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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 15:15 ET (25-Oct-2026 19:15 GMT/UTC)

HKU showcases leadership in language education through successful CAES Conference 2026

The University of Hong Kong
Meeting Announcement

The Centre for Applied English Studies (CAES) at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), in association with the Association of Hong Kong Language Centres (AHKLC), hosted the conference “Innovations in Language Education: Advancing Pedagogy, Practice and Research” from 2 to 3 June 2026 at the HKU Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre. The two-day Conference brought together more than 300 participants from the eight UGC-funded universities and around the world. It provided a dynamic platform for academic exchange, professional learning, knowledge sharing and international collaboration.

Liquid biochar fertilizer could help farmers grow more with fewer nutrient losses

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new field study published in Biochar shows that liquid biochar mineral complex fertilizers can substantially improve pasture yield, nutrient balance and farm-level economic returns, offering a promising pathway toward more efficient and sustainable fertilizer use.

Journal: Biochar

Women negotiate as effectively as men – but leave people happier

Cornell University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Men and women achieve similar economic outcomes in negotiations, but female negotiators foster stronger interpersonal relationships, which lead in turn to greater satisfaction with the result and a greater desire to negotiate with that woman again in the future, according to new research co-authored by Cornell University.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Researchers discover how our brains react to surprise

University of Sydney
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Australian researchers have uncovered what happens behind the scenes in our brain when we’re faced with a predictable situation versus a surprise, giving vital clues in a long-standing mystery in neuroscience.

Journal: JNeurosci

Study finds social determinants of health can match or exceed genetic risk in predicting common diseases

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai shows that social determinants of health—including environmental conditions, health behaviors, access to resources, and social well-being—can play an equally important or even greater role than genetics in predicting a person’s risk of developing common diseases. Published in the June 22 online issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2026.05.014], the study, titled "Integrating Social Determinants of Health and Genetic Risk in Disease Risk Models," examined how inherited genetic risk and social, behavioral, and environmental factors interact to influence disease risk across diverse populations.

Journal: The American Journal of Human Genetics

Fathers’ smoking habits influence teen vaping, new research shows

University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln sheds light on how parental smoking shapes adolescents’ attitudes and use of both traditional cigarettes and e‑cigarettes, finding that fathers’ behaviors may play a more influential role than those of mothers.

Journal: Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Financial education may need to move beyond knowledge alone in the digital age

Hiroshima University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Hiroshima University-led study conducted with Rakuten Securities finds that practical digital skills, positive financial attitudes, and self-protection are more consistently associated with lower old-age anxiety than traditional financial knowledge alone.

Journal: International Journal of Financial Studies
Funder: Rakuten Securities, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science