By Subject - Social Science

  • Scraps of ancient textiles found
    Scraps of ancient textiles found

    Flax, the basis for linen, was spun and dyed, and lost in the mud. More than 30,000 years later, microscopic flax fibers provide the first cord in archeological history.


    Thursday, September 10th, 2009
  • Imitation: Better than flattery?
    Imitation: Better than flattery?

    Imitation is a social glue in human society. We like people who imitate us. We call them friend. We will even tip them better! A new study finds similar responses in monkeys…


    Thursday, August 13th, 2009
  • Senators, governors and other mammals…
    Senators, governors and other mammals…

    Can our evolutionary roots explain that self-destructive search for sex – and sexual companionship? Could Darwinian psychology constitute the cause home-wrecking, career-blitzing fatal attractions?


    Thursday, July 9th, 2009
  • Fabrication, falsification, ghostwriting, data mining, cherry picking, plagiarism, data massaging
    Phony science

    Fraud happens. In a 2009 survey, 2 percent of scientists admitted faking data; 14 percent said colleagues have done it. Problems worst in drug and other medical studies.


    Thursday, June 4th, 2009
  • A black handgun lies on a camouflaged coat next to bullets and an empty magazine.
    Mass killings explained?

    Less carnage than last time, but why do mass killers pull the trigger? What are the warning signs of “rampage” shootings?


    Thursday, April 16th, 2009
  • Body odor
    Body odor

    Study finds that male body odor is harder to mask, but the male nose is more easily confused. Info lends insight into human mating, and helps perfume makers. So what’s in your deodorant?


    Thursday, April 9th, 2009
  • A chimp wearing a white and red striped shirt rests her elbow on a tourist's shoulder for a photo.
    After the chimp attack

    We explore the sad saga of pet primates. Are these pets psychologically good for us? For them? Are humans and other primates trading diseases at home, and in the wild?


    Thursday, March 5th, 2009
  • Economic abyss: Can money buy happiness?
    Economic abyss: Can money buy happiness?

    Researchers in positive psychology find that giving is better than receiving, that social relationships are key, and that money can – in some circumstances – buy some happiness.


    Thursday, February 19th, 2009
  • Carbon tax or carbon trading? Can economics battle global warming?
    Carbon tax or carbon trading? Can economics battle global warming?

    Carbon tax never even got considered, but it may produce more carbon control at a lower price. Comparing carbon tax with cap and trade…


    Thursday, December 4th, 2008
  • Warm hand = warm heart?

    Study finds that holding a warm cup of coffee for a few seconds can make us see other people as warmer, more outgoing. How come?


    Thursday, October 30th, 2008


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