Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 31, 2008

Faith in Prayer Kills Children

Last month in Portland, Ore., Carl and Raylene Worthington's toddler Ava got sick with a blood infection and pneumonia. Both conditions were treatable with antibiotics, but unfortunately for little Ava, her parents belong to the Followers of Christ Church, some members of which believe that prayer can cure the sick....

Mar 31, 2008

My Day: A Brain-Sucking Tornado of Endless Decisions

I just can't make up my mind. But I have to, all day long. It starts as soon as I get out of bed, before I'm even conscious. Should I choose the red blouse or the orange sweater, the skirt or the pants. And for God's sake, which shoes? And...

Mar 31, 2008

Metallurgists' Book Blames Rivets for Titanic Tragedy

NEW YORK (AP) -- The tragic sinking of the Titanic nearly a century ago can be blamed on low grade rivets that the ship's builders used on some parts of the ill-fated liner, two experts on metals conclude in a new book. The company, Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Northern...

Mar 31, 2008

Culture Affects How We Read Faces

How people read facial expressions of others says a lot about their cultural upbringing, a new study suggests. While Americans home in on a central figure, Japanese take in facial expressions of an entire group to gauge a person's emotional state. The results could reflect North Americans' rugged individualism and...

Mar 31, 2008

How Culture Makes Us Thin or Fat

The lower house of parliament in France has just passed a law to prevent thinness. My, what a cultural contrast to the Unites States, where two-thirds of all adults are considered overweight or obese and our lawmakers are worried about fatness, not thinness. Problem is, both cultures don't really understand...

Mar 31, 2008

Magician Breaks World Record for Holding One's Breath

CHICAGO (AP) — Magician David Blaine set a new world record Wednesday for breath-holding: 17 minutes and 4 seconds. The feat was broadcast live during “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and the studio audience cheered as divers pulled Blaine from a water-filled sphere. He looked relaxed afterward and said the record...

Feb 29, 2008

If Only Women Ran the World ...

News Flash: Biological anthropologist endorses presidential candidate. The wait is over. After months of speculation, and controversy, biological anthropologist, Dr. Earnest A. Hooton, of Harvard, has finally weighed in on his choice of presidential candidate. The endorsement goes to … a woman, any woman. As a professional student of man...

Feb 29, 2008

Top 10 Battles for the Control of Iraq

2003 AD - Operation Iraqi Freedom An Iraqi mortar crew assigned to 4th Battalion, 21st Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army (IA) Division waits for the rest of their battalion to assault a mock village as Mi-17 helicopters provide aerial security during a battalion live fire training exercise at Forward Operating Base...

Feb 29, 2008

A Closer Look at Racist Conspiracies

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama spent much of the last week distancing himself from controversial comments made by his longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. In several of his fiery sermons, Wright denounced racism in America and said that on September 11, 2001, God had not blessed but instead damned America....

Feb 29, 2008

Why We Cling to Cars

Here's an interesting way to get to work: Leave the house and forget the car. Instead, walk right out into the middle of the street, without looking left or right for oncoming traffic. When the street dead ends, step into a cigar-shaped, human-powered vehicle and balance, standing up, as it...

Jan 31, 2008

Settlement of Americas a 3-Act Play

The epic journey by which the Americas were first settled has been a great mystery for centuries. Did it happen by land or by sea? Did it happen one dozen or so millennia ago or three dozen? The answer might be yes. New findings reveal the settling of the New...

Jan 31, 2008

Man's Other Best Friend: Shorn, Worn and Eaten for Dinner

Dogs may be the first domesticated animal and man's best friend, but humans owe a lot more to the second domesticated animal — sheep. The domestication of animals occurred at the same time people started to settle down and grow their own food, about 12,000 years ago. Once they planted...

Dec 31, 2007

Secrets Behind Oscar Nominations Revealed

Movie star Cate Blanchett’s recent stirring performances may not have been the only reason she got two Oscar nods this week. Academy Award nominations tend to go to performers in dramas, who are female, who have been nominated in the past and who command a high rank in the movie-credit...

Nov 30, 2009

Conquering the Digital Data Overload

If you're feeling a little overwhelmed by all the information you have to keep track of, you're not alone. Between the proliferation of 'smart' devices — ranging from phones to power grids — and the ever-growing Internet, the world is drowning in data. But not to despair, computer scientists like...

Nov 30, 2009

Survey: The Worst Decade in 50 Years

When asked what they thought about the past decade, Americans by a 2-1 margin rated it negatively. In contrast, they rated every other decade since the 1960s positively. The results could be at least in part due to rose-colored glasses. The passage of time may affect the way people view...