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10 frontiers articles that caught the world’s attention in 2022.

By Frontiers’ science writers

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As part of Frontiers’ passion to make science available to all, we highlight just a small selection of the most fascinating research published with us each month to help inspire current and future researchers to achieve their research dreams.

2022 was no different, and saw many game-changing discoveries contribute to the world’s breadth of knowledge on topics ranging from the climate crisis to robotics, and exercise to the lives of our ancestors.

So to round of the year, here are 10 Frontiers articles from this year that got the world’s top media talking.

1. This illusion, new to science, is strong enough to trick our reflexes

Have a look at the image below. Do you perceive that the central black hole is expanding, as if you’re moving into a dark environment, or falling into a hole? If so, you’re not alone: a study published to Frontiers in Human Neuroscience showed that this ‘expanding hole’ illusion, which is new to science, is perceived by approximately 86% of people.

The researchers don’t yet know why a minority seem unsusceptible to the ‘expanding hole’ illusion. Nor do they know whether other vertebrate species, or even nonvertebrate animals with camera eyes such as octopuses, might perceive the same illusion as we do.

“Our results show that pupils’ dilation or contraction reflex is not a closed-loop mechanism, like a photocell opening a door, impervious to any other information than the actual amount of light stimulating the photoreceptor,” said Dr Bruno Laeng, a professor at the Department of Psychology of the University of Oslo and the study’s first author.

“Rather, the eye adjusts to perceived and even imagined light, not simply to physical energy. Future studies could reveal other types of physiological or bodily changes that can ‘throw light’ onto how illusions work.”

Read article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.877249/full

2. A replay of life: What happens in our brain when we die?

Imagine reliving your entire life in the space of seconds. Like a flash of lightning, you are outside of your body, watching memorable moments you lived through. This process, known as ‘life recall’, can be similar to what it’s like to have a near-death experience. What happens inside your brain during these experiences and after death are questions that have puzzled neuroscientists for centuries. However, a study published to  Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience  suggested that your brain may remain active and coordinated during and even after the transition to death, and be programmed to orchestrate the whole ordeal.

When an 87-year-old patient developed epilepsy, Dr Raul Vicente of the University of Tartu, Estonia and colleagues used continuous electroencephalography (EEG) to detect the seizures and treat the patient. During these recordings, the patient had a heart attack and passed away. This unexpected event allowed the scientists to record the activity of a dying human brain for the first time ever.

Read article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.813531/full

3. Eating vegetables does not protect against cardiovascular disease, finds large-scale study

A sufficient intake of vegetables is important for maintaining a balanced diet and avoiding a wide range of diseases. But might a diet rich in vegetables also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)? Unfortunately, researchers from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the University of Bristol found earlier this year no evidence for this.

That the consumption of vegetables might lower the risk of CVD might at first sight seem plausible, as their ingredients such as carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol have properties that could protect against CVD. But so far, the evidence from previous studies for an overall effect of vegetable consumption on CVD has been inconsistent.

Results from a powerful, large-scale new study in  Frontiers in Nutrition  showed that a higher consumption of cooked or uncooked vegetables is unlikely to affect the risk of CVD. They also explain how confounding factors might explain previous spurious, positive findings.

Read article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.831470/full

4. Having good friendships may make for a healthier gut microbiome

Social connections are essential for good health and wellbeing in social animals, such as ourselves and other primates. There is also increasing evidence that the gut microbiome – through the so-called ‘gut-brain axis’ – plays a key role in our physical and mental health and that bacteria can be transmitted socially, for example through touch. So how does social connectedness translate into the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome? That’s the topic of a study in Frontiers in Microbiology on rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta.

The scientists focused on a single social group (with 22 males and 16 females between the ages of six and 20 years) of rhesus macaques on the island of Cayo Santiago, off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. Macaques originally only lived in North Africa and Asia. But in 1938, a founder population of 409 rhesus macaques was moved from India to Cayo Santiago. Today, more than 1,000 macaques live on the 15.2 hectare island, divided into several social groups. They range and forage freely, although their diet gets supplemented daily with monkey chow. Researchers do behavioral observations on the monkeys each year.

Lead author Dr Katerina Johnson, a research associate at the Department of Experimental Psychology and the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Oxford, said: “Here we show that more sociable monkeys have a higher abundance of beneficial gut bacteria, and a lower abundance of potentially disease-causing bacteria.”

Read article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1032495/full

5. Robotic arms connected directly to brain of partially paralyzed man allows him to feed himself

Two robotic arms – a fork in one hand, a knife in the other – flank a seated man, who sits in front of a table, with a piece of cake on a plate. A computerized voice announces each action: “moving fork to food” and “retracting knife.” Partially paralyzed, the man makes subtle motions with his right and left fists at certain prompts, such as “select cut location”, so that the machine slices off a bite-sized piece. Now: “moving food to mouth” and another subtle gesture to align the fork with his mouth.

In less than 90 seconds, a person with very limited upper body mobility who hasn’t been able to use his fingers in about 30 years, just fed himself dessert using his mind and some smart robotic hands.

A team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), in Laurel, Maryland, and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, published a paper in Frontiers in Neurorobotics  that described this latest feat using a brain-machine interface (BMI) and a pair of modular prosthetic limbs.

Read article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2022.918001/full

6. Excessive blue light from our gadgets may accelerate the aging process

Too much screen use has been linked to obesity and psychological problems. Now a study has identified a new problem – a study in fruit flies suggests our basic cellular functions could be impacted by the blue light emitted by these devices. These results are published in Frontiers in Aging .

“Excessive exposure to blue light from everyday devices, such as TVs, laptops and phones, may have detrimental effects on a wide range of cells in our body, from skin and fat cells, to sensory neurons,“ said Dr Jadwiga Giebultowicz, a professor at the Department of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University and senior author of this study. “We are the first to show that the levels of specific metabolites – chemicals that are essential for cells to function correctly – are altered in fruit flies exposed to blue light.“

“Our study suggests that avoidance of excessive blue light exposure may be a good anti-aging strategy,“ said Giebultowicz.

The researchers at Oregon State University have previously shown that fruit flies exposed to light ‘turn on‘ stress protective genes, and that those kept in constant darkness lived longer.

“To understand why high-energy blue light is responsible for accelerating aging in flies, we compared the levels of metabolites in flies exposed to blue light for two weeks to those kept in complete darkness,“ explained Giebultowicz. Blue light exposure caused significant differences in the levels of metabolites measured by the researchers in the cells of fly heads. In particular, they found that the levels of the metabolite succinate were increased, but glutamate levels were lowered.

Read article : https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fragi.2022.983373/full

7. Scientific ‘detective work’ reveals South American mummies were brutally murdered

How frequent was violence in prehistoric human societies? One way to measure this is to look for trauma in prehistoric human remains. For example, a recent review of pre-Columbian remains found evidence of trauma from violence in 21% of males. So far, most studies of this kind focused on skulls and other parts of the skeleton, but a potentially richer source of information are mummies, with their preserved soft tissues.

Now in a study in Frontiers in Medicine , researchers used 3D computed tomography (3D CT) to examine three mummies from pre-Columbian South America, conserved since the late 19th century in European museums.

“Here we show lethal trauma in two out of three South American mummies that we investigated with 3D CT. The types of trauma we found would not have been detectable if these human remains had been mere skeletons,” said Dr Andreas G Nerlich, a professor at the Department of Pathology of Munich Clinic Bogenhausen in Germany, the study’s corresponding author.

Nerlich and colleagues studied a male mummy at the ‘Museum Anatomicum’ of the Philipps University Marburg, Germany, as well as a female and a male mummy at the Art and History Museum of Delémont, Switzerland. Mummies can form naturally when dry environments, for example in deserts, soak up fluids from a decomposing body faster than the decay can proceed – conditions common in the southern zones of South America.

Read article : https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.962793/full

8. WWII shipwreck has leaked many pollutants into the sea, changing the ocean floor around it

Researchers have discovered that an 80 year old historic World War II shipwreck is still influencing the microbiology and geochemistry of the ocean floor where it rests. In Frontiers in Marine Science , they showed how the wreck is leaking hazardous pollutants, such as explosives and heavy metals, into the ocean floor sediment of the North Sea, influencing the marine microbiology around it.

The seabed of the North Sea is covered in thousands of ship and aircraft wrecks,  warfare  agents, and millions of tons of conventional munition such as shells and bombs. Wrecks contain hazardous substances (such as petroleum and explosives) that may harm the marine environment. Yet, there is a lack of information about the location of the wrecks, and the effect they might have on the environment. 

“The general public is often quite interested in  shipwrecks  because of their historical value, but the potential environmental impact of these wrecks is often overlooked,” said PhD candidate Josefien Van Landuyt, of Ghent University. For example, it is estimated that  World War  I and II shipwrecks around the world collectively contain between 2.5m and 20.4m tons of petroleum products.

As part of the  North Sea Wrecks project , Van Landuyt and her colleagues investigated how the World War II shipwreck V-1302 John Mahn in the Belgian part of the North Sea is impacting the microbiome and geochemistry in its surrounding seabed.

“We wanted to see if old shipwrecks in our part of the sea (Belgium) were still shaping the local microbial communities and if they were still affecting the surrounding sediment. This microbial analysis is unique within the project,” explained Van Landuyt.

Read article : https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.928576/full

9. Verbal insults trigger a ‘mini slap to the face’, finds new research

Humans are a highly social species. We rely on ever-changing cooperation dynamics and interpersonal relations to survive and thrive. Words have a big role to play in these relations, as they are tools used to understand interpersonal behavior. As such, words can hurt, but we know little about how the impact of words comes about as someone processes an insult.

“The exact way in which words can deliver their offensive, emotionally negative payload at the moment these words are being read or heard is not yet well-understood,” said corresponding author of a Frontiers in Communication study, Dr Marijn Struiksma, of Utrecht University.

Because insults pose a threat against our reputation and against our ‘self’, they provide a unique opportunity to research the interface between language and emotion. Struiksma continued:

“Understanding what an insulting expression does to people as it unfolds, and why, is of considerable importance to psycholinguists interested in how language moves people, but also to others who wish to understand the details of social behavior.”

Read article : https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2022.910023/full

10. When should I schedule my exercise? The question is more important than you think

When should I fit exercise within my daily schedule? For most, the answer depends on our family’s schedule and working hours, and perhaps on whether we’re ‘larks’ or ‘night owls’. But over the past decade, researchers have found that much more hangs on this question than these constraints. That’s because recent findings suggest that the effectiveness of exercise depends on the time of day (Exercise Time Of Day, ETOD).

Now, a randomized controlled trial not only confirms convincingly that ETOD affects the effectiveness of exercise, but also shows that these effects differ between types of exercise, and between women and men. The results are published in  Frontiers in Physiology .

Principal investigator Dr Paul J Arciero, a professor at the Health and Human Physiological Sciences Department of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, US, said: “Here we show for the first time that for women, exercise during the morning reduces belly fat and blood pressure, whereas evening exercise in women increases upper body muscular strength, power, and endurance, and improves overall mood and nutritional satiety.”

“We also show that for men, evening exercise lowers blood pressure, the risk of heart disease, and feelings of fatigue, and burns more fat, compared to morning exercise.”

Read article : https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.893783/full

REPUBLISHING GUIDELINES : Open access and sharing research is part of  Frontiers’ mission . Unless otherwise noted, you can republish articles posted in the Frontiers news blog — as long as you include a link back to the original research. Selling the articles is not allowed.

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The 10 Most Popular Articles of 2022

Two intense years of pandemic distancing and disruption gave way to another sort of distress in 2022—a year of soul searching, burnout, and quiet quitting.

The 10 most-read articles on Harvard Business School Working Knowledge showed a year that had many asking: “Is this what I really want?” Of course, new COVID-19 variants, rampant inflation, a labor shortage, and the sometimes awkward adjustment to new work arrangements didn’t help the mood. And yet, despite all these challenges, many leaders were determined to move forward, prioritizing digital transformation, racial equity, and collaboration.

1. Scrap the Big New Year's Resolutions. Make 6 Simple Changes Instead.

Self-improvement doesn't need to be painful. Rather than set yet another gym goal, look inward, retrain your brain, and get outside, says Hirotaka Takeuchi .

2. More Proof That Money Can Buy Happiness (or a Life with Less Stress)

It's not about the bigger home or the better vacation. Financial stability helps people escape the everyday hassles of life, says research by Jon Jachimowicz .

3. Curiosity, Not Coding: 6 Skills Leaders Need in the Digital Age

Transforming an organization starts with transforming its leaders. Data from 1,700 executives by Linda Hill and colleagues reveals the most important skills and traits leaders need now.

4. When Working Harder Doesn’t Work, Time to Reinvent Your Career

The second half of your life could be better than the first. Really. In the book From Strength to Strength , Arthur Brooks shows how letting go of past glory can open the possibilities of life's "second curve."

5. Where Can Digital Transformation Take You? Insights from 1,700 Leaders

Digital transformation seems like a journey without end, but many companies are forging ahead. Linda Hill and colleagues reveal six qualities that set digitally mature organizations apart.

6. Digital Transformation: A New Roadmap for Success

Is your company reaping the rewards of digital transformation yet? Linda Hill and colleagues offer seven guiding principles for transformations at any stage—nascent, progressing, or stalled.

7. Dick’s Sporting Goods Followed Its Conscience on Guns—and It Paid Off

After the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Dick's Sporting Goods' CEO declared: "I don't want to be part of the story anymore." Two new case studies by George Riedel go inside the retailer's decision to remove certain firearms from stores and restrict gun sales.

