During the COVID-19 pandemic months of March 2020 to September 2020, U.S. alcohol retail store sales increased compared to usual trends while food services and drinking places sales decreased markedly during the same period, according to a new study. These results indicate an increase in home drinking in the U.S. The researchers used alcohol retail…

Evidence of ‘skeletal trauma’ among over 300 individuals from three very different cemeteries reveals varying levels of physical hardship across the social spectrum of Cambridge, UK, between the 10th and 14th century. University of Cambridge researchers examined the remains of 314 individuals dating from the 10th to the 14th century and collected evidence of «skeletal…

Research predicts an end to deregulated competitive pubic transport in the UK as a consequence of Covid-19 social distancing measures leading to drastically reduced ridership, requiring a major rethinking of the provision of public transport. This paper, published in Transport Policy, argues that the situation will require a fundamental approach to long-term policy for transport…

Higher rates of severe COVID-19 infections in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) populations are not explained by socioeconomic or behavioral factors, cardiovascular disease risk, or by vitamin D status, according to new research. The findings, published in the Journal of Public Health, suggest that the relationship between COVID-19 infection and ethnicity is complex, and…

Mathematicians have analysed global COVID-19 data to identify two constants which can drastically change a country’s rate of infection. An international team of researchers led by Professor Alexander Gorban from the University of Leicester used available data from 13 countries to determine the rate of stress response, or ‘mobilisation’ and the rate of spontaneous exhaustion,…

New estimates suggest that mass gatherings during an election in the Malaysian state of Sabah directly caused 70 percent of COVID-19 cases detected in Sabah after the election, and indirectly caused 64.4 percent of cases elsewhere in Malaysia. Mass gatherings of people pose high risks of spreading COVID-19. However, it is difficult to accurately estimate…

New research shows that people prefer coronavirus contact tracing to be carried out by a combination of apps and humans. The research shows people are more concerned about who runs the process than the risks of others having unauthorised access to their private information, or their data being stolen. Most people who took part in…

Autism rates among black and HIspanic children are catching up to and, in many states, exceeding rates among white youth, who have historically had higher prevalence, a new study shows. The study, published this month in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, also found that prevalence of autism among white youth is ticking up…

Behavioral science and marketing researchers are laying out a range of strategies to help convince people to get vaccinated. «The country has made an incredible investment in fast-tracking SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from conception to market, which would make it even more tragic if we fail to curtail the virus simply because Americans are hesitant to be…

New studies emerge daily on the effect of the human microbiome on human health: colon cancer, ulcers, and cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease have been associated with the communities of microbes that live in our bodies. However, global research into the human microbiome is heavily biased in favor of wealthy countries such as the…