In search of the next chord: Scientists reveal a secret to great songwriting
What makes some music so enjoyable, and can science help us engineer the perfect pop song? A group of researchers who statistically analyzed tens of thousands of chord progressions in classic U.S. Billboard hits say they have found the answer, and it lies in the ...
Put down that phone! Indonesians invent device to aid internet addicts
From browsing social media to watching videos and chatting with friends, Indonesian university student Tyas Sisianindita spends about eight hours a day on her phone. "I realize that I am addicted," the university student admitted, saying she checks her phone continuously from the time she ...
Driving tiny cars soothes rats, pointing way toward nondrug therapy for humans
Scientists have trained rats to drive tiny cars and found that learning the task lowered their stress levels. Their study not only demonstrates how sophisticated rats' brains are, but could one day help in developing new nonpharmaceutical forms of treatment for mental illness, said senior ...
You're better at choosing a pet than a spouse
U.S. psychoanalyst association apologizes for past labeling of homosexuality as an illness
The American Psychoanalytic Association apologized on Friday for previously treating homosexuality as a mental illness, saying its past errors contributed to discrimination and trauma for LGBT people. It may be the first U.S. medical or mental health organization to issue such an apology. Although psychiatrists ...
Virtual reality could help prompt people to flee storms, research says
Virtual reality simulations work better than traditional alerts in motivating people to evacuate ahead of hurricanes, research said on Friday, part of efforts to improve alert methods as the risk of extreme weather increases. Typically utilizing headsets for viewers to look into, dramatic simulations can ...
Dating advice for 'maximizers' and 'satisficers'
Researchers have some dating advice for "maximizers" who can't stop comparison shopping.
The Chinese giant salamander, the largest amphibian in the world, is not cute. Weighing as much as an adult human, it has slimy brown skin, a giant mouth curled to a gormless grin, and puny, mistrustful eyes. It is also one of the world's most endangered ...
Changes to the human diet prompted by Neolithic advances in agriculture played a role in human jaw evolution that allowed people to pronounce the consonants "f" and "v," researchers say. Their work — which combines linguistics, speech science and paleoanthropology and appears in the U.S. ...
'Brain orgasms'? ASMR relaxation trend joins the pop culture mainstream
Tapping fingernails that trigger goose bumps, whispers that send shivers down the spine: The brain-tingling world of ASMR has people clamoring for sounds that feel good. The auditory-sensory phenomenon, in which people experience waves of calm and pleasurable mental quivers that are often referred to ...
China clones gene-edited monkeys for research on sleep disorders
Chinese scientists have made clones of a gene-edited macaque to aid research of circadian-rhythm disorders that are linked to sleep problems, depression and Alzheimer's disease, the official Xinhua News Agency said on Thursday. It is the first time multiple clones have been made from ...