8. You Don’t Have to Quit Your Job to Find More Meaning in Life

Before you give notice and go on a vision quest, consider this: Fulfillment doesn't require big change, says research by Julian De Freitas and colleagues. In fact, you can find more meaning even in a job you don't love.

9. Rituals at Work: Teams That Play Together Stay Together

Rituals—even seemingly silly ones—help employees bond and add meaning to their work, says research by Michael Norton , Francesca Gino , and colleagues. Who wouldn't welcome a workday pick-me-up?

10. When Parents Tell Kids to ‘Work Hard,’ Do They Send the Wrong Message?

It takes more than grit to succeed in a world rife with systemic inequity. So why don't we tell children that? Research by Ashley Whillans and colleagues shows how honest talk about social barriers could empower kids to break them down.

And don’t forget these:

Does Hybrid Work Actually Work? Insights from 30,000 Emails

How often should employees come to the office? In the first large-scale study of its kind, Prithwiraj Choudhury finds that hybrid schedules might offer the best answer for everyone.

Why Are Prices So High Right Now—and Will They Ever Return to Normal?

Research by Alberto Cavallo probes the complex interplay of product shortages, prices, and inflation.

Feeling Seen: What to Say When Your Employees Are Not OK

Managers who let down their guard and acknowledge their employees' emotions can ease distress and build trust, says research by Julian Zlatev and colleagues.

Your Best Employees Are Burning Out: A Framework for Retaining Talent

Companies have long ignored the factors that are burning out employees. Hise Gibson and MaShon Wilson offer a five-step approach for leaders who are ready to support their talent.

Feedback or ideas to share? Email the Working Knowledge team at [email protected] .

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Top Downloaded Articles in 2022

In 2023, we published our inaugural AR Top 100 list of the most read articles in 2022 from across our 51 journals.

2022 was another year of major societal change, as reflected in the timely topics that are included in our Top 100, from mRNA vaccines to emotion and decision making to the political effects of the internet and social media to the state of the world’s birds.

Below you’ll find two categories making up the Top 100: 2022’s top articles of all time, and the top new articles that published in 2022. Browse the lists below to learn more about which topics attracted the most attention from readers during the year. The entire list is also available for download .

TOP ARTICLES IN 2022

TOP ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN 2022

TOP DOWNLOADED ARTICLES FROM 2022 VOLUMES:

Mrna vaccines in the covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

Michael J. Hogan and Norbert Pardi , Annual Review of Medicine

Meat Consumption and Sustainability

Martin C. Parlasca and Matin Qaim , Annual Review of Resource Economics

The Great Divide: Education, Despair, and Death

Anne Case and Angus Deaton , Annual Review of Economics

Replicability, Robustness, and Reproducibility in Psychological Science

Brian A. Nosek , Tom E. Hardwicke , Hannah Moshontz , Aurélien Allard , Katherine S. Corker , Anna Dreber , Fiona Fidler , Joe Hilgard , Melissa Kline Struhl , Michèle B. Nuijten , Julia M. Rohrer , Felipe Romero , Anne M. Scheel , Laura D. Scherer , Felix D. Schönbrodt , and Simine Vazire , Annual Review of Psychology

Germinal Centers

Gabriel D. Victora and Michel C. Nussenzweig , Annual Review of Immunology

Does Democracy Matter?

John Gerring , Carl Henrik Knutsen , and Jonas Berge , Annual Review of Political Sciences

Recovery from Work: Advancing the Field Toward the Future

Sabine Sonnentag , Bonnie Hayden Cheng , and Stacey L. Parker , Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

Environmental Factors Influencing COVID-19 Incidence and Severity

Amanda K. Weaver , Carlos F. Gould , Elizabeth J. Carlton , Jennifer R. Head , and Justin V. Remais , Annual Review of Public Health

Adeno-Associated Virus Toolkit to Target Diverse Brain Cells

Rosemary C. Challis , Sripriya Ravindra Kumar , Xinhong Ghen , David Goertsen , Gerard M. Coughlin , Acacia M. Hori , Miguel R. Chuapoco , Thomas S. Otis , Timothy F. Miles , and Viviana Gradinaru , Annual Review of Neuroscience

State of the World's Birds

Alexander C. Lees , Lucy Haskell , Tris Allinson , Simeon B. Bezeng , Ian J. Burfield , Luis Miguel Renjifo , Kenneth V. Rosenberg , Ashwin Viswanathan , and Stuart H.M. Butchart , Annual Review of Environment and Resources

Whole Inactivated Virus and Protein-Based COVID-19 Vaccines

Peter J. Hotez and Maria Elena Bottazzi , Annual Review of Medicine

Cognitive Aging and the Promise of Physical Activity

Kirk I. Erickson , Shannon D. Donofry , Kelsey R. Sewell , Belinda M. Brown , and Chelsea M. Stillman , Annual Review of Clinical Psychology

Carbonatites: Classification, Sources, Evolution, and Emplacement

Gregory M. Yaxley , Michael Anenburg , Sebastian Tappe , Sophie Decree , and Tibor Guzmics , Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences

The Social Effects of Emotions

Gerben A. van Kleef and Stéphane Côté , Annual Review of Psychology

Breathing Rhythm and Pattern and Their Influence on Emotion

Sufyan Ashhad , Kaiwen Kam , Christopher A. Del Negro , and Jack L. Feldman , Annual Review of Neuroscience

Attitudes, Habits, and Behavior Change

Bas Verplanken and Sheina Orbell , Annual Review of Psychology

Trust Within the Workplace: A Review of Two Waves of Research and a Glimpse of the Third

Kurt T. Dirks and Bart de Jong , Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

Social Connection as a Public Health Issue: The Evidence and a Systemic Framework for Prioritizing the "Social" in Social Determinants of Health

Julianne Holt-Lunstad , Annual Review of Public Health

Experiments and Surveys on Political Elites

Joshua D. Kertzer and Jonathan Renshon , Annual Review of Political Science

Eliminating Explicit and Implicit Biases in Health Care: Evidence and Research Needs

Monica B. Vela , Amarachi I. Erondu , Nichole A. Smith , Monica E. Peek , James N. Woodruff , and Marshall H. Chin , Annual Review of Political Science

Elites in the Making and Breaking of Foreign Policy

Elizabeth N. Saunders , Annual Review of Political Science

Immigration and Globalization (and Deglobalization)

David Leblang and Margaret E. Peters , Annual Review of Political Science

Biodiversity: Concepts, Patterns, Trends, and Perspectives

Sandra Díaz and Yadvinder Malhi , Annual Review of Environment and Resources

Personality Psychology

Brent W. Roberts and Hee J. Yoon , Annual Review of Psychology

The Recent Rise of Suicide Mortality in the United States

Gonzalo Martínez-Alés , Tammy Jiang , Katherine M. Keyes , and Jaimie L. Gradus , Annual Review of Public Health

Experimental Models of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Possible Platforms to Study COVID-19 Pathogenesis and Potential Treatments

Sareh Pandamooz , Benjamin Jurek , Carl-Philipp Meinung , Zahra Baharvand , Alireza Sahebi Shahem-abadi , Silke Haerteis , Jaleel A. Miyan , James Downing , Mehdi Dianatpour , Afshin Borhani-Haghighi , and Mohammad Saied Salehi , Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Analytic Criminology: Mechanisms and Methods in the Explanation of Crime and its Causes

Per-Olof H. Wikström and Clemens Kroneberg , Annual Review of Criminology

A Female Career in Research

Katherine M. Flegal , Annual Review of Nutrition

Recollecting What We Once Knew: My Life in Psycholinguistics

Lila R. Gleitman and Claire Gleitman , Annual Review of Psychology

The Structure of Intrinsic Motivation

Ayelet Fishbach and Kaitlin Woolley , Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

Topological Magnets: Functions Based on Berry Phase and Multipoles

Satoru Nakatsuji and Ryotaro Arita , Annual Review of Condensed Matter Physics

Social Epidemiology: Past, Present, and Future

Ana V. Diez Roux , Annual Review of Public Health

Pericyte Control of Blood Flow Across Microvascular Zones in the Central Nervous System

David A. Hartmann , Vanessa Coelho-Santos , and Andy Y. Shih , Annual Review of Physiology

Education and Political Participation

Claire Willeck and Tali Mendelberg , Annual Review of Political Science

Social Motivation at Work: The Organizational Psychology of Effort for, Against, and with Others

Adam M. Grant and Marissa S. Shandell , Annual Review of Psychology

From Traditional Research to Responsible Research: The Necessity of Scientific Freedom and Scientific Responsibility for Better Societies

Anne S. Tsui , Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

A Framework for the Study of Persuasion

James N. Druckman , Annual Review of Political Science

Phosphorus Acquisition and Utilization in Plants

Hans Lambers , Annual Review of Plant Biology

Permafrost and Climate Change: Carbon Cycle Feedbacks From the Warming Arctic

Edward A.G. Schuur , Benjamin W. Abbott , Roisin Commane , Jessica Ernakovich , Eugenie Euskirchen , Gustaf Hugelius , Guido Grosse , Miriam Jones , Charlie Koven , Victor Leshyk , David Lawrence , Michael M. Loranty , Marguerite Mauritz , David Olefeldt , Susan Natali , Heidi Rodenhizer , Verity Salmon , Christina Schädel , Jens Strauss , Claire Treat , and Merritt Turetsky , Annual Review of Environment and Resources

Climate Change Risks to Global Forest Health: Emergence of Unexpected Events of Elevated Tree Mortality Worldwide

Henrik Hartmann , Ana Bastos , Adrian J. Das , Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert , William M. Hammond , Jordi Martínez-Vilalta , Nate G. McDowell , Jennifer S. Powers , Thomas A.M. Pugh , Katinka X. Ruthrof , and Craig D. Allen , Annual Review of Plant Biology

Cosmology and High-Energy Astrophysics: A 50-Year Perspective on Personalities, Progress, and Prospects

Martin J. Rees , Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Carbon Fluxes in the Coastal Ocean: Synthesis, Boundary Processes, and Future Trends

Minhan Dai , Jianzhong Su , Yangyang Zhao , Eileen E. Hofmann , Zhimian Cao , Wei-Jun Cai , Jianping Gan , Fabrice Lacroix , Goulven G. Laruelle , Feifei Meng , Jens Daniel Müller , Pierre A.G. Regnier , Guizhi Wang , and Zhixuan Wang , Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences

Political Control

Maai Hassan , Daniel Mattingly , and Elizabeth R. Nugent , Annual Review of Political Science

Social Capital, Black Social Mobility, and Health Disparities

Keon L. Gilbert , Yusuf Ransome , Lorraine T. Dean , Jerell DeCaille , and Ichiro Kawachi , Annual Review of Public Health

Media and Policy Making in the Digital Age

Emiliano Grossman , Annual Review of Political Science

Targeting Solid Tumors with Bispecific T Cell Engager Immune Therapy

Tara Arvedson , Julie M. Bailis , Carolyn D. Britten , Matthias Klinger , Dirk Nagorsen , Angela Coxon , Jackson G. Egen , and Flavius Martin , Annual Review of Cancer Biology

Qualitative Research Methods in Chronic Disease: Introduction and Opportunities to Promote Health Equity

Rachel C. Shelton , Morgan M. Philbin , and Shoba Ramanadhan , Annual Review of Public Health

The Power of Beliefs

Margaret Levi , Annual Review of Political Science

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: New Concepts and Therapies

Barry J. Maron , Ethan J. Rowin , and Martin S. Maron , Annual Review of Medicine

Personal Values Across Cultures

Lilach Sagiv and Shalom H. Schwartz , Annual Review of Psychology

ARTICLE LIST CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

For articles 51-100, please see the full list. (.xlsx file)

TOP DOWNLOADED ARTICLES IN 2022:

Emotion and decision making.

Jennifer S. Lerner , Karim S. Kassam , Piercarlo Valdesolo , and Ye Li , Annual Review of Psychology (2015)

Political Effects of the Internet and Social Media

Ekaterina Zhuravskaya , Maria Petrova , and Ruben Enikolopov , Annual Review of Economics (2020)

Parenting and its Effects on Children: On Reading and Misreading Behavior Genetics

Eleanor E. Maccoby , Annual Review of Psychology (2000)

Political Parties and Democracy

S.C. Stokes , Annual Review of Political Science (1999)

Metabolic Effects of Intermittent Fasting

Ruth E. Patterson and Dorothy D. Sears , Annual Review of Nutrition (2017)

The Causes of War and the Conditions of Peace

Jack S. Levy , Annual Review of Political Science (1998)

The Roots of Gender Inequality in Developing Countries

SEEMA JAYACHANDRAN , Annual Review of Economics (2015)

Executive Functions

ADELE DIAMOND , Annual Review of Psychology (2015)

The Good That Viruses Do

Mario Mietzsch and Mavis Agbandje-McKenna , Annual Review of Virology (2017)

Human–Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence

Philip J. Nyhus , Annual Review of Environment and Resources (2016)

The Growing Impact of Globalization for Health and Public Health Practice

RONALD LABONTÉ , KATIA MOHINDRA , and TED SCHRECKER , Annual Review of Public Health (2011)

Political Misinformation

Jennifer Jerit and Yangzi Zhao , Annual Review of Political Science (2020)

Racism and Health: Evidence and Needed Research

David R. Williams , Jourdyn A. Lawrence , and Brigette A. Davis , Annual Review of Public Health (2019)

Learning from Errors

Janet Metcalfe , Annual Review of Psychology (2017)

Framing Theory

Dennis Chong and James N. Druckman , Annual Review of Political Science (2007)

Machine Learning Methods That Economists Should Know About

Susan Athey and Guido W. Imbens , Annual Review of Economics (2019)

Weird Animals, Sex, and Genome Evolution

Jennifer A. Marshall Graves , Annual Review of Animal Biosciences (2018)

Structure, Function, and Evolution of Coronavirus Spike Proteins

Fang Li , Annual Review of Virology (2016)

Machine Learning for Fluid Mechanics

Steven L. Brunton , Petros Koumoutsakos , and Bernd R. Noack , Annual Review of Virology (2020)

Media and the Development of Gender Role Stereotypes

L. Monique Ward and Petal Grower , Annual Review of Developmental Psychology (2020)

The Origins and Consequences of Affective Polarization in the United States

Shanto Iyengar , Yphtach Lelkes , Matthew Levendusky , Neil Malhotra , and Sean J. Westwood , Annual Review of Political Science (2019)

Working Memory: Theories, Models, and Controversies

Alan Baddeley , Annual Review of Psychology (2012)

Designing Difference in Difference Studies: Best Practices for Public Health Policy Research

Coady Wing , Kosali Simon , and Ricardo A. Bello-Gomez , Annual Review of Public Health (2018)

The Mass Criminalization of Black Americans: A Historical Overview

Elizabeth Hinton and DeAnza Cook , Annual Review of Criminology (2021)

Organic Agriculture, Food Security, and the Environment

Eva-Marie Meemken and Matin Qaim , Annual Review of Resource Economics (2018)

Three Decades of Climate Mitigation: Why Haven't We Bent the Global Emissions Curve?

