As rising prices continue to strain household budgets around the world, understanding who is most affected by inflation has become more urgent than ever. Researchers found that the cost-of-living crisis hit middle- and upper-income households harder than the poorest. A recent study challenges the reliability of traditional inflation measures like the Consumer Price Index and offers fresh insights for designing smarter, more targeted relief policies.

The use of technology to improve quality of life and education is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. In this context, the project led by Rafael Berlanga, professor in the Department of Computer Languages and Systems, and Lledó Museros Cabedo, senior lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Universitat Jaume I, investigates how to apply explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to promote healthy habits, enhance cognitive abilities and foster social inclusion.

This research, included in the XAI4SOC-UJI project and funded by the 2021 State Scientific Research Plan, responds to the call of the United Nations General Assembly's Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030), which promotes the empowerment of older people to remain active citizens, while educating young people in values and habits that improve well-being. In this context, XAI4SOC-UJI combines advanced technologies, such as cognitive video games and conversational systems, to help adolescents in particular to develop spatial reasoning skills and to recognise and manage emotions.

Targeted training interventions for both health professionals and parents significantly increase the amount of skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their parents in the first 48 hours after birth. The proportion of babies who received nearly 24 hours of skin contact over the first 24 hours increased from 33 per cent to 58 per cent. This is shown in a new study from Uppsala University.

China’s “double reduction” policy, launched in 2021, seeks to ease student stress by limiting homework and curbing off-campus tutoring. Early results show reduced anxiety and greater parent satisfaction, yet challenges remain. Teacher workloads have increased, resource gaps persist in rural schools, and underground tutoring continues. Sustained progress will require systemic reforms and collaboration among schools, families, and policymakers to ensure balanced, high-quality education for all.

Are opinions on controversial political issues as divided as many people perceive them to be? Researchers from the Complexity Science Hub (CSH), the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen and the University of California Merced have addressed this question in a study recently published in PNAS Nexus.

Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Mateus Vidigal de Castro at the University of São Paulo studies induced pluripotent stem cells from centenarians who survived COVID-19. His work contributes to understanding the cellular mechanisms behind exceptional longevity and disease resilience, offering potential insights for healthy aging strategies.

University of Cagliari researcher Dr. Mirko Manchia discusses his pioneering work uncovering genetic factors behind lithium response in bipolar disorder. His Genomic Press Interview reveals how personal experiences shaped a career dedicated to understanding why medications work differently across patients, offering hope for personalized psychiatric treatment approaches.