Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Epilepsy drug may help alcoholics recover from dependence, small study suggests
It's a Catch-22 of the highest order. People with alcohol problems often use alcohol to get to sleep -- but it actually keeps them from getting good-quality sleep all night...
Traumatic Response To Bad Memories Can Be Minimized
Researchers have identified the brain mechanism that switches off traumatic feelings associated with bad memories, a finding that could lead to the development of drugs to treat panic disorders.
China drops some Internet curbs ahead of Games
China on Friday rolled back a few high-profile planks of its Internet censorship system in an apparent effort to defuse an embarrassing dispute over media freedom just days ahead of...
Aging Impairs The 'Replay' Of Memories During Sleep
Aging impairs the consolidation of memories during sleep, a process important in converting new memories into long-term ones, according to new animal research in the July 30 issue of the...
Cocaine Addiction Linked To Voluntary Drug Use And Cellular Memory, Study Shows
New research has uncovered a fundamental cellular mechanism that may drive pathological drug-seeking behavior. Rats that voluntarily use cocaine show a persistent cellular memory in the brain's reward center even...
N.L. cancer docs say resignations heartbreaking
Three gynecologic oncologists who tendered their resignations over a dispute with the Newfoundland and Labrador government said Thursday that it was a heartbreaking decision, but they hope it will result...
Improved Estrogen Reception May Sharpen Fuzzy Memory
Finding ways to boost the brain's estrogen receptors may be an alternative to adding estrogen to the body in efforts to improve cognition in postmenopausal women and younger women with...
Obesity Predisposition Traced To The Brain's Reward System
New research links overeating and obesity with the brain system implicated in pleasure and addictive behaviors strengthening the argument that obesity could be approached as an addictive disorder. This is...
The Power Of Peter Piper: How Alliteration Enhances Poetry, Prose, And Memory
From nursery rhymes to Shakespearian sonnets, alliterations have always been an important aspect of poetry whether as an interesting aesthetic touch or just as something fun to read. But a...
Ancient Greek 'computer' displayed Olympics calendar
Hidden inscriptions reveal that the mechanism – which was used to calculate the movements of heavenly bodies – incorporated a sporting calendar
Beating the baby blues: A mouse model for postpartum depression
A new study provides critical insight into the disabling depression experienced by many women during early motherhood. The research, published by Cell Press in the July 31 issue of the...
Olympic journalists face web restraints
Journalists covering the Beijing Games will not have uncensored internet access, Chinese and Olympic officials have confirmed.
Orange County-based group helps children cope with parents' cancer
Kids Konnected has grown to help 10,000 youngsters in more than eight states. ...
Gaining advantages from childhood experience
It often seems that certain aspects of our personalities are influenced by events that occurred in our childhoods. A recent study by Dr. Akaysha Tang's research team from the University...
A Lab Is Set to Test the Gender of Some Female Athletes
Olympic organizers have set up a sex-determination laboratory to evaluate the external appearance, hormones and genes of “suspect” female athletes.
Let the Proton Smashing Begin. (The Rap Is Already Written.)
After 14 years, the world’s largest physics experiment seems to be getting close enough to becoming a reality for its participants to plan the opening parties.
First 'practical jetpack' clears for take-off
New Zealand inventor unveils jetpack that has taken test pilots to altitudes as high as 3ft
Women end up less happy than men
Less able to achieve their life goals, women end up unhappier than men later in life – even though they start out happier. read more
Children are hurt by chaos at home
(PhysOrg.com) -- Historically, U.S. children have experienced chaos for decades due to the nation's high rates of migration, poverty, and maternal and child mortality. But today, chaos in children's lives...
Hiring away star performers from competitors? Don't bother, says study
Managers seeking to hire star employees away from competitors are likely to be disappointed with their costly new employee's performance - and the star is likely to be unhappy,...
The verbal memory hegemony
Why do some scientists assume that if it's true for language, it must be true for vision, too? read more
Note to people with scarred and stiffened lungs: Monitor your sleep before severe fatigue sets in
Family, friends and neighbors remember Lisa Sandler Spaeth as an active mother of two in Potomac, Md., with a lot on the go, juggling her son's baseball games and her...
Findings on bladder-brain link may point to better treatments for problems in sleep, attention
Bladder problems may leave a mark on the brain, by changing patterns of brain activity, possibly contributing to disrupted sleep and problems with attention. For one in six Americans who...
U.S. Olympians Seek the Heat to Train for Beijing Games
Running in sauna-like chambers and the sticky Texas humidity is helping athletes adjust their bodies to perform at their peak during the 2008 summer games, but smog remains a worry.
Ontario's NDP calling for law presuming automatic consent for organ donation
Ontario's New Democrats are renewing calls for a presumed-consent law to govern organ donation in the province.
Right place and right time can trigger drinking
Strong cravings for alcohol can be sparked by the mere sight, smell and taste of a person's favorite drink. Responses to such cues that are associated with the positive effects...
China must ensure innovation trickles down
Measures should be put in place to ensure that innovative scientific information is available to Chinese researchers, says Lan Xue.
Bolivia holds first national science week
Bolivia was the stage for a variety of science communication activities, including lectures, guided tours, exhibitions and fairs.