Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
A new look at the adolescent brain: It's not all emotional chaos
Adolescence is often described as a tumultuous time, where heightened reactivity and impulsivity lead to negative behaviours like substance abuse and unsafe sexual activity. Previous research has pointed to the...
More reasons to be nice: It's less work for everyone
A polite act shows respect. But a new study of a common etiquette - holding a door for someone - suggests that courtesy may have a more practical, though unconscious,...
Giving children the power to be scientists
Children who are taught how to think and act like scientists develop a clearer understanding of the subject, a study has shown...
Americans Want Taxes Spent on Health Care and Education
Despite recession, American want more spending.
First international index developed to predict suicidal behavior
Although thousands of people commit suicide worldwide each year, researchers and doctors do not have any method for evaluating a person's likelihood of thinking about or trying to commit suicide....
Learning to see consciously: Scientists show how flexibly the brain processes images
Our brains process many more stimuli than we become aware of. Often images enter our brain without being noticed: visual information is being processed, but does not reach consciousness, that...
Model organisms? Broadening the biological lexicon to bolster translational research
So-called model organisms have long been at the core of biomedical research, allowing scientists to study the ins and outs of human disorders in non-human subjects. In the ideal, such...
International collaboration between researchers results in greater recognition, study shows
US researchers who collaborate with international scientists are more likely to have their work cited than peers who do not utilize overseas expertise, according to a new study. US collaborators...
Brain's short-term memory 'layers' studied
HOUSTON, March 9 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say a study has confirmed the human brain has three concentric layers of working memory where it stores and processes short-term memory...
Kansas' population growth not all positive, sociologist says
Kansas will continue to see an increasingly aging population, rural-area population loss and diversity in highly concentrated areas, according to a Kansas State University population expert.
Which side of the brain rotates a mental picture?
Consider the simple situation in which you are walking around the kitchen and decide to pick up your own cup of tea, which is identical to others lying on the...
Concerns Iran will hit gulf oil output
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 9 (UPI) -- There are growing concerns that Iran is seeking to exploit the political turmoil swirling through the Arab world.
Aiding a pilot school
In one classroom at the Gardner Pilot Academy, first-graders and their parents played Blink, an Uno-like game that teaches counting and shapes. Down the hall, fifth-graders worked through a word problem involving fractions...
There's a reason they call them mother hens ...
A worried mother is often called a mother hen, and new research is showing how true this expression may be. When her chicks are in distress, a hen will react...
Scientists discover anti-anxiety circuit in brain region considered the seat of fear
Stimulation of a distinct brain circuit that lies within a brain structure typically associated with fearfulness produces the opposite effect: Its activity, instead of triggering or increasing anxiety, counters it.
Well: Sex Education on ‘Glee’
Last night's TV episode tackled sex education among high school students -- or the lack of it.
How Men Lost Their Penis Spines
If it weren't for a lost stretch of DNA, human sex would likely be painful.
Sub-Saharan Africa news in brief: 24 February–9 March 2011
New president for African Academy of Sciences, Tanzania criticised for delaying GM trials, Kenya ready to pursue biotech, and more.
CIA Seeks Anyone, Anyone Who Can Speak 2 Languages
A shortage of multilingual speakers has the government scrambling to train non-proficient students.
Battling the bedbug epidemic
Mom's comforting tuck-them-in-words -- "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite" -- is becoming an impossible dream for millions of people as the world experiences a resurgence...
Reading in two colors at the same time: Patterns of synesthesia brain activity revealed
People with synesthesia often report perceiving letters as appearing in different colors. But how do their brains accomplish this feat? What is perhaps most puzzling about this condition is that...
Super sense of smell not innate
World-class "noses" in the perfume and wine business are not born with an outsized sense of smell but acquire it through years of professional sniffing, according to new research.
Baby Joseph family headed back to court
The Windsor, Ont., family trying to keep their baby from being taken off life support has a new lawyer--and will appeal an earlier court ruling to remove his breathing tube,...
How do we combine faces and voices?
Milan, Italy, 9 March 2011 -- Human social interactions are shaped by our ability to recognise people. Faces and voices are known to be some of the key features...
Electronic Tethers to Work Stress Women More than Men
The stress may be linked to women's feelings of guilt.
Scholarship sends student to India
IES Abroad has awarded one of its 74 merit-based scholarships to Harvard student Isabel Salovaara ’12 to study abroad in Delhi, India, spring semester 2011. For information.
The New Old Age: Forgetting the Gift
With a little help, my mother remembered my birthday. But what if one day she cannot remember me?
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A new study of wrongdoing and its cultures in Spain 1800-1936 will explore the fascination of popular versions of crime and other misdemeanours in ways that reflect also on our...