A new study published in Science Advances reveals how Bronze Age communities in Central Europe adapted to changing environmental and social conditions by adopting broomcorn millet, a fast-growing and climate-resilient crop. Using multiple lines of bioarchaeological evidence, researchers found that millet was already being consumed in southeastern Poland around 1590 BCE – more than a century earlier than previously estimated – and was initially adopted gradually by a small number of individuals. The findings suggest that millet cultivation enabled communities to expand agriculture into previously marginal areas with poorer soils and drier conditions, reshaping how people used the landscape and strengthening food security.

Researchers from the University of Central Florida have received a $350,000, two-year grant from the National Endowment from the Humanities (NEH) to support Noah Webster's Dictionary Online: Preserving America's Revolutionary Language Heritage.  The project brings together undergraduate and graduate students for proofreading, digital editing and semantic text tagging under the leadership of Associate Professor of English Beth Young and her co-prinicipal investigators Center for Humanities and Digital Research (CHDR) Associate Director Brook Miller and Professor of English Mark Kamrath. 

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications have revolutionized weight management, yet high dropout rates and rapid weight regain remain significant hurdles for many patients. A new viewpoint paper published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research highlights a fundamental challenge: medication alone is not enough to secure long-term behavioral change.

In a recent study, researchers from Japan analyzed data from over 73,000 mother–child pairs and found that a mother’s negative or indifferent feelings upon learning they are pregnant were associated with a higher likelihood of developmental delays at age three. The study also revealed social support substantially reduced this risk, highlighting the need for timely interventions.

A nationwide survey in Japan suggests cultural worldviews are more strongly linked to support for climate policies than to support for biodiversity conservation measures. While hierarchical worldviews were linked to lower perceived climate risks and weaker support for climate measures, these associations were weaker for climate-related biodiversity conservation approaches and not clearly observed for stand-alone conservation policies, pointing to potential common ground.