Crowdfunding is sometimes touted as a “safety net” for people who can’t afford to pay their medical bills. But new research from the University of Washington, believed to be one of the first large-scale assessments of medical crowdfunding in the U.S., shows that people in states with higher medical debt and lower rates of insurance...
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Do Bikeshare Systems Complement or Replace Public Transit?
Bikeshare systems have come a long way since they were first introduced in the Netherlands in the 1960s. They are popular in cities around the world, but how do bike systems affect existing public transportation? That’s the topic of a new paper from the University of Illinois, published in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice....
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Teachers Leading Global Drive to Improve Girls’ Education Took on ‘Humanitarian Role’ During Covid-19 Closures
Interviews with teachers at the forefront of international efforts to improve girls’ education reveal that many have taken on humanitarian roles, as well as working as educators, during the COVID-19 crisis. Their experiences are captured in a Government-commissioned report assessing UK-funded programmes for marginalised girls in some of the poorest parts of the world. It...
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Lockdown Measures Linked to an Increase in Drinking at Home
Lockdown measures linked to an increase in drinking at home New research which looks at how lockdown has shifted drinking habits in England and Scotland has been published The findings show an increase in at-home late-night drinking as well as solitary drinking Researchers say at-home drinking is an under researchered area and highlight the need...
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Physicists Unify Sociological Theories That Explain Social Stability
Humans prefer stable relationships and love to avoid social tensions. Sociology so far uses two concepts to describe this preference for social stability, namely, (Social) Balance Theory and the theory of homophily (“birds of a feather flock together”). Researchers from the Complexity Science Hub Vienna (CSH) now propose a simpler approach. They were able to...
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Study Shows Discrepancy in ‘Hookup Culture’ Sexual Activity on Dates
A new study from the University of Kansas shows that in “hookup culture,” — in which young people may engage in sex without the traditional courtship practice of dating – there is a discrepancy between what college students are saying and what they are doing when it comes to sexual activity on dates. KU scholars...
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People Prefer Interacting with Female Robots in Hotels
People are more comfortable talking to female rather than male robots working in service roles in hotels, according to a study by Washington State University researcher Soobin Seo. The study, which surveyed about 170 people on hypothetical service robot scenarios, also found that the preference was stronger when the robots were described as having more...
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Which Political Ideologies Make People More Likely to Dismiss the Risk of Covid-19?
A study published in the journal Risk Analysis suggests that people who embrace the ideologies of libertarianism and anti-egalitarianism are more likely to disregard the risks of COVID-19 and oppose government actions. Assistant professor Yilang Peng of the University of Georgia analyzed data from two surveys to investigate the relationship between attitudes toward COVID-19 and specific political...
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How Fuel Poverty ‘Gets Under the Skin’
The rocketing price of fuel could be making people’s physical and mental health worse – according to a new study from the University of East Anglia (UEA). Researchers investigated how fuel poverty – not having enough money to heat your home – impacts health and wellbeing. They found that not being able to keep homes...
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Book Traces Evolution of Computer from Unusual to Ubiquitous
Over the last 50 years, the computer has been transformed from a hulking scientific super-tool to a diverse family of devices that billions rely on to play games, shop, stream entertainment and communicate. “A New History of Modern Computing,” a new book by Thomas Haigh, (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) UWM professor of history, and Paul Ceruzzi,...
