During the Later Stone Age in what is now Namibia, rock artists imbued so much detail into their engravings of human and animal prints that current-day Indigenous trackers could identify which animals’ prints they were depicting, as well as the animals’ general age and sex. Andreas Pastoors of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, and colleagues report these...
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Electrifying Vehicles in Chicago Would Save Lives, Reduce Pollution Inequities
If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles — including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks — with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new Northwestern University study. The new study, which simulates air...
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New Study Uncovers the Causes of the Qing Dynasty’s Collapse
The Qing Dynasty in China, after over 250 years, crumbled in 1912. Led by the Complexity Science Hub (CSH), an international research team has pinpointed key reasons behind the collapse, revealing parallels to modern instability and offering vital lessons for the future. China is considered today to be the world’s largest economy (in terms of...
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ChatGPT is Debunking Myths on Social Media Around Vaccine Safety, Say Experts
ChatGPT could help to increase vaccine uptake by debunking myths around jab safety, say the authors of a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics. The researchers asked the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot the top 50 most frequently-asked Covid-19 vaccine questions. They included queries based on myths and fake stories such as the...
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Study Confirms It: Opposites Don’t Actually Attract
Opposites don’t actually attract. That’s the takeaway from a sweeping CU Boulder analysis of more than 130 traits and including millions of couples over more than a century. “Our findings demonstrate that birds of a feather are indeed more likely to flock together,” said first author Tanya Horwitz, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology...
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Does a “Surprise” Factor in Gift-Giving Affect Beneficiaries’ Gratitude? Scientists Answer
Gratitude is a strong emotion, usually felt by a person who benefits from an intentional good deed of another person. Receiving gifts or benefits can instill a feeling of gratitude in people who receive them, i.e., beneficiaries, encouraging them to be more prosocial, while also helping to create a bond with their benefactors. This has...
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Art and Gastronomy Meet in Copenhagen
A 17th-century castle covered in lush vines located on a quaint canal in Copenhagen, Kunsthal Charlottenborg has been home to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts since 1701. It has also been one of the country’s leading exhibition spaces for the past 140 years. Walking through its bright galleries, one can almost taste the...
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UC Economist Finds Strong Link Between Park Funding, Home Values
Ohio residents who vote against tax renewals for parks and recreation spending could be costing themselves a significant amount of wealth in the form of their homes’ value, a University of Cincinnati economist found. David Brasington, PhD, the James C. and Caroline Kautz Chair in Political Economy and professor of economics in UC’s Carl H....
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Understanding the Surge in Cannabis Use Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women in the U.S.
Pregnant and recently postpartum women who suffer with mental health disorders may be vulnerable to using cannabis to self-medicate, according to a Rutgers-led study. In a nationally representative survey, Qiana L. Brown, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work, examined the relationship between mental health disorders, cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) among...
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The Economics of “Girl Math” Makes Luxury Purchases Feel Reasonable, Says Expert
If you’ve been scrolling through social media lately or have a young adult in your household, you might have caught wind of the latest viral trend, “girl math.” According to Virginia Tech economist Jadrian Wooten this is a blend of creative rationalization and financial justifications that is turning the tables on how some people perceive...
