Ethics News

September 27, 2023

Top Headlines

Curiosity About Religion Is Viewed as Morally Virtuous, New Research Finds

Sep. 21, 2023 — People from diverse religious backgrounds in the United States view curiosity about religion as morally virtuous, according to new research. Atheists also view this curiosity as moral, although less moral than a lack of religious ...

What the French Revolution Can Teach Us About Inflation

Sep. 18, 2023 — Study finds that politics, public expectations fuel ...

Top Scientists, Engineers Choose Startups Over Tech Behemoths for Reasons Other Than Money

Sep. 18, 2023 — Non-monetary benefits such as independence, autonomy and the ability to work on innovative technologies are among the key selling points for talented scientists and engineers who spurn working for a ...

All Work and No Play Will Really Make a Dull Life

Sep. 14, 2023 — Prioritizing career goals over fun and freedom doesn't make your life better, researchers have found. The study across three countries discovered people who prioritized achievement over enjoyment were less happy on the next ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:12pm EDT

Lions on the Brink -- New Analysis Reveals the Differing Threats to African Lion Populations

Sep. 11, 2023 — New results reveal that many of Africa's remaining lions live within small, fragmented populations at risk of disappearing. The researchers developed ...

AI Can Help Write a Message to a Friend -- But Don't Do It

Sep. 11, 2023 — Using artificial intelligence applications to help craft a message to a friend is not a good idea -- at least if your friend finds out about the use of AI, a new study ...

A Finer Picture of Global Migration Reveals Complex Patterns

Sep. 7, 2023 — New research shows that socio-economic factors play a larger role in migration than ...

A Positive Worldview Is Less Associated With Privilege Than Expected

Sep. 7, 2023 — A new study shows that counter to public perception, positive beliefs about the world are a poor indicator of a person's ...

Invasive Species Are Animals, Too: Considering a Humane Approach

Sep. 5, 2023 — Invasive alien species are animals that may pose a threat to biodiversity, but it's time to deal with that threat in a more ethical ...

Racial and Socioeconomic Differences Still Determine Survival Rates of Premature Babies in the US

Sep. 5, 2023 — The US continues to face stark inequalities in preterm birth and mortality rates between mothers of differing socioeconomic status and race, finds a ...

Precarious Employment Conditions Can Increase Risk of Early Death

Sep. 1, 2023 — People without a secure job contract can likely reduce their risk of premature death by 20 per cent if they gain permanent employment, a study ...

Extreme Weather Events Linked to Increased Child Marriage

Aug. 29, 2023 — Among the negative impacts of extreme weather events around the world is one that most people may not think of: an increase in child ...

Why Childhood Adversity Impacts How a Person's Behavior Is Judged

Aug. 22, 2023 — It's human nature to be judgmental. But why do we place less blame on someone, or give more praise, if we find out that person had a history of suffering in childhood? In a recent study, researchers ...

With Advances in in Vitro Models, Group Proposes Refined Legal Definition of an Embryo

Aug. 17, 2023 — Thanks to continuous advances in human stem cell research, studies that make use of embryo models are progressing quickly. This research offers both ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Heavy Drinking, Handgun-Carrying Linked Among Rural Youth

Aug. 23, 2023 — Alcohol use and subsequent handgun carrying were positively associated during adolescence and young adulthood among individuals who grew up in rural areas, similar to findings in urban areas. ...

Greater Excess Mortality After Hurricanes More Recently and for Most Socially Vulnerable in the U.S.

Aug. 16, 2023 — Over recent decades, there was a large variation in cyclone-related excess deaths by hurricane, state, county, year, and social vulnerability for counties in the United States, with 83 percent of ...

A Roadmap to Help AI Technologies Speak African Languages

Aug. 11, 2023 — From text-generating ChatGPT to voice-activated Siri, artificial intelligence-powered tools are designed to aid our everyday life -- as long as you speak a language they support. These technologies ...

Land-Sea Relationship Is Major Driver of Coral Reef Health Outcomes

Aug. 9, 2023 — New research indicates that mitigating both local land and sea-based human impacts, especially in terms of pollutants and over-fishing, provides coral reef ecosystems with the best opportunity to ...

