Culture

The issue of concussions in sports has attracted considerable media coverage in recent years. Understandably, the early focus was on professional football, a game built around high-speed, full contact between heavy, powerful players, but the scope of reporting and research has expanded widely to include sports at every level.

From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Rebekah Herrick, Oklahoma State University

Some of the strongest opposition to same-sex marriage is generated by religious groups and leaders. Simultaneously, many opinion polls and studies have shown that close personal contact with homosexuals is associated with an increased likelihood of support for same-sex marriage. So how much can contact with gay persons affect the views of religious individuals?

Two friends tend to have more in common than two random individuals. But do friends shape our preferences in movies, music and books, or do we select friends who share our tastes? Past research was often not able to adequately track social relationships and tastes over a period of time. In the last few years, however, platforms such as Facebook have provided researchers with tools to investigate friendship dynamics over time.

On Oct. 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand rulings at three Federal appeals courts, clearing the way for same-sex marriages in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin, bringing the total of U.S. states permitting such unions to 24, in addition to the District of Columbia.

Despite early hopes that the Internet would foster communities based on common interests regardless of race, age or gender, studies have found that many offline sociological patterns are typically replicated in online spaces. However, few studies have tracked these behaviors at the level of the individual user.