Blind human echolocators can recognize the shape, size, and material properties of objects, according to new study
New Canadian research into human echolocation suggests that as well as being able to locate objects, some blind people can…
The longer a mother breastfeeds, the higher the IQ and salary
Published in The Lancet Global Healthjournal, a study that tracked more than 3,000 newborns for 30 years has concluded that…
Male genetic diversity strangled by wealth and power
Genetic researchers have discovered an extremely dramatic decline in male genetic diversity between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago, while in…
How long can our technological civilization last?
By combining the Earth-based science of sustainability with the space-oriented field of astrobiology, two astrophysicists are attempting to answer questions…
Stark gender differences in art appreciation revealed
The market for art is worth US$65B worldwide but there has been little research conducted on how consumers actually determine…
Less domestic violence for pot smoking marrieds
New research that examined incidences of domestic violence supports the view that marijuana use by couples decreases the likelihood of…
Singing primates and tweeting birds: Uncovering human language’s deep origins
By re-examining contemporary human language, MIT researchers believe they can uncover how human communication could have evolved from the systems…
Trying to sound sexier? Sorry, guys, you just can’t do it
A series of experiments by researchers at Albright College suggests that men cannot intentionally make their voices sound more sexy…
Breast lifts: the only way is up
The always intriguing annual stats from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that breast lifts are the procedure…
Bend me, shape me… into a heart
The human body has lots of soft muscular systems that bend, twist, extend, and flex in complex ways. Robotic systems…
Ancient teeth give up bacterial goldmine
Researchers have discovered a “microbial Pompeii” preserved in the calculus (dental plaque) of 1,000 year old teeth. Intriguingly, the research…
Cars, TVs, triggering type-2 diabetes epidemic in developing world
Skyrocketing obesity and an epidemic of type-2 diabetes look likely for developing countries, as researchers at Simon Fraser University find…
The surprising correlation between guilt and last meals
Published in the journal Laws, a new study that examined the last meal choices made by death row inmates found…
Researchers reveal how emotions are mapped in the body
Emotions affect not only our mental state, but also different areas of the body. These conscious feelings help individuals fine-tune…
Hunting humans imitate honeybees
Working with the Hadza tribe in Africa, researchers have found that human hunter-gatherers follow the same mathematical pattern in their…
Athletes show significant performance boost from stroboscopic glasses
Professional hockey players who trained with special eyewear that only allowed them to see the action intermittently recorded an 18…
Scientists mull evolutionary role of “sexual regret”
In the largest study to date on regret surrounding sexual activity, a team of researchers have found a stark contrast…
Women’s gazes as objectifying as men’s
Following on from earlier research that showed how people remembered women’s body parts better than their entire bodies, the same…
Brain connectivity may have sparked Einstein’s brilliance
A new analysis technique that compared Albert Einstein’s brain to others of the period shows the left and right cerebral…
Surprising longevity boost from Holocaust
Male Holocaust survivors have a longer life expectancy compared to those who didn’t experience the Holocaust, according to researchers from…
Choir’s hearts beat as one
Swedish researchers studying how music affects the human body have found that when people sing in a choir their heartbeats…
Menopause – it’s a guy thing
After decades of trying to shoehorn menopause into a variety of evolutionary contexts that never seemed to add up, a…
Txting tested for battlefield comms
Radios, gunfire, explosions, and live voices all combine during combat to create extreme auditory overload for military personnel, but defense…
Humans, as well as bats, have echolocation skills
Researchers from the University of Southampton (UK) have been investigating how blind and visually impaired people can use echolocation, the…
Sexual happiness means keeping up with the Joneses
A new analysis (of data from the General Social Survey) suggests sex is like income: people are generally happy when…
Emotional content of books diverging by country, say language sleuths
A computer analysis of more than five million digitized books has revealed a distinct stylistic divergence since the 1960s, with…
Overheard cellphone conversations “uniquely intrusive”
Confirming what many of us have long suspected, a new study in the journal PLOS ONE has found that a…
Tweet this: human language may have evolved from birdsong
Charles Darwin speculated that language might have had its origins in singing and now linguists from MIT are taking that…
Ancient faces reconstructed
A new DNA system employed to analyze modern forensic samples has also been used to establish facial characteristics from centuries…
Modern parenting crippling kids’ brains, says Notre Dame prof
Social practices and cultural beliefs of modern life are preventing healthy brain and emotional development in children, according to an…