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Social Sciences

The end of a conflict marks only the beginning of a restoration period. Image credit - Fernand and Cuville, public domain
social sciences
19 March 2018

Peacebuilding in conflict zones demands people-centric approach

The challenge of how to rebuild society following conflict is a difficult question that arises all too frequently, but recent studies have demonstrated that putting people at the centre of the process and enabling cooperation on politically neutral issues can help build peace.

Dr Margarete van Ess says that educating people on the importance of cultural heritage can help preserve it. Image credit: I. Wagner, German Archaeological Institute
social sciences | interview
13 March 2018

War can destroy cultural heritage twice – in conflict and in clean-up

People can inadvertently destroy cultural heritage for a second time when cleaning up conflict sites after a war ends, according to archaeologist Dr Margarete van Ess, who says that databases and education are the best basis for safeguarding sites for the future.

Geographically defined products such as Parma ham help to assess the social and cultural value of a landscape. Image credit - Pxhere/1165797, licensed under CC0 Creative Commons
environment | social sciences
06 March 2018

Ancient farming techniques could help mitigate climate change effects

High technology is being deployed to uncover long-forgotten irrigation systems and other features concealed in landscapes that farmers developed hundreds of years ago to nurture their land.

Scientists believe that rock art sites were chosen for their visual and acoustic properties. Image credit - Curt Harrell
social sciences
01 March 2018

Shelters with echoes thought to be preferred sites for prehistoric rock art

The acoustic qualities of a rock shelter may have been a key factor in its selection as a site for rock art and indicate a spiritual significance to the practice, according to a recent study, while scientists are also looking into whether some caves were chosen as artistic sites because of the view.

Teleworking can make people happier and more productive, but can also lead to feelings of isolation and job fatigue if implemented badly. Image credit - Pxhere, licensed under CC0 1.0
social sciences
26 February 2018

Working from home could make you happier – especially if you're married

Married people who work from home report feeling happier than they were before doing so, and the reason could be that it allows for a fairer distribution of chores, according to a scientist studying the impact of teleworking on wellbeing.

Prof. Seán Ó Riain has been studying how workplaces have changed since 1995. Image credit - Maynooth University
interview | social sciences
21 February 2018

Era of flexible work requires new universal services – Prof. Seán Ó Riain

The future of work is here – and it’s defined by flexibility, autonomy and pressure, according to Prof. Seán Ó Riain from Maynooth University, Ireland, who has been studying how workplaces have changed since 1995. He says we need to rethink public services to help people balance work and family in this new era.

Lifelong learning opportunities can prolong your working life, according to researchers. Image credit - Pxhere
social sciences
01 February 2018

Early career decisions could affect when you retire

Policies to extend working life should not exclusively focus on older people as the decision on when to retire is influenced by the course of a person's career, according to researchers investigating the factors affecting how long people work.

Photography studios in Nepal use aspirational backdrops, such as an idealised landscape, to allow people to shed their day-to-day identities and imagine a different life. Image credit - Prof. Christopher Pinney/ PhotoDemos
social sciences
25 January 2018

Picturing the political imagination

Nepal’s 10-year civil war ended in 2006 but it still looms large in the political consciousness. Now, a new collection of photographs is exploring how people use the medium to express their political identities and their dreams for the future.

Scientists have unearthed photographs taken in countries including China during third plague pandemic, which killed 12 million people between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. Credit - Centre for the Study of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh/ reference number GB 237 CSWC47/LS8/45
health | social sciences
16 January 2018

Skeleton teeth and historical photography are retelling the story of the plague

New portraits of the evolution of some of history’s deadliest pandemics have been created through analysis of thousands of skeletons and new collections of historical photographs - and the results could indicate how similar diseases may evolve in the future.

Aggression is common in all animals and can help preserve the species. Image credit - Pixabay/ Gellinger
social sciences
05 December 2017

Lifting the red mist with research on aggression

For most people a bit of healthy aggression can give them a competitive edge, but in some it can spill over into violence and now scientists are hoping to unravel why.

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