Researchers have discovered a “microbial Pompeii” preserved in the calculus (dental plaque) of 1,000 year old teeth. Intriguingly, the research team says that the ancient oral bacteria they discovered already contained the basic genetic machinery for antibiotic resistance more than eight centuries before the invention of the first therapeutic antibiotics. Led by the University of […]
Skyrocketing obesity and an epidemic of type-2 diabetes look likely for developing countries, as researchers at Simon Fraser University find a striking correlation between disease prevalence and ownership of TVs, computers, and cars. The findings, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, are based on data from more than 150,000 adults from 17 countries, ranging […]
Published in the journal Laws, a new study that examined the last meal choices made by death row inmates found a significant link between the inmate’s food selection and their self-perceived guilt or innocence. The study, by Cornell University researcher Kevin Kniffin, examined whether an individual who has accepted guilt – by apologizing or confessing […]
Emotions affect not only our mental state, but also different areas of the body. These conscious feelings help individuals fine-tune their behavior to better match the challenges of the environment. Anxiety may be experienced as pain in the chest, for example, whereas falling in love may be associated with warm sensations all over the body. […]
Working with the Hadza tribe in Africa, researchers have found that human hunter-gatherers follow the same mathematical pattern in their movements as sharks, honeybees, and many other animals. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study used GPS trackers to show that human hunters follow the classic exploration pattern defined by […]
Professional hockey players who trained with special eyewear that only allowed them to see the action intermittently recorded an 18 percent improvement in on-ice skills. The players, from the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, were part of a Duke University study that is reported in this month’s edition of Athletic Training & Sports Health Care. The special […]
In the largest study to date on regret surrounding sexual activity, a team of researchers have found a stark contrast in remorse between men and women. The work, published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, reveals new insights into the evolutionary history of human nature. “Prior sex researchers have focused primarily on the emotion of […]
Following on from earlier research that showed how people remembered women’s body parts better than their entire bodies, the same researchers have now conducted an eye-tracking study that shows women “check out” other women just as much as men do. The new work, appearing in the journal Sex Roles, intricately mapped the visual behavior of […]
A new analysis technique that compared Albert Einstein’s brain to others of the period shows the left and right cerebral hemispheres of the famous scientist’s brain were unusually well connected to each other. This connectivity may have contributed to his brilliance, according to Florida State University evolutionary anthropologist Dean Falk. Falk was part of a […]
Male Holocaust survivors have a longer life expectancy compared to those who didn’t experience the Holocaust, according to researchers from the University of Haifa and Leiden University. The surprising findings have just been published in PLOS ONE. Previous studies have shown that traumatic experiences can shorten life-expectancy and there is even genetic evidence that trauma […]
