In a new study, researchers examined the impact of early project team assignments on newcomers’ career kickoffs. They found that those assigned to more complex projects during this phase had better outcomes later in their careers.

In an era defined by polarized views on everything from public health to politics, a new Tulane University study offers insight into why people may struggle to change their minds—especially when they turn to the internet for answers.

MIT researchers have a new hypothesis for how brain cells called astrocytes might contribute to memory storage in the brain. Their model, known as dense associative memory, would help explain the brain’s massive storage capacity.

When it comes to public attitudes toward using self-driving cars, understanding how the vehicles work is important—but so are less obvious characteristics like feelings of excitement or pleasure and a belief in technology’s social benefits.

How come you can't tickle yourself? And why can some people handle tickling perfectly fine while others scream their heads off? Neuroscientist Konstantina Kilteni from the Donders Institute argues in a scientific article published on 23 May that we should take tickle research more seriously. She researches these questions in her tickle lab at Radboud University.

The U.S. is facing a maternal health crisis with higher rates of maternal mortality than any other high-income country. Social and economic factors, including income, are recognized determinants of maternal morbidity and mortality. In addition, more than half of pregnancy-related deaths (deaths occurring during pregnancy or within one year after delivery) occur in the postpartum year.

 

In what is believed to be the first review to summarize evidence on the effect of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) on postpartum health outcomes in the U.S., researchers have found strong evidence that UCTs increase breastfeeding rates and result in little to no difference in postpartum mood.

Claus Kadelka and colleagues model how human behavior, in response to information about disease risk, can create waves. There is frequently a lag between infection prevalence and the information about that prevalence reaching the public. Once the information reaches the public, that information may motivate masking and social distancing. Incorporating this lag into models can produce multi-wave dynamics, as infection spreads rapidly before the public takes countermeasures, then is dampened until the public relaxes its behavioral response.