Isak Stoddard , Kevin Anderson , Stuart Capstick , Wim Carton , Joanna Depledge , Keri Facer , Clair Gough , Frederic Hache , Claire Hoolohan , Martin Hultman , Niclas Hällström , Sivan Kartha , Sonja Klinsky , Magdalena Kuchler , Eva Lövbrand , Naghmeh Nasiritousi , Peter Newell , Glen P. Peters , Youba Sokona , Andy Stirling , Matthew Stilwell , Clive L. Spash , and Mariama Williams , Annual Review of Environment and Resources (2021)

Public Health and Online Misinformation: Challenges and Recommendations

Briony Swire-Thompson and David Lazer , Annual Review of Public Health (2020)

Globalization and Politics

Suzanne Berger , Annual Review of Political Science (2000)

Judgment and Decision Making

Baruch Fischhoff and Stephen B. Broomell , Annual Review of Psychology (2020)

Nationalism: What We Know and What We Still Need to Know

Harris Mylonas and Maya Tudor , Annual Review of Political Science (2021)

The Social Determinants of Health: Coming of Age

Paula Braveman , Susan Egerter , and David R. Williams , Annual Review of Public Health (2011)

The Politics of Sustainability and Development

Ian Scoones , Annual Review of Environment and Resources (2016)

Measures of Racism, Sexism, Heterosexism, and Gender Binarism for Health Equity Research: From Structural Injustice to Embodied Harm—An Ecosocial Analysis

Nancy Krieger , Annual Review of Public Health (2020)

Culture, Politics, and Economic Development

Paul Collier , Annual Review of Political Science (2017)

The Role of Media Violence in Violent Behavior

L. Rowell Huesmann and Laramie D. Taylor , Annual Review of Public Health (2006)

Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Biology

Anthony A. Hyman , Christoph A. Weber , and Frank Jülicher , Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology (2014)

REVIEW OF COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH: Assessing Partnership Approaches to Improve Public Health

Barbara A. Israel , Amy J. Schulz , Edith A. Parker , and Adam B. Becker , Annual Review of Public Health (1998)

Intersectionality's Definitional Dilemmas

Patricia Hill Collins , Annual Review of Sociology (2015)

The Origins, Development, and Possible Decline of the Modern State

Hendrik Spruyt , Annual Review of Political Science (2002)

Dopamine and Addiction

Roy A. Wise and Mykel A. Robble , Annual Review of Psychology (2020)

Global Water Pollution and Human Health

René P. Schwarzenbach , Thomas Egli , Thomas B. Hofstetter , Urs von Gunten , and Bernhard Wehrli , Annual Review of Environment and Resources (2010)

Nature and Health

Terry Hartig , Richard Mitchell , Sjerp de Vries , and Howard Frumkin , Annual Review of Public Health (2014)

Evidence-Based Public Health: A Fundamental Concept for Public Health Practice

Ross C. Brownson , Jonathan E. Fielding , and Christopher M. Maylahn , Annual Review of Public Health (2009)

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Health Benefits

Fereidoon Shahidi and Priyatharini Ambigaipalan , Annual Review of Food Science and Technology (2018)

Domestic Politics, Foreign Policy, and Theories of International Relations

James D. Fearon , Annual Review of Political Science (1998)

The Big Five Personality Traits in the Political Arena

Alan S. Gerber , Gregory A. Huber , David Doherty , and Conor M. Dowling , Annual Review of Political Science (2011)

Mediation Analysis: A Practitioner's Guide

Tyler J. VanderWeele , Annual Review of Public Health (2016)

What Do Platforms Do? Understanding the Gig Economy

Steven Vallas and Juliet B. Schor , Annual Review of Sociology (2020)

ELECTORAL FRAUD: Cause, Types, and Consequences

Fabrice Lehoucq , Annual Review of Political Science (2020)

Civil-Military Relations

Peter D. Feaver , Annual Review of Political Science (1999)

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Science News

These are the most popular  science news  stories of 2022.

Previously excavated bodies of two ritually sacrificed Inca children, including this girl still wearing a ceremonial headdress, have yielded chemical clues to a beverage that may have been used to calm them in the days or weeks before being killed. The discovery ranked among Science News ' most-read stories of 2022.

Johan Reinhard

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By Science News Staff

December 22, 2022 at 7:00 am

Science News drew over 13 million visitors to our website this year. Here’s a recap of the most-read news stories and long reads of 2022.

Top news stories

1. a special brew may have calmed inca children headed for sacrifice.

The mummified remains of two Inca children ritually sacrificed more than 500 years ago contain chemical clues to their final days and weeks. On the journey to the Peruvian mountain where they were sacrificed, the children may have chewed coca leaves and drunk a beverage with antidepressant-like ingredients to soothe their nerves ( SN: 6/4/22, p. 10 ).

2. A ‘mystery monkey’ in Borneo may be a rare hybrid. That has scientists worried

An unusual monkey first spotted six years ago appears to be a cross between a female silvered leaf monkey ( Trachypithecus cristatus ) and a male proboscis monkey ( Nasalis larvatus ). The possible cross-genera pairing has scientists worried because such matings are usually a sign that species are facing ecological pressures ( SN: 6/18/22, p. 11 ).

3. What experts told me to do after my positive COVID-19 at-home test

After Science News intern Anna Gibbs came down with COVID-19, she turned to health experts to figure out how to report her case to public health officials and how long she needed to isolate ( SN Online: 4/22/22 ).

4. All of the bases in DNA and RNA have now been found in meteorites

Here’s more evidence that life’s precursors could have come from space. All five of the nucleobases that store information in DNA and RNA have been discovered in meteorites. This year, scientists reported detecting cytosine and thymine in fallen space rocks , completing the list ( SN: 6/4/22, p. 7 ).

5. Humans may not be able to handle as much heat as scientists thought

For years, it was thought the human body can tolerate heat up to a “wet bulb” temperature — a measure combining humidity and air temperature — of 35° Celsius (95° Fahrenheit). But experiments hint that the threshold may be several degrees lower ( SN: 8/27/22, p. 6 ).

Science News joins TikTok

TikTok became one more way we tell stories, as we premiered our first TikTok video — a tribute to the “bambootula” tarantula. Find out what makes this spider so peculiar and discover other amazing science tidbits @sciencenewsofficial .

@sciencenewsofficial This is the only known tarantula to call bamboo home. #spiders #tarantula #science #biology #sciencetok ♬ original sound – sciencenewsofficial

Top feature stories

1. tardigrades could teach us how to handle the rigors of space travel.

Tardigrades can withstand punishing levels of radiation, the freezing cold and the vacuum of outer space. Researchers are learning the death-defying tricks of these hardy microscopic animals to better prepare astronauts for long-term voyages ( SN: 7/16/22 & 7/30/22, p. 30 ).

2. Muons spill secrets about Earth’s hidden structures

Just like doctors use X-rays to see inside the human body, scientists are using muons , a type of subatomic particle, to peer inside Egyptian pyramids, volcanoes and other hard to penetrate structures ( SN: 4/23/22, p. 22 ). 

3. Multiple sclerosis has a common viral culprit, opening doors to new approaches

Evidence is mounting that Epstein-Barr virus somehow instigates multiple sclerosis. Understanding the link between the virus and MS may lead to better treatments for the neurological disorder. Vaccines against the virus may even prevent MS altogether ( SN: 8/13/22, p. 14 ).

4. The discovery of the Kuiper Belt revamped our view of the solar system

In 1992, two astronomers discovered a doughnut-shaped region far beyond Neptune, dubbed the Kuiper Belt, that’s home to a swarm of frozen objects left over from the solar system’s formation. By studying these far-off objects over the last 30 years, scientists have gained new insights into how planets form ( SN: 8/27/22, p. 22 ).

5. Clovis hunters’ reputation as mammoth killers takes a hit

Ancient Americans may have been big-game scavengers rather than big-game hunters. Some recent analyses suggest that Clovis stone points were more likely tools for butchering large carcasses than weapons for taking down mammoths and other large animals ( SN: 1/15/22, p. 22 ).

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The Most Popular — and Impactful — HBR Articles of All Time

• Kelsey Hansen

HBR’s 100th anniversary marks a century of publishing ideas that improve the practice of management. In that time, what have our readers found most impactful? What have they shared with their networks? And what have they read the most? We rounded up our top articles by a few different measures to revisit readers’ favorites over the years — and the ones they come back to again and again.

Highlights from a century of management insights.

Your time is valuable, and at HBR we know that you’ll give it only to articles that are truly useful. They have to present solutions to problems you’ve been grappling with, pique your curiosity, tap into your emotions, and show you, your team, or your organization the right way forward.

• Kelsey Hansen is the senior associate editor for audience engagement at Harvard Business Review.

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December 20, 2022

The Biggest Health and Biology Breakthroughs of 2022

From reviving dead pig organs to measuring viruses in our poop, here are some of the most intriguing medical advances of the year

By Tanya Lewis

A healthcare worker administers COVID-19 booster shots at a vaccination clinic in April 2022 in San Rafael, California.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

It’s been a rough year, especially on the health beat. The COVID pandemic continued to bulldoze its way through the population, causing surges in cases and related deaths. Somewhat forgotten viruses such as mpox , flu and RSV reared their head unexpectedly. And the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a nearly 50-year-old right to reproductive freedom established by Roe v. Wade .

But it wasn’t all bad news in 2022. In fact, biology and medicine saw exciting advances across fields as diverse as epidemiology, human evolution and artificial intelligence. Here are some of the discoveries that gave us hope for humanity and the future of human health.

We Got Updated Versions of COVID Vaccines

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The development of COVID vaccines within a year of the discovery of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, is undoubtedly one of the greatest medical achievements in recent memory. Two of the most effective vaccines, developed using mRNA technology, were proved to significantly protect against severe disease and death from SARS-CoV-2. But the virus continued to evolve, and newer variants began to find a way around human immune defenses. Fortunately, vaccine manufacturers developed new shots to target both the Omicron variant and the original strain. Early data suggest these “bivalent” vaccines effectively boost protection against the virus—all the more reason to make sure everyone in your family is up-to-date with their shots.

Discoveries in Human Evolution Won a Nobel Prize

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Svante Pääbo for his discoveries involving the genetic relationships among our hominin ancestors. Pääbo, a Swedish geneticist and director of the Department of Evolutionary Genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, pioneered methods for reconstructing ancient DNA. He and his colleagues sequenced the genome of Neandertals and discovered a new hominin species, Denisovans. The research led to the surprising revelation that early humans interbred with these now extinct species. These primeval trysts gave us traits that persist in some people today, including an ability to survive at high altitude and a vulnerability to infections such as COVID.

Scientists Revived Dead Pigs’ Organs

In a feat that sounds like something out of the pages of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , a team of scientists at Yale University developed a perfusion system that restored vitality to pigs’ organs after the animals had died. The system—known as OrganEx—pumped a mixture of blood and nutrient-rich fluid through each animal’s circulatory system. (The animals didn’t regain consciousness.) The technology holds the potential to keep more human organs alive longer for transplants.

Researchers Found Secrets in Our Poop

It sounds gross, but human waste contains a cornucopia of useful information for infectious disease scientists. Wastewater tracking systems enabled researchers to spot COVID cases and new SARS-CoV-2 variants in regions before they caused surges. By monitoring sewage, scientists also detected the virus that causes polio —a disease that has been declared eradicated in much of the world—in sewage systems in New York State and the U.K. This type of monitoring could also reveal spikes in opioid use or in levels of antibiotic-resistant microbes, scientists say.

We Learned That Indoor Air Quality Matters

Before the COVID pandemic, most of us probably didn’t give much thought to the air we breathe indoors. Over the past few years, though, it’s become clear that SARS-CoV-2 frequently spreads through airborne droplets, which can build up inside indoor spaces and make us sick. Fortunately, we can reduce that risk by ventilating buildings and filtering the air we breathe . And cleaner indoor air has other benefits: it reduces the risk of respiratory diseases in general, and it may even help us think more clearly.

