ScienceDaily: Science & Society News

In this troubled time of war and pandemic, the World Happiness Report 2022 shows a bright light in dark times. According to the team of international researchers, the pandemic brought not only pain and suffering but also an increase in social support and benevolence.

As Oregon embarks on a voter-approved initiative to permit psychoactive mushrooms in clinical use, a new systematic evidence review reveals a lack of scientific research describing the interactions between widely used psychiatric medications and psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA.

A new study shows that using cannabis products to treat pain, anxiety and depression failed to improve these symptoms while doubling the risk of developing the addictive symptoms of cannabis use disorder. People seeking cannabis to treat symptoms of anxiety and depression were at greatest risk of CUD. Contrary to evidence-based medicine, people with medical marijuana cards choose their own products and dosing, suggesting the need for better controls over dispensing, use, and professional follow-up of these patients.

An earlier study had raised doubts about the effectiveness of learning English in the first grade. Now, researchers have observed that it improves language performance over an extended period of time.

Researchers have used mercury (Hg) stable isotopes to verify the Hg sources in the sediment and fish along the west coast of Korea.

Nearly 100,000 highly diverse whole genome sequences are now available through the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program. About 50 percent of the data is from individuals who identify with racial or ethnic groups that have historically been underrepresented in research. This data will enable researchers to address yet unanswerable questions about health and disease, leading to new breakthroughs and advancing discoveries to reduce persistent health disparities.

Among local and state public health officials who resigned or were fired during the first 11 months of the pandemic, more than one-third reported incidents of harassment, a new study finds.