ScienceDaily: Science & Society News

E-cigarettes can be regulated now without more research, expert says Posted: 13 Mar 2015 06:45 AM PDT A legal scholar and tobacco control expert says he has developed a research-based roadmap that allows for the immediate regulation of e-cigarettes, and that his proposal would minimize the threats e-cigarettes pose to public health while still enabling them potentially help reduce smoking.

Hospital ratings on social media appear to reflect quality of care Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:30 AM PDT A correlation between how hospitals are rated on Facebook's five-star system and how well they performed on a widely used measure of quality care has been uncovered by researchers. Social media has become an important way for institutions to communicate -- both sending messages and receiving feedback -- with clients and with the general public.

Payments for ecosystem services? Here's the guidebook Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:30 AM PDT A team of investors, development organizations, conservationists, economists, and ecologists have published six natural science principles to ensure success of Payments for Ecosystem Services, mechanisms that have helped preserve carbon stocks stored in Madagascar's rainforests, maintain wildlife populations important for tourism in Tanzania, and protect watersheds in France by working with local farmers.

Detecting cyanide poisoning in 70 seconds Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:26 AM PDT A victim of cyanide poisoning can die within 30 minutes. The diagnostic test to determine cyanide exposure takes 24 hours. Two chemists have developed a prototype that can detect exposure to cyanide in 70 seconds via a blood sample. The device could save lives, whether it be diagnosing exposure from an industrial fire or a terrorist attack

Unequal legacy of crisis leaves young with economic mountain to climb, according to new report Posted: 12 Mar 2015 08:21 AM PDT People in their twenties have been the worst affected by the economic crisis despite higher qualifications than any earlier generation, according to a comprehensive analysis of what has happened to inequalities in qualifications, employment, pay, incomes and wealth since 2007. The research shows that those in their twenties and early thirties have been hardest hit by far than any other group, with the greatest drop in full-time employment, largest rises in unemployment, and greatest falls in real wages.

Received wisdom about mental illness challenged by new report Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:44 AM PDT A new report challenges received wisdom about the nature of mental illness and has led to widespread media coverage and debate in the UK. Many people believe that schizophrenia is a frightening brain disease that makes people unpredictable and potentially violent, and can only be controlled by medication. However the UK has been at the forefront of research into the psychology of psychosis conducted over the last twenty years, and which reveals that this view is false.