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Can a self-driving vehicle be moral, act like humans do, or act like humans expect humans to? New study has found that human morality can be modeled. New study demonstrating that human ethical decisions can be implemented into machines has strong implications for managing the moral dilemmas autonomous cars may face on the road. Can a self-driving vehicle be moral, act like humans do, or act like humans expect humans to?...

By Tim Gardner Frontiers in Forests and Global Change has launched its newest specialty on Pests, Pathogens and Invasions, led by Enrico Bonello of the Ohio State University and Kimberly Wallin of the University of Vermont and USDA Forest Service. With an increasingly interconnected modern world, the threat of pests, pathogens and invasions to forest ecosystems is growing due to international travel, economic globalization and the effects of climate change. The introduction and spread of invasive species into environments where there are few natural checks and balances can have severe detrimental outcomes for forest ecosystems, ecosystem services and productivity, and the human communities that depend on them....

A study in Frontiers in Digital Humanities shows how the rise of automated art opens new creative avenues, coupled with new problems for copyright protection. The rise of automated art opens new creative avenues, coupled with new problems for copyright protection – problems that could stop creativity in its tracks. — By Mark Wartenberg In 1968, sociologist Jean Baudrillard wrote on automatism that “contained within it is the dream of a dominated world […] that serves an inert and dreamy humanity....

IFN-α2b was shown to improve virus clearance and decrease levels of inflammatory markers: Frontiers in Immunology — by Tayyibah Aziz, Frontiers Science Writer Treatment with antivirals such as interferons may significantly improve virus clearance and reduce levels of inflammatory proteins in COVID-19 patients, according to a new study in Frontiers in Immunology. Researchers conducting an exploratory study on a cohort of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wuhan found that treatment with interferon (IFN)-α2b significantly reduced the duration of detectable virus in the upper respiratory tract and reduced blood levels of interleukin(IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP), two inflammatory proteins found in the human body....

We are more satisfied with life as we age, thanks to this neurochemical, study published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience By Tania Fitzgeorge-balfour, science writer A new study has linked life satisfaction to the chemistry in our brains. People that release more of the neurochemical oxytocin are kinder to others and tend to be more satisfied with their lives. In addition, oxytocin release increases with age, showing why, on average, people are more caring as they get older....

We are delighted to announce that the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (Helmholtz Centre Potsdam) has formed an open access publishing agreement with Frontiers. The GFZ covers Article Processing Charges (APCs) for affiliated corresponding authors who wish to publish in any Frontiers journal. The GFZ has become the 13th participating member in an agreement for open access publishing between the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren) and Frontiers....

We are delighted to announce that Frontiers and the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria have formed an open access publishing agreement. Under the terms of the Austria Open Access Publishing Framework Agreement, the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria (FH Oberösterreich / FH OÖ) will cover article processing charges for eligible authors in any of the Frontiers journals. Eligible authors are corresponding authors of a given article who meet the funding criteria of the FH OÖ....

Frontiers for Young Minds is growing and we are celebrating the first two papers in our youngest Specialty Section Understanding Health. This new specialty is led by our Specialty Chief Editors, Fulvio D’Acquisto and Jay Giedd. Read the Articles Learn about how Nanotechnology could be the next way to treat cancer by providing an alternative delivery system that is so tiny, yet could be the next solution in targeting cancer cells (Author: Dr....

Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology is delighted to announce Professor Ranieri Cancedda as the journal’s new Field Chief Editor. Ranieri Cancedda is Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Genoa and founder of the University of Genoa spin-off company Biorigen Srl. After graduating with an MD from the University of Genoa Medical School, Prof. Cancedda carried out postdoctoral research at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri....

We are pleased to announce the first edition of Frontiers in Chemical Engineering Editors Awards. With these Awards, we are highlighting the members of our Associate Editors and Review Editors Boards, who have gone above and beyond in the past year. They have been instrumental in the growth of Frontiers in Chemical Engineering. This was achieved by safeguarding the quality of the articles published this year during peer-review, as well as by suggesting and leading article collections in the journal....

