It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Wednesday, August 06, 2025
Could the timing of food assistance payments affect crime rates?
Based on more than a decade’s worth of data across 36 U.S. states, a study in Contemporary Economic Policy finds that spreading out food assistance payments over more days reduces financially motivated crimes—especially robberies.
Compared with a single-day lump-sum monthly distribution through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a disbursement schedule consisting of 15 or more distribution days was associated with a decline of 0.03 robbery incidents per 100,000 population. Similarly, when SNAP distribution was staggered across 15 or more days, the incidence of robbery also declined by 0.03 incidents per 100,000 population.
The study’s investigator estimated that an extended SNAP distribution schedule could potentially generate a benefit of $2.7 million in crime reduction in the United States over 1 year.
These findings offer a practical, cost-effective policy for improving community safety.
“Changing the SNAP benefit schedule is a nearly free policy change that could have enormous public benefits,” said corresponding author Licheng Xu, PhD, of Beijing Normal University, who conducted much of this work while earning his graduate degree in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Additional Information NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.
About the Journal First published in 1982, Contemporary Economic Policy publishes scholarly research and analysis on important policy issues facing society. The journal provides insight into the complexity of policy decisions and communicates evidence-based solutions in a form accessible to economists and policy makers. Contemporary Economic Policy provides a forum for debate by enhancing our understanding of key issues and methods used for policy analysis.
About Wiley Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a trusted leader in research and learning. Our industry-leading content, services, platforms, and knowledge networks are tailored to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners, including researchers, students, instructors, professionals, institutions, and corporations. We empower knowledge-seekers to transform today’s biggest obstacles into tomorrow’s brightest opportunities. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Timing of SNAP disbursement and crime incidence in the United States
Article Publication Date
6-Aug-2025
New European toolkit launched by EU agencies to help eliminate viral hepatitis B and C in prisons
The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have jointly produced a European toolkit for the elimination of viral hepatitis in prisons.
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
The new toolkit is designed to support the implementation and scale-up of hepatitis B and C interventions in prisons across Europe. It also reinforces the principle of ‘equivalence of care’, ensuring that people in prison receive healthcare comparable to that available in the community.
People in prison experience higher levels of viral hepatitis than the general population, making them a key group for targeted prevention and treatment. In Europe, individuals entering prison are also more likely to have a history of injecting drug use — a major risk factor for hepatitis B and C virus transmission. Sharing of injecting equipment and other risk factors — such as unsafe tattooing or body piercing practices, sharing of razors and unprotected sex — make prisons a priority setting for targeted viral hepatitis prevention and treatment interventions.
Short sentences and repeat incarcerations mean that same group of people often move between prison and the community. For this reason, tackling health problems such as viral hepatitis in prison settings can also deliver health benefits to the wider community by driving down the overall disease burden and preventing future transmission of infections. This is known as the ‘community dividend’.
The toolkit consists of four key sections: background, strategy development, strategy implementation and monitoring and evaluation.It includeslinks to relevant public health guidance, and practical tools to understand the context, and define and implement an elimination strategy inside prisons. Examples from prisons in Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Luxembourg, are provided, illustrating models of care.
In the toolkit, the EUDA and ECDC provide practical, evidence-based information for those working in prison healthcare on how to set up interventions to prevent and control viral hepatitis in these settings.
The information is also likely to be relevant to other audiences, including policymakers, security staff, people living in prison, peer support workers, and voluntary workers. Further support for people working in prison healthcare will be available in the form of dedicated training sessions provided by EUDA and ECDC in the coming months to facilitate the effective implementation of the toolkit and scale-up of services.
Article Title
New European toolkit launched by EU agencies to help eliminate viral hepatitis B and C in prisons
Article Publication Date
6-Aug-2025
Growing shade trees can cut chocolate’s environmental impact
University of Queensland research shows emissions from the global chocolate industry could be reduced by growing more shade trees over farms in the region that supplies 60 per cent of the world’s cocoa.
“Cocoa is naturally an understory tree in rainforests, but in monoculture farming systems it’s grown in the open,” Dr Blaser-Hart said.
“Shade trees growing in cocoa farms can sequester substantial amounts of carbon in both aboveground and belowground biomass.
“Our analysis found shade-tree cover in cocoa production in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire was relatively low at around 13 per cent, well below what it could be.
“Cocoa can be grown without significant yield losses under shade levels of 30-50 per cent, so there is huge unrealised potential to increase carbon sequestration through tree planting.”
The study found increasing tree cover on cocoa farms across the 2 countries to a minimum of 30 per cent would sequester up to 10.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) each year over the next few decades. CO₂e is a standard measure used to compare emissions from different greenhouse gases based on their global warming potential.
