# economics

New research indicates that indifference to truth can be more persuasive than outright lying, complicating counter-misinformation efforts and public trust strategies. Concurrent studies link sedentary media habits and biochemical waste buildup to cognitive risks, while GLP-1 therapies and unionization economics highlight how institutions and treatments can shift real-world outcomes.

The convergence of political disruption and funding erosion is destabilizing the scientific and public health sectors, with experts warning of cascading effects on research, workforce, and patient care. Structural inequalities are deepening as policy shifts undermine expert-driven systems and delay critical advancements. Despite these challenges, innovation and advocacy for systemic reform are gaining momentum, signaling resilience within the scientific community.

Across biology, behavior, economics, and cybersecurity, researchers emphasized how mechanisms translate into practical interventions and where trust must be earned. Findings spotlight later school start times, adult neurogenesis, insulin–dopamine interactions, and measurement gaps in consumer microbiome tests, Wi‑Fi defenses, and wildfire carbon accounting.

Cross-disciplinary research flags material macroeconomic risks from incremental warming while surfacing urgent health and care-market concerns. New evidence links adolescent cannabis use to a twofold increase in psychotic and bipolar disorders, and an unregulated ADHD coaching market commands median rates near $150 per hour amid questions on quality and access. Advances in high-temperature energy storage and insights into sleep's mitochondrial protection highlight the stakes for innovation and long-term resilience.

New peer-reviewed analyses challenge faith in simple incentives and quantify escalating climate risks, while researchers flag AI-driven overconfidence and limits to ultra‑HD's real-world value. Evidence-backed actions—from accelerating electric vehicle adoption to modest diet and habit changes—show where policy and behavior can move the needle despite cognitive and structural headwinds.

Across health, ecology, and social decision-making, rigorous datasets are overturning assumptions and revealing actionable risks. New results span sleep aids among young adults, acute cognitive effects of screens, and demographic alarms in North Atlantic dolphins, while evidence on early-life stress and cessation fatigue links adversity to chronic disease and relapse. These insights show how data-guided narratives recalibrate personal behavior, public policy, and financial orthodoxy.

Despite promising scientific discoveries in medicine and mental health, public discourse centers on skepticism about real-world impact and systemic resistance to change. Key discussions expose mismatches between expert advice and public perception, especially regarding aging, housing, and chronic health risks. These insights highlight urgent gaps in translating innovation into meaningful societal progress.

This week in r/science, the community spotlighted groundbreaking medical innovations, explored the impact of social and economic systems on well-being, and confronted the realities of human perception and vulnerability. Across all topics, one theme stands out: scientific progress is inseparable from the social context in which it unfolds.