SciPod

Research from Dr. Bernhard Reinsberg at the University of Glasgow and Dr. Christoph Valentin Steinert at the University of Zurich reveals how France's groundbreaking mandatory due diligence law defied business predictions of economic harm. Through analysis of 11,504 French companies over fifteen years, their study demonstrates that requiring firms to monitor human rights and environmental standard...

Training walls and entrance breakwaters have long been used to keep estuary entrances clear of shoals that threaten boat navigation and increase flood risks for nearby communities. But new research by Alexander Nielsen of Worley Consulting and coastal engineer Angus Gordon reveals that these structures may be causing long-term damage. Their study uncovers how engineered inlets are reshaping the fl...

In the 18th century, Scottish philosopher David Hume posed a confounding question about the nature of the scientific method. By questioning the logic behind making predictions based on past observations, he exposed a fundamental problem that has vexed logicians to this day. But now, through a new analysis, philosophers Prof. Gerhard Schurz and Dr. Paul Thorn at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf...

For over a century, Einstein’s theory of general relativity has underpinned our understanding of gravity. However, it still hasn’t been able to explain some of the most enduring mysteries in cosmology, including the need for vast quantities of dark matter, which has gone undetected for decades. Today, this need has been explained by Conformal Gravity: a framework which modifies Einstein’s theory b...

We typically take our skulls for granted, beyond their basic function in keeping our brain safe and sound within our head. When you look in the mirror, the shape of your skull, which forms the very structure beneath your face, is something you may not have considered in much detail. However, the story of how your skull came to be, and how bone spread across your embryonic head in perfect symmetry...

Communication research from Texas Christian University reveals how the killing of Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth exposed fundamental failures in how cities listen to Black residents. Through in-depth interviews and a national survey, Dr. Ashley English, Dr. Jacqueline Lambiase and Dr. Julie O’Neil demonstrate that meaningful organizational listening requires not just hearing community voices, bu...

When a baby is born, the bones of the skull are meant to behave like the slats of a wooden barrel, flexible enough to slide into the correct orientation as the brain beneath them doubles in size during the first year of life. However, in about seven of every 100,000 births one of those seams between the bones of the skull (called a suture) closes too early along a single side of the forehead, a co...

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived as an unexpected and unwelcome presence in our lives, it didn’t just disrupt our daily routines, it drastically changed how we learn, teach, and connect. For many healthcare professionals, including those in dentistry, this meant abandoning lecture halls and clinical classrooms for an unfamiliar and potentially daunting virtual teaching landscape. After all, no-o...

By now, most of us are familiar with stories of wildlife interacting with the modern world, often with unfortunate consequences. Examples include urban foxes struck by vehicles, bears rummaging through trash, and sea turtles entangled in plastic. But there’s a quieter, often unseen danger that claims hundreds of millions of bird lives each year. This is the common window, a source of light for us,...

When you imagine a scientific conference, you may picture rows of poster boards, bustling coffee breaks, and seasoned researchers discussing the latest data and research approaches. It can feel like a world reserved for insiders. Yet a recent study led by Dr Malgorzata Trela and Dr Sophie Rutschmann at Imperial College London argues that this lively professional gathering is precisely where tomorr...

Facial reconstruction is one of the most challenging fields in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. When patients undergo skin transplants to address large facial defects, the surgeon’s goal is to restore both the function and appearance of the face in a way that integrates seamlessly with their natural features. Dr Xusong Luo, Dr Lin Lu and their colleagues at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital hav...

Research from Professor Justin J. Joseph at the University of North Alabama examines the influences that impact the behaviour of underrepresented populations. In one study, he explores potential sex differences in the relationship between psychopathy traits, executive functioning, and youth gang membership. In a separate study, Joseph and colleagues investigated how information sources shape perce...

