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Zapping sand to create rock could help curb coastal erosion

Low voltages generated minerals that help bind the sand into erosion-resistant rock, offering hope for shorelines ravaged by waves.

The world’s fastest microscope makes its debut

Old books can have unsafe levels of chromium, but readers’ risk is low.

Fiddler crabs are migrating north to cooler waters

The crabs are climate migrants and could be a harbinger of changes to come as more species move in.

Summer-like heat is scorching the Southern Hemisphere — in winter

Mantle waves buoy continents upward and bedeck them with diamonds.

50 years ago, some of plastic’s toxic hazards were exposed

Worker exposure to vinyl chloride became tightly regulated after the chemical was linked with liver cancer. Now, its use may be on the chopping block.

A new drug shows promise for hot flashes due to menopause

A next-gen pain drug shows promise, but chronic sufferers need more options.

Bumblebees lose most of their sense of smell after heat waves

A few hours in high temps reduced the ability of antennae to detect flower scents by 80 percent. That could impact the bees’ ability to find food.

Despite new clues, this ancient fish has stumped scientists for centuries

This intricate maze connects the dots on quasicrystal surfaces

The winding loop touches every point without crossing itself and could help make a unique class of atomic structures more efficient catalysts, scientists say.

Scientists find a naturally occurring molecule that forms a fractal

How two outsiders tackled the mystery of arithmetic progressions, a nuclear clock prototype hints at ultraprecise timekeeping , mayo is weirdly great for understanding nuclear fusion experiments, science & society.

A new book tackles AI hype – and how to spot it

In AI Snake Oil, two computer scientists set us straight on the power and limits of AI and offer advice for moving forward.

A fluffy, orange fungus could transform food waste into tasty dishes

‘turning to stone’ paints rocks as storytellers and mentors.

In an epic cosmology clash, rival scientists begin to find common ground 

Different measurements of the cosmic expansion rate disagree. The James Webb telescope could determine whether that disagreement is real.

2 spacecraft caught the waves that might heat and accelerate the solar wind

The webb telescope’s peek into a stellar nursery finds baby planets too, scientists want to send endangered species’ cells to the moon, can we train ai to be creative one lab is testing ideas.

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Research News

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Can dogs understand the meaning of words? Scientists are trying to figure it out

September 6, 2024 • Last year, a dog named Bunny went viral on TikTok for pressing buttons with words on them to "communicate" with her owner. But can dogs even understand those words on a soundboard in the first place? A new study in the journal PLOS One seeks answers. Host Regina G. Barber and producer Rachel Carlson break down that story and more of the week's news with the help of All Things Considered's Ari Shapiro.

Aging and Alzheimer's leave the brain starved of energy. Now scientists think they've found a way to aid the brain's metabolism — in mice. PM Images/Getty Images hide caption

Shots - Health News

This metabolic brain boost revives memory in alzheimer’s mice.

September 2, 2024 • An experimental cancer drug that helps the brain turn glucose into energy was able to reverse memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.

A drug that restores brain metabolism could help treat Alzheimer's

A squat lobster in the genus Sternostylus, thought to be a newly identified species, was photographed along the Nazca Ridge off the coast of Chile. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute hide caption

A newly mapped underwater mountain could be home to 20 new species

August 30, 2024 • Researchers who led the 28-day expedition along the nearly 2-mile tall seamount hope the discoveries made will inform future policies safeguarding the understudied, high-seas region.

Corn rootworm is known as the 'billion dollar bug' for how much damage it causes to corn crops in the United States. Researcher Emily Bick is tackling the problem by eavesdropping on this and other insects. Lina Tran hide caption

How listening to the sounds of insects can help detect agricultural pests

August 30, 2024 • From Indonesia to Wisconsin, farmers all over the world struggle with a huge problem: pests. On top of that, it's tough for farmers to identify where exactly they have the pests and when. Reporter Lina Tran from NPR member station WUWM in Milwaukee joins host Emily Kwong to tell the story of how researchers in the Midwest are inventing new forms of pest detection that involve eavesdropping on the world of insects. Plus, hear what aphid slurping sounds like.

