EurekAlert! News by Subject: Policy & Ethics - News by Subject: Policy & Ethics

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Apr-2025 03:08 ET (30-Apr-2025 07:08 GMT/UTC)

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

University of Oxford
Business Announcement

Researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Exeter, and the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine present a new, interactive study:

When choosing an embryo for implantation during in vitro fertilization (IVF), would you consider its chances of developing a health condition? What about traits like creativity, intelligence, or physical fitness? Tinker Tots is an interactive research project designed to explore how people make these difficult choices. By taking part, you help researchers understand how different genetic possibilities influence decision-making—while also gaining insight into your own and other people’s values.

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

RAND Corporation
Reports and Proceedings

For decades, California has ranked second only to Hawaii in housing and rental costs, and the state has seven of the 10 most expensive metropolitan areas in the nation. A new report finds the cost of building multifamily housing in California is more than twice as high as it is in Texas, with much of the difference driven by long permitting timelines and higher local development fees.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

University of Exeter
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists should experiment with creative ways of communicating their work to inspire action to protect the natural world, researchers say.

Journal: People and Nature

Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption, survey finds

Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Reports and Proceedings

Public awareness of the link between drinking alcohol and an elevated risk of cancer has grown since last fall, with 55% of U.S. adults saying that regularly consuming alcohol increases your chances of later developing cancer, according to a survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

UK’s first water monitoring center launched to act as early-warning system for disease outbreaks and community health

University of Bath
Business Announcement

The University of Bath has launched the UK’s first early-warning public health surveillance system based on detecting traces of chemicals and biological markers found in water.

Funder: Research England

Intersectional Racial and Sex Disparities in Unintentional Overdose Mortality

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of overdose deaths, disparities in overdose mortality were evident, with Black men and Black women experiencing a pronounced and increasing burden of mortality compared with their white counterparts. Addressing these disparities will require a multipronged approach targeting the social, physical, economic, and policy risk environments.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Microplastics pollution from glitter can disrupt marine biomineralisation

Trinity College Dublin
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research reveals that PET-based glitter microplastics can actively influence biomineralisation processes in marine environments, raising fresh concerns about the long-term environmental impact of microplastic pollution on marine ecosystems. The research, led by a team from Trinity College Dublin’s School of Natural Sciences and published in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe, shows that these microplastics promote the crystallisation of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) minerals, potentially affecting the growth and stability of marine calcifying organisms.

Journal: Environmental Sciences Europe

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