Culture | Page 1905 | Science Codex

Retreat of multiculturalism 'is a myth'

Perceptions of a decline in multiculturalism as a means of integrating ethnic minorities are unfounded, research led at the University of Strathclyde has found.

The study, comparing citizenship programs in four European nations - the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark - concluded that, while the term 'multiculturalism' was being less frequently used with a positive meaning, the actual public policies designed to help ethnic minorities to integrate and remake citizenship remained in place and were, in fact, being expanded.

Junkie culture: Age concern in largest ever study of heroin user deaths

In the largest study of opioids users ever undertaken, the researchers used records of 198,247 people in England who had been involved in drug treatment or the criminal justice system between 2005 and 2009. The data recorded 3,974 deaths and their causes during this period. Opioid users were six times more likely to die prematurely than people in the general population. Almost one in ten of these deaths were due to suicide, more than four times the rate in the general population.

The digital economy is a source of inequality

Good bedtime habits equal better sleep for kids

Children obtain better and more age-appropriate sleep in the presence of household rules and regular sleep-wake routines, according to sleep researchers.

The researchers found that well-established rules for getting good sleep, such as limited caffeine and a regular bedtime, led to sufficient sleep quantity and adequate sleep quality. In contrast, when parents and children had electronic devices on in the bedroom after bedtime, sleep deficiency was more likely.

Girls lead boys in academic achievement globally

Considerable attention has been paid to how boys' educational achievements in science and math compare to girls' accomplishments in those areas, often leading to the assumption that boys outperform girls in these areas. Now, using international data, researchers at the University of Missouri and the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland, have determined that girls outperform boys in educational achievement in 70 percent of the countries they studied--regardless of the level of gender, political, economic or social equality.

You won't tell your manager about your mental health problem, but you'll help a coworker who does

Although nearly four in 10 workers wouldn't tell their manager if they had a mental health problem, half said that if they knew about a coworker's illness, they would desire to help, a new survey by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows.

The survey, headed by CAMH Senior Scientist Dr. Carolyn Dewa, reveals that workers have both negative and supportive attitudes about mental health in the workplace. The study was published in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Friends know how long you'll live, study finds

Young lovers walking down the aisle may dream of long and healthy lives together, but close friends in the wedding party may have a better sense of whether those wishes will come true, suggests new research on personality and longevity from Washington University in St. Louis.

"You expect your friends to be inclined to see you in a positive manner, but they also are keen observers of the personality traits that could send you to an early grave," said Joshua Jackson, PhD, assistant professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences.

How to create a scientific process freed from systemic bias

Research on how science works - the science of science - can benefit from studying the digital traces generated during the research process, such as peer-reviewed publications. This type of research is crucial for the future of science and that of scientists, according to Frank Schweitzer, Chair of Systems Design at ETH Zurich, in Switzerland. Indeed, quantitative measures of scientific output and success in science already impact the evaluation of researchers and the funding of proposals.

Flexible work schedules improve health and sleep for employees

Giving employees more control over their work schedules may help curb sleep deficiency, according to health researchers. About 30 percent of U.S. adults reported not regularly getting a sufficient amount of sleep, a 2012 Centers for Disease Control survey found. Sleep deficiency has been linked to increased risk of automobile crashes, chronic disease and early mortality. Improving adequate sleep within the population is a goal of Healthy People 2020, a federal initiative that sets national objectives and monitors progress concerning the health of the nation.

Sociologists correlate religion and educational attainment

Sociologists have long tried to document the influence religion has on social groups and in a new paper, a team of academics correlates its role in education. Louisiana State University Sociology Professor Samuel Stroope and colleagues searched for a relationship between religion and educational attainment in the U.S.

Sexual fluidity: It may be just a preference after all

Love is blind. PytyExplainer: what is sexual fluidity?

By Dylan Selterman, Lecturer at University of Maryland.

A marine biologist went to Davos...

The author, getting up to speed in Davos. World Economic Forum

By Alex Rogers, Professor of Conservation Biology at University of Oxford

Early English exposure prepares Spanish-speaking children for academic success

By 2030, 40 percent of U.S. students will be learning English as a second language, according to the Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence. These students face distinct academic challenges in the classroom, such as being unable to understand their teachers' instructions or participate in classroom discussions. Previous research has shown that if these students do not learn sufficient English early, their academic trajectories may suffer, and many drop out once they reach high school.

How the universe creates reason, morality

Recent developments in science are beginning to suggest that the universe naturally produces complexity. The emergence of life in general and perhaps even rational life, with its associated technological culture, may be extremely common, argues Clemson researcher Kelly Smith in a recently published paper in the journal Space Policy.

What's more, he suggests, this universal tendency has distinctly religious overtones and may even establish a truly universal basis for morality.

Mothers may not think so, but they speak less clearly to their babies

People have a distinctive way of talking to babies and small children: We speak more slowly, using a sing-song voice, and tend to use cutesy words like "tummy". While we might be inclined to think that we talk this way because it is easier for children to understand, new research published in Psychological Science suggests that, surprisingly, mothers may actually speak less clearly to their infants than they do to adults.