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The Herald Scotland
06-07-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Covid pandemic had bigger impact on women's health than men's
The research team, led by Professor Paul McNamee from the University of Aberdeen and collaborators from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore and the University of Turin, analysed Understanding Society national data from January 2015 to March 2023 to compare results pre- and post-pandemic. Researchers examined a range of health behaviours including fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol use and physical activity as part of the study as well as comparing measures of mental health. They found that on both counts women were more negatively affected by the pandemic than their male counterparts. The study found women reported fewer days of fruit consumption and smaller reductions in alcohol intake during the Covid pandemic. READ MORE: Psychological distress increased for both women and men during the pandemic, with women experiencing a greater rise. And the link between health behaviours and mental health weakened for women during the pandemic, with a healthy lifestyle no longer showing a significant connection to mental health. In contrast, these relationships remained consistent for men. Prior to the pandemic, health behaviours offered greater protective benefits for women's mental health, but during the pandemic, this protective effect became stronger for men. Professor Paul McNamee who led the research at the University of Aberdeen said: 'We found that women reported poorer overall changes in health behaviours than men during the pandemic. Specifically, women reported fewer days of fruit consumption and smaller reductions in alcohol intake. We also found that psychological distress increased for both women and men during the pandemic, with women experiencing a greater rise.' Professor Paul McNamee led the research at the University of Aberdeen (Image: University of Aberdeen) Dr Karen Arulsamy from Duke-NUS Medical School said: 'The adverse changes in women's health behaviours compared to men persist through to May 2023, suggesting longer-term effects were likely worsened by financial pressures during this period. It's important we keep tracking these trends.' Dr Silvia Mendolia from the University of Turin said: "Our study also shows that the pandemic considerably weakened the protective effect of health behaviours on mental health for women but not for men. For women, adopting a healthy lifestyle was strongly correlated with mental health before the pandemic, but this relationship was no longer significant during the pandemic." Professor McNamee concludes: 'Although conducted using data before and during the pandemic, these findings still have relevance today – they suggest that at times of heightened stress, women from lower socio-economic backgrounds with caregiving responsibilities that limit their ability to maintain levels of social engagement face more challenges in engaging in healthier behaviours. Therefore, targeted interventions such as social prescribing, accessible through referral from primary care providers and other voluntary agencies, could be made more widely available.' The research was funded by a research award from the Scottish Government Rural & Environmental Science and Analytical Services' (RESAS) Strategic Research Programme 2022-27. Financial support was also provided by the University of Aberdeen and the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health & Social Care Directorates.
Mint
18-06-2025
- Science
- Mint
Why are girls still falling behind in maths?
FOR DECADES a big story in education has been the ascent of girls. They now outperform boys in most subjects, leave school with better grades and are more likely to get a university degree. But one subject remains a problem: across much of the world, girls lag behind in mathematics. That pushes girls away from certain careers and drags down their future earnings. A new study from France shows just how early the problem starts. Published on June 11th in Nature, a scientific journal, it tracked the performance of 2.6m children who took the EvalAide, a half-yearly battery of tests. That gave the researchers a consistent measure of academic progress over one year from the start of school (around age six). There was no clear difference at the beginning of the school year: there were slightly more boys among both the top and bottom performers, and girls clustered in the middle (see chart 1). But after just four months a gender gap emerged. By the next year there were twice as many boys as girls in the top 5%. This trend held steady across state and private schools, and in every academic year between 2018 and 2021. The gender gap was wider among children from higher-income families and, curiously, was especially pronounced in families where both parents are scientists. What happened? Pauline Martinot, the lead author and a medical doctor with a background in neurodevelopment and global health, says the divergence is not driven by ability but by anxiety. Maths, she says, is usually taught and tested competitively and under time pressure—conditions that girls have been taught to fear. Other studies back this up. Women and girls often perform worse on timed or competitive maths tests. Stereotypes that boys are naturally better with numbers can make the problem worse, by undermining teachers' confidence in girls or girls' confidence in themselves. Such assumptions can come from parents, too. Dr Martinot suspects the effect is strongest in well-off families where parents may be more involved in their children's learning, and thus more likely to pass those views on. The study is the first of its kind to show how quickly schooling introduces this divergence. And the findings have relevance beyond France. Of the 73 countries