A white-browed sparrow weaver inspects a roost under construction, after just receiving some grass brought by another member of its group. Maria Cristina Tello-Ramos hide caption

When birds build nests, they're also building a culture

August 29, 2024 • Nest-building isn’t just instinct. Birds can learn from others, letting groups within one species develop their own distinctive nest-building traditions.

Shells, composed mostly of invasive zebra mussels pile up at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. The Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Species Control and Prevention Act of 1990 and the United States Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database were created in response to this mussel. corfoto/Getty Images hide caption

Here's what's missing from the invasive species narrative

August 28, 2024 • At first glance, the whole narrative of aquatic invasive species may seem straightforward: A bad non-native species comes into a new ecosystem and overruns good native species. But the truth? It's a little more complicated. To tear down everything we thought we knew about invasive species and construct a more nuanced picture, host Emily Kwong talks to experts Ian Pfingsten, who works on the United States Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, and Nicholas Reo, a Canada Excellence Research Chair in Coastal Relationalities and Regeneration.

Many people get into their phones when they're bored, then scroll through social media in the hopes of alleviating that boredom. But new research suggests that swiping from video to video might increase boredom, not alleviate it. Tippapatt/Getty Images hide caption

Scrolling might make you MORE bored, not less

August 23, 2024 • Have you ever scrolled through a TikTok without finishing it? Switched between YouTube videos halfway through one or the other? Pressed "fast forward" on a Netflix episode that just wasn't holding your interest? That habit is called "digital switching" — and it might be causing the exact thing you're trying to avoid: boredom. Emily and Regina break that and more of the week's news down with the help of All Things Considered 's Ailsa Chang.

Invasive cane toads like this one have fanned out across Australia, killing numerous predators in their wake, including freshwater crocodiles. Joshua Prieto/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

To save wild crocodiles in Australia, scientists gave them food poisoning

August 16, 2024 • Freshwater crocodiles die every year in Australia from eating poisonous cane toads that humans introduced to the continent. Now scientists have found a way to teach the crocs to avoid the toxic toads.

Saving freshwater crocodiles — by teaching them to not eat poisonous toads

Conservation biologist Gliselle Marin carefully untangles a bat from a net in Belize during the annual Bat-a-thon. Her fanny pack is decorated with printed bats. Luis Echeverría for NPR hide caption

Goats and Soda

This scientist has a bat tat and earrings. she says there's a lot to learn from bats.

August 12, 2024 • Gliselle Marin joins the “Bat-a-thon,” a group of 80-some bat researchers who converge on Belize each year to study these winged mammals.

A scientist in Belize hopes bats can galvanize locals to protect their forests

Researchers glued cameras and tracking instruments to small pieces of neoprene, that they then glued to the fur of the sea lions Nathan Angelakis hide caption

Scientists attach video cameras to sea lions to map the ocean floor

August 9, 2024 • How do you study unmapped areas of the ocean and identify critical habitat for an endangered species? You include the study animal in the scientific process! Researchers from the University of Adelaide fitted endangered Australian sea lions with cameras and tracking devices to better understand where they spent their time. The information could help scientists protect critical sea lion habitat and could give researchers a new tool for mapping the ocean.

"Everything that we are as human beings is in our brain," Dr. Theodore Schwartz says. Brian Marcus /Penguin Randomhouse hide caption

Health Care

For this brain surgeon, the operating room is 'the ultimate in mindful meditation'.

August 5, 2024 • Dr. Theodore Schwartz has been treating neurological illnesses for nearly 30 years. He says being a brain surgeon requires steady hands — and a strong bladder. His new book is Gray Matters.

New blood tests that help detect Alzheimer's disease are opening up a new era in diagnosis and treatment, doctors say. Marcus Brandt/picture alliance/Getty Images hide caption

New blood tests can help diagnose Alzheimer's. Are doctors ready for what's next?

