Globally, rapidly aging populations give rise to increasing demand for home care services. The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately 1.3 billion people worldwide require care due to ageing or disability. In Hong Kong, owing to deeply rooted cultural norms that emphasise family bonding and rising healthcare costs, caregiving is often performed by family members, imposing heavy physical and mental strain on them. A research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has investigated the quality of life (QoL) of the City’s family caregivers and explored the use of data-driven assessment tools to support the development of effectively targeted interventions.

In the study, titled “Mitigating the Negative Effects of Internet Browsing on Young People’s Resilience and Outlook on Life Through Classic Grimm Fairy Tales: Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study,” researchers examined how internet browsing affects resilience and optimism in postgraduate students.

An international study led by researchers from Tel Aviv University and the French National Centre for Scientific Research provides the first scientific evidence that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens had biological and social relations, and even interbred for the first time, in the Land of Israel. The research team found a combination of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens traits in the skeleton of a five-year-old child discovered about 90 years ago in the Skhul Cave on Mount Carmel.

A study explored how coping styles affect the link between mental health providers’ sense of control and their professional well-being. Among 172 clinicians, avoidant coping – like ignoring stress – emerged as a major threat to quality of life. Surprisingly, private practice providers, despite more freedom, reported more avoidance, lower control and poorer outcomes than those in community settings. With up to 85% facing compassion fatigue, the findings underscore the urgent need to reduce harmful coping and strengthen personal control to protect provider health, satisfaction and long-term effectiveness.