Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2010

Are the Newly Found Picasso Paintings Real?

An elderly French couple has come forward with 271 paintings and sketches by Pablo Picasso that they claim the artist gave them as a present. But are they the real thing? The collection of watercolors, lithographs, portraits, cubist collages and sketches have been authenticated and their combined valued is set...

Nov 30, 2010

Why Do We Send Christmas Cards?

A Christmas card designed by John Callcott Horsley. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)There's a reason that Christmas is the busiest holiday season for the U.S. Postal Service everyone is mailing out their holiday greeting cards. But from where did this tradition originate? People have been sending each other letters and cards...

Nov 30, 2010

Senate: Gays Can Serve Openly in Military

The U.S. Senate voted 65 to 31 today (Dec. 18) to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell act, sending President Obama legislation to overturn the policy and allow gays to serve openly in the military. By ending 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,' no longer will our nation be denied the service...

Nov 30, 2010

Why Do We Hang Stockings For Christmas?

Those hanging up their stockings by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there may not know that the tale that inspired the cheerful Christmas stockings tradition is pretty dark. The story begins with a nobleman who lost his wife after she died from a...

Oct 31, 2010

What's Net Neutrality, and Why Should You Care?

One of the hot issues discussed during the midterm elections was whether to continue to protect the current status quo of net neutrality. Under net neutrality, all content, users and devices are treated the same by broadband carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner. That means that streaming video,...

Oct 31, 2010

Is Quidditch a Real Sport?

Yes and no. It depends on how you define quidditch and how you define sport. In the Harry Potter universe, quidditch is a game played by wizards and witches. Each team consists of seven players, each flying on a broomstick. Players attempt to throw soccer-ball-size balls, called quaffles, through three...

Oct 31, 2010

The Top 10 Words of 2010: How They Became Popular

The Global Language Monitor announced its list of the Top 10 Words of 2010 today (Nov. 16). You're sure to recognize some of the words who could forget snowmageddon? but others might not roll off your tongue so easily. Here, a breakdown of each word's claim to fame. 10. Simplexity...

Oct 31, 2010

How Much Helium Is Needed To Fill The Macy's T-Day Parade Balloons?

It takes a lot of helium to march Kermit, Snoopy, Spongebob and all their inflatable friends down the streets of New York City. This year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade features 15 giant balloons which, in total, require a whopping 300,000 cubic feet of helium to stay afloat. That's roughly the...

Sep 30, 2010

Would You Make a Good White House Chief of Staff?

President Obama announced on Oct. 1 that the White House chief of staff position would be filled by Pete Rouse while he searches for a long-term replacement. But what exactly does the chief of staff do, and what makes a person good at this job? As the highest-ranking member of...

Sep 30, 2010

Why Do Carbs Improve Marathon Runners' Performance?

Runners training for the New York City marathon are likely gulping down carbohydrates before the big race in hopes of improving their performance and endurance. And these trained athletes know what they're doing. Carbohydrates are sugar-based molecules, and the body can use some of them to produce glucose. Glucose becomes...

Sep 30, 2010

Fancy a Snog? Same-Sex Kissing Common Among UK Male Students

Forget homophobia. A new study finds that same-sex lip-locks among straight men are the norm in British universities and high schools. The trend reflects a move toward a nicer, softer ideal of masculinity, study researcher Eric Anderson told LiveScience. Anderson, a sociologist at Bath University in England, reported the findings...

Sep 30, 2010

Why Do People Love to be Scared?

Every Halloween, Americans spend millions on scary fun. From haunted houses to horror movies, teens as well as adults seem to crave a good spine-chilling scare. People go to horror films because they want to be frightened, or they wouldn't do it twice, said Jeffrey Goldstein, editor of Why We...

Aug 31, 2010

More Parents 'Redshirting' Kindergartners

As schools start back into session around the country, some parents of young children face a difficult question: Send their little ones to kindergarten as soon as they become age-eligible, or hold them back in hopes that an additional year of maturity will give them an academic boost? This voluntary...

Jul 31, 2010

13 Strange Things That Happened on Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is synonymous with bad luck and superstitions — so much so that some people flat-out refuse to fly, make business deals or get married on this fateful day. As many as 21 million people in the United States are fearful of Friday the 13th, according to the...

Jul 31, 2010

'Only Children' Are Not Socially Awkward

With smaller families all the rage these days, some parents may worry over the consequences of having just one child. New research suggests that, as teenagers, only children fare no better or worse in social skills than adolescents with siblings. I don't think anyone has to be concerned that if...