A new study has found that more than half of Black and Hispanic infants were born into very low-opportunity neighborhoods, and that babies born into these neighborhoods had a 16-percent greater risk of being born preterm. The study sheds new light on the health consequences of structural racism and historically discriminatory practices -- such as redlining and disproportionate exposures to pollutants -- that continue to shape modern-day neighborhood conditions and circumstances.
Read more: Lower neighborhood opportunity may increase risk for preterm birth
The cumulative adversity index for people quantifies numerous measures of hardship, such as poverty and stress to understand health and longevity over the individual's lifespan. A similar tool could help scientists who study and want to conserve animal populations by identifying the most influential stressors to mitigate. Biologists have created the first cumulative adversity index for yellow-bellied marmots. They found that as in humans, adversity early on had lifelong consequences and reduced their life expectancy.
Read more: Hardship early in life can affect health and longevity -- even for marmots
Contrary to common perceptions and years of research that autistic people can't describe their emotions or often have muted emotional responses, a new study concludes that many autistic adults are in fact acutely aware of their feelings and can label them in vivid, often colorful detail.
Read more: Getting autism right