ScienceDaily: Science & Society News

Loneliness and social isolation are just as much a threat to longevity as obesity Posted: 11 Mar 2015 01:05 PM PDT Loneliness and social isolation are just as much a threat to longevity as obesity. The effect occurs even for people who like to be alone. Lack of relationships is a bigger health risk for people under age 65.

Is US immigration policy 'STEMming' innovation? Posted: 11 Mar 2015 01:04 PM PDT Foreign-born graduate students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines who wish to pursue a career in industry or NGOs are much more likely to stay in the US than those who wish to pursue a career in academia or government concludes a new study.

Epoch-defining study pinpoints when humans came to dominate planet Earth Posted: 11 Mar 2015 01:04 PM PDT The human-dominated geological epoch known as the Anthropocene probably began around the year 1610, with an unusual drop in atmospheric carbon dioxide and the irreversible exchange of species between the New and Old Worlds, according to new research.

Rapid coastal population growth may leave many exposed to sea-level rise Posted: 11 Mar 2015 01:03 PM PDT The number of people potentially exposed to future sea level rise and associated storm surge flooding may be highest in low-elevation coastal zones in Asia and Africa.

Gender, race influences when teens start drinking, smoking and doing drugs Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:47 AM PDT Cigarette use among white teenagers is substantially higher than among black and Hispanic teenagers, especially at 18 years old, according to researchers. Alcohol and marijuana use are also higher in white teenagers, and the numbers continue to increase until age 20. Throughout their 20s, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to pick up a cigarette-smoking habit, while the numbers start to decrease for whites.

News coverage of Fukushima disaster minimized health risks to general population Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:42 AM PDT A new analysis finds that U.S. news media coverage of the Fukushima disaster largely minimized health risks to the general population. Researchers analyzed more than 2,000 news articles from four major U.S. outlets.

Religion, support for birth control health coverage can mix Posted: 11 Mar 2015 06:10 AM PDT Religious affiliation doesn't necessarily predict a woman’s views on reproductive health care policies like birth control coverage, a study shows. Even when it comes to policies that have sometimes been characterized as going against Christian views -- such as the Affordable Care Act mandate for employer-provided contraception coverage -- religious women's opinions are mixed, finds the American study.

Assessing feedback interactions in a creative setting Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:19 AM PDT The traditional notion of feedback usually involves a one-way conversation where a manager rates an employee's performance because the destination, so to speak, is known. But what happens in a creative setting, when the endpoint is unknown? New research finds sharing incomplete work and having a healthy-give-and-take is a critical ingredient because the feedback is focused on developing an idea, rather than evaluating it at the end. The lessons could apply in the corporate world.

Alternative way to pay for expensive drugs may be needed, analysis says Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:19 AM PDT A major challenge facing the world's health care systems is paying for a new breed of expensive breakthrough drugs. One way to address the issue is to approach it the same way as other industries where suppliers encourage investment through approaches such as equipment leases or supplier-financed credit.

Slick mobile payments may rebound on retailers Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PDT Developers and marketing experts concentrate on making mobile device payment systems slick and easy but research shows they that approach may rebound on retailers. "The perceived wisdom is that payments via a mobile device should be designed and marketed as being ever faster, simpler and effortless. But the evidence that uses a slightly clunky system is that there is value in the social interactions at the point of sale for both customer and supplier," an investigator notes.

Study reveals sexual appeal of war heroes Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:16 AM PDT Women are more attracted to war heroes than regular soldiers or men who display heroic traits in other fields, such as in sports or natural disaster work, according to new research. The findings also suggest that men did not find heroism to be a sexually attractive trait in women. In the study, 92 women studying in the UK were presented with hypothetical profiles of the opposite sex, representing varying levels of heroism in different contexts such as warfare, sport and business.

Guarantees for online anonymity? Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:15 AM PDT Anonymity on the Internet is possible only up to a certain degree. Therefore, it is possible that others may see who is visiting an online advice site on sexual abuse, or who frequently looks up information about a certain disease, for example. Seeing that this kind of private information can be linked to their identity, users will often resort to special online anonymization services.

Pre-game jitters: Student athletes, parents both contribute to anxious feelings before competition, research suggests Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:11 PM PST A student athlete’s anxiety levels before competition are determined not only by their own expectations for their performance, but their parents' expectations as well, a new study concludes.

Tobacco goes out of sight as UK shop keepers admit to little profit from cigs Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:58 PM PST English retailers are preparing to end years of openly-displayed tobacco on their shelves, with nearly all (94 per cent) acknowledging they made little profit from selling the deadly product, according to a new report.