Physical touch may be an important evolutionary tool to help manage social tension and keep the peace.  

That is according to a new study led by Durham University in the UK, analysing behaviours of our closest ape relatives, the bonobos and chimpanzees. 

Researchers surveyed more than 500 Salt Lake County residents and found that 69% are concerned about the shrinking lake, with habitat loss and dust-related health risks emerging as the top worries. The study also found that concern varies significantly by age, gender, race and ethnicity, birthplace, and people's personal experiences with the lake. Researchers say the findings show how lived experience and background can shape views about rapid, environmental changes, and that policies for the Great Salt Lake will gain stronger public support if they are framed as actions needed to protect wildlife or other key values rather than actions to stabilize water levels.

New journal PLOS Aging and Health publishes its first papers on July 21, 2026. The first issue includes research findings on a range of key topics focused on human aging.

Salk neuroscientist who discovered traveling brain waves in the awake visual system in 2020 now asks why they exist. New review article suggests neural traveling waves are a computational engine that allows us to build internal representations of the outside world.

The research, authored by BYU Marriott School of Business professors Mark Johnson and Jason Kotter, and published in the Journal of Financial Economics, analyzes transaction data from 184,000 households. They found households cut their net investment in brokerage accounts by 20% following the legalization of sports betting. And the heaviest bettors cut their investment deposits by more than half: for every dollar they put into a betting app, roughly 20 cents never made it into long-term savings.