Latest Science and Society News

Candidates’ age can predict leadership during war - Preference for old leaders

Scientists argue that there is an evolved connection between increasing age, increasing status, and the use of dominance tactics to maintain this aging hierarchy. Further, followers are implicitly aware of this connection, as can be seen through their voting behavior.

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The Goldilocks Effect: Babies Learn from Experiences That Are Not Too Simple, Not Too Complex, but 'Just Right'

Long before babies understand the story of Goldilocks, they have more than mastered the fairy tale heroine's method of decision-making. Infants ignore information that is too simple or too complex, focusing instead on situations that are "just right," according to a new study to be published in the journal PLoS ONE on May 23.

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Study Highlights How Twitter Is Used To Share Information After A Disaster

A study from North Carolina State University shows how people used Twitter following the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan, highlighting challenges for using the social media tool to share information. The study also indicates that social media haven’t changed what we communicate so much as how quickly we can disseminate it.

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Wearing two different hats: moral decisions may depend on the situation

An individual’s sense of right or wrong may change depending on their activities at the time – and they may not be aware of their own shifting moral integrity — according to a new study looking at why people make ethical or unethical decisions.

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Probability of contamination from severe nuclear reactor accidents is higher than expected

Catastrophic nuclear accidents such as the core meltdowns in Chernobyl and Fukushima are more likely to happen than previously assumed. Based on the operating hours of all civil nuclear reactors and the number of nuclear meltdowns that have occurred, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz have calculated that such events may occur once every 10 to 20 years (based on the current number of reactors) — some 200 times more often than estimated in the past.

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Food fight or romantic dinner? Communication between couples is key to improving men’s diets

Married men will eat their peas to keep the peace, but many aren't happy about it, and may even binge on unhealthy foods away from home. "The key to married men adopting a healthier diet is for couples to discuss and negotiate the new, healthier menu changes as a team," said Derek Griffith, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

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