Packed with rifles and explosives, the SUV hurtled down a Florida interstate beneath bright blue autumn skies, passing other motorists with little notice. It was November 2018, and the driver, Tyler Sumlin, was uncomfortable. Clammy. The husky, bearded former U.S. Army soldier was getting a cold, and understandably tense: He was transporting a platoon’s worth...
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Systems Scientists Find Clues to Why False News Snowballs on Social Media
The spread of misinformation on social media is a pressing societal problem that tech companies and policymakers continue to grapple with, yet those who study this issue still don’t have a deep understanding of why and how false news spreads. To shed some light on this murky topic, researchers at MIT developed a theoretical model...
Why Don’t All Politicians Use Antidemocratic Tactics to Stay in Power?
American democracy is in crisis—a majority of scholars and the public agree. Allegations of unfair voting practices, such as voter suppression and gerrymandering, abuses of executive power, and mounting concerns about the legitimacy of elections have become regular occurrence in the United States, rather than isolated events. If we accept the premise that politicians and...
‘Gentrification’ Changes the Personality Make-Up of Cities in Just a Few Years, Study Suggests
Rising house prices may change the personality make-up of US cities within a few years, with residents becoming increasingly open-minded – not just as wealthier people move in, but also among longer-term locals. This is according to a University of Cambridge-led study of almost two million people in the US living across 199 cities. Psychologists...
Private Equity Long-Term Care Homes Have the Highest Mortality Rate During Covid-19
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that for-profit long-term care homes had worse patient outcomes than not-for-profit homes. A new study found that of those for-profit homes, long-term care homes (LTCs) owned by private equity firms and large chains have the highest mortality rates. The study conducted by researchers at the University of Waterloo traced the growing...
As the Mercury Rises, the Urban Heat Penalty Grows, Especially at Night
City living has its perks: Live music, museums, trendy cafés and much more. But urban living isn’t so cool when it comes to summer weather. Living in a city translates to an extra two to six hours of uncomfortable weather per day in the summer for people in the eastern and central United States, according...
16 Stocks to Watch in 2022
Every six months, Clinical Professor of Finance David Kass at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, puts out a “stocks to watch” list. His latest – an outlook for 2022 – narrows the list of watch-worthy shares from 21 to 16. The move comes amid rising uncertainties – inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions...
Hip Hop Song Linked to a Reduction in Suicides in the U.S.
Wide scale public attention to the song “1-800-273-8255” by American hip hop artist Logic was associated with an increase in calls to the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and a reduction in suicides, finds a study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ. The findings demonstrate the protective effect of positive media stories about suicidal thoughts...
Will You Check Your Emails Over Christmas?
When the holiday season rolls around, will you get to relax, or do you let work creep into your down time? If you fit in the latter category and can’t seem to keep work at bay, you may be putting your health at risk, according to research from the University of South Australia. Surveying more than...
Superhero Behavior Sheds Light on Staying Healthy in Later Life
Even for superheroes, regular physical activity and strong social bonds are important for healthy ageing, suggest researchers in the Christmas issue of The BMJ. Being able to stay healthy in later life is a crucial issue for everyone. Environmental and socioeconomic factors determine ageing trajectories at a population level, but evidence also highlights the importance of...