AI Solved One of the Biggest Problems in Biology

One of the hardest problems for biologists is predicting the three-dimensional structure of proteins from their amino acid sequence. But earlier this year an AI program built by the Google-owned company DeepMind, called AlphaFold, solved the 3-D structures of about 200 million proteins . These structures are already enabling scientists to unlock mysteries in biology, and they could help lead to new pharmaceutical drugs and more sustainable crops.

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The 10 Most Popular Articles in 2022 (So Far)

Managers are seeking ways to improve employee well-being and build a strong workplace culture..

• Workplace, Teams, & Culture
• Talent Management
• Organizational Behavior

Year three of a global pandemic. A war in Ukraine. Inflation in the U.S. at a 40-year high. Small talk around the watercooler (mainly the virtual one, nowadays) certainly feels heavier than it used to.

Recent Gallup data indicates that in 2022, companies and managers remain challenged by the task of raising employee engagement to pre-pandemic levels. Nearly half of global workers (44%) surveyed reported feeling “a lot” of stress in the previous day. The Great Resignation has demonstrated the power of employees to vote with their feet, and a resurgence of the labor movement in the U.S. has put pressure on even top-tier companies to improve working conditions.

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Companies that have thrived amid the pandemic and worker reshuffling have focused on worker well-being from the start. Unfortunately, for many employees across the globe, this may be the exception rather than the norm. As Gallup’s Jon Clifton put it, “Improving life at work isn’t rocket science, but the world is closer to colonizing Mars than it is to fixing the world’s broken workplaces.”

To begin to fix these issues, managers must focus on two areas in particular: leadership and culture. In the first months of the year, many MIT SMR readers turned their attention to articles focused on workplace culture, talent management, and employee retention.

With many companies now adopting permanent remote and hybrid work policies, other popular articles include data-driven approaches to managing well-being on virtual teams — from scheduling meeting-free days to creating systems for supporting mental health.

The following are the 10 most popular articles of the year so far. We hope they will continue to help managers who are looking to support employee engagement and build thriving workplaces.

#1 Toxic Culture Is Driving the Great Resignation

Donald sull, charles sull, and ben zweig.

In this article, the authors discuss the top five predictors of employee turnover uncovered by their analysis of attrition data during the Great Resignation and share four actions that managers can take in the short term to improve employee satisfaction.

#2 Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

Paul b. lester, ed diener, and martin seligman.

Research has found that happiness, a sense of well-being, and an optimistic outlook are powerful predictors of how well an employee will perform. Managers who consciously promote employee well-being and take steps to eliminate toxic leadership in their business units will reap the benefits.

#3 The Surprising Impact of Meeting-Free Days

Ben laker, vijay pereira, pawan budhwar, and ashish malik.

Spending too much time in meetings can detract from effective collaboration, derail workers during their most productive hours, and interrupt people’s train of thought. No-meeting policies permit team members to excel without breaking their momentum, but specific plans must be tailored to each unique organizational context to maximize the benefits. The authors suggest several ways to deploy a no-meeting policy or adjust an existing one.

#4 Orchestrating Workforce Ecosystems

Elizabeth j. altman, david kiron, robin jones, and jeff schwartz.

Research conducted by MIT SMR and Deloitte examines the challenges companies and managers face in leading and coordinating workforces that increasingly rely on external contributors.

#5 Why Every Leader Needs to Worry About Toxic Culture

Donald sull, charles sull, william cipolli, and caio brighenti.

According to research, the five most common elements of toxic workplace cultures — being disrespectful, noninclusive, unethical, cutthroat, and abusive — contribute the most to employee attrition and can damage company reputation. Being aware of these elements and understanding how they spread can help employers prevent and address them.

#6 Building the Cognitive Budget for Your Most Effective Mind

Jordan birnbaum.

There’s a limit to how much mental energy is available to us on any given day, so it’s essential that we spend it deliberately and thoughtfully. This article details the process of creating a cognitive budget, using techniques from positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, and behavioral economics.

#7 Stop Telling Employees to Be Resilient

Liz fosslien and mollie west duffy.

When it comes to leadership, there’s a difference between demanding that employees be mentally tough and actually helping them take care of their mental health. The authors suggest five actions leaders can take to create a workplace that supports employees and fosters resilience.

#8 Effective Leaders Decide About Deciding

Nancy duarte.

Categorizing decisions by riskiness and urgency helps clarify when employees should move autonomously and when they should pull leaders into decision-making.

Related Articles

#9 leading change means changing how you lead, b. tom hunsaker and jonathan knowles.

Adapting your leadership approach is necessary for achieving the change your organization requires. The authors discuss three tasks — drawing the map, establishing the mindset, and communicating the message — that are essential to becoming a contextually effective leader.

#10 How Well-Designed Work Makes Us Smarter

Sharon k. parker and gwenith g. fisher.

Work that permits autonomy and demands problem-solving can bolster employees’ cognitive skills and ongoing learning. This article looks at how organizations and managers can use good work design to strengthen their workforce’s ability to adapt to new processes, tools, and roles.

About the Author

Ally MacDonald ( @allymacdonald ) is senior editor at MIT Sloan Management Review .

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Best of JAMA Network

Most viewed articles 2022 – jama.

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Read the most popular JAMA articles in 2022 covering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the latest US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations, management of acute coronary syndromes, and more.

• False-Positive Results in Rapid Antigen Tests for SARS-CoV-2 JAMA Research Letter February 1, 2022
• Myocarditis Cases Reported After mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccination in the US From December 2020 to August 2021 JAMA Original Investigation January 25, 2022
• Prevalence and Durability of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Among Unvaccinated US Adults by History of COVID-19 JAMA Research Letter March 15, 2022
• Association Between 3 Doses of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine and Symptomatic Infection Caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta Variants JAMA Original Investigation February 15, 2022
• From Positive to Negative to Positive Again—The Mystery of Why COVID-19 Rebounds in Some Patients Who Take Paxlovid JAMA Medical News & Perspectives June 28, 2022
• Effect of Ivermectin vs Placebo on Time to Sustained Recovery in Outpatients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial JAMA Original Investigation October 25, 2022
• A National Strategy for the “New Normal” of Life With COVID JAMA Viewpoint January 18, 2022
• Characteristics and Outcomes of Hospitalized Patients in South Africa During the COVID-19 Omicron Wave Compared With Previous Waves JAMA Research Letter February 8, 2022
• The COVID Heart—One Year After SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Patients Have an Array of Increased Cardiovascular Risks JAMA Medical News & Perspectives March 22, 2022
• Myocardial Infarction, Stroke, and Pulmonary Embolism After BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in People Aged 75 Years or Older JAMA Research Letter January 4, 2022
• Why Parents Still Hesitate to Vaccinate Their Children Against COVID-19 JAMA Medical News & Perspectives January 4, 2022
• Association Between Vaccination and Acute Myocardial Infarction and Ischemic Stroke After COVID-19 Infection JAMA Research Letter September 6, 2022

Non-COVID-19

• The Growing Influence of State Governments on Population Health in the United States JAMA Viewpoint April 12, 2022
• Aspirin Use to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement JAMA US Preventive Services Task Force April 26, 2022
• Vitamin, Mineral, and Multivitamin Supplementation to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement JAMA US Preventive Services Task Force June 21, 2022
• Effect of Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Daily Liraglutide on Body Weight in Adults With Overweight or Obesity Without Diabetes: The STEP 8 Randomized Clinical Trial JAMA Original Investigation January 11, 2022
• Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement JAMA US Preventive Services Task Force August 23, 2022
• Association of Younger vs Older Ages With Changes in Incidence of Stroke and Other Vascular Events, 2002-2018 JAMA Original Investigation August 9, 2022
• Diagnosis and Management of Hyponatremia: A Review JAMA Review July 19, 2022
• Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Review JAMA Review February 15, 2022
• What to Know About Monkeypox JAMA Medical News & Perspectives June 21, 2022
• Time to Retire the Concept of Transient Ischemic Attack JAMA Viewpoint March 1, 2022
• Effect of Alirocumab Added to High-Intensity Statin Therapy on Coronary Atherosclerosis in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: The PACMAN-AMI Randomized Clinical Trial JAMA Original Investigation May 10, 2022
• Trends in Use of Melatonin Supplements Among US Adults, 1999-2018 JAMA Research Letter February 1, 2022

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The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2022

In our annual ritual, we pored over hundreds of educational studies and pulled out the most impactful—from a new study on the sneaky power of sketchnotes to research that linked relationships and rigor.

This past year didn’t feel normal, exactly, but compared with the last few trips around the sun, well—it sufficed. In 2021, when we sat down to write our annual edition of the research highlights, we were in the throes of postpandemic recovery and wrote about the impact of a grueling year in which burnout and issues of mental and physical health affected educators everywhere.

This year, we crossed our fingers and turned to best practices once again, reviewing hundreds of studies to identify the most impactful and insightful educational strategies we could find.

What turned up?

We found evidence that sheds new light on the misunderstood power of brain breaks, took a close look at research that finds a surprising—even counterintuitive—rationale for teachers to focus on relationships, and located both the humor and the merit in asking kids to slither like a snake as they learn about the “sss” sound of the letter S .

All that, and a lot more too, in our once-a-year roundup that follows.

1. There’s No Conflict Between Relationships and Rigor

Observers sometimes assume that teachers who radiate empathy, kindness, and openness are “soft” and can be taken advantage of by students. But new research shows that when you signal that you care about kids, they’re willing to go the extra mile, giving you the flexibility to assign more challenging school work.

That’s the main takeaway from a 2022 study that examined teaching practices in 285 districts, comparing relationship-building strategies with the flexibility that teachers had in assigning challenging and complex work. The researchers found that the most effective teachers build their classrooms by getting to know their students, being approachable, and showing that they enjoy the work—and then deftly translate emotional capital into academic capital.

“When students feel teachers care about them, they work harder, engage in more challenging academic activities, behave more appropriately for the school environment, are genuinely happy to see their teacher, and meet or exceed their teacher’s expectations,” the researchers conclude.

2. Highlighting Isn’t Very Effective Until Teachers Step In

Students often highlight the wrong information and may rely on their deficient highlighting skills as a primary study strategy, leading to poor learning outcomes, a new analysis of 36 studies suggests. As little as two hours of tutoring, however, can dramatically improve their capabilities.

The researchers determined that “learner-generated highlighting” tended to improve retention of material, but not comprehension. When students were taught proper highlighting techniques by teachers, however—for example, how to distinguish main ideas from supporting ideas—they dramatically improved their academic performance. Crucially, “when highlighting is used in conjunction with another learning strategy” like “graphic organizers or post-questions,” its effectiveness soars, the researchers said.

The need for explicit teaching may be linked to changing reading habits as students graduate from stories and fables to expository texts, which require them to navigate unfamiliar text formats, the researchers note. To bring kids up to speed, show them “examples of appropriate and inappropriate highlighting,” teach them to “highlight content relatively sparingly,” and provide examples of follow-on tactics like summarizing their insights to drive deeper comprehension.

3. A Landmark Study Strikes a Resounding Note for Inclusion

When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act called for greater inclusion—mandating that students with disabilities receive support in the “least restrictive environment”—one goal was to ensure that educational accommodations didn’t interfere with the students’ social and emotional development in classrooms full of their peers. The law also confronted age-old prejudices and established a binding legal obligation in favor of inclusion.

But thus far, rigorous evidence of the academic benefits has been thin.

Now a new large-scale study appears to put the matter beyond dispute. When researchers tracked nearly 24,000 adolescents who qualified for special education, they discovered that spending a majority of the day—at least 80 percent—in general education classes improved reading scores by a whopping 24 points and math scores by 18 points, compared with scores of their more isolated peers with similar disabilities.

“Treat the general education classroom as the default classroom,” the researchers firmly state, and push for separate accommodations only when all other options have been exhausted.

4. Sketchnotes and Concept Maps Work—Even Better Than You Might Think

Simple concept maps, sketchnotes, and other annotated jottings—akin to doodling with a purpose—can facilitate deeper comprehension of materials than more polished drawings, a new study finds.

Representational drawings, such as a simple diagram of a cell, may help students remember factual information, the researchers explain, but they “lack features to make generalizations or inferences based on that information.” Organizational drawings that link concepts with arrows, annotations, and other relational markings give students a clearer sense of the big picture, allow them to visualize how ideas are connected, and provide a method for spotting obvious gaps in their understanding. On tests of higher-order thinking, fifth graders who made organizational drawings outperformed their peers who tried representational drawings by 300 percent.

To reap the benefits in class, have students start with simple diagrams to help remember the material, and then move them up to sketchnotes and concept maps as they tease out connections to prior knowledge.

5. Brain Breaks Are Misunderstood (and Underutilized)

Conventional wisdom holds that the development of a skill comes from active, repeated practice: It’s the act of dribbling a basketball that ultimately teaches the basketball star.

But recent studies reveal that the intervals between practice sessions are at least as crucial. In 2021, researchers used brain scans to observe neural networks as young adults learned how to type. During breaks, the brains of the participants appeared to head back to the keyboards, unconsciously replaying the typing sequences over and over again at high rates of speed as they flipped the material between processing and memory centers dozens of times in the span of 10 seconds. The researchers concluded that brain breaks play “just as important a role as practice in learning a new skill.”

