How conspiracy theories polarize society and provoke violence
In today's technologically interconnected world, the ability to concoct and spread conspiracy theories has become easier than ever before. This became evident after the recent assassination attempt on former U.S. president Donald Trump. Millions floc.....»»
Opinion: AI should not be allowed to adjudicate cases in Canada"s Federal Court
Canadian society is progressing deeper into the digital age. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies—like the generative AI ChatGPT and the legal platform Harvey—are increasingly shaping judicial processes and legal systems, including in the ad.....»»
Research highlights drought risk and awareness gaps in global society
Natural disasters have threatened human beings and the ecosystem. Among the various natural disasters, drought is one of the most insidious and costliest, adversely affecting the global economy and livelihoods. Unlike sudden disasters such as earthqu.....»»
Proper greening of schoolyards fosters inclusion, creative learning and children"s health
At a time of growing interest in the naturalizing of school playgrounds, it is important to ensure that these environments are properly designed and governed in order to reap the many benefits they can bring to schoolchildren and society in general......»»
Exploring functional organic materials for the energy transition
Carbon, of all things, could help us to push forward the decarbonization of our industrial society. Functional carbon particles, known as carbon dots, can transform sunlight into energy and extract hydrogen from water. Prof. Dr. Dirk M. Guldi, a chem.....»»
The NIS2 Directive: How far does it reach?
The NIS2 Directive is one of the most recent efforts of the EU legislator to boost cybersecurity across the bloc and to keep up with the challenges of an increasingly digitalized society and growing cyber threats. As the name implies, the NIS2 Direct.....»»
Environmental policy in Brazil leads to less violence, researchers find
In December 2007, the then Brazilian government passed a law to curb the illegal destruction of the rainforest. A study by researchers from the Insper Research Institute in São Paulo and the University of Bonn now shows an interesting side effect: w.....»»
Study: Among Viking societies, Norway was much more violent than Denmark
Rates of violence in Viking Age Norway and Denmark were long believed to be comparable. A team of researchers including University of South Florida sociologist David Jacobson challenges that assumption......»»
Gaps in firearms relinquishment laws may weaken court orders, increase illegal gun possession
State and federal laws across the United States prohibiting firearm possession in cases of domestic violence often lack enforcement mechanisms, which may lead to continued possession of firearms despite court orders, according to a University of Mich.....»»
Book: Healing America"s divisiveness requires changing how we think
The tumultuous 2024 U.S. presidential election season is fraught with partisan battles over contentious issues such as abortion, immigration, racial violence and climate change......»»
We need far stronger support systems in the fight against gender-based violence, says expert
The COVID-19 pandemic brought renewed attention to the rising rates of gender-based violence, highlighting an ongoing, but growing, crisis......»»
Calls to ban "harmful pornography" are rife—here"s what teens actually think about porn
Pornography has been in the news a lot this year. It was at the center of discussions addressing violence against women back in May. Deepfake pornography has also been in the headlines......»»
What does family look like in Australia? It"s more diverse than you think
When we think of the concept of the family, a specific version often springs to mind: a mother, a father and children, usually two or three. It's the version of society our policies and systems are built around......»»
A galactic "conspiracy" disproven: Dark matter and stars not interacting as previously thought
A longstanding 'conspiracy' in astronomy—that stars and dark matter are interacting in inexplicable ways—has been overturned by an international team of astronomers, in a paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society......»»
Study finds gun violence in rural America rises as deer hunting season begins
Across rural America, the increased presence of loaded guns in homes and vehicles could lead to a spike in gun injuries and homicides at the start of every deer hunting season, a new study warns......»»
Crime blotter: Two arrested after iPhone theft, tracked across New England
In Apple-related crime, an iPhone lock screen photo leads to an arrest, a man stole phones to finance a vacation, and a tossed iPhone leads to domestic violence charges.Man in handcuffs (Source: Pixabay)A pair of thieves were arrested in Connecticut.....»»
Three steps to talking to a loved one at risk of being radicalized into rioting
For some, the shocking scenes of violence which have erupted across dozens of locations in England and Northern Ireland will evoke an all-too-real concern—could someone close to me get involved in the violence?.....»»
New generation of ecological models needed to safeguard future of biodiversity, says researcher
Protecting animals, ecosystems and biodiversity is one of the big challenges of our time. With climate change dramatically impacting the planet and transformations in society such as housing development and urbanization, protecting ecosystems and the.....»»
Early improvement of sandy habitat led to origin of agriculture in the farming-pastoral zone of northern China: Study
The beginning of agriculture is one of the most significant events in human history. The origin and spread of agriculture accelerated the development of human society and economy and fundamentally altered humans' role in the Earth's ecosystem. This a.....»»
Advanced microscopy method reveals hidden world of nanoscale optical metamaterials
Scientists from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society have made a significant discovery in the field of nanotechnology, as detailed in their latest publication in Advanced Materials. Their paper,.....»»
Large language models pose a risk to society and need tighter regulation, say researchers
Leading experts in regulation and ethics at the Oxford Internet Institute, have identified a new type of harm created by LLMs which they believe poses long-term risks to democratic societies and needs to be addressed by creating a new legal duty for.....»»