Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Liu Yang: China's first female astronaut
As a child, Liu Yang once wanted to be a bus conductor and later had her sights set on becoming a lawyer, but decades later she has travelled into space...
Well: A Better Way to Prepare Quinoa
Once you perfect your quinoa preparation, you'll be rewarded with five delicious new salads, writes the Recipes for Health columnist Martha Rose Shulman.
Fear of dark may drive insomnia in some adults
New Canadian research suggests fear of the dark may be behind the sleepless nights that some insomniacs experience.
Study Examines Effect of Having a Gay Parent
The study found more psychological and social problems among young adults from broken homes who had a gay parent.
MRI scans show how sleep loss affects the ability to choose proper foods
fMRI scans reveal how sleep deprivation impairs higher-order regions in the human brain where food choices are made – not the deeper brain structures reacting to basic desire. This new...
AUDIO: 'Adults can learn new things'
Gary Marcus, professor of psychology at New York University and author of Guitar Zero - The Science of Learning to be Musical explains how it is possible to still learn...
The Causes And Consequences Of Grade Inflation
Grade inflation is common. It knows no borders, occurring in public and private schools, at the elementary level and in Ivy League universities. It is a serious problem, and yet...
Penguins' graphic sexual acts shocked researcher
Hidden for nearly 100 years for being too "graphic," a report of "hooligan" behaviors, including sexual coercion, by Adelie penguins observed during Captain Scott's 1910 polar expedition have been uncovered...
Science Weekly podcast: David Eagleman on Sum, the opera
On the podcast this week Ian Sample asks writer and neuroscientist David Eagleman how his book of short stories Sum came to be transformed into a chamber opera at the Royal Opera...
Undoing health law could have messy ripple effects
WASHINGTON (AP) -- It sounds like a silver lining. Even if the Supreme Court overturns President Barack Obama's health care law, employers can keep offering popular...
Lives: Facing My Second Unwanted Pregnancy
A friend told me that there was a way to induce miscarriage using herbs. And I let myself believe her.
Seeking Academic Edge, Teenagers Abuse Stimulants
At high schools across the United States, pressure over grades and competition for college admissions are encouraging students to abuse stimulants.
More can mean less when it comes to being happier – especially if you are neurotic
New research from the University of Warwick suggests getting more money may not make you happier, especially if you are [...]
More people staying connected on vacation
Scanning smartphones, tablets and laptops is as much a part of vacations as slathering on sunscreen, according to a Michigan [...]
5 Questions: No shadows on Jenna Lee's fitness spotlight
When your dad, Bob Lee, has played in the Super Bowl — twice — there is a familial expectation that you'll be athletic. Jenna Lee is the youngest anchor in...
Hired hands in the 21st century
During her research for "The Outsourced Self: Intimate Life in Market Times," Arlie Russell Hochschild found ads for people who will take care of a loved one's grave or pose...
Gadgets: Gravity suit tips exercise scale
I'm lying on the floor of my apartment trying to maneuver into a respectable downward dog, but it's not coming easy. Not because I'm injured or overworked (although I admit...
Study examines impact of African-American teachers in Title I schools
Closing the academic gaps in performance among students from diverse backgrounds is a challenge for schools and a mandate from the government. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001...
Does Macho Culture Keep Suicidal Soldiers From Seeking Help?
Military suicides are outpacing last year's numbers.
Defining alcohol abuse sparks debate
Removing alcohol abuse from psychiatry's diagnostic bible is drawing fire.
Open access to research is inevitable, says Nature editor-in-chief
Philip Campbell says the experience of open access to scientific research is 'very compelling' for readers and scientistsOpen access to scientific research articles will "happen in the long run", according to the editor-in-chief...
Does your dog know when you're sad?
Plenty of pet owners are comforted by a pair of puppy-dog eyes or a swipe of the tongue when their dog catches them crying. Now, new research suggests that dogs...
Outsourcing your life
Hiring others to care for family, plan events, shop, even detail our desires is increasingly becoming a part of the middle-class picture. But most of us have limits.Once, only the...
Are online aliases ever justified in academic debate?
Sock puppets - online commenters that create a false identity - are disrupting academic freedom and scholarly debate, says Simon TannerHave you encountered a sock puppet recently? The answer is probably yes even...
Does cooperation require both reciprocity and alike neighbors?
Scientists have developed a new theoretical model on the evolution of cooperation. Evolution by definition is cold and merciless: it selects for success and weeds out failure. It seems only...
Guardian Books podcast: The future – dystopia or utopia?
We're in an age when technological fact is stranger than fiction – so why are so many novelists devoting themselves to exploring the frontiers of thought? Nick Harkaway explains why it's the novelist's...
Who puts the science in MPs' in trays? | Adam Smith | Talking politics to power
It's an uphill struggle to get science on politicians' agenda. Is the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology up to the task?Dave Watts is a bit of a geek. He works as...
Music choice reflects mood
(Phys.org) -- What kind of music are you in the mood for? A new smartphone app designed to recommend music according to how listeners feel could provide insight into teen...