Society & Community

Traces of a psychoactive compound has been found in the dental plaque of a woman buried 4,000 years ago, making it the earliest direct chemical evidence of humans chewing betel nut – the world's fourth biggest drug, after tobacco, caffeine and alcohol.

A study comparing people in monogamous relationships with those in non-monogamous ones has found that both types are on par insofar as satisfaction is concerned. It suggests the need for greater recognition of and respect for diverse relationships.

Americans aged 25-65 years are dying at far higher rates than their peers from other high-income countries, even surpassing death rates in Central and Eastern Europe. A new study examines what's caused the three-decade rise in midlife mortality.

Preliminary measles surveillance data released by the WHO has revealed a stark surge in global cases over the first three months of 2019. The data indicates measles cases are 300 percent higher than at the same time in 2018, with major outbreaks currently occurring in a dozen different countries.

​A new study from UC Berkeley investigated the relationship between poor sleep and loneliness finding people tend to withdraw and avoid social interaction after even a single night’s disrupted sleep, and what's more, those feelings could be contagious.

​Is loneliness a silent killer? Things like obesity and smoking are well established and clear contributors to the risk of premature mortality, but according to a new study, the impacts of chronic social isolation may pose a similar threat.

In rich societies, poorer people have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. Likewise, large inequalities of income are often regarded