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  1. Got the Jolla Phone I pre-ordered ages ago, and it's pretty much what I expected – some nice ideas and fairly solid hardware. But boy does it massively validate Apple's decision to launch the iPhone with a really solid software keyboard; typing on this thing is miserable because there is no autocorrext. Naturally, there's a forum thread full of people who think that adding autocorrect would be somehow immoral and a sign of American technological excess, but I suspect these people are all single finger touchscreen typing in the year of our gourd 2026

    #jolla #sailfishos

  2. Région – Manifestation du 17 octobre à Nancy : trois étudiants condamnés à des peines de prison

    Trois étudiants âgés de 18 à 21 ans ont été condamnés lundi 26 octobre par le tribunal correctionnel…
    #Nancy #FR #France #Actu #News #Europe #EU #actu #Actualités #europe #GrandEst #Républiquefrançaise
    europesays.com/fr/1269217/

  3. I am disappointed in you all. I've been tooting with occasional hashtags for ages and no-one else has entered. So I'm going to make this an actual championship, with an actual prize.

    You have until the end of November to toot something in public with that tag. I shall apply arbitrary rules to pick the best one, and will send the winner £20 via Paypal or some other method which is convenient for me.

  4. New book: "A Kind of Spark" by Elle McNicoll. Kidlit (marketed as appropriate for ages 11 and above) with an autistic protagonist navigating life at school, friendships and bullies, while being helped by her older sister - who is also autistic!

    Autistic folks helping each other out, sounds very good. Also maybe something my kids can read some day.

    (Recommended by @irina 💙)

    #AKindOfSpark #Books2026

  5. minenest.com/794202/ Starsand Island Promises To Be A New Life-Sim For The Ages – CGMagazine #StarsandIsland

  6. Columbus queer youth choir welcomes audiences to Night Vale with Halloween concert on 10/31

    The Columbus Queerscendos celebrates youth ages of 13-17 with all levels of musical experi...

    #columbus-queerscendos #gay-ohio #lgbt-ohio #lgbtq-ohio #transgender-ohio #youth

    thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/10/24

  7. Dan Vega: a small classification model costs a fraction of a big model's tokens. It was only LLMs for ages. Full episode: youtube.com/live/Oa3w-NkHfZg #AI #Java

  8. DATE: October 27, 2026 at 06:00AM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: Limiting sugar in the first 1,000 days of life is associated with later dementia onset, study finds

    URL: psypost.org/limiting-sugar-in-

    Limiting exposure to added sugar in the womb and during the first two years of life is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia decades later, according to a new study published in Neurology. By examining adults born around the end of post-World War II food rationing in the United Kingdom, researchers found that early-life sugar restriction corresponded with delayed dementia onset, healthier brain structure, and better scores on some cognitive tests in their 60s. The findings suggest that nutritional conditions during the earliest stages of human development may play a lasting role in how the brain ages.

    Dementia is an umbrella term for progressive neurological conditions that impair memory, thinking, and the ability to perform everyday activities. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease, which involves the gradual breakdown of brain cells and the buildup of abnormal proteins, followed by vascular dementia, which occurs when reduced blood flow damages brain tissue. Although lifestyle habits in middle and old age are well-known factors in cognitive decline, growing evidence points to the importance of the “first 1,000 days” of life, the developmental window spanning from conception to a child’s second birthday.

    During this early period, the brain undergoes rapid growth, forming neural connections and building the structural foundation for lifelong thinking and memory. High sugar intake during pregnancy and infancy may disrupt this process by triggering inflammation or interfering with how cells respond to insulin. For instance, research covered by PsyPost in 2016 indicated that rats fed sugary drinks early in life developed changes in the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped brain region essential for memory, that resembled the biological effects of early-life stress. In humans, observational studies have similarly linked higher maternal sugar consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding to altered brain tissue organization in newborns and slightly lower cognitive scores in young children.

    Studying how infant diets affect human brain aging is difficult because tracking people from birth into their 70s rarely happens in controlled experiments. To overcome this challenge, scientists have turned to a historical policy shift in the United Kingdom: the end of wartime sugar rationing. Introduced in July 1942 during World War II, the rationing system strictly limited added sugar and sweets to levels comparable to modern dietary guidelines while keeping overall calories and basic nutrients sufficient, unlike historical famines that caused severe starvation. When the British government abruptly ended sugar rationing in September 1953, national sugar consumption jumped by more than 50 percent, even as total calorie intake rose by only about 5 percent and other food groups remained relatively stable.

    Researchers have used this sudden dietary shift to examine how early sugar limits relate to adult health, starting with a 2024 study by another team that linked rationing exposure during the first 1,000 days to lower adult rates of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Extending this approach to respiratory health, a study covered by PsyPost in 2025 found that rationing exposure during pregnancy and infancy was tied to better adult lung capacity and lower rates of asthma. In the realm of mental health, a 2026 cohort study of British adults found that experiencing sugar rationing across the first 1,000 days of life was associated with a reduced preference for sweet foods and a lower risk of adult depression and anxiety.

    Building on this line of inquiry, the new study was led by Jiazhen Zheng, an assistant professor at the School of Life and Health Sciences at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology in China, who also led the 2025 lung-health study. Zheng conducted the research at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) alongside co-corresponding author S. W. Ricky Lee of the same institution and their colleagues, examining whether early sugar restriction also relates to long-term dementia risk, brain structure, and cognitive ability in older age.

    “While growing evidence suggests that early-life nutrition can shape long-term health, remarkably little is known about whether sugar exposure during this period is associated with dementia many decades later,” Zheng told PsyPost. “We were particularly interested in addressing this knowledge gap because most dementia prevention research focuses on risk factors in middle and older age. The end of sugar rationing in the United Kingdom in September 1953 provided a unique natural experiment to investigate this question.”

    The researchers analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a large health study that recruited middle-aged and older British adults between 2006 and 2010. Starting with 74,213 participants born between 1951 and 1956, the team excluded 6,582 people born outside the United Kingdom, 2,424 from multiple births such as twins or triplets, 79 adoptees, 208 people already diagnosed with dementia at recruitment, and 108 who withdrew from the project. This left a final sample of 64,737 adults who were an average of 54.6 years old at enrollment, 56.4 percent of whom were women.

    Using each person’s birth date relative to the September 1953 policy change, the authors sorted participants into groups reflecting how long they experienced sugar rationing during their first 1,000 days from conception. In total, 40,963 participants experienced rationing: 10,682 were exposed in the womb only, 15,025 were exposed in the womb plus up to one year after birth, and 15,256 were exposed in the womb plus one to two years after birth. The remaining 23,774 participants were born after July 1, 1954, meaning they were conceived after rationing ended and grew up in an environment of unrestricted sugar.

    The team tracked hospital admissions and death registries through July 1, 2023, to identify new diagnoses of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and vascular dementia. To account for other differences between the groups, the statistical models controlled for age, sex, race, birthplace, birth month, inflation-adjusted food prices, average national fat intake at birth, maternal smoking, breastfeeding, and parental dementia history. The researchers also adjusted for adult household income, neighborhood socioeconomic status, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and chronic illnesses such as heart, kidney, and liver disease.

    In addition to tracking dementia diagnoses, the authors examined a subset of more than 7,500 participants who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans at an average age of 61.8 years, alongside roughly 6,400 to 20,600 participants who completed computerized cognitive assessments. These brain scans measured total brain volume, gray matter (the outer layer of brain tissue rich in nerve cell bodies), white matter (the deeper nerve fibers that connect different brain regions), the hippocampus, and white matter hyperintensities, which are bright spots on a scan that indicate small blood vessel damage and tissue wear.

    Building on the 2024 research linking rationing to metabolic and vascular health, the team also tested whether adult type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure explained the link between early sugar restriction and dementia, and they checked two conditions considered unlikely to be affected by early sugar intake, type 1 diabetes and melanoma (a form of skin cancer), as negative controls.

    Over the follow-up period, 504 out of 23,774 unexposed participants (about 2.1 percent) were diagnosed with all-cause dementia, including 227 cases of Alzheimer’s disease (about 1.0 percent) and 178 cases of vascular dementia (about 0.75 percent). In raw numbers, the rationed groups had slightly higher dementia rates, largely because they were born earlier and were more than two years older on average than the unexposed group, with 251 dementia cases among the 10,682 people rationed only in the womb (about 2.3 percent), 388 cases among the 15,025 people rationed through age one (about 2.6 percent), and 456 cases among the 15,256 people rationed for one to two years (about 3.0 percent). Once the researchers adjusted for age and other background variables, the rationed groups showed a lower risk of developing dementia at any given age, though the association for those exposed only in the womb was smaller and not statistically significant.

