Adults are quick to preach to children the virtues of safe sex, but not so careful to practice them. According to an Indiana University study, adults use condoms during casual sex at a rate far lower than that of teens. [More]
science
The Template For Every Weasely Science Article
By 9.30.10
Ever read an article about some scientific finding and wondered why you felt like you knew less afterward than you did before? And not in a wow, my mind has been blown, but in a what the heck was that rubbish kind of way. Have heart, as a satirical article in The Guardian skewering the format for every single useless and weasely science story ever written explains why. [More]
Image Order Tricks Minds To Think Cake Is Healthier Than Fruit Salad
By 9.23.10
Was Eisenstein into calorie counting? A new study finds that if you see a “bad for you” food item after seeing a “good for you” item, you will estimate the calories in it as being much higher than if you see two “bad for you” items back to back. [More]
"Economical" Are The New "Astronomical" Numbers
By 9.21.10
“There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it’s only a hundred billion. It’s less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.” – Richard Feynman, 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics winner. [More]
Is Obesity A Virus?
By 9.20.10
“Kachoo!” could be the sound of a kid getting fat. New research shows children were 50 lbs heavier on average if they had been exposed to adenovirus 36, a virus that causes the common cold and mild stomach upset. [More]
5 Horrors Parents Most Worry About Vs 5 Most Likely To Occur
By 9.9.10
According to a new survey, the top 5 calamities parents fret over happening to their kids are, in order from most fretting to least: kidnapping, school snipers, terrorists, dangerous strangers, and drugs. What they really should be concerned over are the top 5 way children actually get hurt and/or killed: car accidents, homicide by someone the kid knows, abuse, suicide, and drowning. [More]
Study Better By Changing Up Where You Do It
By 9.7.10
For all you going back to school, here’s a good way to get more value out of your education. The classic advice about studying says to find a calm quiet space with a clear work table and always go there to do your work. Create a work zone so when you’re in it, you know you’re supposed to work. But it turns out having some disruption actually improves retention. In one study, students who memorized the same list of words in two different spaces did far better than students who memorized the same list in the same space twice. [More]
Music Makes You Exercise Harder
By 8.27.10
In a recent study, scientists had participants ride stationary bikes while listening to music at normal speed, at 10% slower tempo and 10% higher tempo. When “the music was played faster,” researchers wrote, “the participants chose to accept, and even prefer, a greater degree of effort.” Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to my Zumba class. [More]
What Happens To A Cheeseburger In Hydrochloric Acid?
By 8.27.10
Some British scientists dunked a cheeseburger in hydrochloric acid to see what happens. This video is the result. [More]
Drink Water Before Eating And Consume Fewer Calories
By 8.24.10
Drinking two cups of water before eating results in consuming 75 to 90 fewer calories per meal on average, a new study finds. [More]
Here's Ketchup And A Statin With Your Burger
By 8.17.10
British researchers are recommending that fast food joints pass out cholesterol-reducing statins to be consumed alongside cheeseburgers and the like in order to “neutralize” the heart risks of fatty foods. [More]
Nestlé Agrees To Stop Promising Boost Kiddie Drink Is Anti-Diarrheal, Pro-Studying
By 7.19.10
Nestlé is the latest company to slap some nutrients (or in this case probiotics) in a product, call it “functional food,” and market it to shoppers as a healthy and smart product. Last week, the FTC got the company to agree to stop claiming that its chocolate Boost Kid Essentials–which comes with a straw lined with probiotic bacteria (mmm delicious!)–will do things like protect them from diarrhea and improve school attendance rates. The FTC says the claims aren’t substantiated with adequate scientific research. [More]
Save By Starting Your Shopping Trip From The Back Of Store
By 7.12.10
If you want to find the best deals and sale items, it’s wise to head directly to the back of the store and work your way up to the front. [More]
What The BP Spill Might Look Like 360 Days Later
By 7.12.10
If you’ve got any plans to ever visit any beaches on the east coast, best get them in this summer before it’s too late. That’s the conclusion you can draw if this simulation by researchers of how the BP Gulf spill will look 360 days after April 20th comes to pass. [More]
Coke Gets The Blood Stains Out
By 7.8.10
Coca-cola is a magical elixir that can do so many things, like clean blood stains from fabric! [More]
PepsiCo Buys Its Way Onto Science Blog Network As A Food Nutrition Expert
By 7.7.10
Update #2: On Thursday morning, July 8th, ScienceBlogs contributor PZ Myers posted that the founder and CEO of Seed Media (which owns the blog network) has announced that the PepsiCo sponsored blog has been removed–although as of this update (10:44 am EST July 8th) it’s still online. [More]
Want To Sell More Housewares And Gadgets? Don't Carpet Your Store
By 6.23.10
Everything in a retail environment affects how we perceive things and how we shop–from the decor and lighting of a store to… the flooring? A study published this month in the Journal of Consumer Research provides scientific proof that the relative hardness of the floor customers stand on can affect their purchasing decisions. And no, comfier feet do not mean that customers will spend more money. [More]
Gamers Have Reactions Of Fighter Pilots, Bodies Of 60-Year Old Chain Smokers
By 6.8.10
To see if gamers count as athletes, a British researcher subjected a whole bunch of professional gamers to a battery of tests. He found that while mentally, in terms of reflexes and reaction time they were on par with world-class athletes, physically, they were slothbags. [More]
