Scientific American

Studies Cast Doubt on Cancer Drug as Alzheimer's Treatment

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:25:00 EST

From Nature magazine

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How to Expel Hurtful Stereotypes from Classrooms across the Country

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:30:00 EST

In this month's Scientific American science writer Ed Yong explores new research on stereotype threat --the fear of confirming derogatory stereotypes about one's social group. Such anxiety can undermine people's performance in school, sports and the workplace. A girl in an advanced math class, for example, might worry that she will not test as well as the boys, because of the stereotype that boys are better at math. Her concerns might distract her and tax her mental resources so that she performs below her abilities. Similarly, a young white basketball player might play poorly because he is worried that he is not as skilled as his African-American peers. Stereotype threat is one of the explanations for certain achievement gaps.

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Psychologists Find New Ways to Steel Minority Students against Fear of Failure (preview)

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:45:00 EST

Neil deGrasse Tyson, the renowned science communicator, earned his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Columbia University in 1991. About 4,000 astrophysicists resided in the country at the time. Tyson brought the total number of African-Americans among them to a paltry seven. In a convocation address, he spoke openly about the challenges he faced:

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How to Enjoy Your Decision

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:08 EST

Decisions can be hard. We may be haunted by the path not taken.

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You Are Less Beautiful Than You Think

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:30:00 EST

In April 15, 2013 Dove launched a 3-minute video entitled “Dove Real Beauty Sketches.” The video achieved instant popularity and has been watched millions of times -- a successful viral campaign which has been widely talked about . In the video, a small group of women are asked to describe their faces to a person whom they cannot see. The person is a forensic artist who is there to draw pictures of the women based on their verbal descriptions. A curtain separates the artist and the women, and they never see each other. Before all this, each woman is asked to socialize with a stranger, who later separately describes the woman to the forensic artist. In the end, the women are shown the two drawings, one based on their own description, the other based on the stranger’s description. Much to their amazement and delight, the women realize that the drawings based on strangers’ descriptions depict much more beautiful women. The video ends: “You are more beautiful than you think.”

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China's 1-Child Policy Affects Personality

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

In 1979 China instituted the one-child policy, which limited every family to just one offspring in a controversial attempt to reduce the country's burgeoning population. The strictly enforced law had the desired effects: in 2011 researchers estimated that the policy prevented 400 million births. In a new study in Science , researchers find that it has also caused China's so-called little emperors to be more pessimistic, neurotic and selfish than their peers who have siblings.

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Childhood ADHD Linked to Obesity in Adulthood

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

Identification and treatment issues surrounding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are challenging enough. Now research is shedding light on long-term outcomes for people with ADHD. A May 20 study in Pediatrics reports that men who had ADHD in childhood are twice as likely to be obese in middle age, even if they no longer exhibit symptoms of the disorder.

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Why Do Top Athletes Suddenly Develop the Yips --a Tendency to Choke under Pressure?

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:00 EST

Why do top athletes suddenly develop “the yips,” a tendency to choke under pressure?

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Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out--and Accidentally Discover LSD [Excerpt]

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 EST

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Shocks to the Brain Improve Mathematical Abilities

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:15:00 EST

From Nature magazine

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Advertisers Exploit Time Illusions to Sell Products

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend . [More]

Speed Dating Study Yields Conversation Keys

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:13:08 EST

Speed dating is a popular way to find love. But how can you make a good impression in just a few minutes?

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Why Rituals Work

Tue, 14 May 2013 06:30:00 EST

Think about the last time you were about to interview for a job, speak in front of an audience, or go on a first date. To quell your nerves, chances are you spent time preparing – reading up on the company, reviewing your slides, practicing your charming patter. People facing situations that induce anxiety typically take comfort in engaging in preparatory activities, inducing a feeling of being back in control and reducing uncertainty.

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Could a Neural Implant Correct Errant Thoughts?

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Most people make good decisions most of the time. But when drug addiction, disease or brain injury enters the picture, rational thinking can go awry. What if the damaged brain just needed a little reminder of how it feels to choose wisely?

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Brain Games Aim to Make Kids Smarter (preview)

Wed, 08 May 2013 07:02:00 EST

A mop of light brown hair shakes as a slender nine-year-old boy named Jack bangs furiously at his keyboard. Jack's eyes are fixed on a clock with six hands, which denote the month, day, hour, minute, second and 60th of a second. As soon as he types 10:28:2:14:56:32, a new clock appears, and he hammers out another set of numbers. An affable 14-year-old student named Marti had just taught me the exercise, and I guessed I could have solved one of these clocks in a few minutes. Jack was finishing one every seven seconds.

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Money Is Valued Differently Depending on How It's Earned

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:08 EST

Is every dollar bill worth the same? Or does a dollar earned honestly have a different value than a dollar with a sketchy history?

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Secrets of the Criminal Mind

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:30:00 EST

What is science revealing about the nature of the criminal mind? Adrian Raine, a professor at the university of Pennsylvania, is an expert in the expanding field of “neurocriminology.” He has written The Anatomy of Violence , a sweeping account of crime’s biological roots, including genetics, neuro-anatomy and environmental toxins like lead. He spoke with Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook .

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A Toxic Cascade: When the Brain Consumes Itself [Slide Show]

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

In recent years neuroscientists have come upon an astonishing revelation: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s and other major brain diseases may have a similar underlying cause. They may all result from the mis-folding of proteins in a process similar to the one linked to mad cow and other prion-based diseases. The growing number of research findings that point to this conclusion are set out in “Seeds of Dementia,” by Lary C. Walker and Mathias Jucker in the May issue. The accompanying slide show illustrates this cascading process of one protein corrupting another, leading to the buildup of toxic aggregations, which underlie diseases that cause brain cell degeneration.

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Seeds of Dementia: What Do Alzheimer s, Parkinson s and Lou Gehrig s Have in Common? (preview)

Mon, 06 May 2013 07:00:00 EST

Under a microscope, a pathologist searching through the damaged nerve cells in a brain tissue sample from a patient who has died of Alzheimer's disease can make out strange clumps of material. They consist of proteins that clearly do not belong there. Where did they come from, and why are there so many of them? And most important, what do they have to do with this devastating and incurable disorder? The search for answers has turned up a startling discovery: the clumped proteins in Alzheimer's and other major neurodegenerative diseases behave very much like prions, the toxic proteins that destroy the brain in mad cow disease.

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Flame Retardants Linked to Lower IQs, Hyperactivity in Children

Mon, 06 May 2013 06:00:00 EST

Almost a decade after manufacturers stopped using certain chemical flame retardants in furniture foam and carpet padding, many of the compounds still lurk in homes. New work to be presented today reaffirms that the chemicals may also still be hurting young children who were exposed before they were born.

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