Dr Blaser-Hart said increasing shade would bring environmental and ecosystem benefits to the regions where forests have been removed for cocoa plantations.
“The amount of carbon sequestration we have calculated is about 9 per cent of the total annual emissions and about 167 per cent of current cocoa-related emissions across both countries,” she said.
“But when emissions from past land-use change and deforestation are included, the potential offset falls to about 15 per cent of the sector’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.
“As well as carbon storage, planting a variety of trees in plantations will support biodiversity, improve soil fertility and temperature regulation, and reduce pest and disease pressure.”
While significant, the researchers noted that even widespread tree planting would only store carbon roughly equivalent to that found in the small areas of remaining intact forests in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
“Agroforestry can deliver meaningful mitigation, but it is not a substitute for protecting natural forests and this must remain a priority,” Dr Blaser-Hart said.
Dr Hart said the team’s method could be applied to other cocoa producing regions in South America and South-East Asia and extended to other perennial shade-tolerant crops such as coffee.
“For cocoa, tree planting on farms is a win-win situation – a clear environmental benefit for the chocolate industry through growing a carbon sink with no loss of crop production,” he said.
The project was supported by the Lindt Cocoa Foundation, the Joint Cocoa Research Fund of CAOBISCO and ECA, the BiodivClim ERA-Net COFUND programme, and the Queensland Government Women’s Research Assistance Program.
The research has been published in Nature Sustainability.
The golden apple snail has camera-type eyes that are fundamentally similar to the human eye. Unlike humans, the snail can regenerate a missing or damaged eye. UC Davis biologist Alice Accorsi is studying how the snails accomplish this feat. This knowledge could help us understand eye damage in humans and even lead to new ways to heal or regenerate human eyes.
Human eyes are complex and irreparable, yet they are structurally like those of the freshwater apple snail, which can completely regenerate its eyes. Alice Accorsi, assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, Davis, studies how these snails regrow their eyes — with the goal of eventually helping to restore vision in people with eye injuries.
In a new study published Aug. 6 in Nature Communications, Accorsi shows that apple snail and human eyes share many anatomical and genetic features.
“Apple snails are an extraordinary organism,” said Accorsi. “They provide a unique opportunity to study regeneration of complex sensory organs. Before this, we were missing a system for studying full eye regeneration.”
Her team also developed methods for editing the apple snail’s genome, which will allow them to explore the genetic and molecular mechanisms behind eye regeneration.
A not-so-snail’s paced snail
The golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) is a freshwater snail speciesfrom South America. It’s now invasive in many places throughout the rest of the world, but Accorsi said the same traits that make apple snails so invasive also make them a good animal to work with in the lab.
“Apple snails are resilient, their generation time is very short, and they have a lot of babies,” she said.
In addition to being easy to grow in the lab, apple snails have “camera-type” eyes — the same type as humans.
Snails have been known for their regenerative abilities for centuries — in 1766, a researcher noted that decapitated garden snails can regrow their entire heads. However, Accorsi is the first to leverage this feature in regenerative research.
“When I started reading about this, I was asking myself, why isn’t anybody already using snails to study regeneration?” said Accorsi. “I think it’s because we just hadn’t found the perfect snail to study, until now. A lot of other snails are difficult or very slow to breed in the lab, and many species also go through metamorphosis, which presents an extra challenge.”
Eyes like a camera
There are many types of eyes in the animal kingdom, but camera-types eyes are known for producing particularly high-resolution images. They consist of a protective cornea, a lens for focusing light and a retina that contains millions of light-detecting photoreceptor cells. They are found in all vertebrates, some spiders, squid and octopi, and some snails.
Using a combination of dissections, microscopy and genomic analysis, Accorsi’s team showed that the apple snail’s eyes are anatomically and genetically similar to human eyes.
“We did a lot of work to show that many genes that participate in human eye development are also present in the snail,” Accorsi said. “After regeneration, the morphology and gene expression of the new eye is pretty much identical to the original one.”
How to regrow an eye
So, how do the snails regrow their eyes after amputation? The researchers showed that the process takes about a month and consists of several phases. First, the wound must heal to prevent infection and fluid loss, which usually takes around 24 hours. Then, unspecialized cells migrate and proliferate in the area. Over the course of about a week and a half, these cells specialize and begin to form eye structures including the lens and retina. By day 15 post-amputation, all of the eye’s structures are present, including the optic nerve, but these structures continue to mature and grow for several more weeks.
“We still don't have conclusive evidence that they can see images, but anatomically, they have all the components that are needed to form an image,” said Accorsi. “It would be very interesting to develop a behavioral assay to show that the snails can process stimuli using their new eyes in the same way as they were doing with their original eyes. That’s something we’re working on.”
