Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 31, 2016

Preserved Poop Points the Way to General Hannibal's Historic Path

The question of precisely where the historically acclaimed general Hannibal and his army crossed the Alps into Italy to defeat the Romans — during the Second Punic War, around 218 to 201 B.C. — has perplexed historians for nearly 2,000 years. Thanks to a new study, the first evidence pointing...

Mar 31, 2016

Earth Is 'A Beautiful Planet' from an Astronaut's-Eye-View

Most people will never have the experience of flying high over Earth in a spacecraft and seeing the planet's atmosphere, oceans and landmasses unspooling far below. But now, Earthbound humans can look down on their planet in a way that emulates an astronaut's perspective more closely than anything ever seen...

Feb 29, 2016

Risky Behavior Is 'Contagious,' Study Finds

Countless parents have asked, If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too? And although it's unclear exactly when in human history the first child might have rolled her eyes in response to this query, it does turn out that moms and dads are right to worry:...

Feb 29, 2016

North Rim Wonders: Stunning Photos of the Mighty Grand Canyon

The better half (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)It has been said that the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is the best side to experience the grandeur and wilderness found in this most southern part of the massive Colorado Plateau. Diversity abounds (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick...

Dec 31, 2015

Obama's Tears: The Science of Men Crying

In his call on Tuesday for stricter gun-control measures, President Barack Obama wiped away tears as he mentioned the December 2012 massacre of innocent children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. First graders, in Newtown. First graders, Obama said, referencing the youngest victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting. Every time I...

Dec 31, 2015

Why David Bowie Was So Loved: The Science of Nonconformity

In the aftermath of David Bowie's death at age 69 from cancer, a re-occurring theme has appeared in tributes to the famously idiosyncratic performer: his importance to those who felt like misfits. Yes, I'm obsessing about Bowie today, tweeted science writer Steve Silberman. To the terrified gay kid I was...

Dec 31, 2015

Is Powerball Drawing Truly Random?

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The math behind all the discussion of tonight’s Powerball drawing assumes true randomness – equal likelihood for each number to be chosen, both in the drawing itself and, crucially,...

Nov 30, 2017

Ancient Wari Queen Brought to Life with Stunning Re-Creation of Head

At first glance, the wrinkled face of a dark haired-woman wearing round, gold earrings looks incredibly real. But it's not — it's a reconstruction crafted from modeling clay, based on the skull of a Wari queen who lived about 1,200 years ago in what is now Peru. Peruvian and Polish...

Nov 30, 2017

8 Human-Animal Encounters That Went Horribly Wrong in 2017

Bad decisions (Image credit: Shutterstock)Taking selfies near large and dangerous wildlife. Toying with snakes. Fighting bedbugs with fire. Sometimes when people interact casually with animals, their behavior is inappropriate, deliberately provocative, ill-informed or careless, and this can have catastrophic or even deadly consequences. The outcomes of such encounters — which...

Nov 30, 2017

Why We Make New Year's Resolutions

Got plans to lose weight, eat healthier or save more money? If these or any other New Year's resolutions are on your list, you're in good company because you are taking part in a goal-driven tradition that has emerged in different forms throughout history. This year, 44 percent of respondents...

Oct 31, 2017

What in the World? Flat-Earthers Gather at First Conference

A conference aimed at disputing the idea that the world is round just wrapped up in North Carolina. The first-ever 2017 Flat Earth International Conference (FEIC) was held in Raleigh on Nov. 9 and 10, featuring some of the big names in round-Earth denial. Among the speakers were Darryle Marble,...

Sep 30, 2017

How to Combat Racial Bias: Start in Childhood

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Racial bias can seem like an intractable problem. Psychologists and other social scientists have had difficulty finding effective ways to counter it – even among people who say they...

Sep 30, 2017

Trump Orders Release of 2,800 JFK Assassination Files, Holds Back Others

Updated at 6:51 p.m. ET. In a long-awaited declassification of files related to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, President Donald Trump said this afternoon that he was releasing to the public 2,800 documents, while holding back others due to national security concerns. In a White House memo, Trump...

Sep 30, 2017

Bible May Record Oldest Known Solar Eclipse

The Old Testament Book of Joshua may contain the oldest known reference to a solar eclipse recorded by humanity. And it occurred 3,224 years ago today (Oct. 30). If so, this poetic reference firms up the dates of the reign of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses the Great (also called Ramesses...

Aug 31, 2017

Did Squabble Over a Vaccine Cause a Rift in Ben Franklin's Marriage?

Why was Benjamin Franklin estranged from his wife for nearly two decades? A new theory argues that the founding father's marriage may have been strained by his son's health — and an argument about inoculation. The theory is detailed by author and historian Stephen Coss in the September 2017 issue...