PsyResearch.org Home

Harvard Apologizes After Reports Find Campus Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia
Source: United Press International - Health NewsHarvard University's president apologized Tuesday after two task forces found that many Jewish and Muslim students reported experiencing discrimination on campus, saying "Harvard cannot—and will not—abide bigotry." In a statement to the Ivy League community, President Alan Garber continued: "The 2023-24 academic year was disappointing and painful. I am sorry for the moments when we failed to meet the high expectations we rightfully set for...
Trump Administration Sued More Than 200 Times in First 100 Days
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - World NewsDonald Trump's presidency is 100 days old today, and its actions have spawned more than 200 lawsuits, according to online publications tracking policy and legal issues. Trump's first presidency was also marked by frequent litigation compared to previous administrations, including more than 400 legal filings by the American Civil Liberties Union alone. In contrast, the ACLU challenged the first George W. Bush administration only 13 times.
White House Dismisses 400 Scientists Writing Climate Report
Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsNearly 400 scientists across the United States were informed Monday afternoon that their services were no longer needed to help write a major report on climate change for the federal government. The report, known as the National Climate Assessment, is a major publication produced every four years that summarizes the impacts of climate change in the United States, and it is congressionally mandated under the Global Change Research Act of 1990.
Harvard Task Forces Detail Hostility on Campus and Urge Broad Changes
Source: Google News - HealthTwin task forces at Harvard University—one on antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias, and the other on anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian bias—released their long-awaited reports Tuesday. The reports, each hundreds of pages long, describe serious problems and urge Harvard to make sweeping changes that would alter everything from the University's oversight of programs and disciplinary processes to its academic programming and admissions...
A Transgender Sports Pioneer Reflects on Trump's First 100 Days
Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsAt age 90, Renée Richards plays a lot of golf, but in the 1970s, the former professional tennis player and ophthalmologist made headlines after transitioning to female and winning the right to play in the U.S. Open. During her half-decade pro career, Richards peaked at 20th in the world. These days, she believes trans women who transition after puberty should not compete in women's sports, but she condemns broader restrictions on transgender...
Personality Traits Linked to Our Prosocial Behavior
Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyIndividual differences in personality can explain why some of us are more likely than others to contribute to community welfare. A new analysis, based on 29 studies of more than 90,000 participants, finds that sociability and assertiveness (extraversion) correlate positively with volunteering. In other words, extraverts are more likely to do volunteer work. Meanwhile, agreeableness correlates more closely with a willingness to give money to...
English Football Association "Carefully Reviewing" Transgender Policy
Source: BBC News - Top HeadlinesThe English Football Association is "carefully reviewing" the decision made just weeks ago to allow transgender women to continue playing in women's football. The FA has been taking legal advice since the landmark UK Supreme Court ruling two weeks ago that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. On Tuesday, the BBC learned that the Scottish Football Association was set to ban transgender women from competing in women's...
Ultraprocessed Foods Linked to Rising Premature Deaths Worldwide
Source: Google News - HealthA new study across eight countries shows that higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods is significantly linked to increased premature deaths. Researchers found that each 10% rise in consumption of these foods raises the risk of death by 3%. Countries with the highest intake of ultraprocessed foods, like the U.S., see up to 14% of premature deaths attributed to these foods, suggesting an urgent need for less processed diets to protect public...
Trump Says He's "Bringing Columbus Day Back from the Ashes"
Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsPresident Trump has said he will not recognize Indigenous Peoples Day alongside Columbus Day in October, accusing Democrats of denigrating the explorer's legacy. In 2021 Joe Biden was the first president to mark Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrating "the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples" and recognizing "their inherent sovereignty." Mr. Trump posted on social media Sunday, "I'm bringing Columbus Day back from the...
