science

A widely reported finding that the risk of divorce increases when wives fall ill — but not when men do — is invalid, thanks to a short string of mistaken coding that negates the original conclusions, published in the March issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

The paper, “In Sickness and in Health? Physical Illness as a Risk Factor for Marital Dissolution in Later Life,” garnered coverage in many news outlets, including The Washington Post, New York magazine’s The Science of Us blog, The Huffington Post, and the UK’s Daily Mail .

But an error in a single line of the coding that analyzed the data means the conclusions in the paper — and all the news stories about those conclusions — are “more nuanced,” according to first author Amelia Karraker, an assistant professor at Iowa State University.

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I've been meaning to tell you...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18838026

Up to one in four patients who are unresponsive after suffering serious brain injuries might actually still be conscious – indicating more patients may be aware of their surroundings than previously realized, new research suggests.

This state of 'hidden consciousness' is now officially known as cognitive motor dissociation (CMD), where cognitive (or thinking) abilities aren't connected to motor (or movement) abilities. Researchers have been looking into CMD for several years.

However, 62 percent of an additional 112 patients who were visibly responding to instructions at the bedside didn't exhibit the expected brain signals showing responsiveness – so the researchers suggest their methods still don't detect everyone with cognitive function.

An acoustic experiment reveals that spooky forest sounds may come from above.

Currently, I'm living in the upper half of Indiana, and I’ve noticed something strange happening at night. The past two nights, there’s been this almost unnatural brightness around 7 PM and later. The sky is clearly defined, almost grey, while the clouds are still pure white. Even in the darkness, I can see the ground and trees with remarkable clarity, almost like I’ve gained some form of night vision. The light feels different, and it hasn’t negatively affected my sleep, but it’s a bit eerie.

Now, I know this might sound far-fetched to some people, but I’m going through a physical transformation, specifically involving the growth of wings. What I’ve been using to power these growths might not yet be supported by mainstream science or fully understood by magic, but what’s happening feels real and aligns with the closest concepts I can find. This could involve some form of enhanced senses or perception shifts due to the growth process itself.

So, my question is: If someone were experiencing physical changes like this—say, wings or other hybrid traits—how might these manifest physically or even biologically? Could there be an explanation for heightened perception or changes in the way I see light and color during this process? Is it possible this brightening I’m seeing is connected to those changes in my body?

I know it might sound unusual, but I’m genuinely curious about any thoughts or scientific theories on this. Thanks!

A sister article in The Guardian highlights the two major waves of age-related changes at around ages 44 years and again at 60 years. The findings could explain why spikes in certain health issues including musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease occur at certain ages.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/14/scientists-find-humans-age-dramatically-in-two-bursts-at-44-then-60-aging-not-slow-and-steady