Study offers evidence that racial bias is at play in overrepresentation of Black youth in Canadian child welfare systems
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Jan-2026 11:11 ET (13-Jan-2026 16:11 GMT/UTC)
Researchers who examined Canadian child welfare data found that Black children were not only investigated at a higher rate than their white peers but were also more likely to be taken from their homes, even when the only difference between cases was the child’s race.
New research shows that adolescents who were overweight, struggled to make friends, were born outside the U.S., or faced mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD or learning disabilities were at greater risk of involvement in bullying, either as victims, perpetrators or both. The findings reveal a troubling cycle, underscoring the need for prevention efforts that address the social, family, and health-related factors shaping adolescent behavior.
Transcranial focused ultrasound, a noninvasive brain imaging tool, may help researchers gain knowledge about human consciousness.
New research from Finland’s Aalto University has clarified how well-being is linked with autonomy, national wealth and the level of individualism in a culture. The researchers found that a sense of autonomy in one’s life is universally important, but the link with happiness is stronger in wealthier and more individualistic countries.
A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications, reveals how rhythmic brain waves known as alpha oscillations help us distinguish between our own body and the external world. The findings offer new insights into how the brain integrates sensory signals to create a coherent sense of bodily self.
Childhood exposure to air pollution linked to poorer cognitive performance in later life. A new study shows that childhood exposure to indoor air pollution may have long-term effects on brain health, with possible cognitive impairment appearing decades later.
People across the globe, especially in low-income countries, continue to use solid fuels like coal, wood and plant waste for cooking and heating. The resulting indoor air pollution exposes children to smoke and particles at key stages of brain development.
“Nearly 30% of the global population, roughly 2.4 billion people, still cook without clean fuels. Our findings indicate that growing up in a smoke-filled household may impair brain health and cognitive abilities throughout life,” says University of Helsinki researcher Xu Zong.
Published in Social Science & Medicine, a leading international journal on health and social medicine, the study is the first to investigate how early-childhood exposure to indoor air pollution affects cognitive performance in adulthood. It analysed nationally representative data from over 7,000 Chinese adults aged 45 and above , using advanced machine learning techniques.
Researchers at the University of Bath in the UK are proposing thresholds for safe – or at least safer – cannabis use and hope their findings will help people monitor consumption and keep it within recommended limits – similar to how alcohol units guide safer drinking.