All posts tagged: studies

After states legalize sports betting, Americans see financial strain, studies show : NPR

After states legalize sports betting, Americans see financial strain, studies show : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Advertisements for sports betting apps are seen in downtown Kansas City, Mo., in November. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption toggle caption Charlie Riedel/AP Online sports betting is more popular than ever, with Americans expected to legally wager billions of dollars on this year’s March Madness basketball tournament. But a growing body of evidence reveals that the sports betting boom leads to financial strain for bettors. A recent report from the New York Federal Reserve found that sports betting is linked to plummeting credit in the more than 30 U.S. states where the activity is legal, as well as in neighboring counties where it was not. Credit delinquency rates, primarily driven by missed payments on credit cards and auto loans, rose about 0.3% overall in states where sports betting is legal, despite legal sports bettors making up only 3% of the population. But, looking only at the 3% of the population who took up sports betting after their state legalized it, credit delinquencies spiked by more than 10% among gamblers. Credit delinquency means credit payments are at …

The importance of standardised methodology in ecological studies

The importance of standardised methodology in ecological studies

Published by skeptic

Scientists need to follow standardised methodology, but designing an effective protocol is not without its challenges. It is yet another morning of driving to the field site, and we pull up the weather forecast for the last days of this sampling session. Will we finally have the dry window of 48 hours that we need to set invertebrate traps in the twenty-four cages of our project? Leaving our traps out during high rain probability not only means we run the risk of lower insect activity and therefore non-representative numbers in our traps, but also that in the event of heavy rain, traps could flood and make the data nonviable. The previous samplings took place during good weather, when insects were more active. Over the course of two years, each year has samplings set at specific times in the seasons to be able to compare changes over time. Thus, more importantly, we want data to be comparable to our previous samplings and to other studies with the same aims. Teammates sort plants in the lab, quantify …

Becoming Beloved: Case Studies in Popularity

Becoming Beloved: Case Studies in Popularity

Published by Jenni Sidey

There are two good reasons not to have written what follows. The first is that this is an old topic that has been tackled by much more capable people. The second is that I’m really not very popular myself. However, I do know popular people, have informally studied them, and wish to tell you about them. In each case, I will highlight a characteristic that may be an ability or skill, a motive, or simply a conscious choice that I have seen pay dividends for specific people. Following that, I will attempt to present additional evidence supportive of my assertion that this is a good way to be. Without further ado, three keys to becoming beloved. Names have been changed to protect the popular. 1. See Possibilities Everywhere Growing up, the first lessons I learned about popularity were difficult. I found that people were liked for being special in some superficial way, usually at least partially beyond their (or my) control. They were tall, strong, talented, pretty, or something else I have never quite been, …

‘Pro-worker AI,’ streaming fatalities, and other fascinating new economic studies : Planet Money : NPR

‘Pro-worker AI,’ streaming fatalities, and other fascinating new economic studies : Planet Money : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Planet Money Paper Round-Up KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images Economists are constantly churning out fascinating research, and as much as we try at Planet Money, there’s a lot of stuff we don’t cover. So, periodically, we like to do a little round-up of interesting economic papers we’ve come across and share it with you in the Planet Money newsletter. (If you’re not already subscribed, you can subscribe here). Welcome to the latest Planet Money Econ Paper Roundup! Creating a world with “Pro-Worker Artificial Intelligence” Recently, Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and CEO of Block (and co-founder and former CEO of Twitter), announced that he was laying off 4,000 workers — or about 40% of Block’s workforce. And he suggested a big reason for the layoffs was AI had made many of the workers redundant. Block’s stock price surged on the news. For what it’s worth, analysts are skeptical that AI is the real reason Block is laying off so many workers. They suggest Block is downsizing because …

Space launches are changing the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere, studies warn – here’s what can be done

Space launches are changing the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere, studies warn – here’s what can be done

Published by skeptic

Look up on a clear night and you’ll see the streaks of our new space age. What you don’t see is the growing fallout for the atmosphere that keeps us alive. A wave of satellite launches and reentries is changing the chemistry and physics of the middle and upper atmosphere. Studies warn of ozone depletion, stratospheric heating and new metal aerosols from burning spacecraft. The pace is accelerating fast and unless we redesign how we use and retire satellites, we risk swapping one environmental problem (congestion in Earth orbit from too many spacecraft) for another (an atmosphere seeded with rocket soot and satellite ash). The problem is that most satellites are de-orbited when they reach the end of their lives. Essentially, they self-destruct in the Earth’s atmosphere, disintegrating as they are heated to thousands of degrees Celsius. But there is an increasing move to extend the lives of satellites in orbit by, for example, refuelling them. They could also be de-orbited in a gentler manner, so that parts can be reused. Orbital launches hit fresh …

