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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 7-May-2026 21:15 ET (8-May-2026 01:15 GMT/UTC)

Research alert: AI model powers skin cancer detection across diverse populations

University of California - San Diego
Peer-Reviewed Publication

UC San Diego researchers developed a machine learning model that accurately predicts skin cancer risk across ancestries, improving equity in early detection and outcomes using genetics, lifestyle, and social factors.

Journal: Nature Communications

Low choline levels in the brain associated with anxiety disorders

University of California - Davis Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People with anxiety disorders have lower levels of choline in their brains, according to research from UC Davis Health. The study, published in the Nature journal Molecular Psychiatry, analyzed data from 25 studies. The researchers compared the levels of neurometabolites — chemicals produced during brain metabolism — in 370 people with anxiety disorders to 342 people without anxiety. They found the level of choline — an essential nutrient — was about 8% lower in those with anxiety disorders.

Journal: Molecular Psychiatry

Suicide prevention program decreases risks, saves lives among people recently released from jail

Brown University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A federally funded clinical trial to evaluate an intervention to prevent suicides among people recently released from jail reduced suicide attempts by 55%.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Child abuse and neglect rates in the U.S. are dropping, but disparities exist

Mass General Brigham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Poverty is a main driver of maltreatment, and benefits programs—which are currently in jeopardy—can help reduce disparities

Journal: JAMA Pediatrics

Study finds Kansas City fare-free bus policy attracted new riders, increased overall use

University of Kansas
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In 2020 Kansas City implemented a policy making all of its buses fare free. Joel Mendez of the University of Kansas conducted a study on the effects of the policy, finding it attracted new users, increased bus usage overall and also had equity benefits, boosting mobility for marginalized populations. While Kansas City is a large, geographically sprawling metro that covers two states and many counties, Mendez argues the results could help drive transit decisions in other cities.

Journal: Transport Policy

Cities around the world must plan more explicitly to reach UN goals on inclusivity, safety, resilience, and sustainability, new research reveals

University of Liverpool
Reports and Proceedings

A new report by the University of Liverpool's Department of Geography & Planning and Arup has found widespread awareness among the global planning community of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal. However, the authors warn that they must move "from awareness to action" if the UN's goal of sustainable and inclusive urban development is to be achieved by 2030.

Scientists discover chameleon’s telephone-cord-like optic nerves once overlooked by Aristotle and Newton

Florida Museum of Natural History
Peer-Reviewed Publication

After millennia of study, modern imaging has revealed the secret of chameleons' ability to move their eyes in a nearly 360-degree rotation and look in two different directions at once. Behind their bulging eyes lie two long, coiled optic nerves — a structure not seen in any other lizard.

Journal: Scientific Reports