    Compared with adults who never experienced rationing, those exposed to sugar rationing in the womb plus their first year of life had a 21 percent lower hazard (the rate at which new cases appear at a given age) of developing all-cause dementia and a 23 percent lower hazard of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The association was slightly stronger for those exposed in the womb plus one to two years after birth, who showed a 23 percent lower hazard of all-cause dementia and a 28 percent lower hazard of Alzheimer’s disease.

    For vascular dementia, the estimates pointed in a similar direction, though the results were not statistically significant. Looking at the timing of diagnoses, experiencing rationing from conception through ages one to two was associated with delaying the onset of all-cause dementia by 2.55 years, Alzheimer’s disease by 2.87 years, and vascular dementia by 2.49 years.

    “The magnitude of the associations was particularly noteworthy,” Zheng said. “These are population-level estimates rather than predictions for any individual, but even modest shifts in dementia occurrence could have meaningful public health implications given the growing global burden of the disease.”

    The results were less robust in one additional analysis. When the researchers accounted for the possibility that participants would die of other causes before developing dementia, rationing exposure was still linked to a roughly 15 percent lower likelihood of all-cause dementia, but the associations with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia were no longer statistically significant.

    The link between early sugar rationing and dementia was stronger in women than in men, which the authors noted might relate to biological differences in how female neural circuits respond to early nutritional environments. The results held steady regardless of whether participants carried genetic variants of the apolipoprotein E gene that heighten Alzheimer’s risk. Mediation analyses indicated that lower rates of adult type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure accounted for 18.0 percent and 11.6 percent of the association, respectively, or 25.5 percent when combined, while birth weight accounted for just 2.7 percent. As expected, rationing exposure showed no association with type 1 diabetes or melanoma, and the primary dementia patterns were supported by a validation analysis in an independent British aging study, with an American cohort serving as a comparison group.

    The brain imaging and cognitive test results aligned with the clinical dementia findings. Compared with the unexposed group, participants who experienced early-life sugar rationing had larger total gray matter volumes, averaging 618.9 cubic centimeters versus 618.5 cubic centimeters (an adjusted increase of 3.27 cubic centimeters), and smaller volumes of white matter hyperintensities, averaging 3.72 cubic centimeters versus 3.84 cubic centimeters (an adjusted reduction of 0.64 cubic centimeters).

    Rationed participants also performed better on tests of complex processing speed, verbal and numerical reasoning, nonverbal pattern reasoning, and a timed test of visual attention that involves connecting numbered circles in order. Differences in total brain volume, white matter volume, hippocampal size, working memory, verbal memory, and a harder version of the connect-the-dots test that requires switching between numbers and letters were not statistically significant. These differences were modest: the gray matter difference amounted to about half a percent of total gray matter volume, and the cognitive differences were similarly small.

    “What struck us most was how strongly early-life nutritional exposure appeared to be associated with brain health more than half a century later,” Zheng explained. “Beyond dementia diagnoses, we also observed favorable differences in brain MRI measurements, including greater gray matter volume and fewer white matter hyperintensities, alongside better performance on certain cognitive tests. The convergence of these findings across clinical, structural, and cognitive outcomes was especially interesting and suggested that the associations might reflect broader processes of brain aging.”

    These results are consistent with research covered by PsyPost in December 2025, which tracked broad diet quality across the lifespan starting at age four rather than isolating sugar restriction during the first 1,000 days of life, and similarly found that healthier early nutritional habits were associated with better cognitive performance and a lower risk of late-life dementia. They also align with another study covered by PsyPost in November 2025, which examined how chronic sugar consumption caused memory impairment and Alzheimer’s-related brain pathology in adult rats rather than how early-life sugar restriction affects long-term dementia risk in humans, yet similarly linked high sugar exposure to neurodegenerative decline.

    “Our findings suggest that the nutritional environment during pregnancy and early childhood may have consequences for brain health that extend across an entire lifetime,” Zheng told PsyPost. “The key message is not that people should eliminate sugar entirely, but rather that limiting excessive added sugar during these sensitive developmental periods may be beneficial. Importantly, our findings demonstrate associations, not definitive causation.”

    As with all research, there are some caveats to consider when interpreting these findings. Because this was an observational study that relied on birth dates during a historical policy change, the researchers did not have direct measurements of how much sugar individual pregnant mothers or infants actually consumed. Although national surveys confirm that household sugar purchases surged right after September 1953, personal eating habits within both the rationed and unrationed groups likely varied from family to family. Because exposure was determined entirely by birth date, the rationed participants were also older, so the findings depend on statistical adjustments for age; the authors checked this by confirming that dementia risk did not drift among never-rationed participants born at different times after the policy ended.

    “One important distinction is that our study does not prove that reducing sugar intake in infancy directly prevents dementia,” Zheng noted. “Other dietary, social, or environmental differences associated with the rationing period may also have influenced the results. Furthermore, our findings should not be interpreted as advocating extremely restrictive diets during pregnancy or infancy; adequate and balanced nutrition remains essential for healthy development.”

    Another consideration is the age and makeup of the study population. Because participants were born in the early to mid-1950s, they were only in their late 60s and early 70s by the end of the tracking period in 2023, meaning the study primarily captured relatively early cases of dementia rather than diagnoses occurring in the 80s and 90s.

    In addition, the UK Biobank consists of volunteers who survived into middle age and tend to be healthier, wealthier, and predominantly white (over 96 percent of this sample), which may limit how well the findings apply to more diverse or disadvantaged populations. The authors suggest that future randomized trials testing practical nutritional counseling to limit added sugars during pregnancy and infancy could help establish how early dietary habits shape brain development and long-term cognitive resilience.

    “We hope to better understand the biological mechanisms linking early-life nutrition with brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases,” Zheng said. “In this study, type 2 diabetes and hypertension together statistically accounted for approximately one-quarter of the observed association, suggesting that metabolic and vascular health may play a role. Future research should examine additional biological pathways, clarify the most sensitive developmental windows, and determine whether these findings can be replicated in other populations with more detailed dietary information. Ultimately, we hope this work will help inform evidence-based nutritional recommendations across the life course.”

    “I believe one of the broader implications of our work is that dementia prevention may need to be considered from a much earlier life-course perspective,” Zheng added. “We often think of dementia as a disease of old age, but some of the factors associated with vulnerability or resilience may originate decades before symptoms appear. Understanding these early influences could open new opportunities for preventive research and public health strategies.”

    The study, “Association of Sugar Restriction in Utero Through Age 2 Years on Dementia Risk Later in Life,” was authored by Jiazhen Zheng, Gregory Y.H. Lip, Zhuoni Zhang, and S. W. Ricky Lee.

    URL: psypost.org/limiting-sugar-in-

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    Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: clinicians-exchange.org

    Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

    -------------------------------------------------

    #psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #DementiaResearch #BrainHealth #EarlyLifeNutrition #SugarReduction #MaternalHealth #ChildNutrition #AlzheimersResearch #CognitiveHealth #HealthyAging #PublicHealth

  9. Storm Signals In Coastal Sediments - A Review Of Palaeostorm Archives And Analytical Approaches In North-West Europe
    --
    doi.org/10.1177/03091333261493 <-- shared paper
    --
    H/T @ Katharina Heß | Geographer I Research Associate at Heidelberg University, Coastal Geomorphology - Natural Hazards - Sedimentology
    “… Reconstructing past storm activity from coastal sediments is fascinating, but the evidence is scattered across different archive types and studies. [The authors] brought this research together in a review covering 77 sites across NW Europe, from coastal lakes and lagoons to salt marshes, peatlands and coastal dunes.
    --
    “Coastal sedimentary archives offer key insights into past severe storms and related flooding, contributing to a better understanding of long-term coastal hazard histories. Although interest in palaeostorm reconstructions has increased in recent decades, a comprehensive overview and information for north-west Europe are missing. This synoptic literature review compiles all known sedimentary storm archives in Europe between 45°N and 75°N, outlining their geographical distribution, ages, and methodological approaches. We identify 77 sites described in 69 publications since 1985. The most frequently investigated archive types are peatlands, followed by coastal dunes, salt marshes, coastal lakes and lagoons, and cliff-top storm deposits. Most records are concentrated in the British Isles, particularly Scotland, while data from southern Norway and the German coasts are largely absent, indicating a strong spatial bias. The ages of these records range from the Late Pleistocene (∼14 ka BP) to the present, with a median sedimentary age range of 2300 years. Storm deposits are commonly identified as minerogenic sand layers embedded within organic-rich fine-grained sediments. Grain size and composition, often combined with loss-on-ignition analyses to estimate organic content, are the primary proxies used to infer depositional processes, which can generally be classified as marginal marine, overwash, or aeolian. The use of microfossils and stable isotopes remains limited across European studies. Recent studies show a growing trend towards more comprehensive laboratory analyses. Overall, this review highlights the need for standardised protocols in sampling, analysis, and interpretation to enable broader comparisons and to reconstruct long-term storm patterns across Europe more reliably.”
    #coast #coastal #geomorphology #hydrogeomorphology #history #prehistory #storm #stormsurge #sediments #reconstruction #palaeostorm #paleostorm #Europe #Scandewegian #UK #literaturereview #coastallake #estuary #estuarine #lagoons #saltmarsh #peatland #coastaldunes #extremeweather #flood #flooding #water #hydrography #hydrology #NorthSea #Pleistocene #Holocene #present #stormdeposits #microfossils #marine #overwash #aeolian #stormpatterns

  10. Triangle Event Guide Free Events and Halloween Fun for Monday, October 26, 2026

    Monday brings plenty of ways to explore Raleigh, Durham, Cary and the surrounding Triangle. The Triangle event guide for October 26, 2026, features free Halloween activities, a Diwali celebration, comedy, open mic nights and family outings.

