Some politicians who share harmful information are rewarded with more clicks, study finds

A study of US state legislators found that posting misinformation online was a winning strategy for boosting a politician’s visibility – but not for Democrats.

Yu-Ru Lin, Associate Professor of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
April 22, 2025 • ~6 min

Getting AIs working toward human goals − study shows how to measure misalignment

Aligning AIs with people’s goals and values is tricky. A new technique quantifies how far off human and machine are from each other.

Aidan Kierans, Ph.D. Student in Computer Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut • conversation
April 14, 2025 • ~5 min

Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe

New research shows that Americans’ personal wealth is not enough to compensate for factors that affect how long people live, such as health behaviors, education or social support.

Irene N. Papanicolas, Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Brown University • conversation
April 9, 2025 • ~5 min

Animal tranquilizers found in illegal opioids may suppress the lifesaving medication naloxone − and cause more overdose deaths

Increasingly, these types of tranquilizers are turning up in fentanyl, oxycodone and other illegal opioids.

C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut • conversation
April 7, 2025 • ~6 min

Lowering the cost of insurance in Colorado – a new analysis of the Peak Health Alliance

A health insurance alliance proved to lower costs for individuals and employers.

Matthew Eisenberg, Associate Professor of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University • conversation
April 3, 2025 • ~6 min

‘Everyday discrimination’ linked to increased anxiety and depression across all groups of Americans

People who suffer from everyday discrimination are more likely to have anxiety and depression.

Monica Wang, Associate Professor of Public Health, Boston University • conversation
March 28, 2025 • ~6 min

Poor neighborhoods, health care barriers are factors for heart disease risk in Black mothers

Communities with unstable housing, food deserts and less access to health care contribute to the problem.

Curisa M. Tucker, Assistant Professor of Nursing Science, University of South Carolina • conversation
March 24, 2025 • ~4 min

Helper bots in online communities diminish human interaction

Bots that reply to online posts can help people connect with each other, but at the same time they also interfere with people communicating with each other.

John Lalor, Assistant Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, University of Notre Dame • conversation
March 21, 2025 • ~5 min

People say they prefer stories written by humans over AI-generated works, yet new study suggests that’s not quite true

Participants in a study were willing to spend just as much time and money on an AI-generated story as one they were told was written by a human.

Reed Johnson, Senior Lecturer in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, Bowdoin College • conversation
March 18, 2025 • ~5 min

Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study

Reading a pamphlet in the doctor’s office about which vaccines to get may help nudge older adults to get vaccinated.

Laurie Archbald-Pannone, Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Virginia • conversation
March 14, 2025 • ~5 min

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