Penn State Researchers Identify the World’s First White Person
Light skin color provided an evolutionary advantage for people in northern climates because people with light skin can absorb more vitamin D from less sunlight that people with dark skin.
Study Finds Exposure to Racism May Accelerate Aging in Black Men
The study examined a biomarker of systemic aging known as leukocyte telomore length. Telomeres are repetitive sequences of DNA capping the ends of chromosomes. Black men who had been exposed to the most racism had the shortest telomeres.
Racial Differences in Arrest Records for Young Adults
A university study finds that by age 23 nearly half of all Black men and 38 percent of White men have been arrested. For women, Whites are more likely to have been arrested than Blacks.
Rutgers University Study Finds Increase in “Concentrated Poverty”
More than 11 million Americans, 4 percent of the total U.S. population, live in these high poverty neighborhoods and 67 percent of the 11 million people in these high poverty areas are either Black or Hispanic.
Study Finds Racial Differences in Womens’ Ability to Lose Weight
Due to lower metabolic rates, African American women who are overweight and are trying to lose weight must consumer fewer calories or exercise more than White women to lose the same amount weight.
The Racial Gap in Teenage Smoking Rates Has Declined But Blacks Still Smoke Less
In 2013, only 9.6 percent of African Americans in 12th grade reported smoking cigarettes in the 30 days prior to the survey compared to 19.4 of White high schools seniors.
Rutgers University Scholar Leads Study on Reducing Breast Cancer Risk
Adana Llanos is an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Rutgers University School of Public Health. She holds a Ph.D. in genetics from Howard University.
The Persisting Racial Gap in Infant Mortality Is Not Easy to Explain
When researchers accounted for factors such as mother’s age, education level, and marital status, they found that the racial gap in infant mortality has remained stable for two decades.
Research Finds Links Between Poverty and Slower Brain Development
The study found that children raised in poverty tend to have lower rates of development in two key areas of the brain. The Black poverty rate is three times the rate for non-Hispanic Whites.
Study Finds Racial Disparity in Prices Paid for Similar Homes
In comparing transactions for similar homes in the same neighborhoods, the data shows that Blacks spent between 3 percent and 4 percent more than Whites.
University of Maryland Study Identifies Educational Strengths of Black Youth
The authors state that many low-income minority children exceed their peers in self-regulation, the ability to manage behavior, emotions, and attention. These strengths impact social skills and academic success.
New Report Examines the Status of Blacks in California Higher Education
A new report from the Campaign for College Opportunity finds that there has been no progress in closing the racial gap in enrollments and degree attainment in California over the past decade.
University Study Finds Insufficient Eye Care for Blacks With Diabetes
A new study by researchers at the University of Alabama Birmingham finds that many African Americans who have been diagnosed with diabetes are not receiving recommended eye care.
Sub-Saharan Nations Sending the Most Scholars to Teach in the U.S.
In 2011-12, there were 1,887 scholars from sub-Saharan African nations teaching in the U.S. This is down from 2,750 just four years ago. Nigeria sent 315 scholars to teach in the U.S., the most of any sub-Saharan African nation.
Study Finds Limited Success for Faculty Diversity Efforts at U.S. Medical Schools
A new study by researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, finds that the faculty diversity efforts established in recent years at U.S. medical schools have had only limited success.
Many Black Women College Students Are Hesitant About Breastfeeding Their Future Children
Dr. Urmeka Jefferson of the University of Missouri surveyed African American women college students on their attitudes toward breastfeeding and whether they intended to breastfeed their infants if and when they had children.
Study Finds Racial Bias in Online Purchasing
The study found that ads that showed a Black man holding the iPod received 13 percent fewer responses and 18 percent fewer offers than ads that showed an iPod in a White man's hand.
A Huge Racial Gap in STEM Degree Program Attrition Rates
New data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that almost two-thirds of Black students who start out in STEM-related bachelor's degree programs do not complete their studies in these fields.
