Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 31, 2011

Inside the Brains of Psychopaths

Differences in psychopaths' brains may help explain their anti-social behavior, according to new research. Psychopaths are identified as highly selfish, and lacking in emotion and conscience. Experts estimate that about 1 percent of the general population and as many as 25 percent of male offenders in federal correctional settings are...

Oct 31, 2011

Americans Continue to Pack on the Pounds

We have stuffed ourselves with turkey, and even before the leftovers are gone, it's time for a reality check. American men and women, on average, report weighing nearly 20 pounds (9 kilograms) more than they did in 1990, according to the annual Health and Healthcare survey conducted by Gallup in...

Oct 31, 2011

Life's Extremes: Supertaster vs. Nontaster

In this weekly series, LiveScience examines the psychology and sociology of opposite human behavior and personality types. During the gustatory celebrations this holiday season, not everyone enjoys the feast's foods in the same way. Although the roast turkey is generally a hit, side vegetables such as Brussels sprouts or broccoli...

Oct 31, 2011

Creative Thinkers More Likely to Cheat

When it comes to money, creative people are more likely to cheat to get it than the less-imaginative crowd, a new study suggests. The reason? Creative types may be more skilled at coming up with reasons for their less-than-ethical actions, according to the researchers. In the new study, scientists measured...

Oct 31, 2011

The Hidden Potential of Autistic Kids

When I was in fifth grade, my brother Alex started correcting my homework. This would not have been weird, except that he was in kindergarten—and autistic. His disorder, characterized by repetitive behaviors and difficulty with social interactions and communication, made it hard for him to listen to his teachers. He...

Sep 30, 2011

Alzheimer's May Be Transmissible, Study Suggests

In some cases, Alzheimer's disease may in fact be the result of an infection, and may be even be transmissible, a new study in mice suggests. In the study, mice injected with human brain tissue from Alzheimer's patients developed Alzheimer's disease. The mice developed brain damage characteristic of Alzheimer's disease,...

Sep 30, 2011

Seeing Double: 8 Fascinating Facts About Twins

Science Times Two Twin girls sit in a park eating. (Image credit: Alexander Gitlits | Shutterstock)They are often difficult to tell apart and can use this fact to their advantage, tricking everyone from parents to teachers or dates. Besides pulling pranks, twins have a lot to tell us about human...

Sep 30, 2011

How to Survive Falling From a Plane

Falling from or being sucked out of an airplane come under the rubric of improbable but intriguing terrors, the favored fodder of dime novels and breathless action flicks. Like being lost in the Sahara, cast adrift at sea or bitten by a deadly exotic creature, they are fascinating, if incredibly...

Sep 30, 2011

Excessive Drinking Costs US $224 Billion a Year

Excessive alcohol consumption costs taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars a year, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2006, binge drinking, underage drinking and drinking by pregnant women cost U.S. taxpayers $223.5 billion, the CDC study showed. That breaks down to $746...

Sep 30, 2011

Facebook Friends Predicted by Size of Brain Structures

To friend or not to friend? It might depend on your brain. Researchers have discovered that the number of Facebook friends you have coincides with the size of certain brain regions. Those brain regions are associated with creating memories of names and faces as well as how we interpret social...

Sep 30, 2011

Narcissists' Overconfidence May Hide Low Self-Esteem

Narcissists may seem to love themselves, but a new study finds that narcissistic self-aggrandizement may hide deep feelings of inferiority. According to the new research, people who are narcissistic are likely to tell psychologists that they feel good about themselves. But when the psychologists trick these narcissists into thinking they're...

Sep 30, 2011

No Show? Preacher's Doomsday Prediction Echoes Past Failures

California radio preacher Harold Camping was wrong when he predicted that the world would end Friday (Oct. 21). But his failed prediction puts him in good company. Doomsday prophets have been around for thousands of years, according to sociologists, and failed doomsday predictions rarely stop them for long. Camping himself...

Sep 30, 2011

Life's Extremes: Tightwads vs. Spendthrifts

In this weekly series, LiveScience examines the psychology and sociology of opposite human behavior and personality types. In the shop window gleams the coolest pair of shoes ever. Despite being able to afford them, some people will walk away, while others — though the purchase blows a hole in their...

Sep 30, 2011

Life's Extremes: Smart vs. Dumb

In this weekly series, LiveScience examines the psychology and sociology of opposite human behavior and personality types. Legendary feats of intelligence — Ken Jennings winning 74 consecutive Jeopardy! games — have their match in astonishing acts of stupidity, like a would-be robber who dons a mask without remembering to cut...

Aug 31, 2011

Viruses Could Target Hard-to-Kill Cancer Cells

For the first time, researchers have shown viruses can be delivered through a person's bloodstream to infect cancer cells without infecting other tissues, according to a new study. Once inside a tumor cell, the genetically engineered virus can replicate and spread to other cancer cells while it leaves normal cells...