Managing Domestic and Wildcats Is Likely to Remain Fraught, New Research Warns

Aug. 8, 2023 — Current efforts to protect and restore native biodiversity is being threatened by difficulties in identifying wild and domestic cats, and categorization is likely to remain fraught for the ...

Researchers Discuss the Ethical Challenges of Studying DNA from a 18th--19th Century African American Community

Aug. 3, 2023 — A population genetics team recently identified the genetic relationship between over 40,000 23andMe users and a population of enslaved and free African Americans that lived in Catoctin Furnace, ...

Robot Preachers Get Less Respect, Fewer Donations

July 24, 2023 — As artificial intelligence expands across more professions, robot preachers and AI programs offer new means of sharing religious beliefs, but they may undermine credibility and reduce donations for ...

Climate Science Is Catching Up to Climate Change With Predictions That Could Improve Proactive Response

July 21, 2023 — In Africa, climate change impacts are experienced as extreme events like drought and floods. It has now been possible to predict and monitor these climatic events, providing early warning of their ...

Cap Top 20% of Energy Users to Reduce Carbon Emissions

July 17, 2023 — Consumers in the richer, developed nations will have to accept restrictions on their energy use if international climate change targets are to be met, warn researchers. The big challenge is to ...

The Missing Americans: Unprecedented US Mortality Far Exceeds Other Wealthy Nations

July 17, 2023 — A new study found that more than one million US deaths per year -- including many young and working-age adults -- could be avoided if the US had mortality rates similar to its peer nations. In 2021, ...

The Good Advice That Could Lift People out of Poverty

July 12, 2023 — Researchers have found that providing access to advice about housing, debt and benefits within food banks could help lift people out of poverty. The initiative meant that people forced to use a food ...

GPT Detectors Can Be Biased Against Non-Native English Writers

July 10, 2023 — Researchers show that computer programs commonly used to determine if a text was written by artificial intelligence tend to falsely label articles written by non-native language speakers as ...

Criticism With Care Is More Persuasive

July 10, 2023 — When unethical behavior is criticized, demands are often met with defensiveness and denial. How can we overcome this reaction? New research demonstrates that criticism is more persuasive when it is ...

Doom-and-Gloom Climate News May Scare but Also Encourage Audiences

July 7, 2023 — Researchers investigated how seeing frightening news about climate change day after day may shape the way people feel about the phenomenon and how willing they are to take action to address ...

Global Efforts to Reduce Infectious Diseases Must Extend Beyond Early Childhood

July 4, 2023 — Global efforts to reduce infectious disease rates must have a greater focus on older children and adolescents after a shift in disease burden onto this demographic, according to a new ...

Maternal Mortality in the U.S. More Than Doubled Between 1999 and 2019

July 3, 2023 — A new study has found that maternal mortality rates have worsened from 1999 to 2019, hitting some racial and ethnic groups and states harder than others. The study found rates highest for Black ...

'Critical Climate Solution' or 'Worse Than Coal'? Study Explores Debate Around Divisive Energy Technology

June 27, 2023 — A new study has explored the battle lines of public debate around a controversial energy technology which is heralded as 'critical to combating climate change' by its advocates and branded ...

Body's Immune Response May Offer Alternative Approach to Neuropathic Pain Therapies

June 27, 2023 — In the midst of a global opioid epidemic, a team of scientists is exploring natural killer (NK) cells as an alternative treatment for neuropathic pain. Researchers gather existing evidence for the ...

People in Power Who Are Guilt-Prone Are Less Likely to Be Corrupt

June 26, 2023 — Guilt. It's a horrible feeling that causes us to question our worth as human beings. But while it's something that induces sleepless nights and stress-related physical symptoms in ...

Generative AI Models Are Encoding Biases and Negative Stereotypes in Their Users

June 22, 2023 — In the space of a few months generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, Google's Bard and Midjourney, have been adopted by more and more people in a variety of professional and personal ways. But ...

Wednesday, August 23, 2023