Influenza spreads faster in a crowded barracks or prison. Ebola proliferates when hospital beds run short. For decades, researchers have documented how social inequality shapes disease spread. In parallel, mathematical models have emerged for forecasting epidemics and weighing different public health interventions. But rarely have the two subfields of epidemiology joined forces.

A new paper in Biology Letters, led by SFI Resident Professor Brandon Ogbunu with SFI External Professor Sam Scarpino (Northeastern University) and collaborators, introduces a metric called "structural causal influence" that quantifies how factors like crowded housing, limited vaccine access, and financial barriers shape the way disease spreads, and whether public health interventions will actually work.

Qurayyah Painted Ware, 3200-yr-old ceramics, painted with distinctive black-and-red geometric designs, stylized animals and human figures, may have been an early example of an ancient "brand"

Social media and other technologies have extended gender-based violence in Sub-Saharan Africa into the digital space, including cyber-bullying, stalking and revenge porn, with significant impact on victims

Infrequent exercise is associated with a higher prevalence of common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety among higher-education students in Norway, according to a study published August 19, 2026, in the open access journal PLOS One by Michael Grasdalsmoen from Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, and colleagues. The findings highlight the potential value of consistent physical activity rather than intense, prolonged exercise sessions.

Did brands exist before modern society, in non-capitalistic economies? An international team led by Marta Luciani of the University of Vienna has provided unexpected discoveries about trade during the Bronze Age: yes, brands did indeed exist 3,200 years ago. Findings in the oasis of Qurayyah in Northwestern Arabia offer unprecedented insights into the production of a two-color painted pottery. The researchers demonstrated that the vessels were so distinctive, appealing and sought-after that for all purposes they must be considered a 'brand'. The results were recently published in the journal PLOS One. The team included members of M.I.T., the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, OeAI/OeAW, TU Wien and University of Sydney with the support of the Heritage Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture.