Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 30, 2007

The Surprising Realities of Mythical Creatures

NEW YORK—While sailing the ocean near Haiti, Christopher Columbus in 1493 reported seeing three mermaids from a distance. The Genoese explorer was not impressed. Up close, the sea maidens were “not as pretty as they are depicted,” he wrote in his journal, “for somehow in the face they look like...

Apr 30, 2007

Man Says He's Got a New Loch Ness Video

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) -- She's as much an emblem, and a tourist draw, as tartan, bagpipes, and shortbread. And now Nessie's back. An amateur scientist has captured what Loch Ness Monster watchers say is among the finest footage ever taken of the elusive mythical creature reputed to swim beneath the...

Mar 31, 2007

College Students Know More About Politics Than American Idol

The stereotype of the self-involved, culture-obsessed U.S. college student is wrong, according to a new study. American college students today are actually very engaged in politics to the point that they are much more likely to know the names of their U.S. senators or congressional representatives than the names of...

Jan 31, 2007

White House Press Cut Presidents Few Breaks

The White House press corps has cut U.S. presidents few breaks for the past 48 years on the topic of the economy during news conferences, but journalists tend to be creampuffs when it comes to foreign affairs, a new study shows. Statistical analysis of White House transcripts from four randomly...

Dec 31, 2006

Dracula's Castle For Sale

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) -- The family that owns a Transylvanian castle famous for its connections to the 15th century medieval ruler who inspired Dracula'' said Wednesday it wants to sell the fortress to local authorities for $78 million. The local council said it was interested in buying Bran Castle, perched...

Dec 31, 2006

Top 10 Ancient Capitals

Rome Photo (Image credit: Heather Whipps)It's impossible to stroll through modern Rome and not bump into reminders of its ancient past. The Forum, the Colosseum and the Pantheon, just to name a few, are lasting testaments to the capital of an empire once made up of 2.5 million square miles,...

Dec 31, 2006

Amateur Historian Claims He's Found Mona Lisa's Resting Place

ROME (AP)—The world's most famously enigmatic woman may have shed some of her mystery. An amateur historian said Friday that he has found the final resting place of the woman some believe inspired Leonardo da Vinci's most renowned painting, the Mona Lisa.'' A death certificate shows that Lisa Gherardini—the Renaissance...

Dec 31, 2006

Abraham Lincoln: The 16th President

Abraham Lincoln warned the South in his Inaugural Address: In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you.... You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most...

Nov 30, 2008

History Repeats: How 2008 Reflected the Past

For all the talk about change, everything old seemed oddly new again in 2008. The events of this year, perhaps more than any other, had a way of dredging up historic memories, bad and good — from the ongoing, Depression-like economic scare to the Civil Rights struggles that led to...

Nov 30, 2008

Police Often Bungle Missing Child Cases

The search for a missing Florida girl named Caylee Anthony received worldwide attention this year, and recently came to a tragic end. The 3-year-old was last seen in June, though her mother Casey Anthony inexplicably waited a month before reporting her daughter missing. Police were unable to find Caylee, but...

Nov 30, 2008

Obama & Celebs Reprimanded for Bad Science

When during a pre-election debate Barack Obama and John McCain both said that an apparent rise in autism cases might be connected to vaccines, those who knew better squirmed at the lack of scientific knowledge of the two remaining presidential candidates on this topic. In fact, studies have found no...

Nov 30, 2008

Smiles Are Innate, Not Learned

From sneers to full-blown smiles, our facial expressions are hardwired into our genes, suggests a new study. The researchers compared the facial expressions from more than 4,800 photographs of sighted and blind judo athletes at the 2004 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games. The analyses showed sighted and blind individuals modified...

Nov 30, 2008

5 Predictions for 2008 That (Thankfully) Failed

As the year draws to a close and a new year begins, it is natural to reflect on what has passed and what may lie ahead. Goals are set, resolutions are kept (or not), and inevitably predictions are made. Of course, anyone can make a prediction; all it takes is...

Oct 31, 2008

Past Presidential Elections Far Nastier

The 2008 campaign for president was the most vicious in U.S. history, some pundits have said. There were certainly some cheap-shot moments here and there but, relatively speaking, was the 2008 race really that nasty? Not at all, compared to labels like jackass and hermaphroditical tossed around during presidential elections...

Oct 31, 2008

Women Mellow with Age

Or, as the British press put it, they become less bitchy because once they hit 50 they are more likely to warm to other females because they no longer see them as rivals. The British press don't mince words. The study was rather small, however, so don't read too much...