Voters perceive political candidates with a disability as qualified for elected office

Worldwide, over one billion people live with a disability. Historically, they have been discriminated against and stigmatized by society. To improve their rights, they should be included in political decision-making, yet there is a lack of political representatives who are known to have a disability. This under-representation may be due to several factors, including how voters perceive a political candidate with a disability. However, a new study published in Frontiers in Political Science, found for the first time that voters do not apply negative stereotypes when evaluating candidates with a disability. Rather, voters tend to perceive candidates with a disability as capable, honest, and caring.

One in three adults report anxiety, depression related to COVID-19

One in three adults, particularly women, younger adults and those of lower socioeconomic status, are experiencing psychological distress related to COVID-19, researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, reported in the journal PLOS ONE.

Support for self isolation must be a top priority, say experts

Helping people to self isolate after testing positive for COVID-19 must now be a top priority for the UK government, argue experts in The BMJ today.

Legal cannabis stores linked to fewer opioid deaths in the United States

Access to legal cannabis stores is associated with a reduction in opioid related deaths in the United States, particularly those linked to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

Q&A: Stretching your hamstring

I am a very active person. I visit the gym and run regularly. Although I have been able to avoid any major injuries, I find myself constantly stretching my hamstrings. It seems no matter how flexible I get, they still feel tight. What else can I do?

Twitter troll charged over 2016 US election scam

A right-wing social media influencer was charged on Wednesday with spreading disinformation online that may have prevented thousands of Hillary Clinton supporters from voting in the 2016 presidential election.

Tesla reports $721 mn in 2020 earnings, 1st profitable year

Tesla Motors reported its first annual profit Wednesday, but shares fell after Elon Musk's electric car company scored lower-than-expected fourth quarter earnings.

Facebook Q4 results soar in prelude to an uncertain 2021

Facebook capped a tumultuous 2020 with soaring earnings in the final quarter, its user base boosted by people staying home and its revenue buoyed by a shift to digital advertising amid the pandemic.

Apple posts big quarter on fast sales start for iPhone 12

Apple's delayed launch of its latest iPhones unleashed a holiday buying frenzy that propelled sales of the trendsetting company's most popular product to its fastest start in years.

New supercomputer in Wyoming to rank among world's fastest

A new supercomputer in Wyoming will rank among the world's fastest and help study phenomena including climate change, severe weather, wildfires and solar flares.

In Brazil, many smaller dams disrupt fish more than large hydropower projects

The development of small hydropower dams is widespread throughout Brazil and elsewhere in the world, vastly overshadowing large hydropower projects. The proliferation of these smaller dams is a response to growing energy and security needs. Their expansion, however, threatens many of the remaining free-flowing rivers and biodiverse tropical regions of the world—interrupting the migrations of freshwater fishes, on which millions of peoples' livelihoods depend.

Google says North Korea-backed hackers sought cyber research

Google says it believes hackers backed by the North Korean government have been posing as computer security bloggers and using fake accounts on social media while attempting to steal information from researchers in the field.

Walmart to build more robot-filled warehouses at stores

Walmart is enlisting the help of robots to keep up with a surge in online orders.

Indonesian volcano unleashes river of lava in new eruption

Indonesia's most active volcano erupted Wednesday with a river of lava and searing gas clouds flowing 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) down its slopes.

Newly found Fukushima plant contamination may delay cleanup

A draft investigation report into the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown, adopted by Japanese nuclear regulators Wednesday, says it has detected dangerously high levels of radioactive contamination at two of the three reactors, adding to concerns about decommissioning challenges.

Biden to reopen 'Obamacare' markets for COVID-19 relief

Fulfilling a campaign promise, President Joe Biden plans to reopen the HealthCare.gov insurance markets for a special sign-up opportunity geared to people needing coverage in the coronavirus pandemic.

Harpy eagles could be under greater threat than previously thought

Harpy eagles are considered by many to be among the planet's most spectacular birds. They are also among its most elusive, generally avoiding areas disturbed by human activity—therefore already having vanished from portions of its range—and listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being 'Near-Threatened'.

Pace of prehistoric human innovation could be revealed by 'linguistic thermometer'

Multi-disciplinary researchers at The University of Manchester have helped develop a powerful physics-based tool to map the pace of language development and human innovation over thousands of years—even stretching into pre-history before records were kept.

