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Showing posts from May, 2017

Dads show gender biases, in both brain responses and behaviors toward toddlers

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�Our study provides one of the richest datasets for fathers now available,� says Emory neuroscientist Jennifer Mascaro.  (Stock image)  By Carol Clark A toddler�s gender influences the brain responses as well as the behavior of fathers � from how attentive they are to their child, to the types of language that they use and the play that they engage in, a new study by Emory University finds. The journal Behavioral Neuroscience published the study, the first to combine brain scans of fathers with behavioral data collected as fathers interacted with their children in a real-world setting. One of the more striking behavioral differences was the level of attention given a child. �When a child cried out or asked for Dad, fathers of daughters responded to that more than did fathers of sons,� says Jennifer Mascaro, who led the research as a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Emory anthropologist James Rilling , senior author of the study. �We should be aware of how unconscious notions of gende

Climate change is in Atlanta's air

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"We're all partly responsible for our local air quality," says Emory graduating senior Emily Li. "Even if we don't hold ourselves accountable, our health will." (Emory Photo/Video) By Carol Clark Emory 2017 graduate Emily Li is leaving Atlanta this summer, but her student research will continue to have a presence here. For her undergraduate thesis, Li investigated the effects of shifting weather patterns on the air quality of Atlanta and the region � and how that relates to human health. She�s compiled her findings into a web site, Climate Change is in the Air , as a resource for local residents.  �The web site explains some of the science involved, but it�s not just statistics,� Li says. �It also tells stories of real people. I wanted to put faces on these complex, scientific processes and explain how individuals are being directly affected by climate change, right now.� In addition to science and stories from real people, the site offers solutions � what