Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Talking to ourselves: How consumers navigate choices and inner conflict
From simple decisions like "Should I eat this brownie?" to bigger questions such as "Should my next car be a hybrid?" consumers are involved in an inner dialogue that reflects...
Comforted by carpet: How do floors and distance affect purchases?
Consumers who stand on carpeted flooring feel comforted, but they judge products close to them to be less comforting, according to a new study.
Steven Poole's non-fiction roundup | Book reviews
Steven Poole on Why Animal Suffering Matters | Darwin's Dogs | SnailWhy Animal Suffering Matters, by Andrew Linzey (Oxford, £16.99)Those sceptical folk who doubt that anything of practical importance could issue from a...
Teachers begin using cell phones for class lessons
(AP) -- Ariana Leonard's high school students shuffled in their seats, eagerly awaiting a cue from their Spanish teacher that the assignment would begin. "Take out your cell phones,"...
Supersize Orgasms?
A drug that makes you not only able but eager and willing isn't going to remain the exclusive property of the severely impaired. As with Viagra, there will be extensive...
Uruguay to provide help for classroom laptop use
The Uruguayan government has launched a new TV channel devoted to helping parents, teachers and children make the best use of laptops in the classroom.
Alzheimer's funding limbo called 'shameful'
Caregivers and family of people with Alzheimer's disease filled the public gallery of the P.E.I. legislature Thursday, but still didn't get an answer they've been waiting for since April.
Russell terrier hunts bedbugs
A little dog in Moncton is helping people sleep tight by sniffing out biting bedbugs.
Inverted Qualia
A couple of months ago I attended a lecture by Saul Kripke at CUNY’s Graduate Center. Kripke is one of the most influential philosophers of the late 20th century, someone who you...
Brooke Magnanti says she misses parts of old Belle de Jour life
Sex blogger Brooke Magnanti says in TV interview she was relieved at her unmasking as Belle de JourThe research scientist who outed herself as the anonymous sex blogger Belle de Jour has...
Facebook page lands Mount Pearl student in trouble
A junior high student from Mount Pearl, on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, faces possible discipline for promoting bullying through a website.
More clarity needed on law of assisted suicide
(PhysOrg.com) -- Doctors need more clarity on what they can and cannot do within the current law on assisted suicide, according to an editorial by Dr Richard Huxtable and Professor...
Hyperactivity associated with short sleep-time for young boys: study
(PhysOrg.com) -- Hyperactive boys don't get enough sleep, which can worsen their condition according to new research. Published in the November issue of Pediatrics, the study is the first to...
Natural remedy shows anticancer activity
Copper complexes of the traditional Chinese remedy plumbagin show enhanced anticancer activity, say Chinese scientists.
Kenyans draw weapons over shrinking resources
Experts fear the conflicts involving cattle, water and land may be just the beginning of climate-driven violence in Africa. At least 400 people have died in northern Kenya this year,...
When good companies do bad things
The more prominent and financially successful a corporation becomes, the more likely it is to break the law, according to a new study that challenges previous research.
An end to sleep problems? Researchers discover enzyme behind effects of sleep deprivation
There is hope for those who miss one night too many or whose children keep them up at night. The unwelcome effects of a bad night's sleep - forgetfulness, impaired...
Money crisis didn’t cut hours
The global financial crisis didn’t make people cut working hours, according to a recent study – except for those who changed jobs.
Tips to keep iPhone battery going strong
In talking with my iPhone-using friends, we often seem to bring up how to squeeze the most life from the iPhone's "nonreplaceable" battery.
In Defense Of Dissection
An opinion piece in the Boston Herald criticizes the squid dissection component of an overnight family education event at the New England Aquarium: The barbaric highlight of the night was when...
Memo From Alexandria: Harnessing Darwin to Push an Ancient Intellectual Center to Evolve
An international conference on Darwin in Egypt helped lead to a public discussion of ideas that challenge religious thinking and the national curriculum, and promote critical thinking.
World Briefing | Middle East: Flu Fears May Curtail Pilgrimage
The number of pilgrims to Mecca this year may be down substantially because of fears of swine flu, the BBC and CNN reported Wednesday, citing remarks by government officials.
Brains Benefit From Multilingualism
For a considerable time already there has been discussion within scientific circles about whether knowing and using multiple languages could possibly have positive effects on the human brain and thinking....
The Robin Hood Banker: Does 'helper syndrome' exist?
£7m theft could be down to 'martyrdom feeling'In Germany, she is known only as the Robin Hood Banker, a 62-year-old woman who has been convicted of stealing €7.6m (£6.9m) from the accounts...
Top 5 surprising turkey facts
In the years since President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a regular holiday, the turkeys we eat have changed dramatically, and so has scientific knowledge of them. ...
Study: Race, class and gender shape religion's effect on American voters
(PhysOrg.com) -- How Americans vote is strongly linked to their religious identities, but it is not an independent influence that transcends race, socio-economic class and gender, reports a new Cornell...
Homeopathy on the NHS is unethical, doctors tell MPs
Giving homeopathic remedies to patients on the NHS is unethical and a dubious use of public money, scientists and doctors told MPs today.The treatments, which are licensed by the government and offered through...
A timely touch transforms speech perception
Air puffs on the hand or neck influence people’s ability to hear certain spoken sounds.