Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Poll: Youth attitudes on 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade
On the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade, more young people identify as “pro-choice” rather than “pro-life,” according to a national poll of more than 4,000 high school and...
Mongoose Calls More Humanlike Than Thought
Banded mongooses combine discrete units of sound somewhat like humans put together a consonant and vowel to form a syllable, researchers say.
Facebook unveils social search feature
If you've ever wanted to know the most popular TV shows among your Facebook friends who are doctors, or wanted to see all the photos any of your friends have...
Childhood trauma leaves its mark on the brain
Scientists have found evidence that psychological wounds inflicted when young leave lasting biological traces -- and a predisposition toward violence later in life.
Life at the top
Nina Notman asks whether an academic chemistry career can help or hinder when you move up the ladder
The art of thinking
Students are too busy to think and academics won't sit still. There may be trouble ahead.
Educating scholars
With many universities now opting to employ dedicated teaching staff, Sarah Houlton meets two of them for a lesson in undergraduate chemistry
Record insider trading case hits pharma
US authorities claim that hedge fund manager made illicit gains of $276 million in response to confidential clinical trial data
Hard day's night
Chemists' working habits seem to have little regard for office hours. Should we resist the trend toward working longer?
Tracking tomorrow's talent
Futuretrack has followed thousands of students on their path through university and beyond. Kate Purcell talks Emma Davies through the latest data on careers and job satisfaction
Home office to help student job seekers
Foreign PhD students will get a 12 month grace period to find a job after end of course
Making pain history
Mike Sutton traces the remarkable history of aspirin from folk remedy to wonder drug
Decisive uncertainty
When it comes to scientific advice, we should let the experts speak and improve our understanding of risk, says Síle Lane
The public: clients of science?
Should scientific advice inform or instruct? Steve Fuller says scientists should stick to the facts and let the public decide
Righting history
Chemists should learn from the past, says Philip Ball, but they may need a history lesson first
New research shows uncertain benefits after grade two
Education researchers Paul Hanselman and Geoffrey D. Borman have evaluated the impact of literacy instruction in grades 3 through 5. Their findings were published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis...
Quality of instruction trumps language in reading programs for elementary-age ELLs
WASHINGTON, January 14, 2013─New research synthesizes studies of English reading outcomes for Spanish-dominant English language learners (ELLs) in elementary schools. The review, Effective Reading Programs for Spanish-dominant English Language Learners...
Julie Burchill, transphobia and hostility towards the victims of oppression | Dean Burnett
The recent media furore over an article by Julie Burchill has brought to light prejudice against transgender individuals among people who should know better. This tendency to demonise victims of unfair treatment is...
Many researchers taking a different view of pedophilia
Pedophilia once was thought to stem from psychological influences early in life. Now, many experts view it as a deep-rooted predisposition that does not change.As a young boy, Paul Christiano...
Saving this dinosaur took a skeleton crew
An urgent email from Mongolia. Frantic phone calls from Texas. A court order in New York. When a possibly looted Tyrannosaurus fossil went up for auction, an unlikely team sprang...
Observatory: Study Measures Psychological Impact of China’s One-Child Policy
The Chinese policy that penalizes families for having more than one child has had psychological fallout for the children born after it was instituted in 1979, a new report suggests.
Elliptical Answers to Why Winter Mornings Are So Long
The Equation of Time accounts for the difference between clock time and solar time, and why after the winter solstice the sunrise keeps getting later even as days start to...
Findings: Positive Procrastination, Not an Oxymoron
Psychologists suggest that procrastination, if structured, can have some benefits, by completing some tasks, even if only to avoid the ones you’re meant to be doing.
Pot Smokers Might Not Turn Into Dopes After All
Cannabis rots your brain -- or does it? Last year, a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ) suggested that...
Personal Health: That Loving Feeling Takes a Lot of Work
Small steps like taking time out for each other, trying new things and regular gestures of affection can help keep a marriage strong.
Personal Best: Training Insights From Star Athletes
Along with natural athletic prowess, elite sports stars often have an edge, gained from an insight or realization, that helps them separate themselves from the pack.
E-books gaining ground with kids, publisher says
A report commissioned by children's publisher Scholastic Inc. finds that 46 per cent of respondents aged 9-17 had read an e-book as of 2012, compared to just 25 per cent...
Impaired coordination of brain activity in autism involves local, as well as long-range, signaling
A new autism study has found that local functional connectivity of the brain -- the extent to which activity within a small region is coordinated -- is reduced in individuals...