Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Dec 31, 2012

Why Do Golf Balls Have Dimples?

About a century ago, after someone realized that a scuffed-up ball travels farther than a shiny new one, balls gained dimples. Now manufacturers invest millions of dollars each year to design better performing golf balls. The dimples in golf balls create turbulence, or mixed airflow, which, if done right, reduces...

Nov 30, 2014

Futuristic Laser Weapon Ready for Action, US Navy Says

The next generation of futuristic weapons has arrived. The U.S. Navy announced that its high-tech laser weapon is ready to disable and destroy enemy drones and small boats, should the need arise. The 30-kilowatt laser weapon system (LaWS) is housed aboard the USS Ponce, a naval vessel stationed in the...

Nov 30, 2014

6 Times Holiday Decorations Turned into Disasters

This story was updated Dec. 29 at 12:58 p.m. EST. Each winter, many people decorate their homes and offices with holiday lights, ornaments and tinsel. They chop down fir trees, and sit near them at home, breathing in the sharp evergreen scent. But while many people use the holiday season...

Nov 30, 2014

Starting Families 'Late' was Common a Century Ago

This article was originally published on The Conversation. The publication contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The shift towards late motherhood – commonly defined as motherhood after 35 – is often presented as a story of progress and technological liberation from the biological clock. The...

Oct 31, 2014

Photos: F-35C Fighter Jet Successfully Lands on Aircraft Carrier

An F-35C Lightning II fighter jet conducted its first landing aboard an aircraft carrier on Nov. 3. The successful touchdown was considered a landmark moment for the U.S. Navy, which plans to begin operating the carrier version of the Lockheed Martin-built fighter jet at sea, beginning in 2018. Here's a...

Sep 30, 2014

Zombies, UFOs & Sea Monsters: 'Mysteries of the Unknown' Reboot (Gallery)

Time Life Books/Time Home Entertainment Inc. contributed these images to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Any child of the '80s will remember being captivated by the weird UFOs and creepy supernatural tales in television ads for the Time Life book series Mysteries of the Unknown. Now, as part...

Sep 30, 2014

Earhart Search: Underwater 'Lump' May Be Wreckage from Lost Plane

The hunt for Amelia Earhart's lost plane will continue next summer. An underwater anomaly detected off the coast of the tiny Pacific atoll Nikumaroro could be the wreckage of Earhart's aircraft, as it is the right size and in the right location, according to the International Group For Historic Aircraft...

Aug 31, 2014

Saying 'Thank You' Does Make a Difference (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Most of us were taught that saying “thank you” is simply the polite thing to do. But recent research in social psychology suggests that saying “thank you” goes beyond...

Aug 31, 2014

Number of Never-Married Americans Hits New Record

The share of American adults who have never been married has reached a record high, according to a new study. In 2012, one in five people ages 25 and older — or 42 million people — in the United States had never been married, a Pew Research Center analysis found....

Jul 31, 2014

US Army Gets Upgraded Chinook Helicopter Fleet

The U.S. Army received its first newly upgraded Chinook helicopter this week, according to aerospace giant Boeing. The new CH-47F Chinook helicopter was delivered to Army officials on Tuesday (July 29) in Ridley, Pennsylvania. The updated CH-47F features several improvements over earlier models of the heavy-lift transport helicopter. One of...

Jul 31, 2014

Experiments With Humans Can Save Wildlife (Op-Ed)

Brian Hare is an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, and Vanessa Woods is the author of Bonobo Handshake (Gotham, 20011). Woods and Hare are on the board of the nonprofit Lola ya Bonobo, a sanctuary for orphan bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The authors contributed...

Jul 31, 2014

The Real Reason Women Cheat

SAN FRANCISCO — Middle-age women who cheat on their husbands are looking for passion and sex, but don't want to divorce their husbands over it, new research suggests. The new data comes from a sample of married women who used AshleyMadison.com, a dating website aimed at people seeking to cheat...

Jul 31, 2014

Open-Source Seeds Make a Comeback (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Today, just three companies – Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta – account for about half of all commercial seed sales. More and more, agricultural patents are used to increase the...

Jul 31, 2014

Paid Editors on Wikipedia — Should You Be Worried? (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Whether you trust it or ignore it, Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites in the world and accessed by millions of people every day. So would you...

Jul 31, 2014

Ten-Hut! Why Soldiers March in Unison

From North Korea to the United States, militaries display their strength with synchronized parades. Now, new research shows that when soldiers march in unison, it not only intimidates enemies, but also gives the soldiers a confidence boost. In a new study, men who were asked to walk in unison judged...