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Climate change exacerbates religious conflicts, study indicates

Climate change is contributing to the escalation of existing local conflicts in Africa. A new WZB study by Ruud Koopmans, Daniel Meierrieks, and Daniel Tuki uses the example of pastoralist conflict between nomadic herders (mainly Muslim Fulani) and sedentary farmers in Nigeria to show how droughts triggered by climate change exacerbate existing religious conflicts.

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The risk of relationship breakdown can be influenced by our genes

Genetics influences who of us are more likely to experience a relationship breakdown, and who are more likely to remain together. But genes are not decisive, new research shows. "Our destiny does not lie in our genes, but if a relationship were a jigsaw puzzle, our genetics would make up some of the pieces that can influence the risk of a breakup," says sociologist Ruth Eva Jørgensen.

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Health-related ballot measures more likely to pass

As voters are increasingly asked to decide complex health policy questions at the ballot box, new research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis finds that health care-related ballot measures draw more voters to the polls and are more likely to pass than other initiatives—but they're also especially sensitive to opposition spending by special-interest groups.

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Q&A: Most biology education guidelines lack any connection to society, researchers explain why that's a problem

Is it a doctor's job to get the best outcomes for their patients or to tell the truth? What happens when these two things are not aligned? These are questions that University of Washington students have to wrangle with in Biol 180: Introductory Biology. The goal, says Elli Theobald, UW assistant professor of biology, is to have students experience a more nuanced side of biology. There is not always one right answer, and issues of power and relationships often come into play.

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First deliberately injured Langobard woman in skeletal record reshapes view of male-only violence

The Langobards are frequently depicted as fierce warrior-like people, with all known archaeological evidence of violence restricted to men. However, nearly 1,400 years ago, a Langobard woman took two severe injuries to the head, one a clean slice made by a blade, the other a crushing blow, making her the first direct evidence of interpersonal violence in Langobard females.

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COVID-era assistance policies may have reduced food insecurity, housing instability

In 2018, Caitlin Caspi started a five-year research project looking at how raising the minimum wage could impact nutrition-related health outcomes. Caspi is an associate professor of allied health sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR), associate director of InCHIP, and the director of food security initiatives for the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health.

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