial and violent themselves a decade later, in their mid-teens, a new study shows.
- Global trust in science remains strongon January 20, 2025 at 4:38 pm
A global survey spanning 68 countries reveals that public trust in scientists is still high. A team of 241 researchers conducted the largest post-pandemic study of trust in science, societal expectations and public views on research priorities.
- Ecologists uncover significant ecological impact of hybrid grouper release through religious practiceson January 19, 2025 at 11:32 pm
Ecologists have identified significant ecological risks associated with the release of hybrid groupers into Hong Kong's coastal waters, a practice often linked to religious 'mercy release' rituals. Their study highlights how the Tiger Grouper-Giant Grouper hybrid (TGGG), also known as the Sabah grouper, disrupts local marine ecosystems by exploiting unique ecological niches and potentially becoming a dominant predator. This research, the first to use advanced DNA metabarcoding to analyze the diet of this hybrid species, underscores the urgent need for public education and conservation measures to mitigate unintended ecological impacts.
- Technology for oxidizing atmospheric methane won't help the climateon January 17, 2025 at 10:13 pm
Atmospheric scientists show proposed 'geoengineering' effort to remove methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere could worse air quality while providing minimal climate benefits.
- Insights into how populations conform or go against the crowdon January 17, 2025 at 10:13 pm
Cultural traits -- the information, beliefs, behaviors, customs, and practices that shape the character of a population -- are influenced by conformity, the tendency to align with others, or anti-conformity, the choice to deliberately diverge. A new way to model this dynamic interplay could ultimately help explain societal phenomena like political polarization, cultural trends, and the spread of misinformation.
- Direct measurements can reduce uncertainty in soil carbon credit marketson January 17, 2025 at 5:34 pm
Scientists find a 'measure and remeasure' approach is a feasible method of verifying soil carbon storage in croplands for climate mitigation.
- Reducing teens' psychological stress could save billions for U.S. budget, study suggestson January 16, 2025 at 9:13 pm
A new study suggests that boosting adolescent mental health is linked with long-term economic benefits. In contrast to similar findings from prior studies, these estimated relationships could be readily incorporated into standard government budgeting analyses for assessing potential policy impacts.