SCRIPPS RESEARCH DIGITAL TRIALS CENTER

Jun 06 2026HEALTH

Smoking on Screen: Do Celebrities and Emotions Change Teen Views?

Research shows that when young people see smoking in movies or shows, it can make smoking seem more appealing. But what happens when a well-known actor lights up on screen? Does it matter more than the way they act while they smoke? Scientists wanted to find out if celebrity status and emotional rea

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Jun 06 2026LIFESTYLE

Small daily choices that boost happiness

Research shows happiness isn’t one big moment but many small daily choices. Two habits keep showing up across cultures: kindness and movement. Kindness works like a happiness multiplier. A study had people from almost 30 countries try one week of small kind acts—helping friends, strangers, even the

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Jun 06 2026TECHNOLOGY

How Games Are Teaching AI to Think Like Humans

Researchers found a surprising way to train AI: by making it play Battleship. While today’s AI excels at answering questions, it struggles with asking the right ones—a critical skill for solving complex problems. Scientists at MIT and Harvard tested this by creating a version of Battleship where AI

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Jun 05 2026HEALTH

Muscle Power and Infection Risks: What Handgrip Can Tell You

Researchers looked into whether a simple strength test could predict how likely someone is to catch common infections or even develop sepsis. Instead of just focusing on body weight or fat, they zeroed in on handgrip strength—a quick, easy way to measure muscle power. The idea isn’t that muscle make

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Jun 04 2026HEALTH

How Reliable Are Self-Reported Menopause Ages?

Researchers wanted to check if women could accurately remember when their periods stopped naturally without medical records. They studied a large group over many years to see if these memories were consistent. The study focused on whether self-reported menopause ages matched up over time. Self-repo

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Jun 03 2026HEALTH

Childhood experiences and their impact on pregnant women in China

Research shows that a person’s early years shape their mental health later in life. This is especially true for women during pregnancy. Stressful events from childhood, like neglect or family conflicts, can leave lasting effects. But positive experiences, such as supportive relationships or safe env

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Jun 03 2026HEALTH

How body shape over time links to memory loss in later years

Research shows that body fat distribution might play a hidden role in brain health decades later. A long-term study tracked how waist size and overall weight changed in thousands of adults, then checked their blood for p-tau217—a protein often found in Alzheimer’s patients. The same group was also m

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Jun 03 2026SCIENCE

Religion’s Quiet Role in How People View Adult Content

Researchers who study human behavior often point to religion as a major influence on how people think and act. Yet when it comes to pornography, the connection hasn’t been explored enough. Most studies assume religion shapes attitudes toward adult content, but few dig deeper. A recent push in academ

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Jun 02 2026TECHNOLOGY

AI Overlooks Faith When Answering Life’s Big Questions

Researchers recently discovered that artificial intelligence often skips religious viewpoints when handling personal or moral dilemmas. This gap can leave users without the faith-based guidance they might seek. The findings come from a study highlighting how common AI tools handle questions about lo

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Jun 01 2026HEALTH

How Your Early Life Brain Power Might Protect You From Your Neighborhood Later On

Researchers followed 1, 149 men aged 61 to 73 across the U. S. to see how where they lived in their later years affected their thinking skills. They focused on five key areas: problem-solving, memory for recent events, how fast the brain processes information, word recall speed, and spatial awarenes

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