Philosopher Thomas Hobbes called it "the lust of the mind." Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt said it was "the most useful gift." And, yes, we all know what killed the cat. But ask a group of scientists to define curiosity and you'll get a rousing debate, and a lot of unanswered questions about its biology. No more, argue two University of Rochester researchers in a review of curiosity science published November 4 in Neuron. They propose that it's time for researchers to organize and focus on curiosity's function, evolution, mechanism, and development.
Brain
Animals navigate by calculating their current position based on how long and how far they have traveled and a new study on treadmill-running rats reveals how: neurons called grid cells integrate information about time and distance to support memory and spatial navigation, even in the absence of visual landmarks. The findings, published November 4 in the journal Neuron, challenge currently held views of the role of grid cells in the brain.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall - who's the fairest of them all?" New research doesn't have an answer to that. But it does give clues as to who is the "enviest" and would have been more likely to pester (and fester) with the question in the first place: Snow White, not her stepmother. If only fairy tales lined up with data.
Experiencing math anxiety -- nervousness and discomfort in relation to math -- impairs math performance for some students, but new research shows that it's linked with improved performance for others, at least to a degree. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
In a study of nearly 1,300 returning veterans reporting reintegration problems, those who completed online expressive-writing sessions showed more improvements than peers who had not written at all or who had engaged only in factual writing.
The effects of the intervention, which involved four 20-minute writing sessions, were small. But the researchers say it nonetheless could be a worthwhile step in helping returning veterans, given its low cost and high accessibility. They say it could be used as a stand-alone therapy or as an add-on to formal treatment.
Customizing an avatar to better resemble its human user may lead to improved health and exercise behaviors, according to a team of researchers.
In a recent study of 247 US veterans returning from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, almost 18% screened positive for sexual functioning difficulties. Self-reported sexual dysfunction was most strongly linked with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and female sex.
Additional research should examine the causes of specific sexual health concerns in returning veterans, which might relate to dysfunction due to injury or events prior to, during, or following military service.
More children are surviving malignant brain tumors than in the past, thanks to the use of intense treatments using platinum-based chemotherapy (cisplatin and high-dose carboplatin). Unfortunately, the therapy has a known side effect of permanent hearing loss, resulting from damage to the inner ear. Investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles now report that this type of chemotherapy may not only impact hearing, but that the hearing loss may then contribute to long-term neurocognitive deficits.
WASHINGTON - Time may appear to slow down for white Americans who feel threatened by an approaching black person, raising questions about the pervasive effects of racial bias or anxiety in the United States, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
DURHAM, N.C. -- Used alone, a cell phone app that tracks exercise, calories and weight loss goals is, on average, not enough to create meaningful weight loss in young adults, according to new research from Duke Medicine.
The study was published online Nov. 4 by the journal Obesity and offers a sober insight about the complexities of weight loss and potential limitations of an app-based approach. The inexpensive and easily accessed tool was aimed at tech-savvy adults ages 18 to 35.
Unwanted formation of blood vessels (angiogenesis) in the brain is likely to be the cause of intractable walking and balance difficulties for people who suffer from Parkinson's disease. This conclusion is supported by new research from Lund University in Sweden.
Many people with Parkinson's disease eventually experience walking and balance difficulties, despite adequate medication. Moreover, some patients cannot fully take dopamine-based medication, as dopamine can lead to side effects.
New findings from an international team of researchers suggest business leaders who oversee teams need to find a middle ground in how they treat team members - or risk hurting team performance. Specifically, the researchers found that treating some team members much better than others can adversely affect performance - as can treating all team members the same way.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (November 4, 2015)--If you're feeling a little blue during the transition to menopause, there's good reason, according to a new study being reported online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). The study from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that the estradiol (a form of estrogen) fluctuation that is common during the menopausal transition may enhance emotional sensitivity to psychosocial stress.
New research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) suggests that cheerleading has the potential to challenge traditional ideas about gender and to be an inclusive activity for both boys and girls.
The study examined the educational and transformative potential of mixed-sex sports and what the obstacles might be in practice. It focused on cheerleading, often considered a 'feminised' activity, and in particular UK university-level competitive cheerleading, which exists in both mixed and single sex formats.
Athens, Ga. - Substance abuse treatments that target main issues such as serious drug and alcohol addiction are not frequently being used to also wean adolescents from tobacco, a University of Georgia study finds.
Tobacco addiction in adolescents is oftentimes an overlooked issue because it doesn't carry with it the stigma that alcohol abuse and other serious drugs do, according to the study's lead author, Jessica Muilenburg, an associate professor at UGA's College of Public Health and health promotion and behavior graduate coordinator.