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Mandatory arrest laws may domestic violence victims

'Just call the police' is the common belief of the public when it comes to action against domestic violence.

The thinking behind the advice is the belief that mandatory arrest is an effective way to stop the abuse. The law, active in 22 states, says that police officers make an arrest if they respond to a call - even if they can't determine if someone was violent or out of control. Obviously such a law can easily be misused, an arrest is based on accusation, but it may also be intimidating victims to where they won't call the police to report an instance of abuse.

Budget cuts undermine global health innovations

As the world looks to American innovation to fight Ebola, malaria, tuberculosis, and a host of other health threats, a new report released today on Capitol Hill warns budget battles in Washington are eroding preparedness at home and abroad at a time when scientific advances are poised to deliver new lifesaving drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics.

The Mediterranean diet pollutes less

The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are well-known. As well as being healthier, a recent article concludes that the menu traditionally eaten in Spain leaves less of a carbon footprint than that of the US or the United Kingdom.

The consequences of climate change range from species extinction to sea-level increases and the spread of diseases. For this reason, researchers have been struggling for years to alleviate its effects, even limiting the pollution caused by food consumption.

25 percent of high school seniors try smoking water pipes

Cigarette smoking is down, thanks to fines and taxes on cigarette companies used to fund anti-smoking campaigns - but hookah (water pipe) use is up, though only slightly by comparison to the smoking declines.

The state of vaccine confidence: Early results of a Vaccine Confidence Index

A decade on from the Northern Nigeria polio vaccination boycott and its global costs to the polio eradication initiative, a new report examines global issues affecting vaccine confidence and hesitation since the new millennium.

Questions over value of new antibiotics to tackle resistance

In the first installment of a new series, Peter Doshi, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and Associate Editor at The BMJ, asks why authorities are approving drugs with little evidence they do anything to tackle the problem of antimicrobial resistance.

We are hardwired to fall out of love and...

A review article suggests people are hardwired to fall out of love and move onto new romantic relationships.

Bigger jealousy magnet, Snapchat or Facebook?

The photo-sharing app Snapchat is not yet as popular as Facebook for social networking, but its greater privacy could motivate users to share more intimate types of content - you know what we mean - for different purposes. A new study comparing Snapchat and Facebook use and their effect on romantic relationships is published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

Education doesn't bring happiness

Getting a good education may not improve your life chances of happiness, according to new mental health research from the University of Warwick.

In a new study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers from Warwick Medical School examined socioeconomic factors related to high mental wellbeing, such as level of education and personal finances.

Low educational attainment is strongly associated with mental illness but the research team wanted to find out if higher educational attainment is linked with mental wellbeing.

Females, young motorists most likely to use cell phone while driving

18 percent of drivers on academic and medical campuses use their cell phones while driving and drivers under 25 years old were 4.12 times more likely to use a cell phone while driving compared to older drivers. Females were 1.63 times more likely to use a cell phone while driving than male motorists. Unaccompanied drivers were also far more likely to use their cell phones than those who had other people in the car, according to researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health.

Media's response to the IPCC examined

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a group of climate change experts representatively selected from regions around the world that periodically releases Assessment Reports in order to inform policymakers and the public about the latest evidence for climate change. The publication of each report is a key event in the debate about climate change, but their reception and coverage in the media has varied widely.

Where are Britain's most extroverted, agreeable and emotionally stable regions?

There are significant differences in personalities between regions in Britain - Scots are amongst the friendliest and most co-operative residents, Londoners the most open and Welsh people are the least emotionally stable, according to analysis of surveys of just under 400,000 people from England, Wales or Scotland (Northern Ireland was excluded as sample sizes were too small), around two-thirds of whom were female.

Infant health leads to concerns over online marketing of human breast milk

The sale of human breast milk on the internet poses serious risks to infant health and needs urgent regulation, according to a new editorial in BMJ.

Give us better lesbians, please - and screens to watch them on

Back in 1992, when I was still attending high school, I convinced a friend to sneak in with me to the R-rated film Basic Instinct. I must confess that this course of action was not prompted by the acting skills of Michael Douglas but was rather due to the well-publicized lesbian scenes that were dotted throughout the film.

Why anti-vaxxers just 'know' they're right

Anti-vaccination beliefs can cause real, substantive harm, as shown by the recent outbreak of measles in the US. These developments are as shocking and distressing as their consequences are predictable. But if the consequences are so predictable, why do the beliefs persist?