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Negative People are More Dangerous Drivers
Neurotic, negative people – think Larry David or George Costanza – are more dangerous behind the wheel, according to new research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Previous research has found a correlation
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Brain Repurposes Itself to Learn Scientific Concepts
The human brain was initially used for basic survival tasks, such as staying safe and hunting and gathering. Yet, 200,000 years later the same human brain is able to learn abstract concepts, like momentum, energy
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Should we teach obscure presidents like Millard Fillmore?
The Washington Post: Should we teach the presidency of Millard Fillmore? What do we lose if we don’t? According to research by human memory expert Henry Roediger, III at Washington University in St. Louis, only
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To get students to focus, some professors are asking them to close their eyes
The Washington Post: On a rainy February afternoon, the ionic charge is palpable in Michelle Francl’s physical chemistry class at Bryn Mawr College near Philadelphia. As Francl scribbles a mathematical equation for wave function that’s
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Curiosity Leads Us to Seek Out Unpleasant, Even Painful, Outcomes
Curiosity is a powerful motivator, leading us to make important discoveries and explore the unknown. But new research shows that our curiosity is sometimes so powerful that it leads us to choose potentially painful and
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Speaking Two Languages for the Price of One
In everyday conversation, bilingual speakers often switch between languages mid-sentence with apparent ease, despite the fact that many studies suggest that language-switching should slow them down. New research suggests that consistency may allow bilingual speakers
