Posture & Numbers
People tend to underestimate numbers when they lean to the left, and overestimate them when they lean to the right.
Empathy Roundup
New research suggests that people can spot some personality traits that are strongly influenced by genes.
Sex & Mood Disorders
Researchers are studying how female and male rats respond differently to stress in order to shed light on why women are disproportionately affected by mood disorders.
Cooking Up Evolution
Scientists have new evidence that cooking influenced human evolution.
Podcast for 4 November 2011
THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT & VISION - A pacemaker that restarts the heart with light, and a secret code made from fluorescent bacteria. And, could a lack of outdoor activity be making kids more nearsighted? Also: new research suggests that IQ might not be as stable as once thought.
Alcohol & Infection
Lab studies show how alcohol inhibits the immune system's response to an infection.
Podcast for 28 October 2011
SCIENCE UNDERWATER - Why the seas of the future may belong to jellyfish, why fish tanks can be breeding grounds for aggression, how chatter between ocean bacteria contributes to climate change, and good news about sea turtles. Also, scientists unveil the first underwater cloaking device.
Podcast for 21 October 2011
PREVENTIVE HEALTH - Vitamin D and ethnicity, a breath test for toxins, drinking and the immune system, measuring pain in the brain, and a new weapon to combat allergic reactions.
Measuring Pain
Researchers have developed a way to measure pain in the brain.
Kids & Marshmallows Revisited
An update on a landmark experiment probes the neurological roots of delayed gratification.
Taste Neurons
The brain has special hotspots that are sensitive to each type of taste.
Twitter Mood
Sociologists analyzed Twitter posts to track daily and seasonal mood swings around the world.
Mind Movies
A computer algorithm partially reconstructs movies from patterns of brain activity in people watching them.
Podcast for 30 September 2011
HORMONES & BEHAVIOR - Testosterone and fatherhood, the genetics of oxytocin and depression, gender and spatial reasoning revisited, where taste is found in the brain, and more.
Psychology Roundup
More time spent playing outside could help decrease symptoms in children with ADHD.
Testosterone & Fatherhood
Men's testosterone levels drop significantly when they become fathers.
Oxytocin & Optimism
A gene variant may influence a person’s outlook on life.
Football & Artificial Intelligence
Computer scientists used football footage to develop a sophisticated kind of artificial intelligence.
Vaccine Roundup
Misinformation about vaccine safety may be contributing to a surge in measles infections.
Sex & Spatial Thinking
Gender differences in spatial reasoning abilities may be strongly influenced by culture.
Contagious Stress
Early stress in a zebra finch’s life not only cuts its life short, but takes a serious toll on its mate’s life as well.
Opinion Spam
A computer program can distinguish real hotel reviews from fake ones.
Ancient Food Roundup
Lager beers have been around for about 500 years, thanks to the meeting of yeasts from the Old and New World.