    Whether the plan is morning storytime with the kids or an evening of games and entertainment, here’s what’s happening around the Triangle.


    Family Activities and Halloween Events

    Total Tot Time in Durham

    Time: 10 a.m.–noon
    Location: W.D. Hill Recreation Center, Durham
    Admission: Free

    Start the week with Total Tot Time, a free play program for children ages 5 and younger.

    Halloween Storytime on the Roof

    Time: 10:30 a.m.
    Location: The Durham Hotel, Durham
    Admission: Free

    Enjoy a seasonal morning outing with Halloween Storytime on the Roof at The Durham Hotel.

    Trunk or Treat at Gladwell Orthodontics

    Time: 5:30–7:30 p.m.
    Location: Gladwell Orthodontics North Raleigh
    Admission: Free

    Get into the Halloween spirit at Gladwell Orthodontics’ North Raleigh trunk-or-treat event.

    Fall Carnival at Carolina Pines

    Time: 6:30–8 p.m.
    Location: Carolina Pines Community Park, Raleigh
    Admission: Free

    Celebrate the season with a free fall carnival at Carolina Pines Community Park. This evening event offers another option for families looking for Halloween-week activities in Raleigh.


    Diwali Celebration in Downtown Cary Park

    Time: 6:30–8 p.m.
    Location: Downtown Cary Park, Cary
    Admission: Free

    Celebrate the Festival of Lights at Downtown Cary Park. The free Diwali celebration is a highlight of Monday’s community events in Cary.

    Creative Activities, Reading and Community Events

    Coloring Vinyl Night

    Time: 2–9 p.m.
    Location: KōMANA Brewing Company, Cary
    Admission: Free

    Add a creative stop to the afternoon or evening with Coloring Vinyl Night at KōMANA Brewing Company.

    Silent Reading Club

    Time: 6–8 p.m.
    Location: The Glass Jug Downtown Durham Taproom
    Admission: Free

    Bring a book and settle in for a relaxed evening at Silent Reading Club in downtown Durham.

    Democracy Unfiltered: A Voter Education Series

    Time: 6–8 p.m.
    Location: Raleigh Brewing, Raleigh
    Admission: Free

    Make time for civic learning at Democracy Unfiltered, a voter education series hosted at Raleigh Brewing.

    Board Game Night

    Time: 6–9 p.m.
    Location: Bottle Theory, Apex
    Admission: Free

    Spend Monday evening playing board games at Bottle Theory in Apex.


    Comedy, Karaoke and Movie Night

    Early Karaoke

    Time: Starts at 6 p.m.
    Location: The Northside District
    Admission: Free

    Start the evening with a song at Early Karaoke at The Northside District.

    Monday Movie Night

    Time: 6:30–9 p.m.
    Location: Compass Rose Brewery, Raleigh
    Admission: Free

    Enjoy a Monday movie outing at Compass Rose Brewery. Check with the venue for the featured film.

    Cosmic Chuckles: Weekly Comedy Show

    Time: 7–9 p.m.
    Location: Flying Saucer Raleigh
    Admission: Free

    Add some laughter to the start of the week with the Cosmic Chuckles comedy show at Flying Saucer Raleigh.

    Halloween Air Hockey Tournament

    Time: Starts at 8 p.m.; air hockey is also listed from 8–10 p.m.
    Location: Boxcar Bar and Arcade, Raleigh
    Admission: Listed as free

    Head to Boxcar for a Halloween air hockey tournament. The supplied schedule includes two overlapping air hockey listings at the same venue, combined here into one entry. Confirm the tournament format and end time with Boxcar.


    Open Mic Nights Around the Triangle

    Open Mic Night at Steel String Brewery

    Time: 6–11 p.m.
    Location: Steel String Brewery, Carrboro
    Admission: Free

    Enjoy an evening of local performances at Steel String Brewery in Carrboro.

    Open Mic Night at KōMANA Brewing Company

    Time: 7–10 p.m.
    Location: KōMANA Brewing Company, Cary
    Admission: Free

    KōMANA Brewing Company’s open mic night offers another Monday entertainment option in Cary.

    Carrboro Open Mic

    Time: Starts at 7:30 p.m.
    Location: Speakeasy, Carrboro
    Admission: Free

    Catch Carrboro Open Mic at Speakeasy starting at 7:30 p.m.

    Anyone interested in performing should contact the venue for sign-up procedures and available slots.


    Explore More Things to Do Around the Triangle

    Monday’s lineup offers activities throughout the day, from toddler playtime and Halloween storytime to Diwali celebrations and evening entertainment.

    Families can explore trunk-or-treat or the Carolina Pines fall carnival, while readers, music fans and comedy lovers have several free outings to choose from.

    Follow DoRaleigh.com for daily updates on government meetings, local festivals, and community happenings — your one-stop guide to everything Raleigh!

    Connect With Us: Instagram | Facebook | BSky | Linkedin

    Share With Us: Post your community News, Events, on our Submissions Page.

    Advertise With Us: Interested in Advertising click here.

    Published by Bryan Tomlinson

    Design, Optimization, and Marketing Services Provided by BTDesigns.pro 

    Event information is based on the supplied listings. Confirm schedules, registration requirements, age policies and promotional terms with organizers before attending. Free admission may not include food, drinks or other purchases.

    #ApexEvents #CarrboroEvents #CaryEvents #DiwaliCelebration #DoRaleigh #DurhamEvents #events #FamilyActivities #FreeThingsToDo #HalloweenEvents #MondayEvents #News #October262026 #RaleighEvents #TriangleEvents
  11. if I ever make another computer game again I hope it has (and would intend it to have) these features (among others):

    - nothing to install/setup
    - can begin playing immediately without paying anything
    - in-game options (CTAs) to upgrade experience/content/features via purchases (ranging from micro to mega in scale; both the "every dollar precious" endusers and the luxury-life whales)
    - all ages safe / family friendly
    - no UGC possible
    - no app store presence/involvement needed
    - built-in mechanisms to aid/amplify its viral uptake

  12. Lumina is a high-resolution, large-volume computer simulation designed to track the evolution of dark matter, gas, stars, and radiation across the universe's first two billion years, specifically charting the emergence of the cosmos from its primordial "dark ages."
    #Cosmology #Astrophysics #ComputerScience #sflorg
    sflorg.com/2026/10/cos10262601

  13. "RTFM (Read the f** manual)"

    That's what people were told when they asked for help on newsgroups or forums even though their problem could be easily solved by looking it up in the documentation.

    Today, the same people still can't be bothered to read instructions. And courtesy of our #AI overlords they don't have to. The chat bot will happily answer every last one of their questions.

    So what happens to a society where no one reads instructions anymore? Where answers can be retrieved in seconds, but no one understands the underlying principles?

    Somehow this reminds me of the European Middle Ages, where religious dogma ruled all of society: "Thou shallst not doubt the machine, lest you will be left behind!"

    These days, in a strange mixture of genuine curiosity and pure spite, I find myself learning more than ever before. The questions, the confusion, being sidetracked, and finally the elation of knowing I have mastered something.

    So, yeah, #RTFM is my new middle name now.

    #noai

  14. Overall, I really feel that #Android calendar approach is quite broken as soon as one steps away from Google. Maybe I'm having extremely bad luck, but my phone roughly once in 3–12 months bork up #caldav sync and I need to remove subs and reattach all anew. On PC its been fine for ages, I've jumped between various calendar providers, subscribed to friends Google-based .ics, and it is fine. Android? Don't you dare to assume that if your nextcloud was restored from backup, sync will resume fully.

