ScienceDaily: Science & Society News

An estimated 370,000 Californians rely on drinking water that may contain high levels of arsenic, nitrate or hexavalent chromium, and contaminated drinking water disproportionately impact communities of color in the state, finds a new analysis. Because this study is limited to three common contaminants, results likely underestimate the actual number of Californians impacted by unsafe drinking water.

A new study shows that imaging of brain activity with functional near-infrared spectroscopy might offer a more accurate and reliable way to distinguish impairment from cannabis intoxication.

A new study that analyzed 20 years of fatal opioid overdose data in adults 55 and older found that between 1999 and 2019, opioid-related overdose deaths increased exponentially in U.S. adults ages 55 and older, from 518 deaths in 1999 to 10,292 deaths in 2019: a 1,886% increase.

Scientists have taken a significant step in providing the people of Rwanda the scientific tools they need to help address mental health issues that stemmed from the 1994 genocides of the Tutsi ethnic group.

Clouds have significant impact on the energy balance of the Earth system. Low clouds such as Stratocumulus, Cumulus and Stratus cover about 30 percent of the Earth surface and have a net cooling effect on our climate. What counteracts global warming, can have economic consequences: a persistently dense and low cloud cover over land can reduce agricultural production and the solar-power generation. Understanding the factors governing low cloud cover is not only important for regional weather forecasting and global climate prediction but also for their socioeconomic effects.