Racial Disparities in Cancer Patient Treatment
The data showed that Blacks were 10 percent less likely than Whites to have primary tumor surgery, 17 percent less likely to undergo chemotherapy, and 30 percent less likely to receive radiotherapy.
Tracking U.S. College Students Who Study Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa
Of all U.S. students studying abroad, 12,859, or 4.5 percent, attended universities in sub-Saharan Africa. Among sub-Saharan African nations, South Africa was by far the most popular destination.
Report Documents Huge Shortage of Black Women Faculty in STEM Disciplines
The gap between the percentage of Black women in STEM faculty posts and the percentage of Black women in the general working-age population is wider than for any other racial or ethnic group.
Harlem Charter School Gets Results
A paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that students in a Harlem charter school performed better academically and had fewer societal problems than their peers who attended regular public schools.
Students From Sub-Saharan Africa at U.S. Colleges and Universities
In the 2012-13 academic year, there were 30,585 students from sub-Saharan Africa enrolled at colleges and universities in the United States. They made up 3.7 percent of the 819,644 foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities.
Survey Finds African Americans Value Higher Education But Are Unprepared for It
Some 90 percent of African American respondents to a Rice University survey stated that success requires education beyond high school. This was a higher rate than other ethnic groups in the survey.
Study Examines Relationship Between Racial Segregation and Public Health
Racially segregated, high-poverty neighborhoods often have lower levels of public service, more liquor stores, more fast-food outlets, and higher crime rates, all factors that can have an adverse impact on a community's health.
African American College Students Are Increasingly Studying Abroad
According to the Institute of International Education, in the 2011-12 academic year, Blacks made up 5.3 percent of the total of 283,332 students who studied abroad. This is up from 3.5 percent six years earlier.
Report Documents 20 Years of Research on Black Fraternities
The report, published by the Center for the Study of the College Fraternity at Indiana University, offers an extensive bibliography documenting 20 years of scholarly research on Black Greek-letter organizations.
Racial Preferences of the Internet Dating Community
In an analysis of nearly 1 million online daters, researchers at the University of Massachusetts found that Black daters - particularly Black women - are largely confined to a segregated dating market.
African American Teachers Tend to Reduce Black Teenage Pregnancy Rates
Black teenage girls in Georgia are significantly more likely to become pregnant than White teenage girls. But the research shows that for Black teenage girls who have African American teachers, the pregnancy rate goes down.
Blacks Still Underrepresented in Top Films, According to USC Research
The University of Southern California study found that Blacks had 10.8 percent of all speaking roles, less than the Black percentage of the U.S. population. But in the top-grossing films, Blacks had only 5 percent of the speaking roles.
University of Wisconsin Study Finds Persisting School Segregation
The study finds that segregation is not due to any intentional process to separate the races but rather due to the changing demographics of the nation's public school systems and the residential segregation that persists in America.
Study Finds Childhood Poverty Affects Adult Brains’ Ability to Control Emotions
This study is particular important to African Americans. Some 21 percent of all American children under the age of 18 are now being reared in poverty. And Blacks are three times as likely to be poor as Whites.
Georgia Tech Surveys Its Campus Community on Diversity Issues
The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta recently completed a survey of members of the campus community that showed a high level of satisfaction with the university's diversity efforts and climate for inclusiveness.
Emory University Study Finds Huge Racial Disparity in Rates of Lupus
A study led by researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta finds that African American women were three times as likely as White women to contract lupus, a serious autoimmune disease.
Gender Differences in Acceptance of Black Students at Predominantly White High Schools
The research found that stereotypes about African American boys' prowess in sports and their general perception as being "cool or street smart," helps them cope in social situations better than African American girls.
How Racial Bias Affects the Perception of Fairness in Economic Decisions
In an ultimatum game, participants were more likely to regard low financial offers from Black proposers as unfair and were thus more willing to "punish" the Black proposer by leaving them with no money.