  15. DATE: October 26, 2026 at 02:00PM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: Feed recommendations are the most common way teens encounter self-harm content

    URL: psypost.org/feed-recommendatio

    An analysis of data from the 2025 OxWell Student Survey found that about a third of 11- to 18-year-old students in England had come across self-harm content online in the past month. Most of these encounters were unintentional, and about two-thirds of exposed students said the content had appeared in their social media feeds or been suggested while they were browsing. Students who were lonelier, had experienced other online harms, or had poorer mental health were more likely to report exposure. The paper was published in Nature Mental Health.

    Social media has become an integral part of young people’s everyday lives. It provides wide opportunities for communication, entertainment, self-expression, and social connection. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram offer an almost endless stream of content, much of which is selected by recommendation algorithms that personalize what users see based on their interests and online behavior.

    While this personalization can help users discover content they enjoy, it can also expose them to potentially harmful material. One particular concern is content related to self-harm, which can range from personal stories of recovery and supportive discussions to graphic images and videos that portray self-injury in a positive or encouraging way.

    Research suggests that repeated exposure to such content may increase emotional distress and the risk of self-harming thoughts and behaviors, particularly among vulnerable adolescents. However, the effects are not always negative, as some online communities that discuss self-harm also provide emotional support and encourage young people to seek help.

    Adolescents also do not need to search for self-harm content to encounter it, as recommendation algorithms may place it in their feeds without them seeking it out. Their interactions with such content may then lead algorithms to recommend more similar material, potentially creating a cycle of repeated exposure.

    Study author Holly Bear of the University of Oxford and colleagues examined how often adolescents in England reported coming across self-harm content online in the past month and the routes through which this happened. They were particularly interested in whether exposure was passive (unintentional) or active, such as searching for the content or having it shared with them, and how these different routes related to students’ demographic characteristics, social experiences, and mental health.

    The researchers analyzed data from the 2025 OxWell Student Survey, a school-based survey of young people in England run by researchers at the University of Oxford. The analysis drew on 32,102 students in school years 7 through 13 (ages 11 to 18) at 49 secondary schools and further education colleges, mainly in Liverpool and Oxfordshire, who completed the survey between February and May 2025.

    Students were asked whether they had come across content about self-harm on online platforms in the past month and, if so, how. They also answered questions about loneliness, bullying, online aggression and coercion, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. A total of 28,797 students answered the question about exposure, 14,083 of whom were girls.

    Of these students, 9,940 (34.5%) reported encountering self-harm content online in the past month. Most of them (55%) had seen it once or twice, while 26.5% had seen it a few times and 18.5% several times.

    Among exposed students who described how they came across the content, 66% said it had appeared in their feed or been suggested while they were browsing, and 24% said it was embedded within other, unrelated content. Fewer said they had accidentally encountered it (12%), searched for it (8%), or had it shared with them by someone else (8%), and 15% reported some other route.

    Based on these answers, the researchers sorted students into groups. Nearly three-quarters (73%) had been exposed only through passive routes, 12% through a mix of routes, 9% only through “other” routes, 3% only by having the content shared with them, and 3% only by searching for it.

    How often students saw the content depended on how they encountered it. Most students exposed only passively (59%) or only through content shared by others (62%) had seen it just once or twice in the past month, compared with about 30% of those who had only searched for it or who were exposed through a mix of routes. The authors note this is consistent with a feedback loop in which actively engaging with self-harm content leads algorithms to show more of it.

    Each exposure route was associated with higher levels of loneliness, online harms, anxiety, and depression compared with students who reported no exposure, though the patterns differed across groups. Girls had higher odds than boys of passive-only exposure but lower odds of having content shared with them, and trans and gender-diverse students had elevated odds across most routes, particularly searching for the content.

    Black students and students from mixed ethnic backgrounds were more likely than white students to have only searched for the content, as were students who often went to bed hungry compared with those who rarely did. Searching was most strongly linked to depression, while having content shared by others was more closely tied to receiving aggressive or threatening messages online. Students exposed through a mix of routes had some of the most pronounced risk profiles, with especially strong links to online aggression and coercion.

    “Exposure to online self-harm content is widespread and shaped by distinct pathways that differ according to adolescents’ wider vulnerabilities, social environments and digital behaviors. Around one-third of our large community sample reported recent exposure, underscoring the need for interventions that account for diverse exposure experiences, from passive, algorithmically driven delivery to more intentional searches and peer sharing,” study authors concluded.

    The authors call for a public health approach that combines regulation to reduce self-harm content in feeds, efforts to direct young people who search for it toward supportive resources, and digital literacy education for adolescents and their parents.

    The study contributes to the scientific understanding of how adolescents encounter self-harm content online. However, it should be noted that the survey was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether loneliness, online harms, and mental health difficulties make exposure more likely, result from exposure, or both. The researchers also did not ask what kind of self-harm content students saw, which could range from graphic material to recovery stories and peer support.

    In an earlier wave of the survey, about two-thirds of students who had actively sought out self-harm content cited potentially positive motivations, such as finding support or connecting with others with similar experiences. The data were self-reported and came mainly from two regions of England, and the wording of the exposure question, which asked whether students had “come across” such content, may have led some who sought it out to underreport.

    The paper, “Algorithmically driven exposure to online self-harm content and its association with broader psychosocial risk in 32,000 adolescents,” was authored by Holly Bear, Emma Soneson, Galit Geulayov, and Mina Fazel.

    URL: psypost.org/feed-recommendatio

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  16. A UN inquiry finds that Israeli authorities and forces committed crimes against humanity in the West Bank, including extermination, torture, rape and other sexual violence. It also finds that Israel continues to commit genocide in Gaza.

    Here are paragraphs 58 to 61 of the report’s conclusions, quoted in full, with the footnote marker omitted:

    III. Conclusions

    58. Since the 1947-48 war, Israel has continuously striven to expand territorially and displace Palestinians through violence. The intentional killing and harming of Palestinians have clear demographic and ethnic considerations that stem from Israel’s colonising policies: seizing maximum land while minimizing the Palestinian population in relation to size, autonomy and viability. Such policies originate in historical practices and patterns of action and have resulted in the excessive and discriminatory application of lethal force, displacing and killing Palestinians over several generations, causing life-long physical or mental harm and disabilities. The Commission has repeatedly called for an end to the occupation, which has been ruled unlawful under international law, and an end to the cycle of increasing violence. Palestinians must be able to realize their right of self-determination.

    59. Israeli state violence has accelerated since October 2023 and has, since the establishment of Israel, never claimed or impacted as many lives in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Over 75,000 Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory have been killed since 7 October 2023, including at least 21,500 children, and 11,000 women. While Israeli authorities and security forces continue to commit genocide in Gaza, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated drastically. Israeli military operations, complemented by sustained settler violence, form part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population in the West Bank since 7 October 2023. Accordingly, the Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and forces have committed the crimes against humanity of extermination, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the West Bank, as well as persecution based on intersecting discriminatory grounds, with nationality, race and ethnicity at its core.

    60. Sexual violence as a tactic of war has been used to displace, subjugate and destabilize the Palestinian people by humiliating and punishing on individual and collective levels. It includes the gravest forms, such as rape, reproductive violence and other forms of sexual violence also amounting to torture. People of all genders, ages and sexual orientations have been targeted for being Palestinian or due to their perceived political affiliation and support for the rights of Palestinians. The prevalence of sexual violence has been and continues to be widely reported, and met with almost complete impunity, indicating a tacit support of such practices by the Israeli authorities. Impunity for gender-based crimes against Palestinians indicates unwillingness, rather than inability, to act, underscoring the systematic and structural nature of the discrimination against Palestinians. Those responsible need to be punished to dismantle the permissive policy currently in place to guarantee non-recurrence.

    61. Across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israeli forces deliberately killed and caused serious bodily and mental harm to Palestinian children on account of their status as Palestinian children. The Commission concludes that Israeli authorities and forces committed age-based persecution against Palestinian children in the West Bank, as they did in Gaza, which is a crime against humanity. The recurrence and widespread nature of attacks causing grave physical injuries and psychological harm demonstrate that the harm inflicted on children is not incidental or collateral to the broader violence affecting civilian population, but forms part of a pattern of intentional violence directed against Palestinian children. Notably, the absence of accountability has entrenched a discriminatory system in which violations and crimes against Palestinian children are repeatedly committed with impunity, normalized, and left without effective remedy or redress.”

    PDF ohchr.org/sites/default/files/

    #palestine #westbank #ethniccleansing #israel #idf #gazagenocide #nakba

  17. Lettre ouverte de prisonniers du 17 octobre 2026 - « Nous ne regrettons rien ! »

    "Si les serviteurs médiatiques du pouvoir ne parviennent pas à déterminer le « profil type » des insurgés, c’est que nous autres sommes le peuple qui s’est soulevé."