August 2, 2024 • A new generation of blood tests can help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. But many doctors don’t yet know how to use them.

Alzheimer's blood tests

Some researchers say the African coral tree has a racial slur embedded in its name. This month, scientists at an international meeting voted to have that epithet removed. tree-species/Flickr hide caption

Some plant names can be racist. Scientists are looking to rename them

July 31, 2024 • An international group of researchers has voted to modify the scientific names of more than 200 plant species whose names carry a derogatory word.

Researchers are revising botanical names to address troubling connotations

A key protein called Reelin may help stave off Alzheimer's disease, according to a growing body of research. GSO Images/The Image Bank/Getty Images hide caption

A protein called Reelin keeps popping up in brains that resist aging and Alzheimer’s

July 29, 2024 • Early in life, the protein Reelin helps assemble the brain. Later on, it appears to protect the organ from Alzheimer’s and other threats to memory and thinking.

Alzheimer's resilience

There are over eight hundred species of leeches, but researchers estimate that only ten percent of all leeches are terrestrial. Auscape/Contributor/Getty Images hide caption

We hate to tell you this, but there are leeches that can jump

July 29, 2024 • Generally, we at Short Wave are open-minded to the creepies and the crawlies, but even we must admit that leeches are already the stuff of nightmares. They lurk in water. They drink blood. There are over 800 different species of them. And now, as scientists have confirmed ... at least some of them can jump!

Two chimpanzees groom each other — a behavior that can involve several gestures. Anup Shah/Getty Images hide caption

What chimpanzee gestures reveal about human communication

July 26, 2024 • Chimpanzees are humans' closest living relatives. But does much of their communication resembles ours? According to a new study published earlier this week in the journal Current Biology , chimpanzees gesture back-and-forth in a similar way to how humans take turns speaking. The research presents an intriguing possibility that this style of communication may have evolved before humans split off from great apes, and tells researchers more about how turn-taking evolved.

Project RattleCam lets people observe rattlesnakes with a live webcam. Scott Boback hide caption

Watch a livestream of Colorado’s ‘mega den’ of pregnant rattlesnakes

July 24, 2024 • On a rocky hillside in Colorado is a “mega den” of hundreds of rattlesnakes — along with cameras livestreaming the whole thing.

 Pregnant Rattlesnakes Webcam

Glyptodonts were giant, armadillo-like shelled mammals that went extinct about 10,000 years ago. A study reveals that cut marks on a glyptodont fossil in South America could have been made by humans a little over 20,000 years ago. Daniel Eskridge/Stocktrek Images/Science Source hide caption

When did humans get to South America? This giant shelled mammal fossil may hold clues

July 23, 2024 • A fossil of an armadillo-like mammal appears to bear cut marks from butchering by humans, suggesting people were living in South America at least 20,000 years ago, even earlier than once thought.

Ancient Armadillos

Once completed, India's National River Linking Project will transfer an estimated 200 billion cubic meters of water around the country each year. STRDEL / Stringer/Getty Images hide caption

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

July 19, 2024 • More than a hundred years ago, a British engineer proposed linking two rivers in India to better irrigate the area and cheaply move goods. The link never happened, but the idea survived. Today, due to extreme flooding in some parts of the country mirrored by debilitating drought in others, India's National Water Development Agency plans to dig thirty links between rivers across the country. It's the largest project of its kind and will take decades to complete. But scientists are worried what moving that much water could do to the land, the people — and even the weather. Host Emily Kwong talks to journalist Sushmita Pathak about her recent story on the project.

In 2022, a large, unexpected rogue wave struck the Viking Polaris, breaking windows. One passenger died and others were injured. Alexis Delisi/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Rogue waves can strike without warning. These scientists found a way to predict them

July 18, 2024 • Scientists have created a new tool that can give 5 minutes advance warning of a dangerous rogue wave in the ocean.

A study finds that psilocybin can desynchronize networks in the brain, potentially enhancing its plasticity. Sara Moser/Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis hide caption

A scientist took a psychedelic drug — and watched his own brain 'fall apart'

July 18, 2024 • Scientists scanned the brains of people who took psilocybin, including a member of the research team. The scans showed how the drug disrupts key networks, potentially enhancing brain plasticity.

