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Science / Human Behavior

Perceptions of wealth are often more complicated than just net worth, a new study indicates.

Money is in the Eye of the Beholder

A new study shows that our perceptions of wealth don’t always match up with reality

If spicy fruits are helpful to a chili plant, why aren't all chili peppers hot?

Why Not All Chili Peppers Are Hot

Being spicy helps a chili plant protect its fruit from fungal rot, but it has a downside in dry conditions

Along with co-authors Don DuRousseau and Joseph Cardillo, Galina Mindlin advise that repeated listening to selected songs can make you more productive, calmer or affectionate.

Music Playlists to Soothe Your Mind

Neuropsychiatrist Galina Mindlin suggests that listening to particular songs on your mp3 player can make you a more productive person

This ancient rock painting from Zimbabwe depicts a person smoking out a beehive.

Humans, the Honey Hunters

Energy-rich honey may have helped hominids evolve big brains

The Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge University

Read Sir Isaac Newton’s Works Online

Cambridge University is digitizing its collection of works by Newton and other revolutionary scientists of the past

Perhaps necklaces of shell beads were among the earliest gifts our ancestors gave each other (as seen at the National Museum of Natural History).

Hominid Gifts for the Holidays

Human evolution T-shirt, necktie, coloring book and board game are just a few of the hominid-themed gifts you can give your loved ones this holiday season

A woolly mammoth sinks into the tar at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.

Annalee Newitz of io9: Why I Like Science

Best of all, science is a story with an open ending. Every discovery ends with more questions

"Somewhere along the way, I came to the startling realization that all those equations actually mean something."

Why I Like Science: School Edition

Science is about unlocking the world around us and laying it out to be admired

In an episode of "The Simpsons," Professor Frink, left, demonstrates his latest creation: a sarcasm detector.

The Science of Sarcasm? Yeah, Right

How do humans separate sarcasm from sincerity? Research on the subject is leading to insights about how the mind works. Really

The best place to find "aliens" might be Comic-Con (2008, credit

No Evidence Yet of ET, White House Says

If there’s an alien conspiracy, the President doesn’t know about it

Anyone dressing up as a mad scientist today?

Five Last-Minute Science-Themed Halloween Costume Ideas

No one else will be dressed like dark energy

An artist’s rendition of a group of Neanderthals living in a mountainous region of Eurasia.

Neanderthals: Made for Mountaineering?

Neanderthals’ short legs made them well-suited for walking in mountain environments

An abalone shell recovered from Blombos Cave and a grindstone covered in red ochre.

The Earliest Known Artist’s Studio

The discovery of a 100,000-year-old art studio in Africa hints at when modern human behavior emerged

Science is outright, public warfare and a great story, Finkbeiner says

Ann Finkbeiner: Why I Like Science

As a way of working, it’s wide-open, competitive, nit-picky and nerve-wracking; it’s outright warfare

Captive zebra finches

Same-Sex Finch Couples Form Strong Bonds

The ties between same-sex couples can be just as strong as those in heterosexual birds

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The Animaniacs’ Take On Science

A look into the intelligent humor of this 1990s-era cartoon

Keith Hampton, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, is starting to poke holes in the theory that technology has weakened our relationships.

How Technology Makes Us Better Social Beings

Sociologist Keith Hampton believes technology and social networking affect our lives in some very positive ways

One of Will Walker's demotivational posters for scientists

Science Humor: Anti-Inspirational Posters

“I was learning for the first time about all the gremlins that stand between the researcher and The Answer.”

Wood models of human heads in the NIST Museum collection

Why Did the Standards Bureau Need These Heads?

The NIST Museum has placed images of several items on the website of its Digital Archives and is asking the public for help

Colin Firth, a king AND a scientist.

Colin Firth: Actor. Writer. Academy Award Winner. Scientist?

The star of the King’s Speech is the co-author on a paper examining political orientation and brain structure

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