    "Nous n’accepterons pas non plus que nous soyons séparés entre d’un côté les prisonniers politiques et les prisonniers de droit commun car nous avons tous été poussés dans les prisons de ce régime par ce monde injuste."

    "Pour toutes ces raisons, nous vous le disons avec force, nous ne regrettons rien ! Rien si ce n’est de ne pas nous être suffisamment protégés contre la violence répressive qui allait s’abattre sur nous."

    "

    Lettre ouverte de prisonniers du 17 octobre 2026

    « Nous ne regrettons rien ! »
    paru dans lundimatin#539, le 26 octobre 2026
    Appel à dons

    Depuis des semaines, la répression contre le mouvement en cours s’intensifie. Au lendemain du 17 octobre, le Garde des sceaux Gérald Darmanin, foulant toute séparation des pouvoirs, enjoignait la magistrature à condamner le plus durement possible les manifestant interpellés et poursuivis. Nombre d’entre eux, dorment donc désormais en prison. Des prisonniers du 17 octobre sont parvenus à nous transmettre cette lettre ouverte, comme un aveux et un appel à continuer la lutte.

    Nous vous écrivons depuis une prison d’Ile-de-France dont ne nous vous communiquerons pas le nom, ceci afin de nous protéger des risques de représailles et surtout des administrations judiciaires et pénitentiaires.

    Nous sommes étudiants, lycéens, professeurs, chômeurs, restaurateurs, petits entrepreneurs, livreurs, gangsters, de tous les quartiers et de toutes les villes de la région, de Créteil, de Bobigny, de Belleville, de Montreuil, de Bagnolet, de Noisy-le-Sec, de Seine-et-Marne, de Seine-Saint-Denis et de Paris. Nous sommes de tous les âges, de toutes les couleurs de peau et de toutes les nationalités, nous sommes des Arabes, des Blancs, des Noirs, des Tziganes, des Turcs, des Allemands, des Français.

    Nous avons été accusés à tort ou à raison d’avoir pillé, d’avois commis des violences contre les forces de l’ordre, de nous être attroupés illégalement, d’avoir dissimulé nos visages. Peu importe finalement nos situations ou ce qu’on pouvait nous reprocher, car les tribunaux se sont pliés aux ordres de la macronie pour nous envoyer tous en taule. Même si les prisons sont toutes plus insalubres et surpeuplées les unes que les autres, tant que ça rentre !

    Cela nous rappelle à quel point ce que l’on nomme la Justice, n’est en rien une institution indépendante, d’autant moins lorsque l’État et la bourgeoise se sentent menacés.

    En prison, nous avons le privilège de pouvoir nous abrutir toute la journée devant BFMTV, CNEWS et les chaînes des autres chiens de garde du régime. L’offensive idéologique sur ces plateaux télé vient soutenir la politique répressive de ceux qui pensent nous gouverner. Cette offensive est à la hauteur de la peur qui les traverse depuis samedi dernier. Il s’agissait d’un véritable avertissement révolutionnaire. Partout, ils essayent désormais de nous faire regretter, fléchir, de nous dissuader de revenir les samedis suivants. Ils taisent le soutien, la fierté et tous ces petits mots que nous avons pu lire et entendre depuis ces derniers jours du type « j’aurais aimé être là » ou bien encore « vous leur avez fait payer ». Ils veulent nous faire croire que notre violence est comparable aux milliers de vie broyées par le capitalisme au quotidien.

    Si les serviteurs médiatiques du pouvoir ne parviennent pas à déterminer le « profil type » des insurgés, c’est que nous autres sommes le peuple qui s’est soulevé. Le peuple qui souffre et qui désormais se bat pour ne plus souffrir. Ils tentent de nous diviser, de nous catégoriser en manifestants, casseurs, pilleurs, racailles ou d’ultra-gauche. Mais ils n’ont pas compris que nous sommes tout cela à la fois ! Nous sommes unis par notre colère et notre désir de révolution. Une révolution qui nous redonne la possibilité de respirer et d’espérer, de partager et de mettre en commun. De nous permettre enfin de décider de la manière dont nous voulons vivre. Une révolution qui mette fin à cette humiliation qui dégueule de luxe.

    Cette rage sociale nous a poussé dans la rue samedi dernier, c’est la même que l’on retrouve dans les couloirs et les cellules de la prison où nous sommes enfermés. Cette rage explique aussi le soutien et le respect des autres détenus pour les insurgés du 17 octobre. Nous n’accepterons pas non plus que nous soyons séparés entre d’un côté les prisonniers politiques et les prisonniers de droit commun car nous avons tous été poussés dans les prisons de ce régime par ce monde injuste.

    Pour toutes ces raisons, nous vous le disons avec force, nous ne regrettons rien ! Rien si ce n’est de ne pas nous être suffisamment protégés contre la violence répressive qui allait s’abattre sur nous.

    Nous appelons donc toutes celles et ceux qui sont dehors à continuer à tenir face à l’État et à retourner dans la rue chaque samedi, jusqu’à la chute de Macron et de tout son monde pourrissant."

    "Nous vous appelons à éviter autant que possible toutes les petites boutiques, pour rappeler que notre justice populaire ne vise que les plus gros, les plus riches, les multinationales, uniquement ceux qui nous volent, nous écrasent et nous méprisent depuis trop longtemps."

    lundi.am/Lettre-ouverte-de-pri

    #prison #17octobre #revolution

  18. Sarcator – The Ones We Follow Review By Creeping Ivy

    Last year, Sarcator flew under the radar with a pretty rad platter. On the heels of their mixed sophomore outing, 2025’s Swarming Angels & Flies served up delectable blackened thrash with necrotic notes and refreshing traditional/surf-rock side dishes. A year later, I’m surprised to see them already plating The Ones We Follow. Also surprising was word that this Swedish trio has all but abandoned thrash on album four, adopting a flavor profile they don with a curious descriptor: ‘death’s rock.’ Skepticism-inducing as any major sonic shift should be, the rock elements of Swarming Angels & Flies did elevate my excitement over Sarcator’s riffy brand of thrash with the crispy skin. In turning this element into the main course, I’m left wondering if these young Swedes returned to the kitchen prematurely.

    Despite the generic shift, Sarcator still retain the unhinged aggression characterizing their blackened thrash menu. Indeed, guitarist/vocalist Mateo Tervonen belts an acerbic ‘owww!’ on opener “The Ones We Follow,” with drummer Jesper Rosén speeding between kit pieces underneath. It’s the guitar work, however, that distinguishes old from new Sarcator. Rather than relying on syncopated palm mutes and serpentine riffs, Tervonen and Leo Buchalle favor twangy licks and careening power chords. The solos also affirm this new, ‘classic’ approach, adding bluesy soul into the mix. Almost rockabilly in nature, it’s as if Hellripper collided with Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. As the record progresses, Sarcator introduce a host of country western elements—slide guitar, harmonica, the occasional snake rattle—with big Wayfarer1 energy (“Volatile Insight,” “Ain’t Fit to Live”). These country western-isms might imply a seismic shift, but it’s not as if Sarcator sound like a completely different band. The sandwich is now (western-tinged) rock, but its wrapper is still youthful, abrasive, and—yes—blackened.

    Sarcator build this batch of tunes atop time-tested chord progressions, with Tervonen’s vocals tasked with cutting through the listener’s palette. For the most part, he delivers. The choruses on “In Search of Oblivion” and “Volatile Insight” hit the sweet spot between attitude and stickiness through deliberate spacing and cadence. Tervonen’s tongue trills are tantalizing, becoming a bit of a signature throughout. Not every song, however, strikes a salutary balance. “The Underground Streets” could pay off its guitar earworm with a stronger vocal hook, while “Bleeding Ages” is in need of memorability. Penultimate country rocker “Wasteland Strider” tosses a vocal curveball, containing clean singing before it gets death n’ rolling. It’s a jarring change that, while well executed, feels a little like variety for variety’s sake this late in the album. Production-wise, Tervonen’s voice is a bit more prominent in the mix than I’d like, at the expense of melodic support from the bass.2 But overall, The Ones We Follow sounds open and punchy, with Tervonen’s voice commanding deserved attention.

    While not their longest meal, The Ones We Follow pits a girthy album length against a mostly immediate vibe. Shorter songs like “The Ones We Follow” and “You Gotta Possess Me” kill it, kicking in the door with controlled chaos. The clash between immediacy and girth, however, reveals itself mostly in the album’s epics. Seven-minute centerpiece “Rotting Chapels” implies scope with its key-changing buildup, but it ends up sounding like a longer version of the abrasive surf rock heard earlier. Meanwhile, closer “Wanderlust” epitomizes its title, wandering from mid-paced cowboy bumps to “Hot for Teacher”-style fretboard gymnastics and harmonica-sweetened blues dirt. It’s highly entertaining stuff, skirting the line between jamming and riff salad-ing. The album’s 50 minutes may look long on paper, but there’s enough head-turning developments to keep things interesting. The Dire Straits-y ending to “Rotting Chapels” comes to mind, as does the brush-fueled gallop in “Bleeding Ages.”