A prominent brain scientist took psilocybin as part of his own brain study

Crows can be trained to count out loud much in the way that human toddlers do, a study finds. Andreas Nieder/Universal Images Group Editorial hide caption

Crows can count out loud like human toddlers — when they aren't cheating the test

July 18, 2024 • A study finds that carrion crows can be taught to count and make vocalizations that indicate the number counted, much in the same way that human toddlers do.

Crows can count vocally like toddlers, research shows

The top 10 journal articles of 2020

In 2020, APA’s 89 journals published more than 5,000 articles—the most ever and 25% more than in 2019. Here’s a quick look at the 10 most downloaded to date.

Vol. 52 No. 1 Print version: page 24

1. Me, My Selfie, and I: The Relations Between Selfie Behaviors, Body Image, Self-Objectification, and Self-Esteem in Young Women

Veldhuis, j., et al..

Young women who appreciate their bodies and consider them physical objects are more likely to select, edit, and post selfies to social media, suggests this study in Psychology of Popular Media (Vol. 9, No. 1). Researchers surveyed 179 women, ages 18 to 25, on how often they took selfies, how they selected selfies to post, how often they used filters and editing techniques, and how carefully they planned their selfie postings. They also assessed participants’ levels of body appreciation and dissatisfaction, self-objectification, and self-esteem. Higher levels of self-objectification were linked to more time spent on all selfie behaviors, while body appreciation was related to more time spent selecting selfies to post, but not frequency of taking or editing selfies. Body dissatisfaction and self-esteem were not associated with selfie behaviors. DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000206

2. A Closer Look at Appearance and Social Media: Measuring Activity, Self-Presentation, and Social Comparison and Their Associations With Emotional Adjustment

Zimmer-gembeck, m. j., et al..

This Psychology of Popular Media (online first publication) article presents a tool to assess young people’s preoccupation with their physical appearance on social media. Researchers administered a 21-item survey about social media to 281 Australian high school students. They identified 18 items with strong inter-item correlation centered on three categories of social media behavior: online self-presentation, appearance-related online activity, and appearance comparison. In a second study with 327 Australian university students, scores on the 18-item survey were found to be associated with measures of social anxiety and depressive symptoms, appearance-related support from others, general interpersonal stress, coping flexibility, sexual harassment, disordered eating, and other factors. The researchers also found that young women engaged in more appearance-related social media activity and appearance comparison than did young men. DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000277

3. The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-2019) Outbreak: Amplification of Public Health Consequences by Media Exposure

Garfin, d. r., et al..

Repeated media exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with psychological distress and other public health consequences, according to this commentary in Health Psychology (Vol. 39, No. 5). The authors reviewed research about trends in health behavior and psychological distress as a response to media coverage of crises, including terrorist attacks, school shootings, and disease outbreaks. They found that repeated media exposure to collective crises was associated with increased anxiety and heightened acute and post-traumatic stress, with downstream effects on health outcomes such as new incidence of cardiovascular disease. Moreover, misinformation can further amplify stress responses and lead to misplaced or misguided health-protective and help-seeking behaviors. The authors recommended public health agencies use social media strategically, such as with hashtags, to keep residents updated during the pandemic. They also urged the public to avoid sensationalism and repeated coverage of the same information. DOI: 10.1037/hea0000875

4. Barriers to Mental Health Treatment Among Individuals With Social Anxiety Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Goetter, e. m., et al..