In 2022, we learned that the kinds of breaks make a difference, too. One study compared in-classroom breaks like drawing or building puzzles with outdoor breaks like running or playing in sandboxes. In a nod to the power of movement—and free time—it was the kids playing outside who returned to class ready to learn, probably because indoor games, like indoor voices, required children to engage in more self-regulation, the researchers speculated. Meanwhile, an analysis examining “green breaks” —brief strolls in a park or visits to a school garden—concluded that students who partook in the activities performed better on tests of attention and working memory.

Depriving kids of regular breaks, it turns out, is a threat to the whole proposition of learning. To commit lessons to memory, the brain demands its own time—which it sets aside to clean up and consolidate new material.

6. On Classroom Design, an Argument for Caution—and Common Sense

When it comes time to decorate their classrooms, teachers often find themselves on the horns of a dilemma: Should they aim for Pinterest-worthy interior design or opt for blank walls on the strength of research that emphasizes the risks of distracting students?

A study published in February this year argues for minimalism. Researchers tracked the on-task behavior of K–2 students and concluded that visually ”streamlined” classrooms produced more focused students than “decorated” ones. During short read-alouds about topics like rainbows and plate tectonics, for example, young kids in classrooms free of “charts, posters, and manipulatives” were paying attention at significantly higher rates.

But it might not be a simple question of more or less. A 2014 study confirmed that posters of women scientists or diverse historical figures, for example, can improve students’ sense of belonging. And a recent study that observed 3,766 children in 153 schools concluded that classrooms that occupied a visual middle ground—neither too cluttered nor too austere—produced the best academic outcomes. A 2022 study reached similar conclusions.

Classroom decoration can alter academic trajectories, the research suggests, but the task shouldn’t stress teachers out. The rules appear to be relatively straightforward: Hang academically relevant, supportive work on the walls, and avoid the extremes—working within the broad constraints suggested by common sense and moderation.

7. For Young Children, the Power of Play-Based Learning

Children aren’t miniature adults, but a bias toward adult perspectives of childhood, with its attendant schedules and routines, has gradually exerted a stranglehold on our educational system nonetheless, suggests the author and early childhood educator Erika Christakis.

How can we let little kids be little while meeting the academic expectations of typical schools? A new analysis of 39 studies spanning several decades plots a middle path for educators, highlighting the way that play gently guided by adults, often called play-based learning, can satisfy both objectives.

Teachers of young students can have a “learning goal” in mind, but true play-based learning should incorporate wonder and exploration, be child-led when possible, and give students “freedom and choice over their actions and play behavior,” the researchers assert. Interrupt the flow of learning only when necessary: gently nudge students who might find activities too hard or too easy, for example. The playful approach improved early math and task-switching skills, compared with more traditional tactics that emphasize the explicit acquisition of skills, researchers concluded.

To get the pedagogy right, focus on relationships and ask questions that prompt wonder. “Rich, open-ended conversation is critical,” Christakis told Edutopia in a 2019 interview —children need time "to converse with each other playfully, to tell a rambling story to an adult, to listen to high-quality literature and ask meaningful questions.”

8. A Better Way to Learn Your ABCs

Getting young kids to match a letter to its corresponding sound is a first-order reading skill. To help students grasp that the letter c makes the plosive “cuh” sound in car , teachers often use pictures as scaffolds or have children write the letter repeatedly while making its sound.

A new study suggests that sound-letter pairs are learned much more effectively when whole-body movements are integrated into lessons. Five- and 6-year-olds in the study spent eight weeks practicing movements for each letter of the alphabet, slithering like a snake as they hissed the sibilant “sss” sound, for example. The researchers found that whole-body movement improved students’ ability to recall letter-sound pairings and doubled their ability to recognize hard-to-learn sounds—such as the difference between the sounds that c makes in cat and sauce —when compared with students who simply wrote and spoke letter-sound pairings at their desks.

The approach can make a big difference in the acquisition of a life-changing skill. Educators should “incorporate movement-based teaching” into their curricula, giving special consideration to “whole-body movement,” the researchers conclude.

9. Why Learners Push the Pause Button

Some of the benefits of videotaped lessons are so self-evident that they hide in plain sight.

When teaching students foundational concepts, a video lesson equipped with a simple pause button, for example, may allow students to reset cognitively as they reach their attentional limits, a 2022 study concluded. Pause buttons, like rewind buttons, are also crucial for learners who encounter “complex learning materials,” have “low prior knowledge,” or exhibit “low working memory capacities.”

Increasingly, the intrinsic value of targeted video lessons is borne out in research. In a feature on Edutopia , we looked at research suggesting that video learning supported self-pacing and flexible, 24/7 access to lessons; that questions embedded in videos improved academic performance, increased note-taking, and reduced stress (see these 2015 and 2020 studies); and that video versions of lectures tended to “make content more coherent ” to students.

To modernize their classrooms, teachers might record their most important lessons and make them available to students as study aids so they can pause, rewind, and review to their hearts’ content.

10. An Authoritative Study of Two High-Impact Learning Strategies

Spacing and retrieval practices are two of the most effective ways to drive long-term retention, confirms an authoritative 2022 review spanning hundreds of studies on the topic—and students should know how and why the strategies are effective.

In the review, researchers explain that students who prefer techniques like reading and rereading material in intense cram sessions are bound to fail. Instead, students should think of learning as a kind of “fitness routine” during which they practice recalling the material from memory and space out their learning sessions over time. Teaching kids to self-quiz or summarize from memory—and then try it again—is the crucial first step in disabusing students of their “false beliefs about learning.”

The effect sizes are hard to ignore. In a 2015 study , for example, third-grade students who studied a lesson about the sun and then reread the same material scored 53 percent on a follow-up test, the equivalent of a failing grade, while their peers who studied it once and then answered practice questions breezed by with an 87 percent score. And in a 2021 study , middle school students who solved a dozen math problems spread out across three weeks scored 21 percentage points higher on a follow-up math test than students who solved all 12 problems on the same day.

10 trending open access articles 2022

Popular open access articles lead discussion on global topics.

Publishing open access (OA) means your research is free to read anywhere, anytime, and without barriers.

Below we explore some of the most popular open access articles published in 2022 by Taylor & Francis. With topics spanning COVID-19 treatments, artificial intelligence, and mental health – it’s clear to see that open access means wider discussion and impact for research.

1. Sex differences in sequelae from COVID-19 infection and in long COVID syndrome: a review

Shirley V. Sylvester, Rada Rusu, Biankha Chan, Martha Bellows, Carly O’Keefe & Susan Nicholson

Published in  Current Medical Research and Opinion

“Social media is a salient source for influencing consumers’ shopping and buying behaviors as they share product reviews, service experiences, and/or product usage tips. […] the findings illustrate the impact that social media can have on consumer decision-making processes.”

2. Structural and pragmatic language in young children with sex chromosome trisomy (XXX, XXY, XYY): predictive value for neurobehavioral problems one year later

Evelien Urbanus, Hanna Swaab, Nicole Tartaglia, Constance Stumpel & Sophie van Rijn

Published in The Clinical Neuropsychologist

“This study is one of the first studies that directly illustrates the relationship between language and behavioral outcomes in children with SCT. Our results stress the importance to closely monitor pragmatic language in addition to structural language in clinical care of children with SCT, as pragmatic language abilities could serve as an early marker for children at risk for developing behavioral problems.”

Post information

Related posts, insights topics, 3. probiotic improves symptomatic and viral clearance in covid19 outpatients: a randomized, quadruple-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Pedro Gutiérrez-Castrellón, Tania Gandara-Martí, Ana T. Abreu Y Abreu, Cesar D. Nieto-Rufino, Eduardo López-Orduña, Irma Jiménez-Escobar, Carlos Jiménez-Gutiérrez, Gabriel López-Velazquez & Jordi Espadaler-Mazo

Published in Gut Microbes

“Intestinal bacteria may influence lung homeostasis via the gut-lung axis. We conducted a single-center, quadruple-blinded, randomized trial in adult symptomatic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid19) outpatients.”

4. Efficacy and safety of three new oral antiviral treatment (molnupiravir, fluvoxamine and Paxlovid) for COVID-19：a meta

Wen Wen, Chen Chen, Jiake Tang, Chunyi Wang, Mengyun Zhou, Yongran Cheng, Xiang Zhou, Qi Wu, Xingwei Zhang, Zhanhui Feng, Mingwei Wang & Qin Mao

Published in Annals of Medicine

“The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic has not been completely controlled. Although great achievements have been made in COVID-19 research and many antiviral drugs have shown good therapeutic effects against COVID-19, a simple oral antiviral drug for COVID-19 has not yet been developed. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the improvement in mortality or hospitalization rates and adverse events among COVID-19 patients with three new oral antivirals (including molnupiravir, fluvoxamine and Paxlovid).”

5. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant shows less efficient replication and fusion activity when compared with Delta variant in TMPRSS2-expressed cells  

Hanjun Zhao, Lu Lu, Zheng Peng, Lin-Lei Chen, Xinjin Meng, Chuyuan Zhang, Jonathan Daniel Ip, Wan-Mui Chan, Allen Wing-Ho Chu, Kwok-Hung Chan, Dong-Yan Jin, Honglin Chen, Kwok-Yung Yuen & Kelvin Kai-Wang To

Published in Emerging Microbes & Infections

“The novel SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), first found in early November 2021, has sparked considerable global concern and it has >50 mutations, many of which are known to affect transmissibility or cause immune escape. In this study, we sought to investigate the virological characteristics of the Omicron variant and compared it with the Delta variant which has dominated the world since mid-2021.”

6. Antibodies to watch in 2022

Hélène Kaplon, Alicia Chenoweth, Silvia Crescioli & Janice M. Reichert

Published in mAbs

“In this 13th annual installment of the annual ‘Antibodies to Watch’ article series, we discuss key events in commercial antibody therapeutics development that occurred in 2021 and forecast events that might occur in 2022.” 

7. Lessons learned from the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong in early 2022 

Pak-Hin Hinson Cheung, Chi-Ping Chan & Dong-Yan Jin

“Before the fifth wave, Hong Kong had managed to remain free of local cases of COVID-19 for almost 100 days, ascribed to the enforcement of moderate non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and stringent border control measures, just to be balanced with relatively normal economic activities and social lives. […] From 31 December 2021 to 23 March 2022, the ongoing fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong has claimed 6356 lives.”

8. Omicron variant showed lower neutralizing sensitivity than other SARS-CoV-2 variants to immune sera elicited by vaccines after boost  

Jingwen Ai, Haocheng Zhang, Yi Zhang, Ke Lin, Yanliang Zhang, Jing Wu, Yanming Wan, Yanfang Huang, Jieyu Song, Zhangfan Fu, Hongyu Wang, Jingxin Guo, Ning Jiang, Mingxiang Fan, Yang Zhou, Yuanhan Zhao, Qiran Zhang, Qiang Liu, Jing Lv, Peiyao Li, Chao Qiu & Wenhong Zhang

“In this study, we explored the immunogenicity of COVID-19 breakthrough patients, BBIBP-CorV homologous booster group and BBIBP-CorV/ZF2001 heterologous booster group against SARS-CoV-2 pseudotypes corresponding to the prototype, Beta, Delta, and the emergent Omicron variant.”

9. A Research Ethics Framework for the Clinical Translation of Healthcare Machine Learning  

Melissa D McCradden, James A Anderson, Elizabeth A. Stephenson, Erik Drysdale, Lauren Erdman, Anna Goldenberg & Randi Zlotnik Shaul

Published in The American Journal of Bioethics

“The application of artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) technologies in healthcare have immense potential to improve the care of patients. While there are some emerging practices surrounding responsible ML as well as regulatory frameworks, the traditional role of research ethics oversight has been relatively unexplored regarding its relevance for clinical ML.”

10. Clinician guidelines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders with nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals: The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) and Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) Taskforce 

Jerome Sarris, Arun Ravindran, Lakshmi N. Yatham, Wolfgang Marx, Julia J. Rucklidge, Roger S. McIntyre, Shahin Akhondzadeh, Francesco Benedetti, Constanza Caneo, Holger Cramer, Lachlan Cribb, Michael de Manincor, Olivia Dean, Andrea Camaz Deslandes, Marlene P. Freeman, Bangalore Gangadhar, Brian H. Harvey, Siegfried Kasper, James Lake, Adrian Lopresti, Lin Lu, Najwa-Joelle Metri, David Mischoulon, Chee H. Ng, Daisuke Nishi, Roja Rahimi, Soraya Seedat, Justin Sinclair, Kuan-Pin Su, Zhang-Jin Zhang & Michael Berk

Published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry

“The therapeutic use of nutrient-based ‘nutraceuticals’ and plant-based ‘phytoceuticals’ for the treatment of mental disorders is common; however, despite recent research progress, there have not been any updated global clinical guidelines since 2015. To address this, the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) and the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Disorders (CANMAT) convened an international taskforce involving 31 leading academics and clinicians from 15 countries, between 2019 and 2021.”

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ROLAND GRAD, MD, MSc, AND MARK H. EBELL, MD, MS

Am Fam Physician. 2023;107(4):406-414

Author disclosure: Dr. Ebell is cofounder and editor-in-chief of Essential Evidence Plus; see Editor's Note . Dr. Grad has no relevant financial relationships.

