All Stories by Bruce Bower
- Psychology
Travelers have southern bias
Southern routes to a destination often get picked over same-distance northern routes, possibly because people equate north with “up.”
- Humans
Ancient shoe steps out of cave and into limelight
Excavations in an Armenian cave have uncovered the oldest known leather footwear, a 5,500-year-old shoe.
- Humans
Secondhand smoke linked to mental distress
A Scottish survey finds a link between exposure to cigarette smoke and serious emotional problems.
- Humans
Making scents of a partner’s feelings
Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors, new study suggests.
- Humans
Traumatic events trigger diverse responses
New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events.
- Psychology
Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms
Demanding perfection of oneself boosts longevity for diabetic seniors, but it may prompt depression in new mothers.
- Psychology
Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late
A new study suggests that children don’t recognize facial expressions of disgust until age 5, much later than many researchers had assumed.
- Anthropology
Contested evidence pushes Ardi out of the woods
A controversial new investigation suggests that the ancient hominid lived on savannas, not in forests.
- Psychology
Gene makes kids more vulnerable to bullying’s effects
Kids who get bullied a lot can develop serious emotional problems, especially if they possess a certain gene.
- Humans
Grown men swap bodies with virtual girl
People who undergo virtual-reality perspective shifts feel like they’ve switched bodies with a virtual character.
- Psychology
Bereaved relatives helped by chance to view body after sudden loss
Grieving people rarely regret having seen a dead loved one, even in cases of violent death, a British study suggests.
- Humans
Vision gets better with the right mind-set
Volunteers’ eyesight improved when they believed that they could see particularly well.