This study in Psychological Services (Vol. 17, No. 1) indicates that 3 in 4 people who suffer from anxiety do not receive proper care. Researchers recruited 226 participants in the United States who were previously diagnosed with social anxiety disorder or generalized anxiety disorder and assessed their symptom severity and asked them to self-report any barriers to treatment. Shame and stigma were the highest cited barriers, followed by logistical and financial barriers and not knowing where to seek treatment. Participants with more severe symptoms reported more barriers to treatment than those with milder symptoms. Racial and ethnic minorities reported more barriers than racial and ethnic majorities even after controlling for symptom severity. The researchers called for increased patient education and more culturally sensitive outreach to reduce treatment barriers. DOI: 10.1037/ser0000254

5. The Construction of “Critical Thinking”: Between How We Think and What We Believe

This History of Psychology (Vol. 23, No. 3) article examines the emergence of “critical thinking” as a psychological concept. The author describes how, between World War I and World War II in the United States, the concept emerged out of growing concerns about how easily people’s beliefs could be changed and was constructed in a way that was independent of what people believed. The author delves into how original measurements of critical thinking avoided assumptions about the accuracy of specific real-world beliefs and details how subsequent critical thinking tests increasingly focused on logical abilities, often favoring outcome (what we believe) over process (how we think). DOI: 10.1037/hop0000145

6. Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder: Integration of Alcoholics Anonymous and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Breuninger, m. m., et al..

This article in Training and Education in Professional Psychology (Vol. 14, No. 1) details how to work with alcohol use disorder patients who are participating in both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The authors point to distinctions between AA and CBT: The goal of AA is total abstinence and the primary therapeutic relationship is with a peer in recovery, while CBT takes a less absolute approach and the primary relationship is with a psychotherapist. The authors also point to commonalities: both approaches emphasize identifying and replacing dysfunctional beliefs and place value in social support. The authors recommend clinicians and trainees become more educated about AA and recommend a translation of the 12-step language into CBT terminology to bridge the gap. DOI: 10.1037/tep0000265

7. Positivity Pays Off: Clients’ Perspectives on Positive Compared With Traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression

Geschwind, n., et al..

Positive cognitive behavioral therapy, a version of CBT focused on exploring exceptions to the problem rather than the problem itself, personal strengths, and embracing positivity, works well to counter depressive symptoms and build well-being, according to this study in Psychotherapy (Vol. 57, No. 3). Participants received a block of eight sessions of traditional CBT and a block of eight sessions of positive CBT. Researchers held in-depth interviews with 12 of these participants. Despite initial skepticism, most participants reported preferring positive CBT but indicated experiencing a steeper learning curve than with traditional CBT. Researchers attributed positive CBT’s favorability to four factors: feeling empowered, benefiting from effects of positive emotions, learning to appreciate baby steps, and rediscovering optimism as a personal strength. DOI: 10.1037/pst0000288

8. Targeted Prescription of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Versus Person-Centered Counseling for Depression Using a Machine Learning Approach

Delgadillo, j., & gonzalez salas duhne, p..

Amachine learning algorithm can identify which patients would derive more benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) versus counseling for depression, suggests research in this Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (Vol. 88, No. 1) article. Researchers retrospectively explored data from 1,085 patients in the United Kingdom treated with either CBT or counseling for depression and discovered six patient characteristics—age, employment status, disability, and three diagnostic measures of major depression and social adjustment—relevant to developing an algorithm for prescribing the best approach. The researchers then used the algorithm to determine which therapy would work best for an additional 350 patients with depression. They found that patients receiving their optimal treatment type were twice as likely to improve significantly. DOI: 10.1037/ccp0000476

9. Traumatic Stress in the Age of COVID-19: A Call to Close Critical Gaps and Adapt to New Realities

Horesh, d., & brown, a. d..

This article in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy (Vol. 12, No. 4) argues that COVID-19 should be examined from a post-traumatic stress perspective. The authors call for mental health researchers and clinicians to develop better diagnoses and prevention strategies for COVID-related traumatic stress; create guidelines and talking points for the media and government officials to use when speaking to an anxious, and potentially traumatized, public; and provide mental health training to professionals in health care, education, childcare, and occupational support in order to reach more people. DOI: 10.1037/tra0000592

10. Emotional Intelligence Predicts Academic Performance: A Meta-Analysis

Maccann, c., et al..