    Leaving me a little hungry at first, The Ones We Follow ultimately won me over with its blackening of a more rustic protein. I applaud Sarcator for daring to change, and there’s lots of tasty stuff on here, with nothing off-putting. Still, The Ones We Follow could elevate its addictive attitude and classic songwriting with more vocal hooks and judicious editing. What crystal clear, however, is that the members of Sarcator are having a hell of a lot of fun here, rocking out and experimenting in equal measure. I’ll continue following these Swedes in the future, as they show signs of following The Ones We Follow with something seriously sumptuous.

    Rating: 3.0/5.0
    DR
    : 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
    Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
    Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook
    Releases Worldwide: October 30th, 2026

    #2026 #30 #BlackenedThrashMetal #DeathMetal #DireStraits #Hellripper #Oct26 #ReigningPhoenixMusic #Review #Reviews #Rock #Sarcator #ShadowyMenOnAShadowyPlanet #SwedishMetal #TheOnesWeFollow #ThrashMetal #Wayfarer
  19. DATE: October 25, 2026 at 12:00PM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: How the menstrual cycle might alter ADHD symptoms in women taking stimulant medication

    URL: psypost.org/how-the-menstrual-

    The menstrual cycle appears to modulate the severity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits in women taking common stimulant medications. A new small study suggests that these traits peak in severity during menstruation and ease soon after, pointing toward a need for hormone-aware treatment plans. The research was published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.

    ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by distraction, impulsivity, and hyperactive behavior. Medical professionals historically viewed the condition as something that primarily affected young boys. That diagnostic gap is rapidly closing, and women now make up nearly half of the adult ADHD population in the United States. Women often present with different behavioral patterns than men, leaning toward severe inattention and internalizing behaviors rather than disruptive hyperactivity.

    Despite facing daily impairments in their careers and social lives, women remain largely underrepresented in ADHD research. One distinct biological variable separating women from men is the constant fluctuation of ovarian hormones. During the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, estrogen levels rise and peak near ovulation. The subsequent luteal phase features elevated estrogen and progesterone, which then drop rapidly shortly before menstruation begins.

    Researchers suspect these hormones play a direct role in brain chemistry. Low estrogen levels are thought to decrease dopamine signaling in the brain. Because dopamine is the primary neurotransmitter involved in focus and attention, these natural hormonal drops could theoretically worsen ADHD symptoms.

    Researchers Rebecca Zaritsky, Stephanie C. Reed, and Suzette M. Evans wanted to understand how these hormonal variations interact with ADHD treatments. Prior laboratory work demonstrated that amphetamines, the most commonly prescribed class of ADHD medications, can be less effective during the luteal phase of the cycle. Case reports from clinical settings also hinted that some women experience worsening moods and fading concentration right before their periods.

    The research team designed a study to track these daily changes prospectively. The investigators recruited participants through online advertisements to monitor their daily experiences. They screened for individuals between the ages of 18 and 40 who experienced regular menstrual cycles lasting between 21 and 35 days.

    To join the study, participants had to report an ADHD diagnosis and currently use amphetamine salts (commonly known by brand names like Adderall) for treatment on at least five days of the week. The team excluded anyone taking hormonal birth control, as well as individuals using other psychiatric medications. After exclusions and dropouts, the researchers ended up with a small study of 30 participants who completed the required long-term tracking.

    Each individual filled out an initial survey detailing their medical history, baseline mood, and general impulsive behaviors. Following this baseline assessment, participants completed a daily online survey for 35 consecutive days. This extended timeline ensured the researchers could capture data from one full menstrual cycle for every participant.

    The daily questionnaires asked participants to rate their current ADHD symptoms on a standardized four-point scale. They evaluated 18 distinct symptoms, splitting them equally between inattentive traits and hyperactive-impulsive traits. Participants also rated their daily mood variations on a six-point scale measuring 17 distinct emotional states, and reported their exact medication dosage for the day. Finally, they noted whether they were actively menstruating or spotting.

    The researchers averaged the daily survey responses and grouped them into three specific biological windows. These windows included the first five days of menstruation, the mid-follicular phase shortly after bleeding ends, and the late luteal phase just before the next period begins. Participants reported their most severe ADHD symptoms during the active menstruation phase. In contrast, they experienced comparatively milder symptoms during the mid-follicular phase.

    When researchers separated the specific types of ADHD traits, hyperactive and impulsive behaviors showed variation across the cycle phases, but after adjusting for multiple comparisons this amounted only to a trend rather than a statistically significant difference. Inattentive symptoms also fluctuated, but the differences were not statistically significant. Participants did not report any differences in how much their symptoms generally impaired their daily lives across the different phases.

    Mood tracking revealed a correlation between negative emotions and ADHD symptoms. Participants reported elevated negative moods during both the late luteal and menstruation phases compared to the mid-follicular phase. The individuals who experienced the largest drops in mood during menstruation also reported the greatest increases in ADHD symptoms. This correlation held true for both inattentive and hyperactive traits.

    Daily amphetamine doses remained remarkably steady across the entire cycle. Participants did not instinctively take more medication to compensate for feeling more distracted or hyperactive during their periods. The research team had hypothesized that some participants using flexible dosing regimens might attempt to counteract their worsening symptoms with higher doses. This lack of adjustment might reflect strict prescribing practices, as many doctors do not encourage patients to alter their daily stimulant intake based on their menstrual cycles.

    This research relied entirely on self-reported surveys. The investigators did not measure hormone levels in a laboratory to perfectly confirm each biological phase, opting instead to estimate phases based on reported bleeding days. The small sample size also limited the statistical power of the analysis, meaning the results require verification in larger populations. Because participants taking other psychiatric medications were excluded, the results might not represent individuals managing ADHD alongside conditions such as mood disorders or premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

    The study design carried a few distinct demographic and methodological limitations. The researchers did not explicitly gather information on gender identity, meaning the relationship between gender identity, hormone cycles, and ADHD remains untested in this specific context. The standardized survey tool used to track daily symptoms was also based on older diagnostic criteria. This older framework lacks recent diagnostic updates designed to capture how ADHD presents in adults.

    The research team also looked at baseline mental health using standardized questionnaires for depression and anxiety. They found a trend suggesting that individuals with higher baseline depression and anxiety scores might experience slightly smaller shifts in ADHD symptoms across their cycles. However, having a higher overall symptom count on average consistently predicted a lower ADHD-related quality of life.

    Future studies will need to incorporate direct hormone sampling to precisely map biological changes to behavioral shifts. Researchers might also explore how oral contraceptives or specific antidepressants impact this hormonal cycle in neurodivergent populations. Some clinics have already begun testing symptom-based dosing regimens, where patients take slightly more medication during the specific weeks when their natural hormones work against them. Tracking these targeted interventions could eventually help doctors provide highly individualized care for women navigating adult ADHD.

    The study, “Changes in ADHD Symptoms and Mood Across the Menstrual Cycle in Females Treated With Stimulants: A Pilot Study,” was authored by Rebecca Zaritsky, Stephanie C. Reed, and Suzette M. Evans.

    URL: psypost.org/how-the-menstrual-

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  20. DATE: October 25, 2026 at 08:00AM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: Neuroscientists are digging into a worrying link between polluted air and children’s brain wiring

    URL: psypost.org/neuroscientists-ar

    Different sources of fine particle air pollution show distinct, subtle links to how the developing brains of children communicate, according to new nationwide research published in Journal of Environmental Psychology. Particles from traffic, coal burning, and agricultural fertilizers were each tied to their own patterns of connectivity in networks involved in sensory processing and higher-order thinking. The findings offer early evidence that where air pollution comes from may matter, not just how much of it children breathe.

    Outdoor air pollution contains fine particulate matter, commonly known as PM2.5, which consists of airborne particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers across. Because these specks are tiny enough to inhale deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, they may reach the brain.

    The brain coordinates its activities through large-scale functional networks, which are collections of brain regions in different locations whose activity tends to rise and fall together. Researchers can measure this synchrony with brain scans that track changes in blood flow while a person lies still and rests. During childhood and the transition into adolescence, these communication channels continue to reorganize as youth develop adult reasoning, sensory integration, and emotional control.

