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Social Psychology Network Launches X Page on Artificial Intelligence
Source: Social Psychology Network NewsSocial Psychology Network announced Tuesday the launch of a new social media page related to AI, psychology, and social issues. The page is hosted on X (formerly Twitter), and already has nearly 200 featured stories. "This is the first new social media page we've released in 5 years," said SPN Executive Director Scott Plous. "We hope visitors to http://x.com/Psychology_AI find this new service useful." Currently, 1.3 million people follow SPN...
Psychologist Becomes First Peruvian to Legally End Life Via Euthanasia
Source: United Press International - Health NewsPsychologist Ana Estrada, 47, on Sunday became the first Peruvian citizen to die by euthanasia after receiving permission from Peru's Supreme Court. Assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal in Peru, but Estrada fought a lengthy legal battle to win approval to end her life, the National Catholic Register reported Tuesday. Estrada was diagnosed with degenerative polymyostosis at age 12 and was confined to a wheelchair the rest of her life.
Pro-Palestinian Protests Leave American College Campuses on Edge
Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsTension gripped college campuses across the U.S. Tuesday as Jewish students marked the Passover holiday amid pro-Palestinian protests over Israel's devastating war against Hamas in Gaza, where the Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 34,000 people have been killed, most of them women and children. Meanwhile, Columbia University—which arrested more than 100 students Monday—said classes would be hybrid through the end of the semester.
Dominica Decriminalizes Same-Sex Relations
Source: BBC News - Top HeadlinesDominica's High Court has overturned a ban on consensual same-sex relations in the Caribbean island nation. The court ruled such bans went against the country's constitution. LGBTQ activists hailed the decision as "a significant milestone in the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ rights in the Caribbean." Sexual activity between people of the same sex in English-speaking Caribbean nations was first criminalized by the British under their rule in the...
New U.S. Rule Bars Transgender School Bathroom Bans
Source: U.S. News and World ReportA new rule from President Joe Biden's administration blocking blanket policies to keep transgender students from using school bathrooms that align with their gender identity could conflict with laws in Republican-controlled states. The clash over bathroom policy and other elements of a federal regulation finalized last week could set the stage for another wave of legal battles over how transgender kids should be treated in the U.S.
War Protesters Arrested at Yale; Columbia Cancels In-Person Classes
Source: Google News - HealthColumbia University canceled in-person classes Monday, and new protests broke out on other U.S. college campuses as tensions continue to grow over Israel's war in Gaza. Protesters rallied throughout the weekend at Columbia''s New York City campus, where police last week arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had set up an encampment. At Yale, police officers also arrested about 45 protesters Monday and charged them with...
Major Report Finds Europe Warming Twice the Pace of Rest of World
Source: United Press International - Health NewsEurope experienced its warmest year on record in 2023, both on land and sea, with climate change driving the rate of warming at double the global average, according to a new international report published Monday. Heat-related mortality in Europe is also up 30% in the past 20 years, and heat-related deaths are estimated to have increased in more than 9 out of 10 European regions where it is being tracked, the report said.
U.S. Report Accuses China of Continued Genocide in Xinjiang
Source: U.S. News and World ReportBeijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday. The report describes the detention of more than one million people in camps and prisons and the use of re-education camps, among other abuses committed against the broader Chinese population—allegations that China strongly...
Climate Change a Health Risk for 70% of World's Workers, U.N. Warns
Source: CBS News - HealthMore than 70% of workers around the world—some 2.4 billion people—face climate-related health risks, according to a United Nations report released Monday. Climate change is having a severe impact on the safety and health of workers in the form of excessive heat, extreme weather, solar UV radiation, and air pollution, resulting in an alarming increase in some diseases, according to findings from the International Labour Organization, a U.N....
U.N. Rights Chief Urges States to Act on Slavery Reparations
Source: U.S. News and World ReportThe United Nations human rights chief called for countries to take concrete steps on reparations for people of African descent at a U.N. meeting on Friday, adding his voice to calls for justice for slavery atrocities. Support is building among Africa and Caribbean nations for the creation of a tribunal to address reparations, which might include financial payments and other amends, for crimes dating back to the transatlantic trade of enslaved...