Amino acids are a fundamental building block for fur, muscle, and every other living tissue on Earth. These molecules come in “left-handed” (L) and “right-handed” (D) forms, a bit like gloves that fit different hands or mirror images. Life largely runs on the left-handed set, so biologists once assumed the right-handed versions were irrelevant. Yet nature quietly manufactures these D-amino acids a...

If you picture doctors making their daily rounds through hospital floors, you might imagine a single doctor standing by a bedside, examining a patient’s chart, or perhaps a group of doctors discussing a case right outside a patient’s room. However, the future of hospital care may well look more like a well-choreographed team effort, with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, students, and patients themsel...

As our world becomes increasingly complex, the need for genuine self-development and "inner work" grows more important. Dr Kerstin Liesenfeld and colleagues at the Liesenfeld Research Institute explore how people develop and maintain authenticity throughout their lives. Their research reveals that authentic development follows distinct patterns and stages, occurring at different rates across vario...

Scientific discovery often unfolds in unexpected ways. What begins as a search for solutions to real-world challenges can lead researchers into unexplored scientific territory, where unconventional ideas emerge and spark debate. This dynamic was at the heart of research by Dr. Arthur W. Snow and Dr. Ramagopal Ananth in the Chemistry Division of the US Naval Research Laboratory. Their study aimed t...

In early 2020, the world changed almost overnight. As COVID-19 swept across the world, homes were repurposed as schools, playgrounds and classrooms were abandoned, and family routines changed utterly or vanished. People were forced to adapt to remote working, many lost their jobs, and a significant proportion of us experienced anxiety about the virus that had turned the world upside down. However,...

Are we primarily motivated by self-interest, or can activities that advance the progress of others provide similar or even greater levels of motivation? Logically, it would seem that people are most motivated to achieve specific goals when they are doing things that benefit themselves. Examples include studying for an exam, doing regular physical exercise, or working toward a career milestone; all...

In our increasingly interconnected world, sharing knowledge freely and fairly is crucial for ongoing development and progress. Increasing the overall size of our store of knowledge is important in dealing with the challenges we face in the modern world, but determining who can access and add to that knowledge is a key question. Prestigious academic journals and global conferences aim to help disse...

Thyroid cancer is one of the more common cancers globally, and for most patients, the prognosis is generally favorable with timely and effective treatment. The usual course involves surgery to remove the thyroid gland, followed by radioactive iodine therapy to eliminate any remaining cancerous cells. However, for a subset of patients, the story is far more complicated. When thyroid cancer no longe...

Research from Troy Norris at the WellBalance Institute for Positive Wellbeing reveals how a novel approach to measuring wellbeing can lead to more effective personalized interventions. The Wellbeing Balance and Lived Experiences (or WellBalance) Model and Assessment extends traditional wellbeing measures by evaluating both positive experiences and the feelings they generate, enabling tailored appr...

While checklists are often a vital tool for medical procedures, there has so far been little guidance on how they should be designed and applied in real medical scenarios. Now, a team including Dr. Alex Chaparro, a researcher at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has developed an algorithm which can help medical experts to decide when a checklist is the best-suited tool for the task at hand; an...

Research from Professor Mamta Jain at UT Southwestern Medical Center and her colleagues reveals how electronic alerts, patient navigation, and mailed outreach can significantly increase hepatitis C screening and treatment in traditionally difficult-to-reach populations. Their work demonstrates that while electronic reminders are effective, combining multiple approaches with adequate clinical staff...

Research from Dr Aikaterini-Christina Koula at Manchester Metropolitan University reveals how legal systems are increasingly being weaponized to silence human rights defenders, particularly in Europe. Her work introduces a taxonomy of violations perpetrated through the legal system and demonstrates how these tactics deviate from human rights standards, offering valuable insights for academics, pra...

Corn is a cornerstone of modern agricultural food production, particularly in North America. Humans have selectively bred such crops over generations to create better yields, improved appearance and flavor and enhanced disease resistance. However, what if we could skip these arduous rounds of selective breeding and improve a crop’s stability and reliability regardless? Deep within the genetic blue...