SOC

A major global study has found that women suffer more pain than men across the whole body, with researchers examining pain levels around the world and across the human lifespan. The steepest rise in the pain gap occurs at a particular stage of life. The findings are prompting discussion about how pain is experienced and treated differently between the sexes.

A crowdfunding appeal is circulating calling for donations to help Hilen and his sister pay for their university education. The campaign has raised €131 of its €500 target and organisers are urging people to share and donate, saying the appeal is stalling. The fundraiser is listed on a verification site for people in Gaza seeking support.

A University of Connecticut social work researcher, Zhao, is examining how telehealth can expand substance use treatment in rural areas, where access to care is often limited by distance and provider shortages. The work focuses on how policy and technology can be aligned to make remote treatment services practical and sustainable for rural communities facing ongoing addiction challenges.

Turkish publishing house Yediiklim Yayıncılık has released five practice tests for citizenship as part of a general review for the associate degree (önlisans) secondary education exam. The material is aimed at candidates preparing for Turkey's national university entrance track for associate degree programs, offering worked questions and general revision. Students are engaging with the practice sets as exam preparation season draws attention to study resources.

The American Heart Association is lobbying on health, tobacco and nutrition issues. The advocacy push centers on policies the group says affect heart health, including tobacco control and nutrition standards. Details of specific bills or positions have not been spelled out, so the scope of the lobbying effort remains limited to the group's stated focus areas of health, tobacco and nutrition.

South Korean broadcaster JTBC's crime programme reports on a golf professional described as a 'socialite', with a headline teasing a confession and the revelation of the person's 'shocking true identity'. The story is drawing wide attention among Korean audiences, though no further details about the individual or the alleged wrongdoing are provided in the available reporting.

A passage from philosopher Alan Watts's essay "The Unpreachable Religion" is recirculating, in which he argues that American civilization is not materialistic but anti-materialistic. Watts contends that, unintentionally, American society is devoted not to survival but to the destruction of life, inverting the usual criticism that the United States worships material things.

Financial outlet 24/7 Wall St. has laid out a strategy for building roughly $2,750 a month in dividend income, matching the average Social Security check, starting with no existing portfolio. The piece outlines how regular investing in dividend-paying stocks could eventually replace or supplement retirement benefits, a topic resonating with savers worried about the long-term future of Social Security.

A commentary circulating online urges anyone who cares about democracy and society, regardless of political affiliation, to fight back through their due attention. The author argues that people privileged enough to have a few dollars to spare can create real impact by directing even small amounts of spending toward that cause. The post drew modest engagement, with a handful of likes, and reflects a broader mood of civic mobilisation and concern about democratic erosion.

The question of whether social media is bad for democracy is being raised again in commentary and discussion. Critics argue the platforms amplify misinformation and polarise voters, while defenders point to their role in spreading information and enabling civic participation. The debate remains unsettled, with researchers continuing to weigh the platforms' effects on elections and public discourse.

The European Union Drugs Agency has launched a new civil society platform focused on drugs policy. The initiative is intended to bring civil society organisations into dialogue with the agency on drug-related issues across Europe. Further details about the platform's membership, structure and first activities have not yet been made widely available.

A discussion is examining Binance and how the world's largest crypto exchange connects to wider questions about billionaires, authoritarian politics, and the role of crypto and AI in concentrating power. Commenters are weighing the exchange's regulatory record and the broader political economy of digital assets.

Discussion in Italy focuses on the assegno sociale, the state social allowance for low-income pensioners, ahead of 2027. With inflation projected around 4.2%, payments are expected to increase from January under the usual pension indexation rules. Financial commentary is weighing how large the adjustment will be and what it means for retirees' purchasing power.

New attention is on why some Social Security recipients receive a payment or benefit worth roughly $62,000 while others receive far less. The disparity reportedly comes down to factors such as lifetime earnings, the age at which benefits are claimed, and program rules that determine benefit amounts. The item has prompted discussion about how unevenly the system's payouts work for retirees with different work histories.

Novonesis is drawing attention in nutrition industry coverage for its work on human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and biotics in infant nutrition, including how social media shapes discussion around infant feeding. The company, formed from the merger of Chr. Hansen and Novozymes, develops biosolutions for the food and health sector. Commentary centres on how these ingredients may support infant health and how online conversation influences parent choices.

The film 'The Social Reckoning' held its premiere in New York City. Little verified detail is available beyond news coverage of the event itself, and reactions from attendees or critics are not yet documented. The premiere marks the film's arrival in the public eye as press and industry attention turn to its release.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced Reece Feldman as its official social media ambassador and red carpet correspondent for the 99th Oscars season. Feldman, a social media personality known for entertainment and awards season content, will create behind-the-scenes coverage leading up to the ceremony.

The University of Rhode Island is offering a doctoral programme in Computational Social Science, a field that combines data science, statistics and programming with the study of human behaviour and society. The degree aims to train researchers who can analyse large-scale social data, and it highlights growing demand for interdisciplinary training at the intersection of the social sciences and computing.

The Robot Talk podcast is inviting listeners to submit questions ahead of an upcoming conversation with Zlatka, a researcher working on flexible electronics for robots. The host is asking what audiences would most like to know about the field, which covers bendable circuits and soft materials that could let robots move and sense more naturally. Followers are being encouraged to send questions in before the interview is recorded.