Science & Society News

March 7, 2017

Safer to Ride in Yellow Taxis

Will Water Be the Fuel of the Future?

Dangers of Concurrent Heat Waves, Air Pollution

Computer Beats Expert Poker Players at Poker

Latest Headlines

updated 8:10pm EST

Study Finds Knowledge Gaps on Protecting Cultural Sites from Climate Change

Mar. 7, 2017 — Many cultural sites vulnerable to climate-related changes such as rising sea levels, coastal erosion and flooding from stronger storms, ... read more

Multilab Replication Project Examines Cooperation Under Time Pressure

Mar. 7, 2017 — In 2012, a trio of psychological scientists reported research showing that people who made quick decisions under time pressure were more likely to cooperate than were people who were required to take ... read more

Climate Study: More Intense and Frequent Severe Rainstorms Likely

Mar. 7, 2017 — A climate scientist confirms that more intense and more frequent severe rainstorms will likely continue as temperatures rise due to global warming, despite some observations that seem to suggest ... read more

'Traveling' Droughts Bring New Possibilities for Prediction

Mar. 7, 2017 — Droughts can travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers from where they started, like a slow-moving hurricane. A new study sheds light on how these droughts evolve in space ... read more

Nothing Fishy About New Solution for Aquaculture Wastewater Treatment

Mar. 6, 2017 — Aquaculture, or fish farming, is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture in the world today. However, farmers in the United States who wish to capitalize on this ... read more

Researchers Create New Tool That Measures Active Learning in Classrooms

Mar. 6, 2017 — A new tool that uses classroom sounds may solve the biggest outstanding question in undergraduate science education, namely, what teaching methods are actually being used in ... read more

Cancer 'Hot Spots' in Florida May Be Associated With Hazardous Waste Sites

Mar. 6, 2017 — Florida has the sixth highest number of hazardous waste sites, known as Superfund sites, in the United States. In 2016, the state was projected to have the second largest number of new cancer cases ... read more

Gender Bias May Hamper Evaluations of Female Emergency Medicine Residents

Mar. 6, 2017 — Implicit gender bias has long been suspected in many medical training programs, but until recently has been difficult to study objectively. Now, for the first time, a nationally standardized ... read more

Two-Thirds of Americans See Docs Who Got Paid by Drug Companies

Mar. 6, 2017 — A majority of Americans visited doctors in the past year who had been paid or given gifts by pharmaceutical or medical device companies, but very few patients knew about it, outlines new ... read more

Birth Weight Not a Good Proxy for Population Health

Mar. 6, 2017 — Despite dramatic improvements in human health, babies' average birth-weights have not increased over the last 150 years reveals new ... read more

More Science & Society News

March 7, 2017

Summaries
Headlines

Hiring Data Creates Risk of Workplace bias

Mar. 7, 2017 — American employers increasingly rely on large datasets and computer algorithms to decide who gets interviewed, hired or promoted. While these data algorithms can help to avoid biased human ... read more

Better Injury Data Management Can Save Fire Departments Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars

Mar. 7, 2017 — A new study shows that more accurately tracking injuries in the fire service can save fire departments a great amount of money and more accurately focus injury prevention ... read more

One in 5 Residents Overuses Electricity at Neighbors' Expense

Mar. 6, 2017 — Household electricity use falls by more than 30 percent when residents are obliged to pay for their own personal consumption, shows a new Swedish ... read more

Very Different Cities Have Similar Potential for Ride Sharing

Mar. 6, 2017 — Urban ride-sharing is feasible in a wide variety of cities around the globe, say researchers, and indeed that the potential 'shareability' of autos in those places is more similar, from ... read more

Study Sparks Debate Over Relationship Between Compact Development and Driving

Mar. 6, 2017 — Compact development is often recommended as a way to get people to drive less and create more sustainable communities. However, different studies over the years have yielded different outcomes, ... read more

Untapped Potential for Ugandan Beekeepers

Mar. 6, 2017 — Despite the large economic potential for honey production, many beekeepers in Uganda fail to produce and market enough honey to make a living from it. ... read more

Trans-Himalayan Land of Upper Mustang in Nepal May Face Serious Food Insecurity

Mar. 6, 2017 — Food security is a global challenge especially in developing countries with a growing population and less land to cultivate. Erratic weather patterns due to global warming in the recent years have ... read more

More Funding for Long-Term Studies Necessary for Best Science, Environmental Policy

Mar. 6, 2017 — Environmental scientists and policymakers value long-term research to an extent that far outstrips the amount of funding awarded for it, according to a study published ... read more

Widespread Conflicts of Interest Among Patient-Advocacy Organizations Uncovered

Mar. 3, 2017 — Over the past few decades, hundreds of patient-advocacy organizations have emerged in the United States, promoting disease research and influencing FDA and health insurer policies. Now, a new study ... read more

Electronic Energy Meters' False Readings Almost Six Times Higher Than Actual Energy Consumption

Mar. 3, 2017 — Some electronic energy meters can give false readings that are up to 582% higher than actual energy consumption. The author of a new report estimates that potentially inaccurate meters have been ... read more

Ten Million Lives Saved by 1962 Breakthrough, Study Says

Mar. 3, 2017 — Nearly 200 million cases of polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, adenovirus, rabies and hepatitis A -- and approximately 450,000 deaths from these diseases -- were prevented in the US alone ... read more

Should We Commit to Eradicate Malaria Worldwide?

Mar. 3, 2017 — Should we commit to eradicate malaria worldwide? For the author of a new report, eradication is the only equitable and sustainable ... read more

How to Improve Your Freshman Retention Rate

Mar. 3, 2017 — Incoming college students who already feel a connection to their institution are more likely to fit in and want to remain at the school, especially if they are ethnic minorities, indicates a new ... read more

Volkswagen's Excess Emissions Will Lead to 1,200 Premature Deaths in Europe

Mar. 3, 2017 — Volkswagen's excess emissions are predicted to cause 1,200 premature deaths in Europe. Countries hit hardest by automaker's emissions scandal include Germany, Poland, France, and Czech ... read more

Facebook 'Likes' Don’t Work Like Marketers Think They Do

Mar. 2, 2017 — Simply building up followers on Facebook isn't enough to boost a brand’s sales. If companies want to convert social media fans into more active customers, they have to engage them with ... read more

Hand-Picked Specialty Crops 'Ripe' for Precision Agriculture Techniques

Mar. 2, 2017 — Precision agriculture techniques could have substantial financial benefits for producers of hand-picked specialty crops, according to a new paper. A researcher has developed a mathematical model that ... read more

New Path Suggested for Nuclear Fusion

Mar. 2, 2017 — Scientists offer a glimpse into a possible new path toward the production of energy through nuclear fusion in a new ... read more

Predicting Terrorist Behaviors With More Than 90 Percent Accuracy

Mar. 2, 2017 — Government agencies cannot always use social media and telecommunication to uncover the intentions of terrorists as terrorists are now more careful in utilizing these technologies for planning and ... read more

Air Pollution Can Alter the Effectiveness of Antibiotics and Increases the Potential of Disease, New Study Reveals

Mar. 2, 2017 — New research has explored the impact of black carbon on bacteria in the respiratory tract. The study specifically looked into how air pollution affects the bacteria living in our bodies, specifically ... read more

In a Bad Flu Season, High-Dose Flu Vaccine Appeared Better at Preventing Deaths in Seniors

Mar. 2, 2017 — Older adults are at high risk for serious complications from flu and account for a majority of flu-related deaths and hospitalizations. H3N2 influenza viruses typically hit this age group ... read more

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