Scientists working on the psychology of problem solving may have hit upon why things always seem to get more complicated. A newly uncovered heuristic – a mental shortcut or rule of thumb – shows bias towards adding features to find a solution, rather than subtracting existing features. A simple experiment in Lego has provided some Read more about Feature bloat: Psychology boffins find people tend to add elements to solve a problem rather than take things away[…]

now, for the first time ever, scientists have evidence showing they can reverse false memories, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “The same way that you can suggest false memories, you can reverse them by giving people a different framing,” the lead researcher of the paper, Read more about Scientists Implant and Then Reverse False Memories in People[…]

[…] According to a recent report by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (2020), each year in the U.S. farmers throw away up to 30% of their crops, equal to 66.5 million tons of edible produce, due to cosmetic imperfections. […] They discover that consumers expect unattractive produce to be less tasty and, Read more about How “ugly” labels on imperfect food can increase purchase of unattractive produce[…]

Playing through the greenery and litter of a mini forest’s undergrowth for just one month may be enough to change a child’s immune system, according to a small new experiment. When daycare workers in Finland rolled out a lawn, planted forest undergrowth such as dwarf heather and blueberries, and allowed children to care for crops Read more about Daycares in Finland Built a ‘Forest Floor’, And It Changed Children’s Immune Systems[…]

Formula 1 drivers have been told they cannot wear clothing bearing any slogans or messages while doing official duties after grands prix. The move is a reaction to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton wearing a T-shirt at the last race in Tuscany referencing the case of a woman killed by US police. The FIA said podium finishers Read more about Formula 1 drivers told they cannot wear slogans or messages in post-race duties[…]

Why are the terms “Nazi Germany” and “Mengele” become trending topics on Twitter? The words dominated the social media platform on Monday after it was revealed that a whistleblower has alleged “high numbers” of immigrant women at a U.S. concentration camp in Georgia were sent to be given unnecessary hysterectomies. Many of the women reportedly Read more about U.S. Concentration Camp in Georgia Sent Women to Be Sterilized[…]

It turns out that where in traditional face to face leadership, people prefer leaders who are vocal, charming, friendly (ascription qualities). In virtual leadership, people prefer leaders who facilitate, are organised and actually do stuff (achievement factors).  In two independent samples—a laboratory experiment involving 86 teams (n = 340; sample one) and a semester long project involving Read more about Who Emerges into Virtual Team Leadership Roles? Different people from face to face leadership[…]

253 emails have been leaked from private (high-level) mailing lists of Debian, in which its representatives vocally complain about the talk Linus Torvalds gave at the most recent DebConf conference. Some people insist that he should be permanently banned from future conferences because the language he uses is inappropriate and infringes on the project’s Code Read more about ‘Linusgate’: Namby pamby doesn’t like Linus calling FSF names at debconf, feels cancel cultury about it.[…]

Early detection has the potential to reduce cancer mortality, but an effective screening test must demonstrate asymptomatic cancer detection years before conventional diagnosis in a longitudinal study. In the Taizhou Longitudinal Study (TZL), 123,115 healthy subjects provided plasma samples for long-term storage and were then monitored for cancer occurrence. Here we report the preliminary results Read more about test detects cancer four years before conventional diagnosis using a blood test[…]

After slogging through that book, I began paying attention to similarly stereotyped descriptions of bodies in other books. Women are all soft thighs and red lips. Men, strong muscles and rough hands. I was frustrated by this lazy writing. I want to read books that explore the full humanity of their characters, not stories that Read more about The Physical Traits that Define Men and Women in Literature[…]

People applying for software engineering positions at companies are often asked to solve problems on a whiteboard, under the watchful eye of an interviewer, as a way to assess technical problem solving skills. But recent research suggests that whiteboard technical tests – so daunting to job seekers that there are books on how to deal Read more about Whiteboard coding interviews are ‘anti-women psychological stress examinations’[…]

They say they applaud a recent “needed reckoning” on racial justice, but argue it has fuelled stifling of open debate. The letter denounces “a vogue for public shaming and ostracism” and “a blinding moral certainty”. Several signatories have been attacked for comments that caused offence. “The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of Read more about JK Rowling joins 150 public figures warning over free speech and instant judgement[…]

Facebook has finally said it would now prohibit the sale of all historical artifacts due to rampant black market trade in looted antiquitieson the site, per the New York Times—a problem the social media company has known about for years. The new rules ban any “attempts to buy, sell or trade in historical artifacts,” defined Read more about Facebook Bans Sale of Historical Artifacts Due to Rampant Black Market Trade also from within conflict zones by terrorists[…]

Polish President Andrzej Duda accused the LGBT rights movement Saturday of promoting a viewpoint more harmful than communism and said he agreed with another conservative politician who stated that “LGBT is not people, it’s an ideology.” Duda made his comments in the small southwestern town of Brzeg as he campaigns for reelection in Poland, a Read more about Polish President Says LGBT ‘Ideology’ Worse Than Communism[…]

Breathing is a missing pillar of health, and our attention to it is long overdue. Most of us misunderstand breathing. We see it as passive, something that we just do. Breathe, live; stop breathing, die. But breathing is not that simple and binary. How we breathe matters, too. Inside the breath you just took, there Read more about Breathing Habits Are Related To Physical and Mental Health[…]

New research published today in Science Advances suggests pulses of ultrasonic waves can be used to partially control decision-making in rhesus macaque monkeys. Specifically, the ultrasound treatments were shown to influence their decision to look either left or right at a target presented on a screen, despite prior training to prefer one target over the Read more about Researchers Control Monkeys’ Decisions With Bursts of Ultrasonic Waves[…]

Do smartphones alter what people are willing to disclose about themselves to others? A new study in the Journal of Marketing suggests that they might. The research indicates that people are more willing to reveal personal information about themselves online using their smartphones compared to desktop computers. For example, Tweets and reviews composed on smartphones Read more about Why smartphones are digital truth serum[…]

A 17-year-old boy in Los Angeles County who became the first teen believed to have died from complications with covid-19 in the U.S. was denied treatment at an urgent care clinic because he didn’t have health insurance, according to R. Rex Parris, the mayor of Lancaster, California. Roughly 27.5 million Americans—8.5 percent of the population—don’t Read more about LA Teen Who Died of Covid-19 Was Denied Treatment Because He Didn’t Have Health Insurance. The US looks like a banana republic.[…]

The World Health Organization recommended Tuesday that people suffering COVID-19 symptoms avoid taking ibuprofen, after French officials warned that anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen effects of the virus. The warning by French Health Minister Olivier Veran followed a recent study in The Lancet medical journal that hypothesised that an enzyme boosted by anti-inflammatory drugs such as Read more about Avoid taking ibuprofen for COVID-19 symptoms: WHO[…]

Across the globe, governments are imposing travel limits in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus. The unintended consequence is a squeeze on migrant labor that’s a cornerstone of food production. American produce growers preparing to harvest crops are warning of a devastating impact on fruit and vegetables after the U.S. Embassy in Mexico Read more about Virus Travel Bans Threaten Labor for Global Food Harvests[…]