Human Quirks: Living Well

July 19, 2024

Top Headlines

What Fat Cats on a Diet May Tell Us About Obesity in Humans

July 17, 2024 — Pet cats may be excellent animal models for the study of obesity origins and treatment in humans, a new study of feline gut microbes suggests -- and both species would likely get healthier in the research process, scientists ...

Want to Spot a Deepfake? Look for the Stars in Their Eyes

July 17, 2024 — In an era when the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) images is at the fingertips of the masses, the ability to detect fake pictures -- particularly deepfakes of people -- is becoming increasingly important. So what if you could tell just by ...

Clever Clothes! Seams in Clothing Capture Body Movement

July 2, 2024 — Everyday clothing may soon be able to capture and record body movements according to new ...

Research on the Visual Rabbit Illusion Takes a Leap Forward

June 11, 2024 — Researchers have discovered new variations of an illusion created when we see three rapid flashes in our side vision. Regardless of the position of the second flash, the illusion causes the brain to perceive the flashes in a straight line, with the ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:18pm EDT

Babies Use 'Helpless' Infant Period to Learn Powerful Foundation Models, Just Like ChatGPT

June 5, 2024 — Babies' brains are not as immature as previously thought, rather they are using the period of postnatal 'helplessness' to learn powerful foundation ...

Close to 1 in 2 Surveyed Say They Would Use Air Taxis in the Future

May 28, 2024 — Through a study of 1,002 participants, scientists have found that almost half (45.7 per cent) say they intend to use air taxis when they become available, with over one-third (36.2 per cent) planning ...

Psychedelic Drug-Induced Hyperconnectivity in the Brain Helps Clarify Altered Subjective Experiences

May 23, 2024 — A new study shows that the use of psilocybin, a compound found in the widely known 'magic mushrooms,' initiates a pattern of hyperconnectivity in the ...

Coming out to a Chatbot?

May 13, 2024 — Today, there are dozens of large language model (LLM) chatbots aimed at mental health care -- addressing everything from loneliness among seniors to anxiety and depression in teens. But the efficacy ...

Cats Purrfectly Demonstrate What It Takes to Trust Robots

May 13, 2024 — Would you trust a robot to look after your cat? New research suggests it takes more than a carefully designed robot to care for your cat, the environment in which they operate is also vital, as well ...

AI Systems Are Already Skilled at Deceiving and Manipulating Humans

May 10, 2024 — Many artificial intelligence (AI) systems have already learned how to deceive humans, even systems that have been trained to be helpful and honest. Researchers describe the risks of deception by AI ...

'Digital Afterlife': Call for Safeguards to Prevent Unwanted 'Hauntings' by AI Chatbots of Dead Loved Ones

May 8, 2024 — Researchers lay out the need for design safety protocols that prevent the emerging 'digital afterlife industry' causing social and psychological ...

Fixin' to Be Flexitarian: Scrap Fish and Invasive Species Can Liven Up Vegetables

Apr. 29, 2024 — Greening the way we eat needn't mean going vegetarian. A healthy, more realistic solution is to adopt a flexitarian diet where seafoods add umami to ...

Hey Dave, I've Got an Idea for You: What's the Potential of AI-Led Workshopping?

Apr. 23, 2024 — Sure, ChatGPT can write a poem about your pet in the style of T.S Eliot, but generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have a potentially more ...

A Decade of Aphantasia Research: What We've Learned About People Who Can't Visualize

Mar. 27, 2024 — People who can't visualize an image in their mind's eye are less likely to remember the details of important past personal events or to recognize ...

Earlier Headlines

When There's Money to Lose, Phone Usage While Driving Drops

July 10, 2024 — Researchers discovered that feedback plus cash incentives designed with insights from behavioral science reduces phone use while ...

Unraveling the Physics of Knitting

June 4, 2024 — A team used experiments and simulations to quantify and predict how knit fabric response can be programmed. By establishing a mathematical theory of knitted materials, the researchers hope that ...

Creating a Green Composite Material from Japanese Washi Paper

May 14, 2024 — Japanese washi paper is renowned for its aesthetic beauty and its wide-array of usages. Now, a group of researchers have made a green composite material from washi which boasts a 60% increase in ...

One in Eight Grown-Ups Love Extreme Tartness

Apr. 29, 2024 — For most people, biting into a lemon would leave them puckered up and desperate to lose that sour flavor, but a new study revealed that roughly one in eight adults like intensely sour sensations. The ...

A University Lecture, With a Dash of Jumping Jacks

Apr. 24, 2024 — A university professor has found a way to help students -- and himself -- power through long lecture classes: exercise breaks. A new study showed that five-minute exercise sessions during lectures ...

It's Hearty, It's Meaty, It's Mold

Mar. 14, 2024 — Scientists are exploring how tuning the genomes of mushrooms and molds can transform these food sources into gourmet, nutrient-packed meals made with minimal processing and a light environmental ...

What Kinds of Seismic Signals Did Swifties Send at LA Concert?

Mar. 13, 2024 — Seattle may have experienced its own Swift Quake last July, but at an August 2023 concert Taylor Swift's fans in Los Angeles gave scientists a lot of shaking to ponder. After some debate, a ...

The Surprising Effect of Presence Hallucinations on Social Perception

Mar. 12, 2024 — Neuroscientists have devised a way to alter our social perception and monitor specific types of hallucinations, both in healthy individuals and patients with Parkinson's disease. The test, which ...

AI-Generated Food Images Look Tastier Than Real Ones

Mar. 11, 2024 — Researchers have announced an intriguing discovery -- consumers generally prefer AI-generated images of food over real food images, especially when they are unaware of their true ...

Sprinting 'Like a Jet' Will Produce Premier League Strikers of Tomorrow, Study Shows

Mar. 5, 2024 — Sprinting 'like a jet plane taking off' will help produce Premier League star strikers of tomorrow, new research has revealed. A new study of Tottenham Hotspur's academy has shown that ...

AI Outperforms Humans in Standardized Tests of Creative Potential

Mar. 1, 2024 — In a recent study, 151 human participants were pitted against ChatGPT-4 in three tests designed to measure divergent thinking, which is considered to be an indicator of creative ...

Researchers Overestimate Their Own Honesty

Feb. 26, 2024 — The average researcher thinks they are better than their colleagues at following good research practice. They also think that their own research field is better than other research fields at ...

Great Apes Playfully Tease Each Other

Feb. 13, 2024 — Babies playfully tease others as young as eight months of age. Since language is not required for this behavior, similar kinds of playful teasing might be present in non-human animals. Now cognitive ...

Smart Earrings Can Monitor a Person's Temperature

Feb. 7, 2024 — Researchers introduced the Thermal Earring, a wireless wearable that continuously monitors a user's earlobe temperature. Potential applications include tracking signs of ovulation, stress, ...

How Teachers Make Ethical Judgments When Using AI in the Classroom

Feb. 7, 2024 — A teacher's gender and comfort with technology factor into whether artificial intelligence is adopted in the classroom, as shown in a new ...

Knowing What Dogs Like to Watch Could Help Veterinarians Assess Their Vision

Jan. 18, 2024 — A veterinary ophthalmologist wanted to determine factors, including age and vision, that influence a dog's interest in interacting with video content. Ultimately, the goal of the study, which ...

Pain-Based Weather Forecasts Could Influence Actions

Jan. 13, 2024 — For individuals who experience chronic pain, weather can be a significant factor in their day-to-day plans. In a recent study, about 70 percent of respondents said they would alter their behavior ...

AI Discovers That Not Every Fingerprint Is Unique

Jan. 10, 2024 — