ScienceDaily: Strange Science News |
- Can you tell a person's gender by their video game avatar?
- Scientists challenge FIFA: Save the 3-banded armadillo
- State of the Nation's egotism: On the rise for a century, analysis finds
- Do we yawn to cool the brain? Yawning frequencies of people vary with temperature of the season
- Seeing 'Jesus in toast' phenomenon perfectly normal, professor says
- Chimpanzees Show Similar Personality Traits to Humans
- 'Laughter Guy' dissects features of counterfeit chortling
- Stop shouting at me: Why clear speech can sound angry
- Clean before you clean: What's on your toothbrush just might surprise you
- Are we ready for contact with extraterrestrial intelligence?
| Can you tell a person's gender by their video game avatar? Posted: 06 May 2014 10:04 AM PDT According to a new study a male gamer who chooses to play as a female character will still display signs of his true gender. A sexy wood elf with pointy ears. A hulking ogre with blue skin. An intimidating heroine with a buxom breastplate. When it comes to computer games, players can choose to be anyone or anything. But gamers don't always mask their true identities with online avatars.  |
| Scientists challenge FIFA: Save the 3-banded armadillo Posted: 06 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT New research asks FIFA to follow through with its environmental claims. The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be played in Brazil. In an article published in the upcoming issue, researchers challenge the role that FIFA and the Brazilian government play in protecting the environment, asking both to: protect 1,000 hectares of the critically endangered Caatinga ecosystem -- the natural habitat for its World Cup mascot, Fuelco -- for each goal scored in the World Cup.  |
| State of the Nation's egotism: On the rise for a century, analysis finds Posted: 06 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT Forget the 'me' generation. A new analysis of long-term trends in egotism shows there's been a 'me' century in America. The analysis shows that characteristics related to self-interest, compared to interest in the lives and needs of other people, was low during the 19th century but rose steadily after the turn of the 20th century.  |
| Do we yawn to cool the brain? Yawning frequencies of people vary with temperature of the season Posted: 06 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT Why do we yawn? We tend to yawn before sleep and after waking, when we are bored or under stimulated. We yawn in the anticipation of important events and when we are under stress. What do all of these have in common? Researchers highlight a link with thermoregulation, and in particular, brain cooling.  |
| Seeing 'Jesus in toast' phenomenon perfectly normal, professor says Posted: 06 May 2014 08:56 AM PDT Researchers have found that the phenomenon of "face pareidolia" -- where onlookers report seeing images of Jesus, Virgin Mary, or Elvis in objects such as toasts, shrouds, and clouds -- is normal and based on physical causes.  |
| Chimpanzees Show Similar Personality Traits to Humans Posted: 06 May 2014 08:56 AM PDT Chimpanzees have almost the same personality traits as humans, and they are structured almost identically, according to new work. The research also shows some of those traits have a neurobiological basis, and that those traits vary according to the biological sex of the individual chimpanzee.  |
| 'Laughter Guy' dissects features of counterfeit chortling Posted: 06 May 2014 06:49 AM PDT Ever wonder how often you fool your boss or in-laws by pretending to laugh at their dumb jokes? The answer is probably around one-third of the time, according to new research by a communication expert who conducted research on fake laughs. When your fake laughs fall short of convincing, tiny subtleties of your breathing are probably giving you away, suggests one researcher.  |
| Stop shouting at me: Why clear speech can sound angry Posted: 06 May 2014 06:44 AM PDT When loved ones lose their hearing, audiologists often counsel spouses and family members to speak clearly so they are better understood. But hearing loss professionals say that this well-meaning advice can backfire: clear speech can make you sound angry. A new study supports the idea that clear speech can carry negative overtones even when the phrase itself is emotionally neutral.  |
| Clean before you clean: What's on your toothbrush just might surprise you Posted: 06 May 2014 06:44 AM PDT Do you know Staphylococci, coliforms, pseudomonads, yeasts, intestinal bacteria and -- yes -- even fecal germs may be on your toothbrush? Appropriate toothbrush storage and care are important to achieving personal oral hygiene and optimally effective plaque removal. Appropriate toothbrush storage and care are important to achieving personal oral hygiene and optimally effective plaque removal  |
| Are we ready for contact with extraterrestrial intelligence? Posted: 06 May 2014 04:46 AM PDT The SETI project scientists are known for tracking possible extraterrestrial signals, but now they are also considering sending messages from Earth telling of our position. A researcher questions this idea in view of the results from a survey taken by students, revealing the general level of ignorance about the cosmos and the influence of religion when tackling these matters.  |
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