Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

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...

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...