Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Jun 2, 2017

Trump's Base the Big Winner from Paris Withdrawal

President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement provides no clear benefits to American workers or industries. His announcement on Thursday merely hands a symbolic victory to his political base — nationalists who resent internationalism and global cooperation. During a 28-minute speech announcing that the U.S. — which...

Jun 2, 2017

False! Trump Claims Paris Deal Would Only Make 'Tiny' Difference

A comment that Donald Trump made yesterday in the White House Rose Garden when he announced the United States would pull out of the international Paris climate agreement was not based in science. Trump said yesterday (June 1): Even if the Paris Agreement were implemented in full, with total compliance...

Jun 2, 2017

Want to Really Boost the Economy? Stay in the Paris Agreement

President Donald Trump yesterday justified pulling the United States out of the Paris climate accord largely, he said, because it would hurt the United States economy. As of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the nonbinding Paris accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement...

Jun 14, 2017

A Politician's Name & Face: Why a Good Match May Win Votes

Politicians who have names that are better matched to their faces tend to get more votes, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at men running for the U.S. Senate, and found that the political candidates who had facial shapes that were the most well-matched to the sound of their names...

Jun 16, 2017

Rep. Scalise's Injuries: Why a Bullet in the Hip Can Be So Damaging

Congressman Steve Scalise remains in critical condition today, after being shot in the hip on Wednesday (June 14). Although the public may perceive a bullet to the hip as being less serious than say, one to the chest or head, doctors say a gunshot wound to the pelvic area can...

Jun 20, 2017

Moral Outrage: Why Some Expressions of Anger Backfire

Many Americans are morally outraged that U.S. President Donald Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey, who had been investigating possible links between Trump's election campaign and the Russian government. Many others are angry that Comey accused President Trump of lying about the FBI. Still others are mad that Trump...

Oct 23, 2017

Happy Mole Day! Mayors Celebrate Scientific Date with Research Push

Move over Pi Day: Mayors across the U.S. are celebrating the day of the mole — which began at 6:02 a.m. today (10/23) in honor of the vast number of atoms or molecules in a mole of matter (6.02 X 10^23) — by advocating unfettered scientific research. So far, 20...

Mar 28, 2018

How Easy Would It Be to Repeal the 2nd Amendment? History Has an Answer

A former Supreme Court justice is calling for its repeal. One in five Americans want to see it go. The president has come out swinging in its defense. The Second Amendment has emerged as a dubious target in the U.S. gun debate after a March 27 New York Times op-ed...

Apr 26, 2018

Hey, Congress: Scientists Are Coming for Your Seats

From commanding eight nuclear reactors to building a telecom infrastructure in Central America, the experiences of U.S. political candidates have gotten more interesting of late. A wave of political hopefuls with science-y backgrounds may soon bring fascinating experiences and vital knowledge to the country's governing bodies. Famed astrophysicist and science...

Jul 18, 2018

Conservatives More Likely to Know 'the Meaning of Life' Than Liberals, Massive Study Finds

If you want to know the meaning of life, science probably can't help you much better than Kermit the Frog can. (For the record, Kermit says, Always be yourself. Never take yourself too seriously. And beware of advice from experts, pigs and members of parliament.) Meaning is personal to each...

Jul 31, 2018

Hackers Target 3rd Dimension of Cyberspace: Users' Minds

The Russian attacks on the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the country's continuing election-related hacking have happened across all three dimensions of cyberspace — physical, informational and cognitive. The first two are well-known: For years, hackers have exploited hardware and software flaws to gain unauthorized access to computers and networks...

Aug 31, 2018

Google News Searches Aren't Politically Biased, but They Do Like Mainstream Media

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Google News does not deliver different news to users based on their position on the political spectrum, despite accusations from conservative commentators and even President Donald Trump. Rather than...

Sep 2, 2018

Think Politics Today Is Ugly? Politicians in Ancient Rome Were Insulting, Too

Are ugly accusations and verbal abuse in politics business as usual? In recent years, verbal jabs traded between political opponents seem less like discourse between adults, and more like acid-tinged dialogue cut from Mean Girls because it was too nasty. But while such behavior is distasteful and unpleasant, it isn't...

Sep 26, 2018

Profiling a Conspiracy Theorist: Why Some People Believe

Here's a theory: President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Here's another: Climate change is a hoax. Here's one more: The deep state spied on Donald Trump's campaign, and is now trying to destroy his presidency. Who believes this stuff? Conspiracy theories have been cooked up for...

Nov 7, 2018

The House Science Committee Is Back in Democrat's Control: What That Means for Science

Last night, the Democrats regained a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and with it, leadership of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. What will this change mean for science? The current committee chair, Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who will retire at the end of this term, has...