Students with high emotional intelligence get better grades and score higher on standardized tests, according to the research presented in this article in Psychological Bulletin (Vol. 146, No. 2). Researchers analyzed data from 158 studies representing more than 42,529 students—ranging in age from elementary school to college—from 27 countries. The researchers found that students with higher emotional intelligence earned better grades and scored higher on achievement tests than those with lower emotional intelligence. This finding was true even when controlling for intelligence and personality factors, and the association held regardless of age. The researchers suggest that students with higher emotional intelligence succeed because they cope well with negative emotions that can harm academic performance; they form stronger relationships with teachers, peers, and family; and their knowledge of human motivations and socialinteractions helps them understand humanities subject matter. DOI: 10.1037/bul0000219

5 interviews to listen to now

Psychology’s most innovative thinkers are featured on APA’s Speaking of Psychology podcast , which highlights important research and helps listeners apply psychology to their lives. The most popular episodes of 2020, as measured by the number of downloads in the first 30 days, were: 

• How to have meaningful dialogues despite political differences , with  Tania Israel, PhD
• Canine cognition and the survival of the friendliest , with  Brian Hare, PhD  
• The challenges faced by women in leadership , with  Alice Eagly, PhD
• How to choose effective, science-based mental health apps , with  Stephen Schueller, PhD  
• Psychedelic therapy , with Roland Griffiths, PhD  

Listen to all of the Speaking of Psychology episodes .

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• The Need for Humanitarian Research: Addressing Emerging Challenges in a Complex World

The landscape of humanitarian assistance is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by a complex interplay of evolving crises, diverse actors, and emerging global threats. Traditional approaches to humanitarian aid are proving inadequate in the face of increasingly multifaceted and protracted emergencies, ranging from armed conflicts to natural disasters exacerbated by climate change. In this context, the need for robust humanitarian research is more critical than ever. 

Research plays a vital role in providing a deeper understanding of the root causes of conflict, identifying future drivers of humanitarian aid, and developing evidence-based strategies that can be translated into meaningful operational changes. It is imperative for humanitarian researchers to examine the changing nature of humanitarian assistance, the complexity of humanitarian settings, and the necessity of data-driven approaches to navigate the profound challenges faced by the sector.

The Changing Nature of Humanitarian Assistance

Humanitarian assistance today is characterized by a shift from short-term emergency relief to more prolonged and multidimensional responses. Crises are increasingly marked by chronic, intersecting factors such as conflict, climate change, economic instability, and political stalemates. This evolving context requires a corresponding shift in how humanitarian interventions are conceptualized, designed, and implemented. Research is crucial in understanding these changes and guiding the development of adaptive strategies.

One significant change is the growing recognition of the importance of addressing the root causes of crises rather than merely responding to their symptoms. Humanitarian research is essential in uncovering these underlying factors, which often involve complex historical, socio-political, and economic dimensions. For example, understanding the drivers of conflict in a region such as the Sahel, where climate change, resource scarcity, and governance challenges intersect, can help aid organizations develop more effective interventions that address not only immediate needs but also long-term resilience.

Moreover, the humanitarian sector is witnessing an expansion in the range and diversity of actors involved in crisis response, from international organizations and governments to local NGOs, private sector entities, and affected communities themselves. This pluralistic landscape requires coordination and a shared understanding of needs and priorities, which can only be achieved through comprehensive research. By generating reliable data and insights, research facilitates evidence-based decision-making, helping to align efforts across different stakeholders and ensuring that aid is delivered where it is most needed.

The Complexity of Humanitarian Settings

Humanitarian settings today are marked by unprecedented complexity. Conflicts are more protracted and fragmented, with non-state actors playing increasingly prominent roles, complicating negotiations and access to affected populations. In many cases, humanitarian workers face constraints that severely limit their ability to operate safely and effectively, such as deliberate attacks, bureaucratic impediments, and restricted access imposed by governments or armed groups.

