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Video games produce a mixed report card for classroom skills
The Kansas City Star: He’s only 9, so Michael Kelly’s analysis of what video games are doing to kids’ schooling is more instinct than all the new academic talk out there. “Picture that I’m Mario,” he begins. After some hand-on-chin pondering, the third-grader is shaping an idea how all those hours he spends leaping walls, escaping lava and rescuing princesses as Super Mario just might be making him a better student. Read the whole story: The Kansas City Star
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Terrorists taunts may tell attack timing
USA Today: Osama bin Laden mumbling from his cave, a cassette tape threatening the West with yet more violence: In an era filled with worries over terrorism, can we turn the taunts of terrorists against them, using their own words to predict their next move? Read the whole story: USA Today
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Your love is my drug: looking at partner’s photo reduces pain
The Med Guru: Forget medication and therapies, a recent study by Stanford University in California, U.S., suggests that just looking at the partner's photograph relieves the pain as much as taking a drug like cocaine. Read the whole story: The Med Guru
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Baby names in frontier states are more unique
The Christian Science Monitor: Baby names: The same values that pushed adventurous individuals into new territories as our country was being populated may still show up in the names their descendants give to babies, a new study finds. Read the whole story: The Christian Science Monitor
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Genes May Contribute to a Child’s Bad Behavior, but Only When Parents Are Distant
Is bad behavior determined by a child’s genes? A new study has found that a particular gene has some influence on whether or not adolescents show alarming behaviors—but only if their parents aren't keeping tabs on them. While this gene, which has been linked to alcoholism, has only a small effect on the risk of behavioral problems by itself, psychological scientists view this finding as an opportunity to understand how genetic risk combines with environmental factors to contribute to psychological outcomes and disorders.
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Science Starts Early
Science: Infants and young children can exhibit striking confusion about how the world works, from failing to grasp that wind causes waves, to being mystified about how babies are created. Indeed, some researchers have characterized a child's knowledge of the world as a bundle of misconceptions awaiting replacement with correct concepts through education. Read the whole story: Science