Broad claims about gender and behavior fall apart when studies include ethnically diverse samples

Broad claims about gender and behavior fall apart when studies include ethnically diverse samples

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides evidence that racial and ethnic differences in certain behaviors are just as large as the widely known differences between men and women. The research suggests that generalizations about human behavior are often flawed because they rely on samples composed largely of White individuals. As a result, broad assumptions about how gender influences competitiveness and risk tolerance do not hold true across all demographic groups. Scientists in the behavioral sciences frequently face criticism for relying on study participants who represent a very narrow slice of human experience. Historically, researchers have heavily recruited individuals who are Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and from democratic societies (known as WEIRD samples). Because these samples largely consist of university students in North America and Western Europe, they do not reflect the global population, leading to a major gap in the scientific understanding of how behavior varies within a single country. A significant body of behavioral economics literature examines how men and women differ in their willingness to …

Recent studies challenge Kennedy’s claims about vaccines, Tylenol and antidepressants

Recent studies challenge Kennedy’s claims about vaccines, Tylenol and antidepressants

Published by Sam Flores

They’re prominent talking points for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his top officials: Taking Tylenol while pregnant could be linked to autism. Antidepressants may be harmful during pregnancy. Aluminum salts in vaccines might pose a health risk. And Covid shots don’t benefit healthy children. The remarks have sowed confusion over the past year, as scientists warn there isn’t evidence to back them up. Nevertheless, federal health agencies have pursued policies based on the assertions. Now, a spate of new research released in the last few months offers some of the strongest rebuttals to date. The latest finding came this month: After Food and Drug Administration officials questioned the safety of taking antidepressants during pregnancy, new research presented at an annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine found that pregnant patients who discontinued the medications nearly doubled their risk of mental health-related emergency room visits. Other recent studies have also found that aluminum salts in vaccines aren’t linked to major safety concerns and that Covid shots have a protective benefit for children. Some …

Studies Test Whether Gene-Editing Can Fix High Cholesterol. for Now, Take Your Medicine

Studies Test Whether Gene-Editing Can Fix High Cholesterol. for Now, Take Your Medicine

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists are testing an entirely new way to fight heart disease: a gene-editing treatment that might offer a one-time fix for high cholesterol. It’s very early stage research, tried in only a few dozen people so far. But gene-editing approaches being developed by two companies show hints that switching off certain genes could dramatically lower artery-clogging cholesterol, raising hopes of one day being able to prevent heart attacks without having to take pills. “People want a fix, not a bandage,” said Dr. Luke Laffin, a preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. After co-authoring a promising study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, he said he was flooded with queries about how to participate in the next clinical trial. Everyone needs a certain amount of cholesterol. But too much, especially a “bad” kind called LDL cholesterol, builds plaque in the artery walls and is a main driver of heart attacks and strokes. Cardiovascular disease is the nation’s — and world’s — leading killer. Millions take cholesterol-lowering medicines such as statins, the …

Young and old struggle to get their studies back on track in Gaza | Israel-Palestine conflict

Young and old struggle to get their studies back on track in Gaza | Israel-Palestine conflict

Published by Sam Flores

Nuseirat, Gaza Strip – Nibal Abu Armana sits in her tent, where she has been teaching her seven-year-old son, Mohammed, basic literacy and numbers. Nibal, a 38-year-old mother of six, is forced to rely on the dim light from a battery-powered LED lamp. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list After two hours, Nibal and Mohammed’s eyes are exhausted. This is what education is like for many in Gaza. The majority of Palestinians in the enclave live like Nibal and her family: displaced and forced to survive in temporary shelters barely fit for habitation. But Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, has gone on for more than two years, and the necessary reconstruction is unlikely to happen any time soon. The majority of school buildings have been damaged or destroyed by Israel, along with the majority of other structures in Gaza. Many of the school structures that remain are now used as shelters for displaced families. And students – both children at schools and young adults at universities …