Additionally, many crises now occur in urban settings, where the dynamics of vulnerability and resilience differ significantly from those in rural areas. Urban humanitarianism involves unique challenges, including dense populations, diverse needs, complex social networks, and the potential for rapid disease transmission. Research is critical in navigating these complexities, as it provides the data necessary to understand the nuances of urban crises and to design interventions that are appropriate to the context.

The intersection of these challenges calls for a nuanced understanding that can only be achieved through dedicated research. For instance, understanding the motivations and capacities of non-state armed actors, the dynamics of local power structures, or the coping mechanisms of urban populations in crisis settings requires in-depth qualitative and quantitative research. Without such insights, humanitarian interventions risk being ineffective, inappropriate, or even harmful.

Understanding the Root Causes of Conflict

To address the massive humanitarian challenges effectively, there is an urgent need for research that goes beyond surface-level analysis and delves into the root causes of conflict. Conflicts are seldom caused by a single factor; rather, they result from a complex interplay of historical grievances, social inequalities, political marginalization, and economic deprivation. Understanding these root causes is critical for designing interventions that do not merely provide temporary relief but contribute to sustainable peace and development.

For example, in the context of protracted conflicts like those in Syria, Yemen, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, research can help identify the underlying drivers of violence and instability, such as resource competition, ethnic tensions, or exclusionary governance practices. By illuminating these factors, humanitarian research can inform strategies that address the systemic issues at the heart of these conflicts, promoting more durable solutions and reducing the likelihood of recurring violence.

Future Drivers of Humanitarian Aid

The future drivers of humanitarian aid are becoming increasingly evident, with the climate crisis, constrained access, and political stalemates emerging as key factors shaping the landscape. The climate crisis, in particular, represents a profound and growing challenge to the humanitarian sector. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, and as rising sea levels and changing weather patterns threaten livelihoods, displacement and humanitarian needs are expected to increase dramatically. Research is essential in understanding these trends, predicting their impacts, and developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to them.

Similarly, constrained access due to political dynamics, conflict, or government restrictions is a significant barrier to effective humanitarian action. Research is needed to explore innovative ways to reach populations in hard-to-access areas, whether through new technologies, such as remote sensing and digital platforms, or through negotiating strategies that build trust and foster cooperation with local actors.

Political stalemates, where humanitarian access and assistance are impeded by geopolitical interests and power struggles, also require a research-based approach. Understanding the political economy of conflict and the incentives and disincentives that drive different actors is crucial for navigating these complex environments and finding pathways for constructive engagement.

The Need for Evidence-Based Approaches

In a world of constrained resources and growing needs, the humanitarian sector must prioritize evidence-based approaches to maximize the impact of limited resources. Research provides the evidence base needed to inform strategic decisions, design effective interventions, and monitor and evaluate their outcomes. It allows humanitarian organizations to learn from past experiences, adapt to changing contexts, and ensure that their actions are guided by the best available knowledge.

For instance, research on the effectiveness of different aid modalities—such as cash transfers versus in-kind assistance—can help organizations choose the most appropriate and cost-effective methods for delivering aid. Similarly, studies on community engagement strategies can enhance efforts to build trust and cooperation with local populations, thereby improving the relevance and acceptance of humanitarian interventions.

Furthermore, research is essential for translating findings into operational changes and improvements. It is not enough to generate knowledge; there must be mechanisms for ensuring that research findings are effectively disseminated, understood, and acted upon by humanitarian practitioners. This requires a strong culture of learning and adaptation within humanitarian organizations, as well as partnerships between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice.

The need for humanitarian research has never been more critical. As the nature of crises becomes more complex and interconnected, and as new challenges such as climate change, constrained access, and political stalemates emerge, the humanitarian sector must rely on robust, evidence-based approaches to navigate these challenges. Research provides the foundation for understanding the root causes of conflict, anticipating future drivers of humanitarian need, and designing effective interventions that can adapt to rapidly changing contexts. To meet the massive humanitarian challenges of our time, we must invest in research that not only generates knowledge but also translates it into meaningful operational changes that improve the lives of those most in need.

Michael VanRooyen, MD, MPH 

Director, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative 

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