Researchers caution against relying solely on LLMs for human participants due to cross-cultural variation and limited variability in responses. While LLMs can analyze text, they struggle with implicit, emotional, or context-dependent tasks, and their black-box nature hinders reproducibility.
A study on the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain found that limited waterpower resources contributed to the adoption of coal-based steam power. Waterpower was scarce in industrial regions like Manchester by 1838, prompting manufacturers to switch to coal.
A study found that Americans tend to believe their opponents approve of widely agreed-upon moral wrongs, fueling partisan divides. This bias, known as the basic morality bias, can lead to dehumanization and decreased willingness to work with opposing parties.
Large language models (LMs) exhibit human-like reasoning flaws, particularly in tasks requiring semantic content and believability. LMs struggle to distinguish between valid and invalid arguments, mirroring human errors, especially when semantic content is sensical and believable.
A brain-computer interface therapy called RehabSwift has been shown to significantly enhance hand mobility in stroke survivors. Participants who used the system showed improvements in overall arm function, hand movement tests, reaction times, and hand strength after 18 sessions.
A modeling study suggests that prosocial behaviors can arise and be maintained in large societies through various mechanisms, including influencers who recruit neighbors to cooperate. The strategy produced similar results as strong leadership that prevents detected defectors from defecting again.
A genomic analysis overturned the leading hypothesis on firefly light origin, revealing that lucibufagins, a toxic compound, evolved after bioluminescence development. Fireflies' ancestors diversified during a period of rising atmospheric oxygen levels, suggesting a similar path to glowing millipedes.
A study found that overexpressing a gene responsible for amino acid transport in the placenta can cause fetal growth to increase by 27%, while also providing insights into pregnancy complications like IUGR and obesity. The research has therapeutic implications, potentially informing treatments to prevent or treat these conditions.
Generative AI has both positive and negative effects on social equality, impacting work, education, healthcare, information, and misinformation. Policymakers are urged to implement policies such as tax code changes, data unions, and anti-misinformation campaigns to ensure the technology is used to increase equality
Research shows people with obesity are more sensitive to price when buying unhealthy foods, while those with normal weight are not. A 10% price hike on these categories can lead to a significant reduction in consumption, such as decreased frozen pizza purchases.
Research finds that banned books feature more characters of color than White authors, and are often children's books or non-fiction about social movements. The study suggests book banning is a symbolic tactic to galvanize conservative voters in competitive electoral districts.
The internet exposes users to extreme morally relevant stimuli, causing empathy overload and public shaming. Research is needed on platform design features that sustain attention without inducing negative externalities.
A new diaspora-based model of human migration explains how migrants choose their destinations, with a focus on social connections and repeated factors. The model predicts specific migration flows, revealing surprising differences in migration patterns between cities and regions.
Large daily temperature variation has been linked to elevated mortality in various studies. Black and Hispanic populations in the US face significant DTV exposure due to limited green spaces, resulting in temperature swings of up to 3 degrees Celsius.
Taking pro- and prebiotics affects levels of altruistic punishment in ultimatum game players. Participants who took supplements were more likely to reject unfair offers, with those having a high Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio seeing the greatest changes.
High temperatures reduce emotional control and increase aggression in police officers, resulting in more dismissals of hot-day arrests. Judges also make harsher decisions on hotter-than-average days, issuing longer prison sentences and higher fines.
A study models China's hydrogen-fuel industry and finds that platinum constraints could limit the country's expansion of hydrogen fuel use, especially if current supply chains are disrupted
Shifting excess nitrogen from rich countries to poor ones could increase crop production by 12%, with moderate/food insecure regions seeing significant gains in both fertilizer use and food output. Current levels of production could be maintained with only 53-68% of current nitrogen used through redistribution.
Recent deadly wildfires in Greece and Hawaii highlighted the need for improved wildfire risk management. The authors propose a long-term strategy integrating forest land management with fire prevention and mitigation measures, including retrofitting buildings and limiting development in the wildland-urban interface.
Engineering PhD graduates have a low chance of securing a tenure-track faculty position, with an average annual likelihood of 12.4%. Alternative career tracks in government and industry are recommended to match student expectations with the realities of the job market.
Researchers analyzed over 20,000 college application essays to identify key predictors of academic success. Essays covering more semantic ground and making smaller conceptual jumps were associated with higher grades.
A study by Albert-László Barabási and colleagues used machine learning to identify phrases representing allusions to foundational papers in the physics literature. The findings suggest that hidden citations obscure true impact in science, with influential ideas becoming so familiar that researchers stop citing their sources.
A smart neckband can differentiate between eating, drinking, and similar movements using machine-learning algorithms and sensors. The device achieved an accuracy rate of 89% for concurrent activities in a study involving six volunteers.
A study by Raheel Ahmed Shaikh and colleagues models the most cost-efficient path to Australia's fully renewable electricity grid. The optimal route would require significant expansion of generation and storage, but could reduce costs with interconnection between eastern and western grids.
Research suggests that high levels of religious intolerance are associated with a greater likelihood of rejecting scientific findings. Studies have shown that countries and counties with lower levels of religious diversity tend to have lower vaccination uptake and lower scores on standardized tests, such as the PISA.
