A new study performed in the Netherlands has linked exposure to residential air pollution during fetal life with brain abnormalities that may contribute to impaired cognitive function in school-age children. The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, reports that the air pollution levels related to brain alterations were below those considered to be safe. Continue reading “Air pollution linked to brain alterations and cognitive impairment in children”
Inherited IQ can increase in early childhood
When it comes to intelligence, environment and education matter — more than we think. Continue reading “Inherited IQ can increase in early childhood”
Spoken language reveals how people develop and mature
When people think of “personality,” they are likely to think of traits such as warmth or extraversion. For example, a person with high extraversion tends to exhibit an enthusiastic, gregarious, socially dominant, reward-seeking style of social performance across a wide range of situations and contexts as compared to a person with low extraversion. Continue reading “Spoken language reveals how people develop and mature”
Turning desert sand into farmland: Chinese scientists propose a revolutionary solution to desertification
Desertification, when fertile land dries into desert, is a global problem. According to Dr Steffen Bauer, an ecological expert at the Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik, as much as 40 per cent of the world is ‘dryland’. And that puts much of it in danger of desertification. Surprisingly, though fragile, these areas hold roughly 44 per cent of the world’s farms. They’re also called home by about 2 billion people, warn the editors of Governing Global Desertification. Continue reading “Turning desert sand into farmland: Chinese scientists propose a revolutionary solution to desertification”
Life expectancy significantly worse in deprived areas
Life expectancy and health outcomes worsen the more deprived an area or population is, new research from Cass Business School has found. Continue reading “Life expectancy significantly worse in deprived areas”
Digital addiction increases loneliness, anxiety and depression
Smartphones are an integral part of most people’s lives, allowing us to stay connected and in-the-know at all times. The downside of that convenience is that many of us are also addicted to the constant pings, chimes, vibrations and other alerts from our devices, unable to ignore new emails, texts and images. Continue reading “Digital addiction increases loneliness, anxiety and depression”