tracked by the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries, only 22 report better maths scores for girls than for boys. Italy has the widest such gap in the rich world (see chart 2), which has prompted researchers there to look for solutions. One study in 2024 by economists at the University of Turin found that learning in small groups focused on solving problems together cut the gender gap by 40%. Crucially, girls' scores improved without hurting those of boys. Different testing might also help. Women and girls often perform better on maths tests when competitive or time pressures are removed. Whether collaborative learning beats more traditional methods is a hot debate in education circles. But the new study's findings suggest that girls are not doomed to lag behind boys when it comes to numbers. Just four months of schooling can result in a striking gender gap. Using different methods, teachers might be able to close that gap in a similarly short amount of time. © 2025, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Mysterious mummy with face tattoos STILL visible after 800yrs found & scientists are baffled by the ink that was used
LONG lost tattoos have been discovered on the face of an 800-year-old South American woman whose remains were donated to an Italian museum nearly a century ago. While humans have been inking ourselves for millennia, according to researchers, the tattoos on this mysterious mummy are unique in several ways. 3 A minimalist but uncommon three-line design has been found on her cheeks Credit: Mangiapane et al, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2025 3 The left cheek was not as well preserved as the right, but there are signs of a tattoo Credit: Mangiapane et al, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2025 A team of anthropologists and archeologists, led by Gianluigi Mangiapane from the University of Turin in Italy, found unique tattoo designs on the mummy, which had been unusually well preserved. The mummification process has darkened her skin, making the tattoos harder to see. But with an array of imaging techniques, researchers have been able to get a better picture of the unique designs. A minimalist but uncommon three-line design has been found on her cheeks - with the design on the right cheek being better preserved than the one on the right. READ MORE ON ARCHAEOLOGY Cheek tattoos are rarely discovered - or are easily missed - "due to difficulties in finding preserved skin," according to researchers. "The three detected lines of tattooing are relatively unique: in general, skin marks on the face are rare among the groups of the ancient Andean region and even rarer on the cheeks," they wrote in their study, published in An S-shaped tattoo has also been found on one of her wrists - a common placement for tattoos among South American cultures the time. The ink that was used is also pretty unique - consisting of magnetite , a black, metallic, and magnetic iron ore , instead of the usual charcoal. Most read in Science The mummy may therefore present "possibly [the] first evidence" of magnetite used for tattooing in the past in South America. The body was found in a sitting position with no accompanying funerary wrappings, ornaments, or grave goods. Shock footage reveals moment a medieval mummy is seized in house raid But her black hair was well preserved by natural dehydration, while a few pieces of fabric were stuck to the surface of the body. Researchers believe the textiles could be from long lost animal fibres wrappings or bundles. It's unclear where the mummy came from, due to relatively shoddy museum records in the past century. Her remains were donated to the Italian Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in 1931, with nearly no context besides the donors name. Filed only under 'South American artifacts', the age of the remains, and where they came from, have remained a mystery until now. Researchers were able to date the remains to from 1215 CE to 1382 CE. And there are also some hints as to her origins. The way her body was seated in an upright position suggests a preservation technique known as 'fardo'. The body would have been wrapped tightly in this position with many layers of fabric and then tied in a bundle - a common funerary practice in Paracas culture, of the Andean region on the south coast of 3 An archive photograph from 1930 showing the mummified body in a museum showcase, alongside other human remains Credit: Mangiapane et al, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2025
Scottish Sun
22-05-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Mysterious mummy with face tattoos STILL visible after 800yrs found & scientists are baffled by the ink that was used
Cheek tattoos are rarely discovered - or are easily missed - "due to difficulties in finding preserved skin," according to researchers TAT'S AMAZING Mysterious mummy with face tattoos STILL visible after 800yrs found & scientists are baffled by the ink that was used Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LONG lost tattoos have been discovered on the face of an 800-year-old South American woman whose remains were donated to an Italian museum nearly a century ago. While humans have been inking ourselves for millennia, according to researchers, the tattoos on this mysterious mummy are unique in several ways. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 A minimalist but uncommon three-line design has been found on her cheeks Credit: Mangiapane et al, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2025 3 The left cheek was not as well preserved as the right, but there are signs of a tattoo Credit: Mangiapane et al, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2025 A team of anthropologists and archeologists, led by Gianluigi Mangiapane from the University of Turin in Italy, found unique tattoo designs on the mummy, which had been unusually well preserved. The mummification process has darkened her skin, making the tattoos harder to see. But with an array of imaging techniques, researchers have been able to get a better picture of the unique designs. A minimalist but uncommon three-line design has been found on her cheeks - with the design on the right cheek being better preserved than the one on the right. READ MORE ON ARCHAEOLOGY GATES OF HELL Mysterious giant pink DOOR 'to the underworld' found in 4,400 year old tomb Cheek tattoos are rarely discovered - or are easily missed - "due to difficulties in finding preserved skin," according to researchers. "The three detected lines of tattooing are relatively unique: in general, skin marks on the face are rare among the groups of the ancient Andean region and even rarer on the cheeks," they wrote in their study, published in Journal of Cultural Heritage. An S-shaped tattoo has also been found on one of her wrists - a common placement for tattoos among South American cultures the time. The ink that was used is also pretty unique - consisting of magnetite, a black, metallic, and magnetic iron ore, instead of the usual charcoal. The mummy may therefore present "possibly [the] first evidence" of magnetite used for tattooing in the past in South America. The body was found in a sitting position with no accompanying funerary wrappings, ornaments, or grave goods. Shock footage reveals moment a medieval mummy is seized in house raid But her black hair was well preserved by natural dehydration, while a few pieces of fabric were stuck to the surface of the body. Researchers believe the textiles could be from long lost animal fibres wrappings or bundles. It's unclear where the mummy came from, due to relatively shoddy museum records in the past century. Her remains were donated to the Italian Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in 1931, with nearly no context besides the donors name. Filed only under 'South American artifacts', the age of the remains, and where they came from, have remained a mystery until now. Researchers were able to date the remains to from 1215 CE to 1382 CE. And there are also some hints as to her origins. The way her body was seated in an upright position suggests a preservation technique known as 'fardo'. The body would have been wrapped tightly in this position with many layers of fabric and then tied in a bundle - a common funerary practice in Paracas culture, of the Andean region on the south coast of Peru.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Plants produce more nectar when they ‘hear' bees buzzing, scientists find
Plants can 'hear' bees buzzing and serve up more nectar when they are nearby, scientists have found. The research suggests that plants are a more active partner than previously thought in their symbiotic relationship with pollinators. The behaviour could be a survival strategy that favours giving nectar and sugar to bees over so-called nectar robbers that do not offer plants any reproductive benefits. 'There is growing evidence that both insects and plants can sense and produce, or transmit, vibro-acoustic signals,' said Prof Francesca Barbero, a zoologist at the University of Turin, who led the research. The findings add to the 'truly astonishing' multitude of ways that plants can perceive their surroundings, including the presence of beneficial and harmful insects, temperature, drought and wind, Barbero added. In future, the team suggested, buzzing noises could be used on farms as an environmentally friendly way of enhancing the pollination of crops. The scientists are not yet sure how the plants might be listening in. They could rely on mechanoreceptors, cells that respond to mechanical stimulation such as touch, pressure or vibrations. 'Plants do not have a brain, but they can sense the environment and respond accordingly,' said Barbero. After observing that bees and competing insects have distinct vibrational signals that are used in mating and other forms of communication, Barbero and her collaborators set out to investigate whether plants detected these signals. They played recordings near snapdragons of the buzzing sounds produced by snail-shell bees (Rhodanthidium sticticum), which are efficient snapdragon pollinators, comparing the plants' response to sounds produced by a non-pollinating wasp and ambient sounds. The researchers found that in response to the snail-shell bee noises, the snapdragons increased the volume of nectar and its sugar content and showed altered expression in genes that govern sugar transport and nectar production. This could be an evolutionary adaptation to coax the pollinators into spending more time at the flowers. 'The ability to discriminate approaching pollinators based on their distinctive vibro-acoustic signals could be an adaptive strategy for plants,' said Barbero. While it is clear that buzzing sounds can trigger nectar production, the scientists are now looking into whether sounds from plants are being used actively to draw in suitable pollinators. They are also testing whether the plant responses enhanced the attraction for all flower visitors – including nectar robbers – or only the best pollinators. 'Our hypothesis is that the changes in nectar we observed after treating the plants with the sounds of the best pollinators specifically increase the attraction of this particular species (Rhodanthidium sticticum),' said Barbero. 'However, to confirm this, we need to conduct choice tests to assess how different nectar concentrations attract various species. 'If this response from insects is confirmed, sounds could be used to treat economically relevant plants and crops, and increase their pollinators' attraction,' she said. The findings were presented on Wednesday at the joint 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and 25th International Congress on Acoustics in New Orleans.