The team also investigated which genes were active during the regeneration process. They showed that immediately after amputation, the snails had about 9,000 genes that were expressed at different rates compared to normal adult snail eyes. After 28 days, 1,175 genes were still expressed differently in the regenerated eye, which suggests that although the eyes look fully developed after a month, complete maturation might take longer.
Genes for regeneration
To better understand how genes regulate regeneration, Accorsi developed methods to edit the snails’ genome using CRISPR-Cas9.
“The idea is that we mutate specific genes and then see what effect it has on the animal, which can help us understand the function of different parts of the genome,” said Accorsi.
As a first test, the team used CRISPR/Cas9 to mutate a gene called pax6 in snail embryos. Pax6 is known to control the development and organization of brain and eye in humans, mice and fruit flies. Like humans, snails have two copies of each gene – one from each parent. The researchers showed that when apple snails have two non-functional versions of pax6, they develop without eyes, which shows that pax6 is also essential for initial eye development in apple snails.
Accorsi is working on the next step: testing whether pax6 also plays a role in eye regeneration. To determine this, researchers will need to mutate or turn off pax6 in adult snails and then test their regenerative ability.
She is also investigating other eye-related genes, including genes that encode specific parts of the eye, like the lens or retina, and genes that control pax6.
“If we find a set of genes that are important for eye regeneration, and these genes are also present in vertebrates, in theory we could activate them to enable eye regeneration in humans,” said Accorsi.
Additional authors on the study are Asmita Gattamraju of UC Davis, and Brenda Pardo, Eric Ross, Timothy J. Corbin, Melainia McClain, Kyle Weaver, Kym Delventhal, Jason A. Morrison, Mary Cathleen McKinney, Sean A. McKinney and Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Accorsi performed most of the research for this study at Stowers Institute for Medical Research, where she worked as a postdoctoral fellow before joining UC Davis in 2024.
The study was funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Society for Developmental Biology, the American Association for Anatomy and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.
Alice Accorsi discusses how she brought her research to the Stowers Institute in Kansas City after learning the invasive species had regenerative capabilities.
Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado and Alice Accorsi discuss establishing the apple snail as a model for studying eye regeneration.
Apple snail
COMMON TO AQUARISTS
The process of apple snail eye regeneration from amputation to full restoration occurs in four stages over 28 days: wound healing, formation of a special cell mass, emergence of a lens and retina, and the maturation of all eye components.
Caption Apple Snail eye embryo under microscope
Caption For each stage of eye regeneration, the team collected and analyzed gene activity. This information about the timing of gene expression can be used to narrow down which genes are likely most promising for eye regeneration
Seeing with fresh eyes: Snails as a system for studying sight restoration
Stowers scientists have established the apple snail as a new research organism for investigating eye regeneration, which may hold the key for restoring vision due to damage and disease
KANSAS CITY, MO—August 6, 2025—The eye of the apple snail is unusually similar to a human eye—but, unlike human eyes, it can regrow itself if injured or even amputated. New research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research has established the apple snail as a novel research organism to study eye regeneration, with the potential to better understand and find treatments for eye conditions in humans like macular degeneration.
The study, from the lab of Stowers President and Chief Scientific Officer Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D., published in Nature Communications on [date], describes a new system to study sensory organ regeneration in the apple snail, Pomacea canaliciulata. Led by former Postdoctoral Research Associate Alice Accorsi, Ph.D., now an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Davis, the research team discovered that the apple snail has complex camera-type eyes like humans and also developed tools to alter its genome, resulting in snails with stable gene variations that can help researchers better understand the process of regeneration.
“Our eyes are extremely important for perceiving our environment, yet when damaged are unable to recover,” said Accorsi.
“Essentially we had no way to identify solutions for treating conditions like retinal degeneration or physical injury to the eye,” added Sánchez Alvarado. “But nature has answers for us. We now have a tractable system for investigating which genes are responsible for camera-type eye regeneration.”
The process of apple snail eye regeneration from amputation to full restoration occurs in four stages over 28 days: wound healing, formation of a special cell mass, emergence of a lens and retina, and the maturation of all eye components. Because vertebrates including humans can only perform the first stage, wound healing, the researchers are looking at where regeneration and development diverge and are trying to identify what switch snails use to reactivate new eye development.
Apple snails have eyes that are anatomically similar to vertebrate eyes, including those in humans, with a lens, cornea, and retina. The researchers identified that a gene called pax6—known to play a crucial role in vertebrate and fruit fly eye development—is also present in apple snails.
“A key gene governing eye development in vertebrates is pax6, and we showed for the first time that apple snails not only have pax6 but also that this gene is critical for their eyes to develop,” said Accorsi.
