Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Part two: How the 'climategate' scandal is bogus and based on climate sceptics' lies
Claims based on email soundbites are demonstrably false – there is manifestly no evidence of clandestine data manipulationIn a unique experiment, The Guardian has published online the full manuscript of its major investigation...
Moms influence how children develop advanced cognitive functions
Executive functioning is a set of advanced cognitive functions -- such as the ability to control impulses, remember things, and show mental flexibility -- that help us plan and monitor...
Winning the war on weight
An Australian study into the health beliefs and behaviors of obese people has found that the more severely obese a person is, the less likely they feel they can reduce...
Length of time in institutional care may influence children's learning
The amount of time children spend in institutional care may affect how their brains develop...
Early abuse tied to more depression in children
Although children can be depressed for many reasons, new evidence suggests that there are physiological differences among depressed children based on their experiences of abuse before age 5. Early abuse...
Moms' depression in pregnancy tied to antisocial behaviour in teens
Children from urban areas whose mothers suffer from depression during pregnancy are more likely than others to show antisocial behaviour, including violent behaviour, later in life. Furthermore, women who are...
High sensitivity to stress isn't always bad for children
Children who are especially reactive to stress are more vulnerable to adversity and have more behaviour and health problems than their peers. But a new longitudinal study suggests that highly...
Anti-Abortion Ads Split Atlanta
Scores of billboards with an alarming message “Black children are an endangered species” have been erected in the Atlanta area.
What Darwin Got Wrong | Book review
Darwin is under fire again, but Mary Midgley feels that his ideas have been misrepresentedCharles Darwin complained quite crossly in his autobiography that, despite many denials, people still kept saying he thought natural selection...
In Memoriam: In life and death, a scientist brings out the best in others
Relationship scholar Caryl Rusbult's colleagues mourn her loss and celebrate her scientific legacy
Genes influence aerobic training success
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of researchers has found an explanation for why some people seem to be more responsive than others to regular endurance exercise - which, in turn,...
Australian saint-to-be tweets from beyond the grave
An Australian nun has taken to Twitter on behalf of saint-in-waiting Mary MacKillop, bringing the late sister's messages of hope and forgiveness to a new audience a century after she...
This isn't the life I dreamed of ... | Ask Carole, Evolutionary Agony Aunt
Carole Jahme shines the cold light of evolutionary psychology on reader's problems. This week: depressionFeeling downtroddenFrom Linda, age 48Dear Carole, The last decade has been a pretty awful one with bad things happening...
Youth who self-identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual at higher suicide risk, say researchers
Mental health professionals have long-known that gay, lesbian and bisexual teens face significantly elevated risks of mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. However, a group of researchers...
Toads Anticipate the Timing and Impact of Their Landings
New research by Mount Holyoke College professor Gary B. Gillis demonstrates toads anticipate the timing and impact of their landings and adjust the use of their leg muscles accordingly.
Homeopathic society 'misled' MPs in inquiry
• BHA misrepresented science, say researchers• NHS spent £12m over three years on remediesThe British Homeopathic Association has been accused of misrepresenting scientific evidence on alternative medicine in documents it gave to a...
National Institute on Aging funds two new "Roybal Center" programs at Harvard
Harvard Medical School professor Nicholas Christakis, whose work focuses on social networks, and economics professor David Laibson, who examines how and why people make the decisions they do regarding savings...
Five Reasons Henrietta Lacks is the Most Important Woman in Medical History
In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a poor woman with a middle-school education, made one of the greatest medical contributions ever. Her cells, taken from a cervical-cancer biopsy, became the first immortal human cell line-the...
Health stories by experts more credible than blogs
Health information written by a doctor is rated as more credible when it appears on a website than in a blog or a homepage, according to a study of college...
Institute honors Martin Luther King, Jr. at annual breakfast
Hundreds of members of the MIT community gathered Thursday at the annual breakfast celebration to honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to reflect on the importance...
Treating consciousness with caution | Ken Mason
We should be wary of building ethics around patients in permanent vegetative states, as this is a relatively new scienceProminent among the attitudes to the case that Professor McLean and I share is...
Early artificial pancreas trials show benefits for kids, teenagers with diabetes overnight
LONDON, Feb. 5, 2010 -- In a landmark study in children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes, JDRF-funded researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that using a first-generation...
High achievers more likely to be bipolar
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Greek philosopher Aristotle once said "there is no great genius without a mixture of madness," and now there is some scientific evidence that there is a link...
Australian researchers put paid to "baby brain" myth
Australian researchers said on Friday they had debunked the myth that a women's ability to think was impaired by pregnancy and mothering a newborn -- a condition commonly referred to...
Science info must go further
Science knowledge must be made more available to address problems such as resource scarcity, according to a new book.
Shatterproof beer glasses unveiled in U.K.
Two prototypes of shatterproof pint glasses have been unveiled by the British government in an effort to curb the number of injuries from violence in pubs.
Text message service sends health tips to pregnant women
Pregnant women and new mothers in the U.S. will be able to get health tips sent to their cellphones under a new government-funded program.
Feature: Recovering Steels Creek
In the aftermath of the Black Saturday fires, an ANU-led project is helping one Victorian community record its own story of fear, loss and recovery.