Hypertension symptoms in women often mistaken for menopause

Pregnancy complications and early menopause increase women's future risk of heart disease. Cardiologists, gynaecologists and endocrinologists recommend how to help middle-aged women prevent later heart problems in a European Society of Cardiology (ESC) consensus document published today in European Heart Journal.

Children can bypass age verification procedures in popular social media apps

Children of all ages can completely bypass age verification measures to sign-up to the world's most popular social media apps including Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Skype and Discord by simply lying about their age, researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software have discovered.

Partners in crime: Genetic collaborator may influence severity of the rare disease, NGLY1

In 2012, four-year-old Bertrand Might became the first-ever patient diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called N-glycanase (NGLY1) deficiency. The discovery of this condition and Bertrand's diagnosis allowed doctors to look for other children with the same genetic defect. Since then, more than 60 additional patients have been found. The disease affects every system of the body and is characterized by low muscle tone, seizures, developmental delays, and an inability to produce tears.

The dangers of drugged driving are outpacing drunk driving

A recent study of drugged driving, by a team of University of Cincinnati researchers, shows that a sizable percentage of individuals reported the use of marijuana and other illicit drugs while operating behind the wheel.

Making wheat and peanuts less allergenic

The United States Department of Agriculture identifies a group of "big eight" foods that causes 90% of food allergies. Among these foods are wheat and peanuts.

Solar material can 'self-heal' imperfections, new research shows

A material that can be used in technologies such as solar power has been found to self-heal, a new study shows.

The naming of Tooley crater

Like Einstein, Galileo, and Copernicus, former NASA program manager Craig Tooley now has a place on the Moon named in his honor. Tooley crater is a 7 km crater in a permanently shadowed region of Shoemaker crater near the lunar south pole. The new crater designation is official and can be used in journal articles and other publications.

Study shows pandemic stress affects how parents feed their children

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the lives of families everywhere. Household routines have changed, with families forced to spend more time than usual at home. School-aged children may have to prepare their own snacks and meals in between virtual classes, and parents might have less time to cook family meals because of their work-from-home schedules. Also, some parents have lost income, reducing family food budgets and changing the ability to afford healthy foods.

Researchers quantify 'pandemic fatigue'

Anecdotal evidence of "pandemic fatigue"—defined by the World Health Organization as "a lack of motivation to follow recommended COVID-19 protection behaviors"—has been reported and shared almost as long as physical distancing guidelines have been around to fight the spread of the disease. Now, a research team, including a Johns Hopkins medical student, has the data to prove it.

Study profiles immune cells fighting COVID-19, may help guide next-gen vaccine development

Even as the first vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are being distributed, scientists and clinicians around the world have remained steadfast in their efforts to better understand how the human immune system responds to the virus and protects people against it. Now, a research team—led by Johns Hopkins Medicine and in collaboration with ImmunoScape, a U.S.-Singapore biotechnology company—has published one of the most comprehensive characterizations to date of a critical contributor to that protection: the response of immune system cells called T lymphocytes (more commonly known as T cells) in people who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Commuting patterns could explain higher incidence of COVID-19 in Black Americans

The disproportionately high COVID-19 infection rates observed in Black Americans could be linked to their daily commuting patterns, according to a new study published today in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

Researchers develop virus-based treatment platform to fight pancreatic cancer

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and Zhengzhou University have developed a powerful therapeutic platform that uses a modified virus for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. By using the virus in combination with other drugs, the treatment significantly extended survival in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

Trying to beat a coke habit with cannabis? Not so fast!

Taking cannabidiol, a chemical in the cannabis sativa plant, isn't an effective way to reduce your dependence on cocaine, researchers at the CHUM Research Centre find.

Life-threatening complications during pregnancy: greater long-term risk of death

A research team from the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) has shown that women who have had serious complications during pregnancy are twice as likely to die up to three decades later.

World's largest opinion survey on climate change: Majority call for wide-ranging action

The results of the Peoples' Climate Vote, the world's biggest ever survey of public opinion on climate change are published today. Covering 50 countries with over half of the world's population, the survey includes over half a million people under the age of 18, a key constituency on climate change that is typically unable to vote yet in regular elections.