The Conversation in the news https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from The Conversation We are living in a 'digital dark age': How to protect your photos, videos and other data If you have grown up with social media, chances are you have taken more photos in the last couple of decades than you will ever remember. When mobile phones suddenly became cameras too, social media turned into a community photo album, with memories kept online forever and ever. Or so we thought. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-digital-dark-age-photos-videos.html Internet Security Fri, 02 Feb 2024 13:06:04 EST news626101562 Horses, camels and deer get a bad rap for razing plants. New research shows they're no worse than native animals Large introduced herbivores such as feral horses and camels are often seen as "invasive" species which damage native plants. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-horses-camels-deer-bad-rap.html Ecology Fri, 02 Feb 2024 13:05:03 EST news626101501 Neuralink has put its first chip in a human brain: What could possibly go wrong? Earlier this week, Elon Musk announced his brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, had implanted a device in a human for the first time. The company's PRIME study, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last year, is testing a brain implant for "people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-neuralink-chip-human-brain-possibly.html Biomedical technology Fri, 02 Feb 2024 13:04:04 EST news626101441 Researchers: Girls in hijab experience overlapping forms of racial and gendered violence World Hijab Day recognizes the millions of Muslim women and girls who wear the traditional Islamic headscarf. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-girls-hijab-overlapping-racial-gendered.html Social Sciences Political science Fri, 02 Feb 2024 12:53:06 EST news626100783 Concussion in sport: Why making players sit out for 21 days afterwards is a good idea The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) this week released new guidelines for youth and community sport designed to change the way concussion is managed across the country. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-concussion-sport-players-days-good.html Neuroscience Sports medicine & Kinesiology Fri, 02 Feb 2024 12:53:04 EST news626100781 Five questions your child's school should be able to answer about bullying As children return to classrooms for 2024, school communities will be confronting bullying in person and via technology. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-child-school-bullying.html Social Sciences Education Fri, 02 Feb 2024 12:51:07 EST news626100665 How dieting, weight suppression and even misuse of drugs like Ozempic can contribute to eating disorders Up to 72% of women and 61% of men are dissatisfied with their weight or body image, according to a U.S. study. Globally, millions of people attempt to lose weight every year with the hope that weight loss will have positive effects on their body image, health and quality of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-dieting-weight-suppression-misuse-drugs.html Psychology & Psychiatry Overweight & Obesity Fri, 02 Feb 2024 12:51:04 EST news626100662 Consulting firms provide low-quality research on crucial water policies: It shows we have a deeper problem Management consulting revenue in Australia has grown from less than A$33 billion in 2010 to more than $47 billion in 2023. The increasing use of consultants, as well as the PwC scandal, highlights serious issues with vested interests, integrity and transparency. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-firms-quality-crucial-policies-deeper.html Environment Fri, 02 Feb 2024 12:50:04 EST news626100601 How the social structures of Nazi Germany created a bystander society In the initial post-war judicial proceedings to establish what had happened under Nazism, and to punish the perpetrators of crimes, victims' accounts were often discredited. Only in 1961, with the high-profile trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem, did the focus shift. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-social-nazi-germany-bystander-society.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 01 Feb 2024 15:00:01 EST news626014774 Suffering in silence: Men's and boys' mental health are still overlooked in sport For men and boys, caring about sport typically conjures images of passionate competition and fighting for the win. This understanding of care leaves little room for self-care, health and safety, and emotional vulnerability—topics that are fraught with risks for boys and men in a sport culture of hypermasculinity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-silence-men-boys-mental-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 01 Feb 2024 14:50:01 EST news626014786 Halo effect: Do attractive people really look less guilty? How the evidence is changing You might think attractive people get preferential treatment in life—and research suggests you'd be right. Some psychologists have shown this can even help people get a lighter prison sentence. More recently, however, our own study suggests that this "halo effect" is, in fact, more complicated. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-halo-effect-people-guilty-evidence.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:50:01 EST news626014762 Despite US suicide epidemic, medical students still don't receive adequate training to treat suicidal patients Suicide in the U.S. is a societal epidemic and a staggering public health crisis that demands attention from medical experts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-suicide-epidemic-medical-students-dont.html Psychology & Psychiatry Other Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:40:02 EST news626014750 Republicans and Democrats consider each other immoral. Even when treated fairly and kindly by the opposition Both Republicans and Democrats regarded people with opposing political views as less moral than people in their own party, even when their political opposites acted fairly or kindly toward them, according to experiments my colleagues and I recently conducted. Even participants who self-identified as only moderately conservative or liberal made the same harsh moral judgments about those on the other side of the political divide. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-republicans-democrats-immoral-kindly-opposition.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:10:01 EST news626014741 AI can help, and hurt, student creativity Teachers across the country are grappling with whether to view AI tools like ChatGPT as friend or foe in the classroom. My research shows that the answer isn't always simple. It can be both. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-ai-student-creativity.html Education Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:00:01 EST news626014724 Why don't people care about Australia's native rodents? The problem could be their ugly names The common names of Australian animals often originate in Aboriginal languages, and beneficially so. Continuing use of names such as kangaroo and kookaburra helps to honor the wealth of knowledge possessed by First Nations peoples, to appreciate the natural heritage of a place more deeply, and to naturalize English to this continent. