Science & Society

Drinking and marriage don't mix - unless both spouses do, according to a recent paper by the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) which followed 634 couples from the time of their weddings through the first nine years of marriage. The results: couples where only one spouse was a heavy drinker had a much higher divorce rate than other couples but if both spouses were heavy drinkers, the divorce rate was the same as for couples where neither were heavy drinkers.   Over the course of the nine-year study, nearly 50 percent of couples where only one partner drank…

Posting the calorie content of menu items at major fast-food chains in Philadelphia, per federal law, hasn't change purchasing habits or decreased the number of calories that those customers consume, researchers reported Friday at the Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting, held in Atlanta.  The results echo those conducted by the same researchers among low-income neighborhoods in New York City before and after calorie-labels were mandated there in July 2008, lending more evidence to the arguments that micro-managing food choice in the name of awareness doesn't work for the intended…

Talking about "the 1 percent" has become a popular pastime, though usually the person doing the talking means someone else - outside TV commercials no one ever cops to being The Man.(1) Protesters in the Occupy Wall Street movement meant it about rich, which investment bankers, for example, so they dutifully ignored the opulent wealth of Kanye West and his $355 t-shirt, Balmain jeans, Givenchy plaid and gold chains when he visited to show support for their cause. While he buys t-shirts to wear for $355 he only sells his own brand to young fans for $120 each. See? He is such a giver and…

Due to Budget constraints, registered nurses in European countries are often confronted with difficult decisions: They have to decide which care activities they can offer to their patients and which to omit.  What usually gets cut is patient comfort or talk with patients or educating patients and relatives. An analysis by the Institute of Nursing Sciences at the University of Basel shows that all European countries are affected and revealed a correlation between omitted nursing care and increased patient mortality. The Institute of Nursing Sciences at the University of Basel has for…

Even 20 minutes of moderate exercise a few times per week during pregnancy enhances the newborn child's brain development, according to a new paper. In the past, obstetricians would tell women to take it easy and rest during their pregnancy. Now it is now commonly accepted that too much inactivity is more of a health concern and so for women not at risk of losing a pregnancy, some exercise is recommended.  And it may have a benefit for the baby as well. "Given that exercise has been demonstrated to be beneficial for the adult's brain, we hypothesized that it could also be beneficial for…

While politics is not yet post-racial - every criticism of the politics of a minority member of government is labeled racism - dating seems to be, according to UC San Diego sociologist Kevin Lewis after looking at patterns of 126,134 US users of the dating site OkCupid.com While the sample is not scientific, the analysis results find that race still matters online, people self-segregate there as much as they do in face-to-face interactions, but people are more likely to reciprocate a cross-race overture than previous equally unscientific papers that have made race-baiting conclusions would…

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) say the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program is inconsistent when it comes to animal testing. The Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) is a two-tiered testing program. Tier 1 consists of five in vitro and six in vivo tests that explore the potential of a chemical to interact with the estrogen, androgen, and thyroid hormone systems and uses 595 animals — at minimum— per chemical if the entire battery is performed. Positive…

Think gender is determined by patriarchal biological concepts like a chromosome? You'll never make it in sociology thinking that way. Instead, the social sciences are slowly overturning concepts like genital and chromosomes and other science, and it is being replaced by self-identity. The criteria for determining gender now, say Laurel Westbrook, assistant professor of sociology at Grand Valley State, and Kristen Schilt, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, have changed and self-identity is paramount. Only sex-segregated spaces believe that biology…

Science 2.0 contributor Professor Paul S. Knoepfler of the University of California Davis School of Medicine is being honored at the World Stem Cell Summit with the Stem Cell Action 'National Advocacy Award' from the Genetics Policy Institute. The World Stem Cell Summit is being held December 4-6, 2013 in San Diego, California, and more than 1,000 researchers and clinicians from around the globe will attend. Stem cells have been used for over 50 years and their potential for a major impact on clinical medicine remains strong, if stem cell-based therapies can overcome serious and immediate…

A Republican-controlled House of Representatives has passed legislation that includes cuts to sponsorship of...NASCAR. You didn't know the federal government advertises  Well, why would they do that?  You know, harm a constituency. There are two reasons; the first, of course, is what they say. Fiscal responsibility isn't just for planned parenthood and  “I am a conservative Republican. I’m very pro-military, but at some point, we have to get in the habit of cutting programs that are less efficient, less effective. … Would you still spend this money if it was you?” asked …