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

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 6-Nov-2025 19:11 ET (7-Nov-2025 00:11 GMT/UTC)

21-Oct-2025

Dusty air is rewriting your lung microbiome

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Genetic or bacterial diseases have previously been shown to have an effect on lung microbes. However, a UC Riverside discovery marks the first time scientists have observed such changes from environmental exposure rather than a disease.

Journal: mSphere

21-Oct-2025

It’s not just diet: where a child lives also raises type 2 diabetes risk

Florida Atlantic University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Type 2 diabetes is surging in children, now making up 24% to 45% of youth diabetes cases – up from just 1% to 2% before the mid-1990s. While obesity remains the top risk factor, new research shows early-life environments also play a powerful role. Analyzing data on more than 174,000 children nationwide, including 50,000 under age 5, the study shows that factors like poor neighborhood walkability, food insecurity, caregiver health, and exposure to processed foods through assistance programs were strongly linked to diabetes risk.

Journal: Pediatric Research

21-Oct-2025

New study: AI chatbots systematically violate mental health ethics standards

Brown University
Reports and Proceedings

Researchers at Brown University found that AI chatbots routinely violate core mental health ethics standards, underscoring the need for legal standards and oversight as use of these tools increases.

Meeting: AAAI/ACM Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Society.

21-Oct-2025

With commercial wind comes rising community home values, UConn researcher finds

University of Connecticut
Peer-Reviewed Publication

This release has been removed upon request of the submitting institution. Please contact Jaclyn Severance, jaclyn.severance@uconn.edu for more information.

21-Oct-2025

China’s hunger for meat “sustains” the consumption of natural resources in Brazil

Politecnico di Milano
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study by the Politecnico di Milano published on Nature Food reveals the impact of the Chinese demand for animal proteins on South American water, forests and soil.

Journal: Nature Food

21-Oct-2025

This is how happy we need to be to have lower chronic disease mortality risk

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research shows that greater subjective well-being can lead to enhanced immune function and a lower incidence of chronic disease. But when does happiness start to exert its positive influence, and is there a point when this effect caps out? Researchers looked at national level data from 123 countries and found there is: on a scale from zero to 10, people started gaining health benefits once they surpassed a threshold that lies at around 2.7. Once above, each 1% of additional happiness could lead to a small decrease in mortality risk from non-communicable diseases.

Journal: Frontiers in Medicine

20-Oct-2025

Winners of Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2025 announced

Applied Microbiology International
Grant and Award Announcement

The winners of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2025 have been announced. The prizes, awarded by the learned society Applied Microbiology International (AMI), celebrate the brightest minds in the field and promote the research, group, projects, products and individuals who continue to help shape the future of applied microbiology.