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-dont-people-australia-native-rodents.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 01 Feb 2024 12:24:07 EST news626012645 Taylor Swift deepfakes: New technologies have long been weaponized against women. The solution involves everyone Sexually graphic "deepfake" images of Taylor Swift went viral on social media last week, fueling widespread condemnation from Swifties, the general public and even the White House. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-taylor-swift-deepfakes-technologies-weaponized.html Business Machine learning & AI Thu, 01 Feb 2024 12:24:04 EST news626012641 Are social media apps dangerous? Scholars explain how companies rely on young users but fail to protect them "You have blood on your hands." https://phys.org/news/2024-02-social-media-apps-dangerous-scholars.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Thu, 01 Feb 2024 12:23:09 EST news626012586 How does cancer spread to other parts of the body? All cancers begin in a single organ or tissue, such as the lungs or skin. When these cancers are confined in their original organ or tissue, they are generally more treatable. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-cancer-body.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 01 Feb 2024 12:23:04 EST news626012582 Virtual reality grooming is an increasing danger: How can parents keep children safe? Virtual reality (VR) headsets are increasingly popular among adults and children. They are part of extended reality environments, which "enable ever more realistic and immersive experiences." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-virtual-reality-grooming-danger-parents.html Health Pediatrics Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:20:01 EST news626008320 A new Australian government inquiry will examine women's pain and treatment: How and why it's different The Victorian government has announced an inquiry into women's pain. Given women are disproportionately affected by pain, such a thorough investigation is long overdue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-australian-inquiry-women-pain-treatment.html Medical research Health Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:19:04 EST news626008741 How the microbes in wastewater can make our cities more sustainable COVID-19 showed us how useful monitoring wastewater can be. But the genetic material in our wastewater, namely DNA and RNA, is a treasure trove of other useful information. It reveals the presence of thousands of different types of weird and wonderful wastewater microbes. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-microbes-wastewater-cities-sustainable.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:18:04 EST news626008681 Don't lower the price: Three effective ways to reduce the costs of smoking in New Zealand Associate Health Minister Casey Costello recently said she was concerned about the financial burden on people who smoke. She has requested advice on freezing the Consumers Price Index (CPI) adjustment applied annually to tobacco products, according to a leaked Ministry of Health document. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-dont-price-effective-ways-zealand.html Addiction Medical economics Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:17:03 EST news626008621 Fear of aging is really a fear of the unknown and modern society is making things worse, say researchers For the first time in human history, we have entered an era in which reaching old age is taken for granted. Unlike in ages past, when living to an older age was a luxury afforded mainly to the privileged, globally around 79% of women and 70% of men can expect to reach the age of 65 and beyond. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-aging-unknown-modern-society-worse.html Psychology & Psychiatry Gerontology & Geriatrics Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:16:04 EST news626008561 TV network was slammed for 'AI editing' a Victorian MP's dress. How can news media use AI responsibly? Earlier this week, Channel Nine published an altered image of Victorian MP Georgie Purcell that showed her in a midriff-exposing tank top. The outfit was actually a dress. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-tv-network-slammed-ai-victorian.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:11:03 EST news626008261 Most prisoners never receive visitors, and this may put them at a higher risk of re-offending "It was like walking through the gates of hell." That's what one visitor to a prison told us about their experience. It can be a traumatic and stressful event. Family members of first-time prisoners are most often left in a state of uncertainty about what happens next. This is coupled with the feelings of loss, devastation, and disbelief, as explained by one participant in our research: https://phys.org/news/2024-02-prisoners-visitors-higher.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:10:07 EST news626008201 Norway's deep-sea exploitation could put it in environmental and legal murky waters Norway has a reputation for environmental leadership, from championing international biodiversity policies to its wilderness protection and ambitious biodiversity regulations. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-norway-deep-sea-exploitation-environmental.html Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:09:04 EST news626008141 NZ has the energy resources to adopt alternative food technologies—it just needs a plan The potential for alternative foods to displace and disrupt conventional agricultural production has been discussed and debated for some time. While it may still be too early to make firm predictions, the trends are clear. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-nz-energy-resources-alternative-food.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:08:03 EST news626008081 Sleep can give athletes an edge over competitors, but few recognize how fundamental sleep is to performance In the adrenaline-packed world of professional sports, the power of sleep rarely gets adequate attention. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-athletes-edge-competitors-fundamental.html Sleep disorders Sports medicine & Kinesiology Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:29:42 EST news625930172 'Jaws' portrayed sharks as monsters 50 years ago, but it also inspired a generation of shark scientists Human fear of sharks has deep roots. Written works and art from the ancient world contain references to sharks preying on sailors as early as the eighth century B.C.E. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-jaws-portrayed-sharks-monsters-years.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:29:24 EST news625930158 How Black male college athletes deal with anti-Black stereotypes on campus In an effort to avoid stereotypes about Black male athletes, such as being labeled a "dumb jock," Spike, a college football player, says he wore athletic clothes to class as little as possible. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-black-male-college-athletes-anti.html Social Sciences Education Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:10:01 EST news625928660