Littering is a global issue with serious environmental and economic impacts. But, what drives people to act responsibly?

Sonny Rosenthal from Singapore Management University and Pengya Ai, a PhD student from Nanyang Technological University are interested in how social norms shape pro-environmental behaviour. Their research reveals how descriptive norms (what people do) and injunctive norms (what people should do) interact with personal responsibility, challenging assumptions about collective action and the bystander effect. The findings offer a new framework for understanding how individuals respond to social cues, and how policy can use these vital insights.

Read the original research: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60047-0

Green innovation is often seen as the key to sustainable growth. But, not all eco-technologies deliver the same results.

Cheng Qiang from Singapore Management University examines how pollution prevention and pollution control impact firms’ profitability and environmental performance, revealing why prevention strategies offer greater financial and environmental returns.

Read the original research: doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2024.101706

Can CRISPR help build a unified platform for biological discovery?

Dr Kaivalya Shevade from the Laboratory for Genomics Research (UCSF) is developing new CRISPR-based screening methods to map gene networks, understand drug resistance, and track neuronal activity in disease.

The research team’s innovations, including the CAT-ATAC assay and the Plexus machine learning model, show how combining biology with computation could accelerate the search for new treatments.

Read the original research: doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.11.637716

How does financial transparency affect how CEO’s themselves are paid?

Young Jun Cho and Hojun Seo investigate how the introduction of SFAS 131, requiring companies to report performance by business segments, impacts equity-based compensation. Their research reveals that more granular disclosure reduces the need for stock-based incentives, especially in firms with weak internal oversight, but strong external scrutiny. The findings show how reporting rules can act as powerful tools of corporate governance, reshaping executive behaviour and investor influence.

Read the original research: doi.org/10.1111/1911-3846.12928

10 years is a long time in politics. In 2015, Javier Milei was a professor of economics making occasional appearances on Argentinian TV programmes. Today, he is more commonly seen wielding prop chainsaws as Argentina's Libertarian president.

Dr Sara Garcia Santamaria of the University of Bristol speaks with as again about masculinity, memeability, and Milei's version of and populism through the lens of Carnivale. After all, what's a strongman without a circus?

Find more of Dr Santamaria's work on ResearchGate

Listen to her previous episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/582022/17469780

Changing political tides across the globe are inextricably linked to the use of social media and internet based messaging. But something as simple as a photo of your lunch can't be part of the same spin... Right?

Dr Sara Garcia Santa Maria from the University of Bristol joins us to discuss her research into diet, culture and social media among populist politicians.

Read the original article: https://doi.org/10.51698/tripodos.2020.49p129-149

Posing with the People: Food Porn and the Far-Right in a Post-Truth Era. In Contois, E. and Kish, X. (Eds.). #Food Instagram: Identity, Influence, and Negotiation. https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=58mye9fd9780252044465

It is increasingly proclaimed that the world is in a polycrisis, a term and set of assumptions which have become a moniker for our times; a moment where multiple crises converge, requiring urgent attention and a future-focused solution.

For influential organisations the polycrisis concept makes problems of uncertainty accessible to foresight-informed solutions. Yet foresight frames frequently foreclose the kinds of futures knowledge delivered and sustain a consultancy-led futures industry.

Join Sarah Pink, Laureate Professor and Director of the Emerging Technologies Lab and FUTURES Hub at Monash University and Susan Halford, Co-director of the ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures as they discuss the polycrisis, foresight and the role of futures research in addressing challenges facing society.

This podcast is brought to you by the Centre for Sociodigital Futures – a flagship research centre, funded by the ESRC and led by the University of Bristol in collaboration with 12 other Universities in the UK and globally. The support of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is gratefully acknowledged.

Professor Marcus du Sautoy, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, has been long credited for his efforts to popularise science – particularly mathematics and related subjects.

Here, he discusses his motivation for popularising mathematics and the balance between his academic research and public engagement, and explores the challenges and goals of democratising science.

Emphasising the importance of informed decision-making on complex issues like artificial intelligence, energy, and even music, du Sautoy has a wide-ranging array of expertise which he intends to share with the public.

Read more in Research Features