The editors who have made outstanding contributions to the journal, supporting the review process, helping to build exciting content and driving journal growth. Now, more than ever, it is important to thank our editors for their hard work and dedication to Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 2020 was an unprecedented year with the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution has continued to support researchers and drive forward open science at a time when publishing scientific work could not be more vital....

“Who broke Grandma’s favorite vase?” As you listen to a chorus of “I don’t know” and “Not me,” how will you determine the culprit? by Susan Haas, Frontiers Science Writer “Who broke Grandma’s favorite vase?” As you listen to a chorus of “I don’t know” and “Not me,” how will you determine the culprit? Conventional wisdom says, divide and conquer, but what does scientific research show us about questioning a group of people at one time?...

Interview with Specialty Chief Editor Joseph B. Stanford Joseph B. Stanford is Professor and Director of the Office of Cooperative Reproductive Health, Division of Public Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and Adjunct Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine. He has been the principal investigator or co-investigator for five preconception cohort studies, and has served on national scientific advisory committees for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development....

Research in Frontiers in Marine Science reveals how much plastic debris is currently floating in the Mediterranean Sea By Suzanna Burgelman, Frontiers science writer A team of researchers has developed a model to track the pathways and fate of plastic debris from land-based sources in the Mediterranean Sea. They show that plastic debris can be observed across the Mediterranean, from beaches and surface waters to seafloors, and estimate that around 3,760 metric tons of plastics are currently floating in the Mediterranean....

Research published in Frontiers in Sociology draws the ethnomusicological perspective on music development, from H. neanderthalensis to modern history How did music begin? Did our early ancestors first start by beating things together to create rhythm, or use their voices to sing? What types of instruments did they use? Has music always been important in human society, and if so, why? These are some of the questions explored in a recent Hypothesis and Theory article published in Frontiers in Sociology....

A simulation described in Frontiers in Marine Science helps people to assess the aesthetic aspects of proposed coastal developments and their effect on the marine environment. Geovisualizations of coastal areas help people to see the outcomes of management strategies and impacts of proposed developments on the marine environment. — By Freya Wilson A new immersive visualization allows people to make informed decisions on coastal plans by experiencing changes to an area through a first-person perspective....

A new model predicts how individuals adapt to group behavior — reducing this social influence to a single number; Frontiers in Physics. A new study uses complex math to predict how individuals adapt to group behavior — a tool which could provide insights into the social dynamics of terrorist organizations, or how individuals become transformed during Army Basic Training. — by The U.S. Army Research Laboratory Army researchers have developed for the first time an analytic model to show how groups of people influence individual behavior....

Environmental privilege: How recovery and rebuilding after climate disasters favors the wealthy, Frontiers in Sustainable Cities By Dr Kenneth A Gould and Dr Tammy L Lewis, Brooklyn College (City University of New York) Kenneth A Gould is professor of sociology and dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Brooklyn College (CUNY), and professor of sociology, and earth and environmental sciences at CUNY Graduate Center. His work focuses on the political economy of environment, technology and development....

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of thousands of articles published each year, many often fly under the radar. Here are just five amazing papers you may have missed. Chili to the rescue: Modulating capsaicin as a treatment for chronic itching Pain and itching are both signals that help humans protect themselves, by prompting us to end contact with whatever causes us pain or make us itch....

Below is a list of Frontiers eBooks published in August 2016. All Frontiers eBooks are free to download, share and distribute. Science: Abstract Mathematical Cognition, hosted by Philippe Chassy and Wolfgang Grodd Music, Brain, and Rehabilitation: Emerging Therapeutic Applications and Potential Neural Mechanisms, hosted by Teppo Särkämö, Eckart Altenmüller, Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells and Isabelle Peretz How and Why Does Spatial-Hearing Ability Differ among Listeners? What Is the Role of Learning and Multisensory Interactions?...