This article summarizes the top 20 research studies of 2022 identified as POEMs (patient-oriented evidence that matters), excluding COVID-19. Statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease produce only a small absolute reduction in a person's likelihood of dying (0.6%), having a myocardial infarction (0.7%), or having a stroke (0.3%) over three to six years. Supplemental vitamin D does not reduce the risk of a fragility fracture, even in people with low baseline vitamin D levels or a previous fracture. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are preferred medical therapy for panic disorder, and patients who discontinue antidepressants are more likely to relapse (number needed to harm = 6) compared with those who continue. Combination therapy using a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or tricyclic antidepressant with mirtazapine or trazodone is more effective than monotherapy for first-line treatment of acute severe depression and when monotherapy fails. Using hypnotic agents for insomnia in adults comes with a significant trade-off between effectiveness and tolerability. In patients with moderate to severe asthma, using a combination of albuterol and glucocorticoid inhalers as rescue therapy reduces exacerbations and need for systemic steroids. Observational research shows an increased risk of gastric cancer in patients taking proton pump inhibitors (number needed to harm = 1,191 over 10 years). The American College of Gastroenterology updated its guideline for gastroesophageal reflux disease, and a new guideline provides sound advice for the evaluation and management of irritable bowel syndrome. Adults older than 60 years with prediabetes are more likely to become normoglycemic than to develop diabetes mellitus or die. Treatment of prediabetes via intensive lifestyle intervention or metformin has no impact on long-term cardiovascular outcomes. Persons with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy have similar degrees of improvement with monotherapy using amitriptyline, duloxetine, or pregabalin and greater improvement with combination therapy. When communicating with patients about disease risk, most patients prefer numbers over words because people overestimate word-based probabilities. In terms of drug therapy, the duration of an initial varenicline prescription should be 12 weeks. Many drugs can interact with cannabidiol. No important difference was found among ibuprofen, ketorolac, and diclofenac for treatment of acute nonradicular low back pain in adults.

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Shaughnessy AF, Slawson DC, Bennett JH. Becoming an information master: a guidebook to the medical information jungle. J Fam Pract. 1994;39(5):489-499.

Ebell MH, Barry HC, Slawson DC, et al. Finding POEMs in the medical literature. J Fam Pract. 1999;48(5):350-355.

Badran H, Pluye P, Grad R. When educational material is delivered: a mixed methods content validation study of the Information Assessment Method. JMIR Med Educ. 2017;3(1):e4.

CMA Joule medical librarians. Linking POEMs with overuse alerts from Choosing Wisely Canada. Canadian Medical Association. January 11, 2023. Accessed January 26, 2023. https://www.cma.ca/clinical-blog/linking-poems-overuse-alerts-choosing-wisely-canada

Byrne P, Demasi M, Jones M, et al. Evaluating the association between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction and relative and absolute effects of statin treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis [published correction appears in JAMA Intern Med . 2022; 182(5): 579]. JAMA Intern Med. 2022;182(5):474-481.

LeBoff MS, Chou SH, Ratliff KA, et al. Supplemental vitamin D and incident fractures in midlife and older adults. N Engl J Med. 2022;387(4):299-309.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Final recommendation statement. Vitamin D deficiency in adults: screening. April 13, 2021. Accessed January 28, 2023. https://uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/vitamin-d-deficiency-screening

Lewis G, Marston L, Duffy L, et al. Maintenance or discontinuation of antidepressants in primary care. N Engl J Med. 2021;385(14):1257-1267.

Henssler J, Alexander D, Schwarzer G, et al. Combining antidepressants vs antidepressant monotherapy for treatment of patients with acute depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022;79(4):300-312.

Chawla N, Anothaisintawee T, Charoenrungrueangchai K, et al. Drug treatment for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2022;376:e066084.

De Crescenzo F, D'Alò GL, Ostinelli EG, et al. Comparative effects of pharmacological interventions for the acute and long-term management of insomnia disorder in adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet. 2022;400(10347):170-184.

Mysliwiec V, Martin JL, Ulmer CS, et al. The management of chronic insomnia disorder and obstructive sleep apnea: synopsis of the 2019 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense clinical practice guidelines [published correction appears in Ann Intern Med . 2021; 174(4): 584]. Ann Intern Med. 2020;172(5):325-336.

Qaseem A, Kansagara D, Forciea MA, et al. Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2016;165(2):125-133.

Hoge EA, Bui E, Mete M, et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction vs escitalopram for the treatment of adults with anxiety disorders: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023;80(1):13-21.

Imai H, Tajika A, Chen P, et al. Psychological therapies versus pharmacological interventions for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016(10):CD011170.

Papi A, Chipps BE, Beasley R, et al. Albuterol-budesonide fixed-dose combination rescue inhaler for asthma. N Engl J Med. 2022;386(22):2071-2083.

Israel E, Cardet JC, Carroll JK, et al. Reliever-triggered inhaled glucocorticoid in Black and Latinx adults with asthma. N Engl J Med. 2022;386(16):1505-1518.

Bryant-Stephens T. Breaking the skin color barriers for asthma medications. It's not black, brown, or white. N Engl J Med. 2022;386(16):1574-1575.

Abrahami D, McDonald EG, Schnitzer ME, et al. Proton pump inhibitors and risk of gastric cancer: population-based cohort study. Gut. 2022;71(1):16-24.

Seo SI, Park CH, You SC, et al. Association between proton pump inhibitor use and gastric cancer: a population-based cohort study using two different types of nationwide databases in Korea. Gut. 2021;70(11):2066-2075.

Katz PO, Dunbar KB, Schnoll-Sussman FH, et al. ACG clinical guideline for the diagnosis and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2022;117(1):27-56.

Vasant DH, Paine PA, Black CJ, et al. British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines on the management of irritable bowel syndrome. Gut. 2021;70(7):1214-1240.

Veronese N, Noale M, Sinclair A, et al. Risk of progression to diabetes and mortality in older people with prediabetes: The English longitudinal study on ageing. Age Ageing. 2022;51(2):afab222.

Goldberg RB, Orchard TJ, Crandall JP, et al. Effects of long-term metformin and lifestyle interventions on cardiovascular events in the Diabetes Prevention Program and its outcome study. Circulation. 2022;145(22):1632-1641.

Bouillet B, Tscherter P, Vaillard L, et al. Frequent and severe hypoglycaemia detected with continuous glucose monitoring in older institutionalised patients with diabetes. Age Ageing. 2021;50(6):2088-2093.

Tesfaye S, Sloan G, Petrie J, et al. Comparison of amitriptyline supplemented with pregabalin, pregabalin supplemented with amitriptyline, and duloxetine supplemented with pregabalin for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (OPTION-DM): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised crossover trial [published correction appears in Lancet . 2022; 400(10355): 810]. Lancet. 2022;400(10353):680-690.

Andreadis K, Chan E, Park M, et al. Imprecision and preferences in interpretation of verbal probabilities in health: a systematic review. J Gen Intern Med. 2021;36(12):3820-3829.

Baker TB, Piper ME, Smith SS, et al. Effects of combined varenicline with nicotine patch and of extended treatment duration on smoking cessation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2021;326(15):1485-1493.

Balachandran P, Elsohly M, Hill KP. Cannabidiol interactions with medications, illicit substances, and alcohol: a comprehensive review. J Gen Intern Med. 2021;36(7):2074-2084.

Irizarry E, Restivo A, Salama M, et al. A randomized controlled trial of ibuprofen versus ketorolac versus diclofenac for acute, nonradicular low back pain. Acad Emerg Med. 2021;28(11):1228-1235.

Stuart B, Maund E, Wilcox C, et al. Topical preparations for the treatment of mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris: systematic review and network meta-analysis. Br J Dermatol. 2021;185(3):512-525.

Leone FT, Zhang Y, Evers-Casey S, et al. Initiating pharmacologic treatment in tobacco-dependent adults. An official American Thoracic Society clinical practice guideline. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020;202(2):e5-e31.

Arbel R, Hammerman A, Sergienko R, et al. BNT162b2 vaccine booster and mortality due to Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2021;385(26):2413-2420.

Magen O, Waxman JG, Makov-Assif M, et al. Fourth dose of BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 vaccine in a nationwide setting. N Engl J Med. 2022;386(17):1603-1614.

Talic S, Shah S, Wild H, et al. Effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis [published correction appears in BMJ . 2021; 375: n2997]. BMJ. 2021;375:e068302.

Altarawneh HN, Chemaitelly H, Ayoub HH, et al. Effects of previous infection and vaccination on symptomatic omicron infections. N Engl J Med. 2022;387(1):21-34.

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National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Depression in adults. June 29, 2022. Accessed January 28, 2023. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222

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Alternative Traffic Enforcement: Identifying Areas for Future Research

Alternative traffic enforcement is an emerging crime and justice issue prompted by efforts of dozens of jurisdictions throughout the United States. In response to documented dangers and disparities, they seek to change how some traffic violations are handled. [1] Specifically, these strategies try to increase public safety and reduce demands on officers by deprioritizing some traffic offenses and shifting enforcement responsibilities to alternative agencies or technologies. Most of these programs are in their infancy. Few have documented outcomes or formal evaluations to assess their effectiveness. As a result, there is little information about the potential impact of recent initiatives on public and officer safety, disparities, and other important outcomes, which provides a fundamental research opportunity.

This article provides an overview of the current state of alternative traffic enforcement practice and discusses opportunities for future research. By informing the field about this critical but understudied topic, we hope to encourage further examination and promote cutting-edge research as well as evidence-based policies and practices. The article first describes the issue and current state of U.S. alternative traffic enforcement strategies, highlighting challenges in measuring disparities. We then provide a summary of documented alternative traffic enforcement reforms, initiatives, and related research. The article closes with a description of future research opportunities. 

The Current State of Alternative Traffic Enforcement

Traffic stops are the most common reason people encounter police, [2] and data suggest that officers spend substantial time on traffic enforcement. [3] Several studies show that traffic stops and searches are associated with reduced motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and fatalities. [4] However, traffic stops can pose risks for the public and the police, and specific traffic enforcement strategies may perpetuate criminal justice contact disparities. [5]

Risks like these have caused some researchers to examine traffic stops. Although low-level traffic stops sometimes reveal more serious crimes, such as those involving drugs or weapons, data indicate they infrequently lead to discovered contraband. [6] Some studies find that limiting low-level traffic stops can be associated with fewer traffic crashes and could increase arrests for more serious traffic offenses, such as a DUI. [7] Reducing stops is not associated with increases in serious crime. Policy changes, such as deprioritizing investigative stops, have been linked with reduced assaults on police officers. [8]

Traffic encounters can be dangerous for police. Traffic-related deaths are a leading cause of officer fatalities, although some deaths may not relate to traffic stops. In 2023, five officers were killed in firearm-related incidents during traffic enforcement, and another 37 officers were killed in crashes or vehicle impacts. This accounts for almost a third of the 136 officer fatalities that year. [9] Beyond firearm-related deaths, the data do not distinguish which officer deaths result from traffic stops. Additionally, it is unknown how many motorists and officers are injured during traffic stops each year.

Police conduct more than 20 million traffic stops per year. [10] Although most traffic stops end without incident, recent high-profile deaths of Black motorists following traffic stops have prompted calls for reform. [11] In 2023, a total of 109 people were killed by police after being stopped for traffic violations. [12] Available data indicate that Black people were disproportionately killed by police compared to their share of the population. Although Black people were 12% of the population, 24% of individuals killed by police were Black in 2023. (This data does not indicate how many deaths were related to traffic stops.)

Racial disparities have been documented in traffic stops. This is exemplified by the community-developed terms “driving while Black” and “driving while brown,” which describe non-white motorists’ personal experiences of racial profiling in traffic stops. [13]

Several studies validate this experience, finding that Black motorists are more likely to be pulled over than white motorists. [14] Research also finds that Black and Hispanic motorists are more likely to be searched compared to their white counterparts. [15] Although non-white motorists are searched more frequently, multiple studies find that the “hit rate”— the odds of finding contraband — is the same or lower than the hit rate for white motorists. Lower hit rates for non-white motorists have been interpreted as evidence of racially biased motivation for traffic stops. Racial bias interpretations are also supported by findings that Black male drivers are more likely to be involved in stop-related searches that do not lead to an arrest. [16]

However, estimating disparities is complex. Studies use different methods to test for bias, making it difficult to discern disparities on a large scale or across studies and jurisdictions. [17] Some data and research studies suggest bias, but findings are mixed.

Challenges in Measuring Disparities

Recent traffic enforcement research attempts to overcome previous methodological shortcomings in measuring racial disparities. However, few evaluations rigorously measure the impact and effectiveness of alternative traffic enforcement programs, procedures, and policies on safety or disparities.

Some past research has documented disparities in traffic enforcement, but methodological and sample variations, coupled with limitations in estimation techniques, offer an incomplete understanding of systematic bias. [18]

One of the missing pieces is how traffic stop disparities are measured. Commonly used estimation methods involving population benchmarks or hit rates may fail to consider relevant factors in police contact and officer decision-making. [19] For example, methodologists note that using underlying population statistics (e.g., determining racial distributions based on inhabitants’ residential addresses) does not accurately reflect who is at risk of being stopped and distorts risk estimations across groups. This impacts the accuracy of conclusions concerning officer bias. Additionally, behavior such as a motorist’s demeanor is not captured in data but can influence officer search decisions, further distorting bias estimations. In practice, inaccurate or incomplete statistics and data can generate inaccurate disparity estimations [20] Further, prior research fails to adequately examine why identified disparities exist. [21]

Recent research to address previous methodological concerns has sparked further debate. For example, Grogger and Ridgeway’s “veil of darkness” (VOD) hypothesis argues that bias can be detected if drivers’ race distribution is different after sunset than during the day, which is when a motorist’s race is easier for officers to discern. [22] Comparing the racial distribution of daytime stops to nighttime stops may avoid population benchmark problems. Using variations of the VOD hypothesis, two single-site studies report little evidence of traffic stop racial bias, [23] while one large-scale study (with data from nearly 100 million traffic stops in 21 states) finds the opposite. [24] Differences in sampling strategies may account for the mixed findings. [25] Recently, researchers funded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics developed a new quantitative method to test the VOD hypothesis that incorporates several considerations including providing a weighting method to account for seasonal driving patterns. When applying this method to an analysis of 50,000 traffic stops conducted by Michigan State Police in 2021, results suggests that stops conducted in daylight were more likely to involve Black drivers. [26]

Several U.S. localities have instituted alternative traffic enforcement strategies to reduce police resource burdens while also addressing racial disparities and negative public safety outcomes. We describe several of these efforts below.

