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Human children and wild great apes share their tool use cognition

Young children will spontaneously invent tool behaviours to solve novel problems, without the help of adults, much as non-human great apes have been observed to do. The findings, from the University of Birmingham, are contrary to the popular belief that basic tool use in humans requires social learning.

Lev Vygotsky, one of psychology's most influential representatives, claimed that humans only learn how to use tools by learning from others, including parents, and that children's spontaneous tool use is "practically zero". However, this study has proven said theory wrong.

Tracking worm sex drive, neuron by neuron

Worcester, Mass. - The males prowl a dark, crowded space. Using a mix of instinct and sensory cues, they pursue potential mates. But how do they decide when to make their move? New findings answer that question, at least for the tiny soil-dwelling worms known as Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).

Shrinking 3-D technology for comfortable smart phone viewing

WASHINGTON -- Imagine watching a 3D movie on your smart phone and suddenly getting a headache or even feeling nauseous. Such viewer discomfort is one of the biggest obstacles preventing widespread application of 3D display technology - especially for portable devices whose slim design poses an extra challenge.

College psychology classes lack curriculum about disabilities

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Psychology classes are among the most popular courses on college campuses today, but new research shows that many of them lack important information about the largest single minority group in the U.S. - people with disabilities.

A review of hundreds of undergraduate course offerings from top-ranked universities found that many types of disability are underrepresented in psychology classes, including chronic health and physical disabilities, said Kathleen Bogart, an assistant professor of psychology in the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University.

Dodos might have been quite intelligent, new research finds

New research suggests that the dodo, an extinct bird whose name has entered popular culture as a symbol of stupidity, was actually fairly smart. The work, published today in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, finds that the overall size of the dodo's brain in relation to its body size was on par with its closest living relatives: pigeons--birds whose ability to be trained implies a moderate level of intelligence.

What bats reveal about how humans focus attention

RELATED VIDEO: https://youtu.be/OusnottPI7Y

You're at a crowded party, noisy with multiple conversations, music and clinking glasses. But when someone behind you says your name, you hear it and quickly turn in that direction.

Two forms of radiosurgery for brain metastases are equally effective

(PHILADELPHIA) -- While two advanced radiosurgery approaches -- Gamma Knife and RapidArc® -- offer different strengths, they are equally effective at eradicating cancer in the brain, say researchers at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

Their study, published online Jan. 25, 2016 in Frontiers in Oncology, compared the two different devices in brain radiosurgery. Six patients, each with three or four brain metastases, were studied.

Science achievement gaps begin by kindergarten

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb.

New study shows emotional cost for parents who put on a happy face for their children

February 23, 2016 - How do parents feel when they regulate their emotional expressions in ways that do not match their genuine feelings? Recent research suggests that parents' attempts to suppress negative and amplify positive emotions during child care can detract from their well-being and high-quality parent-child bonds. The findings were published in the March 2016 edition of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

New study finds our desire for 'like-minded others' is hard-wired

WELLESLEY, Massachusetts--A path-breaking new study on how we seek similarity in relationships, co-authored by researchers at Wellesley College and the University of Kansas, upends the idea that "opposites attract," instead suggesting we're drawn to people who are like-minded. The study could lead to a fundamental change in understanding relationship formation--and it sounds a warning for the idea that couples can change each other over time.

It's great to have siblings, but they're also hard work

What do children think about their new families? A research project conducted by the Danish School of Education at Aarhus University focuses on what happens to sibling relationships when mum and dad get divorced and find new partners.

Body's immune system may play larger role in Alzheimer's disease than thought

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 23, 2016 -- Immune cells that normally help us fight off bacterial and viral infections may play a far greater role in Alzheimer's disease than originally thought, according to University of California, Irvine neurobiologists with the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders.

Stroke patients' speech loss linked to loss of brain interconnections

Amsterdam, NL, February 22, 2015 - When brain regions that control speech and reading comprehension are destroyed due to blockage of blood flow, patients are often unable to speak or comprehend spoken or written language. These difficulties with language, or "aphasia," are a common symptom in the aftermath of stroke. However, in a new study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, researchers report that damage to the underlying connections among different areas of the brain can also affect the severity of aphasia.

Almond joy: Eating just a handful a day boosts diet health, study shows

Just add a handful of almonds: a University of Florida study suggests that improving one's diet can be as simple as that.

Researchers studied the effect that the addition of almonds can have on a person's diet quality, based on data collected from 28 parent-child pairs living in North Central Florida.

ARDS appears to be underrecognized, undertreated and associated with high risk of death

Among nearly 460 intensive care units (ICUs) in 50 countries, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) appeared to be underrecognized, undertreated, and associated with a high mortality rate, according to a study that appears in the February 23 issue of JAMA, which is being released to coincide with the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 45th Critical Care Congress.