Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Alcohol may speed up age-related brain shrinkage
The more people drink, the smaller the size of their brains, a study finds. The association is especially pronounced in women. ...
Does It Matter If Black Plus White Equals Black Or Multiracial?
"Is Barack Obama Black or Biracial?" a recent CNN.com headline asks. Should such racial characterizations of people like Obama -- who have one black parent and one white parent --...
Gut Reaction To Arsenic Exposure Simulated
A simulated gastrointestinal system is helping scientists test contaminated soil for its potential to harm humans. The method is likely to save time and money for people hoping to repurpose...
Thinner Cortex In Cocaine Addicts May Reflect Drug Use And A Pre-existing Disposition To Drug Abuse
New research findings suggest that structural abnormalities in the brains of cocaine addicts are related in part to drug use and in part to a predisposition toward addiction. The research...
Connections Between Vision And Movement, As They Relate To Perceived Threats, Autism
In research designed to assist US Department of Homeland Security and provide insight into how autistic individuals perceive others, scientists are examining how our visual system helps interpret the intent...
American Culture Derails Girl Math Whizzes, Study Finds
A culture of neglect and, at some age levels, outright social ostracism, is derailing a generation of students, especially girls, deemed the very best in mathematics, according to a new...
Call for ban on primates as pets
A loophole in UK animal welfare laws that allows primates to be kept as household pets needs to be closed, an MP urges.
Pint-Size Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy
A growing number of “eco-kids,” steeped in environmentalism, are holding their parents accountable.
Peers, Not Profs Make College Students More Left-leaning
Exposure to peer groups shift students leftward during time at college, study shows.
Just A Numbers Game? Making Sense Of Health Statistics
Health statistics fill today's information environment, but even most doctors, who must make daily decisions and recommendations based on numerical data, lack the basic statistical literacy they require to make...
Wheezing And Asthma In Young Children
The diagnosis of asthma in a young child may well be more challenging to pediatricians than previously appreciated, according to a review of research and clinical experience literature.
Five Basic Things To Know About Stem Cell Research
In just a few weeks, Michigan voters will have an important decision to make when casting their ballots. Not just who they want to be president, or to represent them...
Curing Disease or Playing God: Obama and McCain on Genetics Research
Question 7: Genetics Research The extraordinary development of genetics over the last 20 years has resulted in both a wealth of new technologies and a wide range of ethical concerns relating...
Step-on scanner lets air passengers keep shoes on
LOD, Israel (Reuters) - Israel has introduced a step-on scanner that spares airline travelers the nuisance of having to remove their shoes so they can be X-rayed for hidden weapons,...
Exclusive interview: Deborah Swackhamer
New head of EPA’s science advisory board expects more influence on environmental policy
UNC's Pisano, Rimer Elected to Institute of Medicine
Two University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty members have been elected to the Institute of Medicine, considered one of the nation's highest honors for those in the fields...
EU tells music lovers to turn down MP3 players
(AP) -- The European Union told music lovers Monday to turn down the volume of MP3 players, saying they risk permanent hearing loss from listening too long at maximum...
VIDEO: Family Keeps Webbed Fingers
A family in India chooses to opt out of surgery to correct a congenital condition known as syndactyly, in which one or more digits are fused together.
Chemist Svilen Bobev Receives ACA Early Career Award
Svilen Bobev, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Delaware, has been selected to receive the 2009 Margaret C. Etter Early Career Award from the American Crystallographic...
Plunge in markets brings another kind of depression
Porter Ranch murder-suicide is an extreme example of the stresses gripping the American psyche, experts say. Mental health professionals say referrals have soared. ...
Kenya's elephants send text messages to rangers
(AP) -- The text message from the elephant flashed across Richard Lesowapir's screen: Kimani was heading for neighboring farms.
Financial Fears Outweigh Terrorist Threat
Most Americans believe the current financial crisis poses a greater threat than terrorism.
Understanding The Cycle Of Violence
Researchers have long known that children who grow up in an aggressive or violent household are more likely to become violent or aggressive in future relationships but the developmental link...
Religiosity Curbs Teen Marijuana Use By Half, National Study Finds
While many congregations of different faiths preach against drug abuse, it has been unclear whether a youth's religious involvement has any effect on his risk of drug abuse. Now a...
Bad air for growing brains and minds
Mexico City’s air pollution may be undermining neural and mental functioning in some children
Science's Call to Arms
In case anyone was wondering, I am far from alone in my call for a new science policy in the coming administration. It is the topic of the editorial in...
Want a mammogram? Get in line
Doctors usually recommend that women older than 40 get yearly mammograms. But if you're planning on calling Northwestern Memorial Hospital's state-of-the-art breast imaging center, grab next year's calendar: The next...
Facebook rekindling long-lost friendships
It was the first message Marlee Wallingford ever received on Facebook. And it was a simple one: "Did you go to Salisbury Central School in 1968?"