Traffic Enforcement Reforms and Initiatives

Common alternative traffic enforcement strategies include deprioritizing minor traffic violation enforcement, shifting enforcement responsibilities to unarmed civilians, and using technology like red light cameras in lieu of in-person enforcement. New policies are often implemented with little to no research evidence to support changes; they may face challenges legislatively and with implementation. We reviewed policies and programs around the country and highlight examples below. See Table 1 for all reviewed policies and programs. (Policy searches were conducted in summer 2023 and updated as of spring 2024. The results do not constitute a formal evaluation of all policies.)

• Implemented but not evaluated: On June 22, 2021, the Portland (Ore.) mayor and police chief issued directives to de-prioritize traffic stops for some low-level traffic violations, such as expired registrations. [27] Additionally, they instructed police officers to modify their search protocols to allow for informed consent. Officers must create audio recordings of their interactions, specifically explain that drivers can refuse a search, and hand out cards that explain a driver’s rights. Although the Portland Police Bureau publishes quarterly traffic stop data, there does not appear to be an official evaluation of the policy. [28]
• Passed and challenged: In 2021, the mayor of Philadelphia (Pa.) issued an executive order detailing driving equality reform, which de-prioritized certain low-level traffic offenses, such as expired registrations and inoperable light violations. [29] The reform also required the police department to report information on stops, including demographic data. In February 2022, the Philadelphia Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police sued the city to invalidate this order, arguing it attempts to preempt state laws. [30] As of February 2023, the suit was still ongoing. [31] In November 2022, an arbitration panel determined the city could create an unarmed traffic enforcement unit. [32] In March 2023, the city established the first civilian public safety unit -- outcomes have yet to be reported. [33]

In addition, scholars and advocates argue for programs and policies that do not directly involve the police. They believe these changes can improve traffic safety while decreasing police interaction. These strategies may be used alone or in conjunction with other alternative traffic programs, but racial equity has been identified as a primary concern. [34] These include:

• Enhancing infrastructure, street design, and public transit. [35] Improving traffic infrastructure, such as making necessary roadway repairs or building roundabouts, and public transit efficiency and accessibility may reduce traffic crashes without police intervention. Complete Streets and Vision Zero are two programs that focus on the traffic system, rather than individual motorists’ behavior, by designing better functioning roadways. Complete Streets policies have been adopted in several jurisdictions, such as El Paso and New Orleans. [36] Vision Zero has been instituted in communities across various states, including Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. [37]
• Addressing financial penalties associated with traffic violations. [38] Traffic stops are a source of revenue produced by fines levied on motorists who commit moving violations and other traffic related infractions. Removing financial incentives for police to conduct traffic stops could reduce officer interactions with the public, thereby reducing incidents resulting in unjustified or excessive use of force.

Evaluated Programs

Formal evaluations of alternative traffic enforcement strategies are still emerging, but some research on existing programs and technologies is available. We summarize these studies below.

• In 2013, the Fayetteville (N.C.) Police Department was one of the first police departments to reprioritize traffic stops to focus on safety while de-emphasizing regulatory traffic stops. [39] A 2020 study concluded that policy changes were associated with reductions in vehicle crashes, traffic-related injuries/fatalities, and racial disparities, with no increase in non-traffic crimes. [40] Traffic stop disparities were measured by: (1) percent of Black non-Hispanic stops and (2) the rate ratio of Black non-Hispanic to white, non-Hispanic traffic stops. The ratio was adjusted by statewide estimates of vehicle access and miles traveled per year by race/ethnicity to avoid the methodological issues of using the residential population alone. A 2023 study found these policy changes were associated with reduced assaults on officers. [41]
• The Seattle (Wash.) police chief issued a memorandum in 2022 removing several low-level violations as primary reasons to initiate a traffic stop, including cracked windshields or items hanging from the rearview mirror. [42] In 2023, researchers evaluated the policy’s impact on DUI and drug crime incidents. They found no statistically significant reductions in either type of incident following implementation. [43] This suggests that policy changes did not result in these offenses going undetected by police. The study did not include an analysis of racial disparities.
• In 2021, the Ramsey County (Minn.) Attorney’s Office issued a policy to cease prosecuting felony cases that originated solely from traffic stops for low-level offenses unrelated to public safety. These included those for vehicle light violations or expired registrations. [44] The St. Paul Police Department supported the policy and advised officers not to initiate traffic stops solely for minor violations. Recent data analysis from the Justice Innovation Lab indicates that Ramsey County stops for low-level traffic violations decreased while stops for more serious traffic offenses (including speeding and DUI) increased. [45] While racial disparities in stops and searches for vehicle equipment violations declined, Black drivers still experienced the highest rates of both. Rates were calculated using the entire county population of each group rather than only those of driving age. This method has been called into question by some researchers because it may not accurately reflect disparities by including the population of non-drivers. [46] Disparities could be under- or overstated, depending on the makeup of the driving population.
• Red light and speed cameras represent technological alternatives to some types of traffic enforcement. Their impact has been evaluated, including systematic literature reviews. Red light cameras have been associated with increased rear-end crashes but reduced red light violations and other types of traffic crashes, including right angle crashes. [47] Speed cameras were found to reduce traffic injuries and deaths; however, without rigorous evaluation, the magnitude of these impacts is unclear. [48] Although these technologies may seem outwardly race neutral, [49] their impact on disparities is not well understood. Some areas report disproportionate ticketing in Black and Latino communities. [50]

Opportunities for Future Research

This paper shows how research demonstrates the potential dangers present in traffic stops, but few evaluations measure the impact of alternative traffic strategies on public safety or disparities. Such rigorous evaluations are needed to understand whether these programs achieve their objectives or generate unintended consequences.

The need to measure the racial disparities in traffic stops has grown particularly urgent. Many recently implemented reforms were prompted by calls to reduce racial disparities among those stopped, searched, and arrested. Rigorous evaluations should include all alternative programs, including red light and speed cameras.

The research community also needs new, innovative, and more accurate ways to measure traffic enforcement disparities as well as greater consensus about how to best account for different levels of risk or exposure to police stops by age, race, ethnicity, and sex. Current research includes a variety of ways to measure risk, making it difficult to compare results across studies. Theoretical concepts like the veil of darkness could be further specified to ensure proper testing of hypotheses and comparability across studies.

It is important to also have consistent, comparable studies that examine how new traffic enforcement policies and practices impact officers, particularly officer safety. Researchers have opportunities to further assess the impact of traffic policy changes on police operations, cost, and officer productivity. Although some police departments are shifting traffic enforcement to nonsworn staff, additional research can address the impact of such policies on both the unarmed, nonsworn responders and the public.

Evaluation of policies related to traffic enforcement could expand beyond traditional law enforcement policies. For instance, in July 2023, Maryland passed a bill which prohibits specific types of cannabis-related evidence to be used as the sole basis for establishing reasonable suspicion or probable cause. [51] Clear disparities in statewide traffic stop data led to the passing of the bill, and its goal is to decrease the volume of investigative stops as well as warrantless vehicle searches. However, in early 2024, a new bill was introduced to eliminate these protections for motorists. This type of policy change and its associated debates should also be considered part of the conversation regarding alternative traffic enforcement.

NIJ plays an important role in this research. Since fiscal year (FY) 2018, NIJ has funded over $3 million in research related to traffic stops or traffic safety. Due to the continued need for more rigorous research and evaluation on these policies, NIJ released a solicitation for funding in this area for FY24 (Research and Evaluation on 911, Alternative Hotlines, and Alternative Responder Models). [52] With this solicitation, NIJ sought proposals to assess the impact and benefits of alternative traffic enforcement models. Awards are forthcoming.

Note: The table represents results from review of policy searches conducted in summer 2023 with status updates as of spring 2024. Although it includes data on traffic stops and enforcement for some localities, the results do not constitute a formal evaluation of all policies. NIJ librarians and science staff completed all searches.

[note 1] Subramanian, R., & Arzy, L. (November 17, 2022). “Rethinking How Law Enforcement Is Deployed.” Brennan Center for Justice. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/rethinking-how-law-enforcement-deployed ;Vera Institute of Justice. (2021).“Investing in Evidence-Based Alternatives to Policing: Non-Police Responses to Traffic Safety .” (Brooklyn, NY). https://www.vera.org/downloads/publications/alternatives-to-policing-traffic-enforcement-fact-sheet.pdf.

[note 2] Tapp, Susannah N., and Davis, Elizabeth J. (2022).“ Contacts Between Police and the Public, 2020 . ”Bureau of Justice Statistics (Washington, DC). https://bjs.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh236/files/media/document/cbpp20.pdf .

[note 3] Asher, J., and Horwitz, B. (8 November 2021). “How Do the Police Actually Spend Their Time?” The New York Times.

[note 4] Bryant, Kevin M., Collins, Gregory M., and White, Michael D. (2015). “Shawnee, Kansas Smart Policing Initiative: Reducing Crime and Automobile Collisions Through Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS).” BJA-Sponsored. National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Abstracts Database. https://www.smart-policing.com/sites/default/files/spotlights/Shawnee%20Site%20Spotlight%20FINAL%202015%20%281%29.pdf ; “Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS 2.0) Operational Guidelines.” (2021). International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training. BJA-Sponsored. https://www.iadlest.org/Portals/0/Files/Documents/DDACTS/Docs/DDACTS_20_OpGuidelines_06_06_21.pdf; Davis, James W., et al. (2006). “Aggressive traffic enforcement: a simple and effective injury prevention program.” The Journal of trauma, 60(5): 972–977. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ta.0000204031.06692.0f ; DeAngelo, G., and Hansen, Benjamin (2014). “Life and Death in the Fast Lane: Police Enforcement and Traffic Fatalities.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy , 6(2): 231–257. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/43189384.pdf ; Greer, S., & Barends, E. (2017). “Does police traffic enforcement result in safer roads? A critically appraised topic.” NYU/Wagner; Rezapour Mashhadi Mohammad Mahdi, Saha Promothes, and Ksaibati Khaled. (2017). “Impact of traffic Enforcement on Traffic Safety.” International Journal of Police Science & Management , 19(4): 238–246. Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1461355717730836 .DeAngelo, G., and Hansen, Benjamin (2014). “Life and Death in the Fast Lane: Police Enforcement and Traffic Fatalities.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy , 6(2): 231–257. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/43189384.pdf ; Greer, S., & Barends, E. (2017). “Does police traffic enforcement result in safer roads? A critically appraised topic.” NYU/Wagner; Rezapour Mashhadi Mohammad Mahdi, Saha Promothes, and Ksaibati Khaled. (2017). “Impact of traffic Enforcement on Traffic Safety.” International Journal of Police Science & Management , 19(4): 238–246. Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1461355717730836 .

[note 5] Doyle, Libby, and Nembhard, Susan. (April 26, 2021). “Police Traffic Stops Have Little to Do with Public Safety.” Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/police-traffic-stops-have-little-do-public-safety .

[note 6] McCann, Sam. (March 29, 2023). “Low-Level Traffic Stops Are Ineffective—and Sometimes Deadly. Why Are They Still Happening?” Vera Institute of Justice. https://www.vera.org/news/low-level-traffic-stops-are-ineffective-and-sometimes-deadly-why-are-they-still-happening .

[note 7] Epp, Derek, and Erhardt, Macey. (2021). “The use and effectiveness of investigative police stops.” Politics Groups and Identities , 9 (5): 1016–1029. https://fbaum.unc.edu/TrafficStops/EppErhardt-2020-PGI.pdf ; Why Limit Pretextual Stops? (2022). Policing Project at New York University School of Law. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/645b9ea85e3f9a7712b2b810/1683725992612/Why+Limit+Pretextual+Stops.pdf .

[note 8] Boehme, Hunter M. (2023). “The influence of traffic stop policy changes on assaults against officers: A quasi-experimental approach.” Policing: A Journal of Policy & Practice , 17 (1): 1–14. Academic Search Complete. https://academic.oup.com/policing/article-abstract/17/1/paad002/7067806 .

[note 9] NLEOF.org. (January 11, 2024). “2023 Law Enforcement Fatalities Report Reveals Law Enforcement Deaths Dropped.” The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. https://nleomf.org/2023-law-enforcement-fatalities-report-reveals-law-enforcement-deaths-dropped/ .

[note 10] “Findings.” The Stanford Open Policing Project. Accessed June 14, 2024. https://openpolicing.stanford.edu/findings/ .

[note 11] Dahir, Fatima. (2023). "Alternatives to Police Traffic Enforcement in the Bay Area." Accessed June 6, 2023. https://law.stanford.edu/2023/04/24/alternatives-to-police-traffic-enforcement-in-the-bay-area. ; Vera Institute of Justice. (2021). Investing in Evidence-Based Alternatives to Policing: Non-Police Responses to Traffic Safety. (Brooklyn, NY). https://www.vera.org/downloads/publications/alternatives-to-policing-traffic-enforcement-fact-sheet.pdf.