When the Brain Lacks Fuel, Exercise Still Protects Memory
Source: Google News - HealthNew research suggests that exercise may protect brain function even when the body can't produce ketones, a vital energy source for cognition. When liver function is impaired and ketone levels drop, memory and learning typically suffer—but physical activity can still counteract those effects. This finding means that exercise may trigger alternative brain-supporting mechanisms beyond just energy supply, offering a powerful tool for preserving...
How to Break Through Climate Apathy
Source: Science DailyA new study finds that people rate the impact of climate change stronger when they are presented with binary information—such as whether a lake did or didn't freeze in winter—than when they are shown continuous climate data, such as gradual increases in temperature. The study, published April 17 in the journal Nature Human Behavior, found that on a 1 to 10 scale of climate impact, people who learned about a lake freezing rated the impact as...
Trump Asks Supreme Court to Let Him Enforce Transgender Military Ban
Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsPresident Trump on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to let his administration block transgender people from serving in the military while legal challenges to the ban move forward. The president's ban alleged that "adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual's sex conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle" and is inconsistent with the "selflessness required of a service member."
Fake Job Seekers Are Flooding the Market, Thanks to AI
Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsScammers are using artificial intelligence to alter their appearance and build fake profiles to apply for remote job postings, research shows. Already, scammers can use AI to generate fake resumes, professional headshots, websites, and Linkedin profiles. Compiled together, AI can help create what looks like the perfect candidate for an open role. Why would anyone do this? Once they're in, these fraudsters can steal company secrets or install...
Study Lays Groundwork for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease
Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA new study suggests that risk factors and biomarkers related to Alzheimer's disease are associated with cognition much earlier in life than previously recognized. The study highlights links between cognition and Alzheimer's risk factors as young as ages 24 to 44 and underscores the importance of early prevention. This is the first study to systematically examine Alzheimer's disease risk factors in a large group of generally healthy middle-aged...
Scientific Path to Recovering the Costs of Climate Change
Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyA new study lays out a scientific framework for holding individual fossil fuel companies liable for the costs of climate change by tracing specific damages back to their emissions. The researchers use the tool to provide the first causal estimate of economic losses due to extreme heat driven by emissions. They report that carbon dioxide and methane output from just the five top-emitting companies cost the world economy $9 trillion from 1991 to...
EPA Fires or Reassigns Hundreds of DEI, Environmental-Justice Workers
Source: United Press International - Health NewsThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday told more than 450 employees working in diversity, equity, and inclusion—as well as environmental justice—they would be fired or reassigned as part of President Trump's executive order to remove DEI programs from the federal government. Layoffs in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, and regional offices are scheduled to take...
Study Links Early Menopause to Faster Brain Aging
Source: United Press International - Health NewsEarly menopause could be a warning sign for future age-related brain decline, according to a study published recently in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia. Women who entered menopause before 40 had a greater cognitive decline than women who entered menopause after 50. Early menopause also was linked to worse depression, researchers said. The study was based on data that tracked the health of more than 4,700 women in the United Kingdom.
Current AI Risks More Alarming Than Apocalyptic Future Scenarios
Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyArtificial intelligence is widely seen as risky, but there are differences in how those risks are understood and prioritized. One perspective emphasizes long-term risks such as AI threatening the survival of humanity. Another focuses on immediate concerns such as how AI can amplify prejudices or disinformation. Three large-scale online experiments involving more than 10,000 participants suggest that most people see the latter risks as more...
Empathy Might Be Retained in Alzheimer's Disease
Source: Science Daily - Top HealthPeople with Alzheimer's disease may retain their ability to empathize, despite declines in other social abilities, finds a new study. The research revealed that people with Alzheimer's disease scored slightly higher on a measure of empathy than peers of the same age with mild cognitive impairment. The authors of the study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, say this may be the first time a cognitive domain has been found to improve in dementia.
Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over $2.2 Billion Freeze in Grants
Source: Google News - HealthHarvard University announced Monday that it has filed suit to halt a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration's demands to limit activism on campus. "The Government has not—and cannot—identify any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen that aims to save American lives," said the...

Psychology in the News