A Gun in Hand Makes a Man Look Taller
In a study of how people assess danger, participants who looked at photos of hands holding different objects thought the gun bearers were the tallest.
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Physicists Possibly Discover New Type of Particle
In 1937, after the rise of quantum mechanics, Ettore Majorana, an Italian theoretical physicist, realized that the new physics implied the existence of a novel type of particles, now called Majorana fermions. After a 75-year hunt, researchers have now spotted the first solid evidence of their existence. And their discovery could hold the key to…
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Baboons Can Recognize Words
Baboons can learn to tell the difference between real four-letter words and nonsense combinations of letters. And once they figure out the patterns, these monkeys can guess with impressive accuracy whether a new word is real or fake. Because baboons can’t actually read, a new study supports the theory that the brains of our primate…
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Solving the Mystery of Stardust Recycling
When middleweight stars near the end of their cosmic lives, they shrug off their outer layers, shedding up to half their mass. But just how the stars manage to dispel so much material has been a mystery, though a new study may hold clues to closing the case. Astronomers have found that dust grains in…
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Scientists Build First Working Quantum Network
Scientists at the Quantum Dynamics division of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Germany announced that they have built the very first, elementary quantum network comprised of a pair of entangled atoms that transmit information to each other via single photons. That and a couple of bucks will get you a cup of…
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Dinosaurs From Space! Or Not
From the Smithsonian’s Dinosaur Tracking blog: Somewhere, out in the interstellar void, there may be a planet inhabited by hyper-advanced dinosaurs. At least, that’s what a new paper by Columbia University chemist Ronald Breslow says. One idea, favored by Breslow, is that meteorites carried specific types of amino acids and other organic flotsam to earth around 4…
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How Wealth Reduces Compassion
Who is more likely to lie, cheat, and steal—the poor person or the rich one? Research suggests as people climb the social ladder, their compassionate feelings towards other people decline. Why would wealth and status decrease our feelings of compassion for others? After all, it seems more likely that having few resources would lead to…
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Tennessee Law Allows Creationism Theory in Classrooms
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam refused to sign a bill that would permit discussion of creationism in classrooms alongside the traditional evolutionary-based explanation of the origins of life, but allowed it to become law anyway. The legislation, dubbed the “Monkey Bill” by critics, had sailed through the conservative-leaning state’s Republican-dominated legislature. Haslam, a Republican, earlier had…
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‘Low-Effort’ Thought Linked to Conservative Ideology
When people use low-effort thought, they are more likely to endorse conservative ideology, according to psychologist Scott Eidelman of the University of Arkansas. Results of research by Eidelman and colleagues were published online in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. “People endorse conservative ideology more when they have to give a first or fast response,” Eidelman…
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Humans vs. Robots: Who Should Dominate Space Exploration?
Many space scientists, engineers and politicians argue that virtually anything a human can do on another planet, a robot can do, only cheaper and without the risk of losing a life. But the battle between humans and robots for the starring role in the next chapter of space exploration is not yet settled. Robots have…