[note 12] Mapping Police Violence, Inc. "2023 Police Violence Report." Accessed April 11, 2024. https://policeviolencereport.org .

[note 13] Harris, David A. (June 7, 1999). “Driving While Black: Racial Profiling On Our Nation’s Highways.” Special Report. https://www.aclu.org/publications/driving-while-black-racial-profiling-our-nations-highways .

[note 14] Barajas, Jesus. (October 2021). “Biking where Black: Connecting transportation planning and infrastructure to disproportionate policing.” Transportation Research Part D-Transport And Environment , 99. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920921003254 ; Cai, W., et al. (2022). “Measuring racial and ethnic disparities in traffic enforcement with large-scale telematics data.” PNAS Nexus , 1 (4): 144. https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/1/4/pgac144/6652221 ; Kovera, Margaret Bull. (2019). "Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System: Prevalence, Causes, and a Search for Solutions." Journal of Social Issues, 75 (4): 1139-1164. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12355 ; Pierson, Emma, et al. (2020). "A Large-Scale Analysis of Racial Disparities in Police Stops Across the United States." Nature Human Behaviour, 4 (7): 736-745. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0858-1 .

[note 15] Baumgartner, Frank R., et al. (2021). “Intersectional encounters, representative bureaucracy, and the routine traffic stop.” Policy Studies Journal , 49 (3): 860–886. https://fbaum.unc.edu/articles/PSJ-2021-IntersectionalEncounters.pdf ; Pierson, Emma, et al. (May 4, 2020). "A Large-Scale Analysis of Racial Disparities in Police Stops Across the United States." Nature Human Behaviour, 4 (7): 736-745. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0858-1 ; Seguino, Stephanie, and Brooks, Nancy. (2021). “Driving While Black and Brown in Vermont: Can Race Data Analysis Contribute to Reform?” The Review of Black Political Economy, 48 (1), 42-73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034644620969903 .

[note 16] Baumgartner, Frank R., et al. (2021). “Intersectional encounters, representative bureaucracy, and the routine traffic stop.” Policy Studies Journal , 49 (3): 860–886. https://fbaum.unc.edu/articles/PSJ-2021-IntersectionalEncounters.pdf .

[note 17] Engel, R. S. (2008). “A critique of the ‘outcome test’ in racial profiling research.” Justice Quarterly, 25 (1): 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418820701717177 ; Neil, R., & Winship, C. (2019). “Methodological challenges and opportunities in testing for racial discrimination in policing.” Annual Review of Criminology, 2: 73-98. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-011518-024731 .

[note 18] Engel, R. S. (2008). “A critique of the ‘outcome test’ in racial profiling research.” Justice Quarterly, 25 (1): 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418820701717177 ; Grogger, Jeffrey, and Ridgeway, Greg. (2006). "Testing for racial profiling in traffic stops from behind a veil of darkness." Journal of the American Statistical Association 101, no. 475: 878-887. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/reprints/2007/RAND_RP1253.pdf; Neil, R., & Winship, C. (2019). “Methodological challenges and opportunities in testing for racial discrimination in policing.” Annual Review of Criminology , 2: 73-98. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-011518-024731; Smith, Michael R., Robert Tillyer, Caleb Lloyd, and Matt Petrocelli. (2021). "Benchmarking disparities in police stops: A comparative application of 2nd and 3rd generation techniques." Justice Quarterly 38 (3): 513-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2019.1660395 .

[note 19] Engel, R. S. (2008). “A critique of the ‘outcome test’ in racial profiling research.” Justice Quarterly, 25 (1): 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418820701717177 ; Neil, R., & Winship, C. (2019). Methodological challenges and opportunities in testing for racial discrimination in policing. Annual Review of Criminology, 2: 73-98. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-011518-024731

[note 20] Engel, R. S. (2008). “A critique of the ‘outcome test’ in racial profiling research.” Justice Quarterly, 25 (1): 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418820701717177 ; Neil, R., & Winship, C. (2019). Methodological challenges and opportunities in testing for racial discrimination in policing. Annual Review of Criminology, 2: 73-98. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-011518-024731

[note 21] Batton, Candice, and Colleen Kadleck. (2004). "Theoretical and methodological issues in racial profiling research." Police Quarterly 7 (1): 30-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611103254102; Novak, Kenneth J., and Mitchell B. Chamlin. (2012). "Racial threat, suspicion, and police behavior: The impact of race and place in traffic enforcement." Crime & Delinquency 58 (2): 275-300.https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128708322943.

[note 22] Grogger, Jeffrey, and Greg Ridgeway. (2006). "Testing for racial profiling in traffic stops from behind a veil of darkness." Journal of the American Statistical Association 101 (475): 878-887. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/reprints/2007/RAND_RP1253.pdf .

[note 23] Grogger, Jeffrey, and Greg Ridgeway. (2006). "Testing for racial profiling in traffic stops from behind a veil of darkness." Journal of the American Statistical Association 101 (475): 878-887. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/reprints/2007/RAND_RP1253.pdf ; Worden, Robert E., Sarah J. McLean, and Andrew P. Wheeler. (2012). "Testing for racial profiling with the veil-of-darkness method." Police Quarterly 15 (1): 92-111. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611111433027 .

[note 24] Pierson, Emma, et al. (May 4, 2020). "A Large-Scale Analysis of Racial Disparities in Police Stops Across the United States." Nature Human Behaviour, 4 (7): 736-745. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0858-1 .

[note 25] Stacey, Michele, and Heidi S. Bonner. (2021). "Veil of darkness and investigating disproportionate impact in policing: When researchers disagree." Police Quarterly 24 (1): 55-73. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611120932905 .

[note 26] Knode, Jedidiah. L., Wolfe, S. E., and Carter, T. M. (May 21, 2024). “Pulling back the veil of darkness: A proposed road map to disentangle racial disparities in traffic stops, a research note.” Criminology , 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12366 ; Bureau of Justice Statistics funding award description. “Core Capacity and Special Emphasis SAC Proposal: Michigan Statistical Analysis Center 2021.” At the Michigan State University. Award number 15PBJS-21-GK-00021-BJSB. https://bjs.ojp.gov/funding/awards/15pbjs-21-gk-00021-bjsb .

[note 27] Becker, T. (June 22, 2021). Press Release: Mayor and Police Chief Announce PPB Will Change Traffic Enforcement, Consent Search Protocols. Portland.gov. https://www.portland.gov/wheeler/news/2021/6/22/mayor-and-police-chief-announce-ppb-will-change-traffic-enforcement-consent ; KGW.com. (June 22, 2021). “Portland officers will not stop drivers for low-level violations.”KGW.com. Accessed on June 14, 2024.

[note 28] Portland.gov. (2021-2023). “Stops Data Collection Reports . ” Portland.gov. https://www.portland.gov/police/open-data/stops-data .

[note 29] Bacon, J. (October 31, 2021). “Philadelphia to ban minor police traffic stops to promote equity, curb ‘negative interactions’ with police.” USA TODAY Office of the Mayor. (2021). “Executive Order 6-21, Implementation of Driving Equality Policy.” City Of Philadelphia. https://www.phila.gov/media/20211109145453/executive-order-2021-06.pdf ; Subramanian, R., & Arzy, L. (November 17, 2022). “Rethinking How Law Enforcement Is Deployed.” Brennan Center for Justice. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/rethinking-how-law-enforcement-deployed . Subramanian, R., & Arzy, L. (November 17, 2022). “Rethinking How Law Enforcement Is Deployed.” Brennan Center for Justice. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/rethinking-how-law-enforcement-deployed .

[note 30] Lauer, C. (February 23, 2022). “Police union sues over Philadelphia ban on low-level stops.” AP NEWS.

[note 31] Holder, S. (February 2, 2023). “These Cities Are Limiting Traffic Stops for Minor Offenses.” Bloomberg.com .

[note 32] https://www.police1.com/police-recruiting/articles/arbitration-panel-philly-can-replace-some-police-officers-with-civilians-4EaEKCmfx7asq9DL/ .

[note 33] Orso, Anna. (November 15, 2022). “Philadelphia can replace some police officers with civilians, arbitration panel rules.” The Philadelphia Inquirer.

[note 34] Orso, Anna. (November 15, 2022). “Philadelphia can replace some police officers with civilians, arbitration panel rules.” The Philadelphia Inquirer.

[note 35] “Investing in Evidence-Based Alternatives to Policing: Non-Police Responses to Traffic Safety.” (August 2021). Vera Institute of Justice. https://www.vera.org/downloads/publications/alternatives-to-policing-traffic-enforcement-fact-sheet.pdf ; Rau, Hilary, et al. (2022). “Redesigning Public Safety: Traffic Safety.” Center for Policing Equity. https://policingequity.org/traffic-safety/60-cpe-white-paper-traffic-safety/file .

[note 36] “Best Complete Streets Policies 2023.” Smart Growth America and The National Complete Streets Coalition. https://smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Best-Complete-Streets-Policies-2023_0524.pdf .

[note 37] “Vision Zero Communities, February 2024.” https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-aN1-2gn0JNKZ_GacxehL62S4QofhFmEeySNr-X0AOg/edit#gid=0 .

[note 38] Rau, Hilary, et al. (2022). “Redesigning Public Safety: Traffic Safety.” Center for Policing Equity. https://policingequity.org/traffic-safety/60-cpe-white-paper-traffic-safety/file .

[note 39] Planning, Research, and Development Unit, Fayetteville Police Department. (October 19, 2017). “Fayetteville Police Department Policy Manual.” https://www.fayettevillenc.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/17815/637540941939930000 .

[note 40] Baumgartner, Frank R., et al. (2021). “Intersectional encounters, representative bureaucracy, and the routine traffic stop.” Policy Studies Journal , 49 (3): 860–886. https://fbaum.unc.edu/articles/PSJ-2021-IntersectionalEncounters.pdf .

[note 41] Boehme, Hunter M. (2023). “The influence of traffic stop policy changes on assaults against officers: A quasi-experimental approach.” Policing: A Journal of Policy & Practice , 17 (1): 1–14. Academic Search Complete. https://academic.oup.com/policing/article-abstract/17/1/paad002/7067806 .

[note 42] Diaz, Adrian Z. (January 2022). “Letter to Lisa Judge, Seattle Inspector General.” Seattle Police Department. https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2022/01/UPDATED-Letter-to-OIG-Traffic-011422.pdf ; Green, Sara J. (January 14, 2022). “Seattle police will no longer enforce some minor violations, including biking without a helmet.” The Seattle Times; Subramanian, R., & Arzy, L. (November 17, 2022). “Rethinking How Law Enforcement Is Deployed.” Brennan Center for Justice. ﷟ https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/rethinking-how-law-enforcement-deployed .

[note 43] Leasure, Peter, Boehme, Hunter M., and Kaminski, Robert J. (April 20, 2023). “Examining the Impact of Seattle Police Department’s Traffic Stop Restriction Policy on Driving Under the Influence and Drug Crime Incidents.” Ohio State Legal Studies Research Paper No. 766, Drug Enforcement and Policy Center. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4424978 .

[note 44] Cox, P. (September 8, 2021). “Ramsey County ends felony prosecutions from low-level stops.” MPR News.

[note 45] Pulvino, R. et al. (June 7, 2023). “Traffic Stop Policy in Ramsey County, MN” . Justice Innovation Lab. https://traffic-stop-policy-ramsey-county.justiceinnovationlab.org/ .

[note 46] Engel, R. S. (2008). “A critique of the ‘outcome test’ in racial profiling research.” Justice Quarterly, 25 (1): 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418820701717177 ; Neil, R., & Winship, C. (2019). “Methodological challenges and opportunities in testing for racial discrimination in policing.” Annual Review of Criminology, 2: 73-98.https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-011518-024731

[note 47] Cohn, Ellen G. et al. (2020). "Red light camera interventions for reducing traffic violations and traffic crashes: A systematic review." Campbell systematic reviews 16 (2): e1091. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1091 .

[note 48] Wilson, Cecilia, et al. (2010). "Speed cameras for the prevention of road traffic injuries and deaths." Cochrane database of systematic reviews. (10). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd004607.pub3 .

[note 49] Fox, Justin (October 10, 2023). “The Decline in Police Traffic Stops is Killing People . ” Bloomberg.

[note 50] Farrell, William. (June 28, 2018). “Predominately black neighborhoods in D.C. bear the brunt of automated traffic enforcement.” DC Policy Center. https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/predominately-black-neighborhoods-in-d-c-bear-the-brunt-of-automated-traffic-enforcement/#:~:text=These%20disparities%20indicate%20that%20absent,the%20District's%20predominantly%20black%20neighborhoods ; Hopkins, Emily, and Melissa Sanchez. (January 11, 2022). “Chicago’s ‘Race-Neutral’ Traffic Cameras Ticket Black and Latino Drivers the Most.” Propublica.

[note 51] Hubbard, Lucy. (December 8, 2023). “Lawmakers may revisit issue of drivers smelling of marijuana.” Capital News Service.

[note 52] National Institute of Justice funding opportunity. “NIJ FY24 Research and Evaluation on 911, Alternative Hotlines, and Alternative Responder Models.” Grants.gov announcement number O-NIJ-2024-171981. posted February 14, 2024. https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-nij-2024-171981 .

About the author

Kyleigh Clark Moorman, Ph.D., and Danielle Crimmins, Ph.D., are social science research analysts with the National Institute of Justice. 

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