Diagnosing urban air pollution exposure with new precision

(NYU Tandon School of Engineering) A new review of studies on levels of urban exposure to airborne pollutants and their effects on human health suggests that advanced instrumentation and information technology will soon allow researchers and policymakers to gauge the health risks of air pollution on an individual level.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2VcU4tb

UC research supports state's effort to raise age limit on tobacco purchases

(University of Cincinnati) Merianos' research on the effects of secondhand and thirdhand smoke on teen health has garnered attention from around the world, and more recently her research on the means of acquiring e-cigarettes among adolescents earned her an award from the American Academy of Health Behavior. She presented what she describes as "part two" of that research this week at the Pediatric Academic Societies conference, this time focusing on flavors and brands.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2GRDW6l

Palm oil's potential to alleviate poverty depends on where it's grown

(University of Kent) Palm oil's potential to alleviate poverty depends on where it's grown. Expansion of oil palm production in remote forest areas requires careful planning and evaluation if the communities are to benefit, according to a report by researchers at the University of Kent. Their findings show that unsustainable livelihoods, socioeconomic inequality and environmental issues remain major challenges in the oil palm industry.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2V6vyd9

Shrink films get a grip (video)

(American Chemical Society) Many people fondly remember playing with toys known as Shrinky Dinks^® -- sheets of polystyrene plastic with shapes that kids can color, cut out and heat in an oven, where they shrink into thicker pieces of plastic. Now, researchers have repurposed shrink films for an unexpected use: making strong, durable grippers that could someday encapsulate materials or be incorporated into soft robotics. They report their results in ACS Applied Polymer Materials.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2XZkn2Q

US $244 billion lost annually because people don't have spectacles to correct myopia

(Brien Holden Vision Institute) Vision impairment caused by uncorrected myopia cost the global economy an estimated US$244 billion in lost productivity in 2015, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Ophthalmology.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2GVGgug

Australian blue tongue lizard ancestor was round-in-the-tooth

(Flinders University) Reconstruction of the most complete fossil lizard found in Australia, a 15 million year old relative of our modern blue tongues and social skinks named Egernia gillespieae, reveals the creature was equipped with a robust crushing jaw and was remarkably similar to modern lizards.

from EurekAlert! - Archaeology http://bit.ly/2vtC0eQ

Lure of the 'loot box' looks a lot like gambling

(University of British Columbia) An increasingly popular feature of modern video games is attracting gamers who share the beliefs and behaviours of problem gamblers, new UBC research has found. Gamers who are drawn to 'loot boxes' -- randomly generated prizes of undisclosed value that can be attained or purchased within a game--bear a closer resemblance to problem gamblers than they do to problem gamers.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2vtC3Hy