Most sane people consider being in a bad mood as, well, a bad thing, and try to get out of it, by any means at their disposal. But, according to a group of scientists from Australia, that may not be necessarily the best idea possible. In a new study they conducted, they showed the fact that people who were sad, or generally in the worst mood possible, were also more keen in their judgment of others, were more likely to experience memory boosts, and were also less gullible. The University of New South Wales (UNSW) team, which was led by Psychology Professor Joseph Forgas, also showed another interesting thing. When people were in a bad moo... [read more >>] Evolution in a biological context roughly translates into a species' ability to favor the passing on of genes that ensure its survival into the next generation. In order for this to happen, mutations must occur. Mutations generate diversity, but can also have adverse effects on a species, and lead to its extinction. In a groundbreaking, new study, experts discovered that, once a protein, for instance, evolved into a higher form than its original one, it could no longer devolve, or go back to its previous state. The experts behind the investigation say that there is no easy way of going back, LiveScience reports. As various species of... [read more >>] According to media reports, a Tunisian teacher is about to break OctoMom's record of octuplets, as she is reportedly pregnant with 12 babies. The news came as a shock to everyone, and, if it verifies, it could be that this number is among the highest ever recorded in case of an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure. The same reports indicate that the woman, who is in her 30s, is expecting six girls and six boys, all at once, the Daily Mail informs. The outlet informs that the woman resorted to IVF methods of getting pregnant because she suffered two miscarriages over the past two years and she really wanted to have children. Multipl... [read more >>] Since the beginning of the Cold War, people in the United States have been told that the Communists are the enemies, and that, if they didn't support more nuclear arms, they would eventually succumb to the Reds' attack. But, first and foremost, they were taught that the economic principles of socialism and communism were wrong, and that free, market-based capitalism was the only economical system capable of producing enough wealth to everyone. It would appear now that this type of mentality has backfired on the US, and only capitalism and its intricate mechanisms are to blame. Whenever Americans hear the world “social,&rdqu... [read more >>] Early last week, Maine, US-born journalist David Rohde, a reporter for The New York Times, managed to successfully escape the grasp of his Taliban captors, in Afghanistan, and to safely return home. Most of the world did not learn about his capture until he succeeded in making his daring escape, and there's a good reason for that – more than 34 major news outlets were silenced by a joint effort between The New York Times and Internet giant Wikipedia, not an easy feat. Oddly enough, getting America's largest networks to hush about the capture was not the most difficult thing to do. What was infinitely harder was keeping the ... [read more >>] Over recent years, many popular books and movies have made us wonder whether we are in touch with a “cosmic consciousness,” through the mechanisms of quantum physics. Butterfly effects, separate realities, and collective consciousnesses are all themes that have been exploited to the full, albeit not always from a scientifically correct standpoint. In fact, some of these movies and books are only attempting to link physics and spirituality, holding that our knowledge permeates the Universe, and that an omnipotent God is out there, taking care of us. In his new book, “Quantum Gods: Creation, Chaos and the Search for Cosmic ... [read more >>] According to a new study, conducted in collaboration by the universities of Kent and Buffalo, men and women who feel pressure to look attractive are also more afraid of rejection than their peers who do not feel the same pressure. The results of the investigations also revealed that the pressure affects especially college students, who are more likely than adults to want to resemble music or movie stars. Within younger age groups, generally, the tendency to outcast people who do not fit a certain beauty or behavior standard is especially strong.The research, which was published in the spring edition of the American Psychological Association... [read more >>] According to news reports that appeared in the Chinese media on Saturday, a man, who got stuck in traffic on account of another man threatening to kill himself by jumping off a bridge, got out of his car, and pushed the would-be suicider off the rail. He later said that he was exasperated with the delay, and that this was the other man's wish anyway. Admittedly, the jumper stood on the rails conversing with the police for roughly five hours, during which time no cars were allowed to pass on the road. This led to massive protests from the drivers themselves, each of them busy to get to work. The angry passer-by, 66-year-old Lian Jiansh... [read more >>] Psychologists have known for a long time that certain socio-economic factors such as the place of birth, the education, religion, or interactions with others can shape an individual's perceptions of the most important things in life. But the correlations between religion and torture have never been analyzed from this perspective, and, so, that has been the goal of a new scientific research, conducted by the PEW Research Center on 742 adults in the United States. The results have found that religious beliefs are tightly correlated with supporting or dismissing torture, and also that Evangelical Protestants have a higher tendency to acce... [read more >>] Cases of cannibalism have become increasingly seldom around the world, but, every once in a while, one pops up in the eyes of the media and the public opinion, and people are brutally reminded of the savage and cruel human nature. The most recent case of cannibalism was recorded in the Russian city of Perm, in the country's central-western region. Two men killed and methodically ate their elder brother, after peeling all the flesh off the bones. A few months back, they told the police that their brother had disappeared, but authorities started getting suspicious when the pair failed to provide them with a satisfactory description of t... [read more >>] | 
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