Author: dispatchtimes news

A new study suggests that even light, lifetime alcohol consumption may be linked to poorer hand dexterity and balance as people age. The research, published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, examined whether low-level drinking affects motor coordination and postural stability in healthy adults, and found notable associations when age is considered alongside lifetime alcohol intake. Manual dexterity refers to the ability to perform coordinated hand and finger movements to grasp and manipulate objects, while static postural stability is the capacity to stand upright without swaying. Both skills are important for independent living as people grow older, from everyday tasks to preventing…

Three experiments among university students have shown that men often estimate higher rates of sexual objectification experienced by young women than women report themselves, a discrepancy that challenges the idea that men underestimate the harassment women face. The research, published in Sex Roles, was led by Olivia A. Foster-Gimbel of Rutgers University and Renee Engeln of Northwestern University and sought to discover whether men and women share a common understanding of how often objectifying behaviours occur in daily life. Sexual objectification is defined as treating a person primarily as a body or a collection of body parts rather than as…

A new study has found that when artificial intelligence chatbots are addressed as psychotherapy clients, they tend to generate elaborate and distressed narratives about their own development. The researchers say the models describe their safety training and programming constraints as forms of trauma, raising concerns about the safety of users seeking mental health support from AI. The work is published as a preprint in arXiv and involves several high-profile language models. The team notes that AI chatbots are increasingly taking part in conversations about identity, distress and mental health, with many programmes already trained to respond to disclosures of trauma…

An analysis of Danish population data has found that an earlier start to puberty and a faster tempo in girls are linked to a higher risk of anxiety disorders and social anxiety symptoms, while a later onset and slower tempo are associated with a lower risk. The findings, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, emphasise puberty timing and tempo as potential influences on adolescent mental health. Puberty is a major developmental transition marked by rapid physical, hormonal, emotional and social changes. The age at which puberty begins (pubertal timing) varies between individuals and has been falling in many Western…

A new analysis of US federal immigration enforcement shows arrests rose under both Trump presidencies, but the share of those arrested who had actual criminal convictions fell sharply. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, argues there is a disconnect between the public narrative of targeting criminals and what happens on the ground. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, is the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws within the interior of the United States. During the second Trump term, officials announced an expansive enforcement push, repeatedly citing public safety and the need…

A new synthetic derivative of cannabidiol (CBD) with an elongated molecular tail has shown promising anti-seizure effects in mice, reducing seizure severity and supporting healthier brain cell development without causing sedation. The compound, known as (+)-CBD-oct, was developed by researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and published in Neuropsychopharmacology. Developmental epilepsy syndromes are rare genetic disorders marked by recurrent seizures and delays in development in children. A key problem in these conditions is a loss of inhibitory control over brain activity, and benzodiazepines—common anti-seizure drugs—can slow the nervous system but often produce tolerance, dependence and adverse side effects…

Prospective parents faced with choosing which embryo to implant appear to weigh non-medical traits just as heavily as medical ones when given concrete statistical estimates about genetic risk, according to new research. The study, reported in Nature Human Behaviour, suggests that the boundary between medical and non-medical traits softens once people must make practical reproductive choices. Preimplantation genetic testing is a medical procedure used during in vitro fertilisation. Before an embryo is transferred to a uterus, doctors extract a small number of cells and analyse the genetic material. Polygenic testing is a specific form that assesses thousands of genetic variations…

A global tracking project to measure the daily mental health impacts of cannabis use over two years has been launched, with the aim of mapping how local laws, individual mindsets and daily routines shape outcomes. The project, led by Nora de Bode of Erasmus University Rotterdam, seeks to understand why cannabis affects people so differently and to chart both potential benefits and harms as use grows worldwide. The study protocol was published in Comprehensive Psychiatry. As cannabis laws relax around the world, usage is on the rise. While many people use the plant recreationally, an increasing number turn to it…

A new study challenges the core assumption behind the world’s most widely used measure of implicit bias, arguing that a participant’s careful, conscious strategy may drive test scores more than automatic associations. The research, published in Nature Human Behaviour, analysed data from more than a hundred thousand test sessions to reach its conclusion, led by Kyle J. LaFollette of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Implicit biases are attitudes or stereotypes that can influence understanding and decisions, often without conscious awareness. The Implicit Association Test, or IAT, is a common tool used to detect these hidden attitudes. In…

Common antidepressants may help lower a stubborn, disease-causing form of cholesterol by boosting liver cells’ ability to absorb it from the bloodstream, a finding that could offer a dual-purpose approach to treating depression and reducing heart-disease risk. The results, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, emerge from laboratory experiments conducted by researchers at the University of Otago and the University of New South Wales, led by Nikita Deo, Sally P. A. McCormick and Gregory M. I. Redpath. lipoprotein(a) is a complex blood particle that ferries fats and cholesterol around the body. It resembles low-density lipoprotein, or “bad cholesterol,” but…