EurekAlert! News by Subject: Policy & Ethics - News by Subject: Policy & Ethics

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Nov-2025 13:11 ET (18-Nov-2025 18:11 GMT/UTC)

16-Jun-2025

Critical gaps in ethical publishing knowledge among researchers in China, reveals new survey

Taylor & Francis Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new survey has revealed a widespread lack of clarity among researchers in China regarding ethical publishing practices, particularly when third-party manuscript services are involved. Analyzing the results of the survey, the authors of a study published in the Journal of Data and Information Science highlight the urgent need for all researchers to receive comprehensive and fit-for-purpose ethics education.

Journal: Journal of Data and Information Science

16-Jun-2025

AI-powered study shows surge in global rheumatoid arthritis since 1980, revealing local hotspots

Elsevier
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The most comprehensive analysis of rheumatoid arthritis data to date reveals that demographic changes and uneven health infrastructure have exacerbated the rheumatoid arthritis burden since 1980 and shows global disparities on a granular level. The AI-powered study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, published by Elsevier, utilized deep learning techniques and policy simulations to uncover actionable insights for localized interventions that national-level studies have previously missed. Its design yielded highly precise, dynamic projections of further disease burden to 2040.

Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Funder: World Health Organization, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

15-Jun-2025

Video consultations are faster, cheaper and more sustainable for patients

Amsterdam University Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A video consultation between patient and surgeon is just as good as a physical visit to the outpatient clinic to discuss a major operation. This is evident from research by Amsterdam UMC, demonstrated that a video consultation is just as good as a physical consultation in terms of information uptake. Alongside this finding, patients save an average of two hours of travel time and waiting time per consultation, incur no costs for travel and parking, and reduce their ecological footprint. The CO₂ emissions of a video consultation are 99 percent lower than those of a physical hospital visit. The results were published today in The Lancet Digital Health.

Journal: The Lancet Digital Health

13-Jun-2025

Biotechnology governance entreaties released, echoing legacy of 1975 recombinant DNA guidelines

Rice University
Reports and Proceedings

Twenty-seven biotechnology governance entreaties echoing the legacy of the 1975 recombinant DNA guidelines are now available for public review.

13-Jun-2025

Space lasers, AI used by geospatial scientist to measure forest biomass

University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Satellite data used by archaeologists to find traces of ancient ruins hidden under dense forest canopies can also be used to improve the speed and accuracy to measure how much carbon is retained and released in forests. Understanding this carbon cycle is key to climate change research.

Journal: Ecological Informatics

13-Jun-2025

What’s really in our food? A global look at food composition databases and the gaps we need to fix

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
Peer-Reviewed Publication

We need better understanding of what is in our food. While many national databases exist, new research reveals large information gaps. The Periodic Table of Food Initiative is a global effort to collect and share data on food to build better food systems.

Journal: Frontiers in Nutrition
Funder: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Seerave Foundation, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research

13-Jun-2025

Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are driving the increase in us excess mortality—and adults without college degrees are bearing most of the burden

Boston University School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For both men and women without a Bachelor’s degree (BA), a new study in JAMA Health Forum found that mortality between 2011-2023 was markedly higher than would have been expected had death rates from 2006-2010 continued. Among 564,855 excess deaths in 2023 alone, 481,211 occurred among people without a BA—a 26 percent increase in mortality among this population, compared to pre-2010 trends. In contrast, mortality only increased by eight percent among people who received a BA.

Journal: JAMA Health Forum
Funder: W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development