Peer-brokered sales, in which people buy drugs for others within their social circles and take a cut—either as a share of the drugs or money by inflating the price—play a widespread and vital role in the distribution of illegal substances, according to a new study out of Case Western Reserve University.

New research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that living in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with higher blood pressure and lower cognitive scores, even among people who do not have an existing diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. 

Wealth-seeking consumers must court luxury brands to convince them to grant the coveted and privileged access to specific products, called “enrichment goods”, which they know will re-sell at substantially higher prices in the second-hand market, new research into the luxury watch market shows.

Entrepreneurs often lack resources and funding needed to launch a venture and reach out to family and friends for initial support. But is it always good for a startup when individuals close to the founder are asked if they want to “be on the ground floor of something good?” New research from three Indiana University Kelley School of Business professors finds that such close ties to investors can lead founders to make more conservative venture growth decisions and make them more hesitant to take risks.

Using integrated information theory, researchers at University of Tsukuba investigated heterogeneous criticality (a "flexible system" that can changeably respond to the environment) of a 10-fish school of Plecoglossus altivelis (Ayu). They discovered that the role sharing between supercriticality and subcriticality subgroups leads to a state of heterogeneous criticality for the entire group more easily than theoretical predictions.