    Past research has linked outdoor air pollution to differences in these communication patterns. In a 2023 longitudinal study, members of the team behind the new research used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a large national project following thousands of American youth. They found that children with higher exposure to fine particles and other pollutants showed differences in how their resting brain networks matured across early adolescence. Additionally, a study covered by PsyPost in 2023 found that briefly breathing diesel exhaust in a controlled experiment temporarily weakened connectivity within the default mode network, a set of regions most active during mind-wandering and self-reflection, in adults.

    Fine particulate matter is not a single chemical substance, but rather a complex blend created by both natural processes and human activities. Addressing this complexity, a 2024 study by members of the same team, using data from the same national project, found that specific chemical ingredients and pollution sources had varying relationships with children’s memory and thinking skills. The new study uses the six pollution sources identified in that work. The investigation was led by Katherine L. Bottenhorn of the University of Southern California and Florida International University and Megan M. Herting of the University of Southern California.

    For the new study, the authors again drew on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, which spans 21 research sites across the country. Data from one site were dropped because of hardware problems, leaving 20 sites for the cross-sectional analysis; the longitudinal analysis was limited to the 12 sites that used the same brand of scanner. The researchers analyzed brain scans from 6,291 children who were between 9 and 11 years old, as well as a subset of 1,972 participants scanned on consistent magnetic resonance imaging equipment roughly two years later, between ages 11 and 13.

    The participants’ resting-state brain activity was recorded while they relaxed with their eyes open. The scientists mapped interactions among 12 functional networks, encompassing primary sensory networks like vision and hearing, attention circuits, and higher-order systems. The salience network helps flag important events and shift attention, while the cingulo-opercular network, described here as a cognitive-control network, helps keep attention on a task.

    The team used annual air quality models tied to each child’s home address to estimate their exposure to 15 chemical components of air pollution during 2016. By grouping these chemicals mathematically, the authors estimated exposure to six primary sources: crustal materials (such as soil and dust), ammonium sulfates (largely from coal combustion), biomass burning (such as wood smoke and wildfires), traffic emissions, ammonium nitrates (often linked to agricultural fertilizers), and industrial fuel combustion.

    The researchers applied a machine learning method called connectome-based predictive modeling to identify connectivity patterns related to each pollution source. To see if the results could generalize across the country, the scientists trained models using participants from all study sites except one, and then tested how well that model predicted pollution levels for children living at the held-out site. The analyses adjusted for several potential confounding variables, including household income, race and ethnicity, perceived neighborhood safety, neighborhood population density, distance to major roads, urbanicity, physical activity, screen time, scanner hardware, and head movement inside the scanner.

    The cross-sectional analysis at ages 9 to 11 identified consistent links between specific pollution sources and connectivity across sensory and motor networks. Greater exposure to traffic emissions related to weaker functional communication between visual and mouth-related motor networks, as well as between auditory and cognitive-control circuits. In contrast, higher exposure to ammonium sulfates was linked to stronger communication between sensory systems and higher-order cognitive networks, including the default mode network. Crustal materials, industrial fuel burning, and total particulate matter were each tied to a handful of sensory and attention-related connections, while biomass burning showed no consistent pattern at ages 9 to 11.

    Higher-order networks, which are involved in introspective thought, stimulus processing, and, according to some researchers, vulnerability to mental health problems, were also tied to specific pollution sources. Exposure to ammonium nitrates was associated with stronger communication between salience and cognitive-control networks, but weaker communication within memory networks and between attention networks and other networks.

    Over the following two years, the researchers found consistent patterns of change linked to three sources. Higher traffic exposure was tied to increasing connectivity over time between hand-movement networks and attention-related areas, but decreasing connectivity between auditory and cognitive-control networks. Higher biomass burning exposure was linked to increasing connectivity among attention-related networks, and higher ammonium sulfate exposure to weakening connectivity between an attention network and a hand-movement network, while crustal materials, ammonium nitrates, industrial fuel burning, and total particulate matter showed no consistent pattern of change.

    Despite identifying consistent connections in the training data, the connectivity patterns accounted for less than 1 percent of the variation in children’s exposure at ages 9 to 11, and no more than about 2 percent for changes over time. When tested on children from held-out study sites, the models performed no better, and often worse, than simply guessing the average exposure. Prediction errors were largest at sites in the western United States and at sites where exposure levels varied more from child to child.

    The authors concluded that, after accounting for other factors, these pollution sources likely play only a small role in differences in brain connectivity between children, and that the links may not apply to youth in other regions. They also note that the patterns for biomass burning and ammonium sulfates held up best across sites, while those for crustal materials and traffic emissions deserve more caution.

    The findings are in line with a study covered by PsyPost earlier this year, which found that young teenagers exposed to elevated particulate pollution showed less brain network maturation over two years, though that previous research evaluated an overall brain maturity score rather than connectivity across specific functional networks and distinct pollution sources.

    “This is an important and timely topic, and the paper complements a growing body of evidence that children’s physical environments in general, and air pollution exposure in particular, are associated with their neural and cognitive development,” said Monica Rosenberg, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, director of the Cognition, Attention, and Brain Lab, and a co-developer of the brain-modeling technique used in the study, who was not involved in the research.

    “The longitudinal aspect of this work is unique and is a major strength—the authors didn’t just show associations between brain networks and pollution at a single time point but found that pollution predicts developmental trajectories of networks,” Rosenberg told PsyPost.

    There are a few things to keep in mind when interpreting these findings. The study used observational data and statistical associations, meaning it cannot establish that breathing these specific particles directly caused the observed network differences. Because the research took place across many regions with varying environmental mixtures, local factors that were unmeasured might account for some of the geographic discrepancies.

    The authors also did not apply a statistical correction for the many connections they tested at once, so some of the identified links could be false positives, and the analysis was exploratory, with no advance predictions about which networks would be affected. Because each study site used scanners from a single manufacturer, differences between regions cannot be fully separated from differences in scanning equipment.

    Rosenberg noted that the geographic inconsistency represents an important caveat for understanding the results. “One caveat is that the primary predictive models did not successfully generalize across sites, meaning that associations between brain network patterns and air pollution were inconsistent across geographic locations,” she said. “In addition to the thorough analyses presented in the paper, it would be interesting to test whether the observed brain changes were associated with cognitive and/or attentional performance since the implications of neural changes alone aren’t always clear.”

    Another caveat involves how exposure was measured. The researchers assigned air pollution levels based on each child’s home address during a single year, which does not capture personal daily habits such as indoor air filtration, ventilation, daily travel routes, or time spent exercising outdoors. In addition, the participants in this nationwide study were somewhat more likely to come from higher-income and non-Hispanic white households than the national average, and average particulate exposures across the sample were below current federal limits. Future studies will need to follow youth through later adolescence to evaluate whether these source-specific network patterns correspond with tangible differences in sensory function, attention, or mental health outcomes.

    The study, “Sources of outdoor air pollution exposure and child brain network development across the United States,” was authored by Katherine L. Bottenhorn, Kirthana Sukumaran, Amanda C. Del Giacco, Hedyeh Ahmadi, Jordan D. Corbett, Alethea V. de Jesus, Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez, Rima Habre, Daniel A. Hackman, Joel Schwartz, Jiu-Chiuan Chen, and Megan M. Herting.

    URL: psypost.org/neuroscientists-ar

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  21. DATE: October 25, 2026 at 02:00PM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
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    TITLE: Young adults who fear rejection also tend to fear death more, psychology study finds

    URL: psypost.org/young-adults-who-f

    Young adults who are especially worried about rejection in their close relationships tend to report a greater fear of death, which in turn is linked to more symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other forms of distress, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports. The findings also suggest that for several types of symptoms, this link depends on whether a person views death as the complete end of their existence or as a transition to another state.

    Death anxiety refers to the worry, dread, or apprehension that comes from knowing that human life eventually ends. While it is normal to think about mortality from time to time, many psychologists now view persistent or poorly managed fear of death as a shared factor underlying many different mental health conditions. It can show up as panic or constant worry in anxiety disorders, feelings of hopelessness in depression, repetitive rituals aimed at preventing harm in obsessive-compulsive disorder, or extreme worry about physical sensations in somatic symptom disorders.

    These existential concerns often become especially prominent during emerging adulthood, the developmental period spanning the late teens and twenties. As young people build their independent identities and confront major life transitions, they frequently grapple with questions about meaning and mortality, with prior research showing that fear of death tends to peak during a person’s twenties.

    How well a young adult copes with the reality of mortality has been linked to their attachment style, which is the characteristic way a person relates to others in close relationships based on their internal sense of self-worth and their trust in other people. Psychologists often categorize adult attachment into four patterns: secure (positive view of both self and others), preoccupied (negative view of self, positive view of others), dismissing (positive view of self, negative view of others), and fearful (negative view of both self and others).

