Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 30, 2016

Scopes Monkey Trial: Science on the Stand

The Scopes Monkey Trial was an American legal trial in Dayton, Tennessee, during the summer of 1925. Also known as The State of Tennessee vs. John Thomas Scopes, the case tried high school substitute science teacher John Scopes for violating Tennessee's ban on the teaching of evolution in all public...

Sep 30, 2016

Halloween Monster Science (Infographic)

The stories behind Halloween monsters ... (Image credit: Michael Reis / Purch) ...

Aug 31, 2016

Does IQ Determine If You're Prejudiced? It's Complicated

There's a long-standing and somewhat uncomfortable finding in psychology: that low IQ, conservative social beliefs and prejudice — including anti-gay attitudes and racism — are all linked. Many studies have found this relationship — so much so that a 2015 meta-analysis of the research suggested that researchers who conduct studies...

Aug 31, 2016

Sept. 11 Anniversary: What the Attacks Taught Us About Science

Through the years (Sept. 15, 2001) -- A New York City fireman calls for 10 more rescue workers to make their way into the rubble of the World Trade Center. (Image credit: U.S. Navy Photo by Journalist 1st Class Preston Keres.)This year marks the 15th anniversary of the worst terrorist...

Aug 31, 2016

Oxytocin Hormone May Boost Spirituality

The hormone oxytocin is perhaps best known for its role in feelings of love and social bonding. But a new study suggests it's involved in feelings of spirituality as well. The study involved 83 men ages 35 to 64 who received either a dose of oxytocin or a placebo, both...

Jul 31, 2016

Feeling Burned Out at Work? Study IDs 2 Key Reasons

The old career-counseling advice about choosing a job that's a good fit for you is getting support from a new study: Job burnout may be caused by a mismatch between an employee's inner needs and the characteristics of his or her job, the study from Switzerland suggests. For example, a...

Jul 31, 2016

Lochte's Lies: How Science Explains Fibbers

Nearly a week after Ryan Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it seems the men are admitting their story seriously bent the truth. I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend — for not being more careful...

Jul 31, 2016

Global Survey Reveals That Acceptance of Gay People Lags in 3 Regions

SEATTLE — The acceptance of gay rights has undergone an unprecedented worldwide surge in recent years, with governments granting gay people the right to marry and protections from discrimination. But that's not the case everywhere, largely because of unyielding local cultures that thwart pro-gay global views, new research finds. These...

Jun 30, 2016

How Racism Persists: Unconscious Bias May Play a Role

This week's shootings of two black men, one in Louisiana and one in Minnesota, have again raised concerns that U.S. police may act in racist ways. But racism isn't isolated to any one profession, and even people who don't consider themselves racist may harbor unconscious biases, experts told Live Science....

Jun 30, 2016

Who Were the Philistines?

The Philistines were a group of people who arrived in the Levant (an area that includes modern-day Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria) during the 12th century B.C. They came during a time when cities and civilizations in the Middle East and Greece were collapsing. Much of what we know about...

May 31, 2016

Magnets Make People Think of Love, Study Finds

Animal magnetism may be a more literal concept than it's given credit for, according to a new study that finds that people are more attracted to their romantic partners after playing with magnets. The research is an example of a social priming effect, an old idea in psychology that has...

May 31, 2016

Is It Ethical to Purchase Human Organs?

This article was originally published at The Conversation.The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Editor’s note: This article is part of our collaboration with Point Taken, a new program from WGBH that next airs on Tuesday, June 28 on PBS and online at pbs.org....

Apr 30, 2016

Is the Ghost of Richard III a Football Fan?

Citizens of Leicester, England, have a new mascot for their footie team: the newly re-interred medieval king Richard III. The city is feeling bolstered by the worldwide fame of Richard, according to The New York Times, and many Leicester citizens are tying the amazing come-from-behind victories of the city's soccer...

Apr 30, 2016

Why Power Corrupts: Blame Bad Examples, Study Says

As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility — and yet it seems like so many powerful people use their power for evil, not good. (Take, for example, all the global leaders mentioned in the Panama Papers.) But a new study suggests that tweaking how powerful people think...

Apr 30, 2016

The true story behind the 1st Memorial Day

Here's a trivia question for armchair historians: Was the first Memorial Day celebrated in Columbus, Georgia, or Columbus, Mississippi? According to strict calendric interpretation, Columbus, Mississippi, celebrated the holiday first, on April 25, 1866, but only because newspaper editors fudged the date, said Richard Gardiner, an associate professor of history...