In the lab, the team optimized the gene-editing technique CRISPR-Cas9 for apple snails that allowed them to disrupt pax6 gene function. The new line of snails was healthy yet noticeably missing their eyes.
“There were two big moments where I felt this was something that could be important for the entire scientific community,” said Accorsi. “The first was discovering that the snail eye was just like a human eye. The second was observing these tiny embryos without eyes after disrupting pax6, and realizing we can use snails as a system for understanding gene function.”
“To have a research system that regenerates eyes, combined with the ability to do genetics in that system is among the first efforts in the history of science to gain a mechanistic understanding of the processes that underpin the restoration of a sensory organ as complex as the eye—from injury all the way to its regeneration,” said Sánchez Alvarado.
Angus Davison, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Nottingham commented on the potential of the study. “Previously, progress in understanding mollusks and their genomes has been limited because there is no widely used genetically tractable species,” he said. “This work showcases the potential of apple snails as a novel system to uncover the genetic mechanisms behind mollusk development.”
For each stage of eye regeneration, the team collected and analyzed gene activity. This information about the timing of gene expression can be used to narrow down which genes are likely most promising for eye regeneration.
“We now have a list of candidate genes,” said Accorsi. “Going forward, we plan to disrupt these genes to test if they are required for regeneration and development of the eye.”
“With a little bit of effort, a little bit of ingenuity, and a great deal of persistence, biology that seemed inaccessible is no longer a pipe dream,” said Sánchez Alvarado. “Our work with the apple snails is proof positive—it really is possible to bring something that was far beyond what we thought we could do into the realm of real possibility to advance biological knowledge.”
“It was a big risk,” said Sánchez Alvarado. “But it worked.”
Additional authors include Brenda Pardo, Ph.D., Eric Ross, Ph.D., Timothy Corbin, Ph.D., Melania McClain, Ph.D., Kyle Weaver, Ph.D., Kym Delventhal, Ph.D., Jason Morrison, Ph.D., Mary Cathleen McKinney, Ph.D., and Sean McKinney, Ph.D.
This work was funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Society for Developmental Biology, the American Association for Anatomy, and by institutional support from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.
About the Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Founded in 1994 through the generosity of Jim Stowers, founder of American Century Investments, and his wife, Virginia, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research is a non-profit, biomedical research organization with a focus on foundational research. Its mission is to expand our understanding of the secrets of life and improve life’s quality through innovative approaches to the causes, treatment, and prevention of diseases.
The Institute consists of 20 independent research programs. Of the approximately 500 members, over 370 are scientific staff that include principal investigators, technology center directors, postdoctoral scientists, graduate students, and technical support staff. Learn more about the Institute at www.stowers.org and about its graduate program at www.stowers.org/gradschool.
Media Contact:
Joe Chiodo, Director of Communications 724.462.8529 press@stowers.org
Primates - the group of animals that includes monkeys, apes and humans - first evolved in cold, seasonal climates around 66 million years ago, not in the warm tropical forests scientists previously believed.
Researchers from the University of Reading used statistical modelling and fossil data to reconstruct ancient environments and trace where the common ancestors of all modern primates lived.
The study, published today (Tuesday, 5 August) in the journal PNAS, says these first primates most likely lived in North America in a cold climate with hot summers and freezing winters, overturning the long-held "warm tropical forest hypothesis" that has long influenced evolutionary biology.
Jorge Avaria-Llautureo, lead author at the University of Reading, said: "For decades, the idea that primates evolved in warm, tropical forests has gone unquestioned. Our findings flip that narrative entirely. It turns out primates didn't emerge from lush jungles - they came from cold, seasonal environments in the northern hemisphere.
“Understanding how ancient primates survived climate change helps us think about how living species might respond to modern climate change and environmental changes.”
Moving to survive
Primates that could travel far when their local weather changed quickly were better at surviving and having babies that lived to become new species.
When primates moved to completely different, more stable climates, they travelled much further distances - about 561 kilometres on average compared to just 137 kilometres for those staying in similar, unstable climates. Early primates may have survived freezing winters by hibernating like bears do today - slowing down their heart rate and sleeping through the coldest months to save energy. Some small primates still do this - dwarf lemurs in Madagascar dig themselves underground and sleep for several months when it gets too cold, protecting themselves from freezing temperatures under layers of roots and leaves.
Primates didn't reach tropical forests until millions of years later. They started in cold places, then moved to mild climates, then to dry desert-like areas, and finally made it to the hot, wet jungles we see them in today. When local temperatures or rainfall changed quickly in any direction, primates were forced to find new homes, which helped create new species.