Racial Disparities in Healthcare Persist Across the U.S., Report Finds
Source: United Press International - Health NewsDeep-seated racial and ethnic disparities persist in healthcare across the United States, even in states considered the most progressive, a new report shows. For example, California received a score of 45 out of 100 for the care its health system provides Hispanic Americans. That's better than the score of 37 received by Hispanic Americans living in Florida, but it's far worse than California's treatment of White patients, whose score was 87.
Plant and Animal Species Becoming Extinct at Record Pace, Says U.N.
Source: CBS News - ScienceBoots dusty, lungs heaving, Dr. John Wiens searched the boulders of a desolate Arizona mountaintop for the last survivors of a 3-million-year-old lizard population — then said the words that both confirmed his life's work and broke his heart. "They're not there," he said. "It seems like the species is now extinct." The loss of plant and animal species on Earth is happening at a speed never seen in human history, according to the United Nations.
Team Develops Pea-Sized Brain Stimulator for Use in Human Patients
Source: Science Daily - Top HealthEngineers have developed a pea-sized implantable brain stimulator and shown that it works in a human patient. Thanks to pioneering magnetoelectric power transfer technology, the device can be powered wirelessly via an external transmitter and used to stimulate the brain through the dura—the protective membrane attached to the bottom of the skull—and may revolutionize treatment for drug-resistant depression and other psychiatric or...
White House Strengthens Title IX Sex and Gender Discrimination Rules
Source: United Press International - Health NewsThe Biden administration on Friday finalized sweeping changes to Title IX, strengthening protections against sex and gender discrimination in schools. The rules, which take effect on August 1, require schools to respond quickly to sex and gender discrimination, expand LGBTQ rights and give victims more power in sexual abuse cases.
HIV Drugs May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
Source: Google NewsCommon HIV drugs could reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's disease, finds a new study published in the journal Pharmaceuticals. Based on data from over 225,000 people, the study discovered that HIV-positive patients taking reverse transcriptase inhibitors showed a lower rate of Alzheimer's than did the general public. These results could pave the way for new therapeutic strategies to combat the growing Alzheimer's crisis.
Most Homeless Americans Are Battling Mental Illness, Review Concludes
Source: U.S. News and World ReportTwo-thirds of homeless people in the U.S. are experiencing some form of mental health disorder, a large review has concluded. The analysis, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found that homeless men were more likely than homeless women to be battling mental illness, although rates were high for both genders compared to the general public. The most common mental disorders included substance use disorders, antisocial personality disorders, and...
Exercise May Cut Heart Disease Risk 23% by Lowering Stress
Source: Google News - HealthResults from a new study suggest that physical activity's effects on stress—and related mood conditions—can protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, examined the medical records of more than 50,000 people and found, in a 10-year median follow-up, that people who had achieved recommended levels of physical exercise had a 23% lower risk of developing CVD than those...
UK Lawmakers Back Landmark Bill to Phase Out Smoking for Good
Source: Google NewsThe British government's plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday. The bill would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009. If passed, the law will give Britain some of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world. Authorities say it would create modern Britain's "first smoke-free generation."
USC Student's Graduation Speech Cancelled Over Israel-Gaza Conflict
Source: Google News - HealthThe University of Southern California has cancelled its 2024 valedictorian's graduation speech amid backlash over her social media activity on Israel. The valedictorian, Asna Tabassum—a Muslim—was chosen on the basis of her high academic scores and involvement in campus life. USC cited "substantial risks" to campus security in the decision to cancel Ms. Tabassum's address, but she said the move was an effort "to silence my voice."
Climate Change Will Cost $38 Trillion a Year by 2049, Study Estimates
Source: Google NewsClimate change will reduce future global income by about 19% in the next 25 years compared to a fictional world that's not warming, with the poorest areas and those least responsible for heating the atmosphere taking the biggest hit, a new study estimates. Climate change's economic toll will be about $38 trillion a year by 2049, according to the report, published Wednesday in the journal Nature. And by 2100, that number could double.

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