Cambridge researchers have discovered why living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood may be linked to an increase in an individual’s risk of dementia.  In research published today, they show how it is associated with damage to brain vessels – which can affect cognition – and with poorer management of lifestyle factors known to increase the chances of developing dementia.

A team of sports scientists and cognitive biologists at the University of Vienna has demonstrated in a new study that solving a task together can promote spontaneous movement synchronization. Such synchronization serves as a kind of "social glue" and plays an important role in the social functioning of communities. To better understand this mechanism, the researchers examined how working on a jigsaw puzzle together influenced movement synchronization during trampoline jumping. The results showed that pairs who had worked together on a puzzle subsequently displayed greater synchronization on the trampoline than pairs who had worked on the puzzle individually. Initial mutual rapport also had a positive effect. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

People need to feel that climate change is affecting them now or that taking action is a patriotic act for their country to overcome apathy towards environmental efforts, a new global study published in Communications Psychology today (Wednesday 5 November).

Because policies to address pollution are costly to implement and impose social burdens, it is important to understand the full benefits of pollution-reducing programs. An article in Health Economics provides compelling evidence that one such program offered considerable benefits for infant health, especially in vulnerable populations.

A Michigan State University–led study explored whether artificial intelligence can detect human deception. Researchers found that while AI can interpret context, it often misjudges honesty and performs worse than humans. The findings suggest AI is not yet reliable for identifying lies, underscoring the complexity of human communication and trust.