The implementation of China's National Action Plan on Air Pollution Prevention and Control resulted in decreased mean daily fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels between 2013 and 2017. The associated acute health effects on total and circulatory mortality significantly decreased, with a reduced exposure-response relationship observed ...
Researchers used deep-learning decoders to enhance a non-invasive brain-computer interface's performance in tracking virtual objects. The system allowed users to control a fast and continuously moving computer cursor using only sensor-space brain waves, demonstrating promising results for neuro-assistive robotics.
A recent study found that air travel to professional conferences contributes substantially to academia's carbon emissions, with an estimated 42,500 tCO2e released in 2019. To mitigate this issue, researchers suggest prioritizing venue locations near most participants and exploring virtual meeting solutions.
Researchers found microbial communities in Atacama Desert soil, dominated by Actinobacteria and possibly relying on gypsum for water. The discovery hints at a previously unknown deep biosphere under hyper-arid desert soils, with potential implications for the search for extraterrestrial life.
Entomopathogenic nematodes can parasitize and kill fall armyworms without environmental risks. The nematode gel technology, developed by Patrick Fallet and colleagues, outperforms commercial formulations and yields significant yield increases in Africa and Asia.
Restoring field-margin wetlands in the US is insufficient to reduce nitrogen pollution in the Gulf of Mexico. Existing conservation programs have failed to meet targets for nutrient reduction, necessitating additional strategies to address the issue.
Residents in Florida and Texas exhibit declining personal risk perception after hurricanes, with average risks decreasing as time passes. However, long-term proactive adaptations are needed to counteract the paradoxical effects of climate change on risk perceptions.
The review highlights major impediments to sustainability, including industrial capitalism and fossil fuel use. The authors propose a radical shift in values, supported by education, policy, economic incentives, and technological innovation.
Investments in mitigating climate change benefit future generations more than current ones, but initial costs must be borne now. Inter-generational altruism strengthens support for contemporary climate policies.
Engineers have developed a modular artificial reef structure made of concrete voxels that can dissipate wave energy more effectively than natural coral reefs. The design, optimized through hydrodynamic modeling and experimental testing, has been confirmed by tests at the MIT Towing Tank.
Researchers developed a method to extract intersectional stereotypes from large datasets of English text, revealing pervasive androcentric and ethnocentric biases. The study found that certain traits were associated more frequently with specific intersectional groups, such as 'White Men' but not 'Black Women'.
Salps are found to control microbial community structure and function by capturing a variety of microbe types, including Prochlorococcus. The study reveals that simple mechanical principles do not explain cell capture by salps, indicating a complex mechanism at play.
A new model, ABSCIM, simulates the behavior of individuals in response to conflict, estimating daily migrant outflows with high accuracy. The model provides valuable information on refugee demographics, including age, gender, and geographic origin, informing tailored aid responses.
Researchers found that spontaneous RNA extension occurred at rates comparable to laboratory conditions in lake water with low Mg2+ concentrations. Fatty acids formed membranes in dilute water, which persisted even when surrounded by concentrated lake water.
A global rise in Legionnaires' disease since 2000 has puzzled experts. The study suggests that a decline in sulfur dioxide air pollution may be contributing to the increase, as airborne water droplets carrying Legionella bacteria become more acidic and inhospitable to the bacteria.
Wild stingless bee colonies in the Colombian Andes develop tolerance to the insecticide abamectin, which is derived from cattle medication ivermectin. Despite high concentrations of abamectin being lethal to bees, tolerant colonies grow at similar rates as non-tolerant ones
Text-to-image AI tools enhance human artists' output, but may hinder novel visual styles. Artists who adopt AI show increased productivity and favorable feedback, while those relying solely on AI struggle with creative stagnation.
Researchers developed a model predicting aesthetic chills with 73.5% accuracy, using data from 2,937 people and emotional stimuli clips. Factors such as personality traits, demographics, and contextual conditions were found to correlate with high probabilities of experiencing chills.
A 8-month study on a warm-temperate grassland ecosystem found that some predators switch prey and detritivore prey contribute to network stability. These 'network coordinators' offer a measure of flexibility to the overall network architecture.
A study measures indoor nanoparticles emitted by gas stoves and finds they can be more toxic than vehicle emissions. These tiny particles are inhaled and delivered to the head airways, posing a risk to human health.
Research suggests that power differences between men and women may be driving many observed sex/gender differences. Studies have found that individuals with more power tend to exhibit higher agency, better performance on spatial tasks, and lower empathy compared to those with less power.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus study report highlights different effects of social media on adolescent mental health. Research is recommended to address specific harms such as cyber-stalking and harassment, as well as promote healthy social media use through digital literacy curricula.
A contemporary experiment suggests that ceramic shapes can be used as a proxy for ancient cultures, with variations between communities more pronounced than within. Community-specific deviations in morphological features support this assumption, highlighting individual variation among potters.
The NSF director highlights the benefits of AI in scientific research, from accelerating discovery to automating routine tasks. He emphasizes the need for safe and accessible AI, calling for a diverse AI ecosystem that incorporates broad perspectives and problem-solving approaches.
A study published in PNAS Nexus found that AI-generated propaganda was almost as effective as real propaganda in persuading US adults. The research used a large language model to generate new articles based on existing propaganda, with 43.5% of respondents agreeing with the claims after reading the AI-written articles.