Expert commentary from Karen Douglas, professor of social psychology at the University of Kent, UK, whose research focuses on beliefs in conspiracy theories. Why are conspiracy theories so popular? Who believes them? Why do people believe them? What are some of the consequences of conspiracy theories and can such theories be harmful? What are the principal...
Health
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Staying Healthy Mentally and Physically While Protesting During a Pandemic
As people take to the streets in protest during the COVID-19 pandemic, Keck Medicine of USC experts share advice on how the public can protect both their mental well-being and physical health during this time. The importance of acknowledging the trauma many Americans experience “During this time when the American public is already mentally stretched...
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Majority of U.S. States and Territories Do Not Require Day Care Providers to Inform Parents of Firearms
Home- and center-based child care providers are not required by most states or U.S. territories to inform parents when guns are stored on the premises, according to a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers found that a majority of U.S. states and territories–47 out of 56–do not...
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Promoting Advantages of Product Category, Such as E-Cigarettes, Can Backfire
Industries often position products to tout the benefits of one category over another — such as the higher-quality, traditional ingredients of a microbrew over mass-produced brewery beer. Researchers suggest that during the past decade, efforts to promote e-cigarettes as a healthier alternative to combustible cigarettes instead backfired, resulting in a product with a reputation as...
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Sensors Woven into a Shirt Can Monitor Vital Signs
MIT researchers have developed a way to incorporate electronic sensors into stretchy fabrics, allowing them to create shirts or other garments that could be used to monitor vital signs such as temperature, respiration, and heart rate. The sensor-embedded garments, which are machine washable, can be customized to fit close to the body of the person...
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Conservative and Social Media Usage Associated with Misinformation About COVID-19
People who relied on conservative media or social media in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak were more likely to be misinformed about how to prevent the virus and believe conspiracy theories about it, a study of media use and public knowledge has found. Based on an Annenberg Science Knowledge survey fielded in early...
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Holistic Approach Best for Tackling NonMedical Drug Use, Study Finds
Health practitioners are constantly developing new ways to help those with drug and alcohol addictions wean themselves from their substance of choice. Most such programs have limited success, however. A new study finds that interventions that take a multidimensional approach – tackling the biological, social, environmental and mental health obstacles to overcome while also addressing...
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Could Suicide Risk Be Predicted from a Patient’s Records?
Suicide is now the second most common cause of death among American youth. Fatal suicides rose 30 percent between 2000 and 2016, and 2016 alone saw 1.3 million nonfatal suicide attempts. Now, a study led by Boston Children’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital demonstrates that a predictive computer model can identify patients at risk for...
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Inappropriate Diagnoses for NFL Players
A small but concerning number of former NFL players report receiving clinical diagnoses of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to new research A definitive diagnosis of the neurodegenerative brain disease, thought to be caused by repeated blows to the head, can be done only on autopsy and cannot be made based on clinical exam or...
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‘Designer Virus’ Is First New Polio Vaccine in 50 Years
Before being halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a relentless vaccination campaign had nearly succeeded in eradicating polio from the world. Between 2000 and 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that its campaign had reduced the burden of the disease by 99 percent, preventing more than 13 million children from becoming infected and risking potentially...
