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

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 14-Jan-2026 04:11 ET (14-Jan-2026 09:11 GMT/UTC)

Kids less likely to be expelled from preschool when parents cooperate with teacher, study shows

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Children who are expelled from preschool are subsequently more likely to experience academic failure and enter what scientists and advocates call the “cradle-to-prison pipeline,” meaning that these children tend to follow a trajectory away from school and toward the criminal justice system. Preschool expulsion may be less likely, however, if a teacher perceives parents to be cooperative during discussions about the child’s challenging behavior, according to a study published in Prevention Science by Drs. Courtney Zulauf-McCurdy, Rechele Brooks and Andrew Meltzoff.

Journal: Prevention Science

Novel philosophical framework rethinks the ethics of disability

Hiroshima University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Japanese scholars submit a nuanced view linking diverse disability experiences

Journal: Bioethics
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Osaka University, Hitachi Global Foundation, Uehiro Foundation on Ethics and Education

Scientists call for a global alliance to place biodiversity at the heart of the UN Pact for the Future

Pensoft Publishers
Reports and Proceedings

A new white paper: “From Knowledge to Solutions: Science, Technology and Innovation in Support of the UN SDGs”, published in the open-science scholarly journal Research Ideas and Outcomes (RIO), brings together leading voices from Europe’s biodiversity and data science communities to deliver a clear message: protecting biodiversity is not just an environmental issue. It is essential for food security, public health, climate stability, and the global economy. The authors make a call for a decisive shift: from fragmented initiatives to a holistic, global approach to biodiversity research and policy.

Journal: Research Ideas and Outcomes

Justice is being lost in translation – Surrey researchers build AI to fix this problem

University of Surrey
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Millions of words spoken in the UK’s highest court risk being misunderstood, misquoted or simply missed because transcribing them accurately is too difficult and too expensive, according to a new study from the University of Surrey.

Journal: Applied Sciences

Researchers analyse future European energy demand for battery cell production

University of Münster
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team led by Prof Simon Lux (University of Münster and Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production, Germany) has analysed the future energy demand associated with the EU's goal of strengthening local battery supply chains in Europe. According to their projections, Europe will have to generate significant amounts of energy for local battery cell production.

Journal: Energy & Environmental Science
Funder: Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany), Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Taming AI with morals? Skeptical notes from a sociologist

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.

If AI’s intrinsic risks are real, governmental regulation and ethical frameworks are unlikely to contain them. Drawing on social theory, it highlights myths about the state’s capacity, global enforcement challenges, rapid technological decentralization, and the ambiguity of moral norms. The author presents a skeptical view that “meaning well” does not ensure effective outcomes, cautioning against overreliance on governments and ethics to mitigate advanced AI risks.

Journal: Risk Sciences

Can vertical farms really feed the UK sustainably? New study weighs climate costs and benefits

University of Surrey
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Vertical farming offers a much-needed opportunity to secure food production in the face of climate change, but can it truly deliver a sustainable alternative to field-grown crops? A new study led by the University of Surrey has found that while vertical farms dramatically increase lettuce yields and use far less water, the carbon footprint still exceeds traditional lettuce farming – raising important questions about how the UK can balance food security with environmental responsibility.

Journal: Food and Energy Security

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