    People with a secure attachment style generally manage stress well and turn to loved ones for comfort. In contrast, those with insecure styles rely on less helpful strategies to regulate their emotions, and a 2025 meta-analysis of 18 studies found that adults with higher attachment anxiety or attachment avoidance consistently report a greater fear of death.

    Individuals with a preoccupied attachment style tend to experience high attachment anxiety, meaning they are overly sensitive to rejection and abandonment, which can amplify their distress when thinking about death. Those with a dismissing style exhibit high attachment avoidance, meaning they prize extreme independence and suppress their emotional needs, often trying to push thoughts of mortality out of their awareness.

    Beyond relationship patterns, how a person fundamentally defines death also shapes how they handle existential fear. In psychology, this belief is called the ontological representation of death, which captures what a person believes happens to their core identity when they die. Some people view death as total annihilation, meaning the absolute and permanent extinction of the self. Others view death as a passage, meaning a transition to another form of existence, whether through a literal afterlife or a symbolic legacy that allows some part of their identity to continue.

    The research, led by Alessandro Musetti, an associate professor of dynamic psychology in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries at the University of Parma in Italy, examined how these relational and existential factors work together. Psychologists use the term internalizing symptoms for inward-directed problems such as depression, anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and unexplained physical complaints.

    “Death anxiety is increasingly recognized as a factor involved in many forms of psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and somatic complaints,” Musetti told PsyPost. “However, we still know relatively little about why some people are more vulnerable to death anxiety than others, and why death anxiety seems to affect some individuals more strongly. We wanted to integrate attachment theory with existential psychology by examining whether attachment styles are linked to internalizing symptoms through death anxiety, and whether this process depends on how people fundamentally represent death, either as total annihilation or as a form of passage or continuity.”

    To investigate this, the researchers analyzed data from 640 Italian young adults between the ages of 18 and 22, with an average age of about 20.5 years. The sample was predominantly female (83.4 percent) and consisted mostly of students (62.7 percent) or working students (28.8 percent). In terms of religious views, 39.1 percent identified as agnostic, 30.6 percent as atheist, and 30.3 percent as religious believers.

    Participants, recruited through social media, completed a series of online questionnaires. To measure attachment styles, the researchers used the Relationship Questionnaire, which asks participants to rate on a 1-to-7 scale how well four short paragraphs describing secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and fearful attachment patterns apply to them. Death anxiety was measured using a 15-item true-or-false questionnaire that included statements like “I am very much afraid to die.”

    Participants also completed the Testoni Death Representation Scale, which uses six items rated on a 1-to-5 scale to determine the degree to which a person views death as a passage versus definitive annihilation. Finally, the researchers assessed four types of internalizing mental health symptoms over the prior two weeks: depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms (such as unexplained physical aches and pains), and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (repetitive unpleasant thoughts or urges).

    The researchers used a statistical technique called conditional process analysis, which tests whether an indirect pathway between two variables changes depending on a third factor, while controlling for gender. In the initial look at how attachment related to fear of mortality, participants scored an average of 9.31 out of 15 on the death anxiety scale. Higher scores on preoccupied attachment were associated with higher death anxiety, whereas higher scores on dismissing attachment were associated with lower reported death anxiety.

    Secure and fearful attachment styles were not linked to death anxiety once all four styles were considered together. The finding for dismissing attachment differs from the 2025 meta-analysis described earlier, which linked attachment avoidance to greater fear of death. The authors suggest that people with a dismissing style may push death-related thoughts out of awareness rather than feel less threatened by mortality.

    When looking at how death anxiety connected to mental health, the researchers found that a participant’s view of death played a moderating role for three of the four symptom categories. Death anxiety was linked to worse anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and somatic symptoms, but only among young adults who strongly viewed death as total annihilation. For participants who viewed death as a passage to another state of existence, higher death anxiety was not linked to higher levels of these three symptom types.

    Consequently, the indirect pathways linking attachment styles to these three symptoms operated only among those holding annihilation beliefs. For young adults who believed death is the complete end of existence, having a preoccupied attachment style was indirectly linked to greater anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and somatic symptoms through heightened death anxiety.

    Among those same annihilation-believing participants, by contrast, a dismissing attachment style had a negative indirect association with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and somatic symptoms because these individuals reported lower death anxiety. However, the authors caution against interpreting a dismissing attachment style as psychologically healthy. When looking at direct relationships outside of the death anxiety pathway, dismissing attachment was directly linked to higher levels of unexplained somatic symptoms, which the authors suggest may indicate that suppressing emotions and relationship needs can contribute to physical complaints even when conscious fear of death is kept at bay.

    Depression followed a different pattern than the other three mental health domains. Whether a participant viewed death as total annihilation or as a passage did not alter the link between death anxiety and depressive symptoms. Instead, preoccupied attachment was indirectly associated with greater depressive symptoms through increased death anxiety across the board, regardless of what the person believed happens after death. Additionally, preoccupied and fearful attachment styles were directly linked to worse symptoms in all four mental health categories, while secure attachment was directly associated with lower depression and anxiety.

    “Our findings suggest that psychological distress is influenced not only by how people relate to others, but also by how they make sense of their own mortality,” Musetti explained. “At the same time, the way people understand death appears to matter: when death is experienced as the complete end of personal existence, death anxiety seems more strongly connected to several forms of psychological distress.”

    “One finding that surprised us was that the ontological representation of death mattered for anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and somatic symptoms, but not for depressive symptoms,” Musetti noted. “This suggests that depression may be connected to existential concerns through somewhat different mechanisms than other forms of psychological distress.”

    The findings are consistent with research by Musetti and colleagues covered by PsyPost in 2025, which found that death anxiety and feelings of relational disconnectedness helped explain the link between attachment anxiety and problematic social media use. Both studies indicate that fear of mortality helps explain how insecure attachment is linked to psychological difficulties, though the earlier study focused on problematic social media habits across a wide adult age range while the new research examined internalizing mental health symptoms in young adults.

    The depression results also align with a study covered by PsyPost in 2023, which examined broader existential anxiety and meaning in life among adult mental health professionals rather than death anxiety and attachment styles in emerging adults, and similarly found that existential anxiety helped explain the link between lower meaning in life and more severe depressive symptoms.

    Musetti pointed out that the statistical relationships uncovered in the study should be kept in perspective. “The effects were statistically significant but generally modest in magnitude, which is common when studying complex psychological phenomena,” he said. “We are not suggesting that attachment style or death anxiety alone determine mental health outcomes. Rather, our findings indicate that existential concerns may be one piece of a broader psychological puzzle that includes relational experiences, emotional regulation, personality, and social context.”

    As with all research, there are some caveats to consider when interpreting these findings. Because all the survey data were collected at a single point in time, the study cannot establish cause and effect. While psychological theory suggests that attachment patterns develop early and shape later fears and symptoms, it is also possible that experiencing depression or anxiety makes a young person feel more insecure in their relationships or more frightened of dying.

    “A key caveat is that this was a cross-sectional study,” Musetti emphasized. “The findings identify associations that are consistent with a theoretically grounded model, but longitudinal research is needed to clarify causal pathways. Additionally, representing death as a passage should not be interpreted simply as being religious. The construct we studied concerns a person’s fundamental understanding of what happens to the self after death and cannot be reduced to religious affiliation alone.”

    There are a few other limitations to keep in mind. Over 83 percent of the participants were young Italian women, and most were students, meaning the results may not generalize equally to men, older adults, or people from different cultural and religious backgrounds where views on death and the afterlife differ. Participants were recruited through social media and word of mouth rather than randomly selected, and the authors note that mediation analyses based on a single time point can overstate indirect pathways. In addition, the researchers relied on brief self-report screening tools rather than clinical interviews, and the two-item measures for depression and somatic symptoms showed only modest internal consistency.

    Future studies could track diverse groups of young people over several years to confirm the order in which attachment insecurities, existential beliefs, and mental health symptoms develop. The authors suggest, though this was not tested, that clinicians working with young adults who have a preoccupied attachment style and view death as total annihilation might combine relationship-focused therapy with existential approaches that help build a sense of meaning and continuity, as long as such approaches respect a person’s own worldview.

    “One important next step is to examine these relationships longitudinally to better understand how attachment, death anxiety, and psychological symptoms influence one another over time,” Musetti added. “We are also interested in studying whether similar processes operate across different age groups and cultural contexts, since beliefs about death are deeply shaped by culture and life experience.”

    The study, “Adult Attachment, Death Anxiety, Representation of Death, and Depression, Anxiety, Obsessive-compulsive, and Somatic Symptoms in Emerging Adulthood: A Moderated Mediation Model,” was authored by Alessandro Musetti, Andrea Zagaria, Vittorio Lenzo, Gianluca Santoro, and Adriano Schimmenti.

    URL: psypost.org/young-adults-who-f

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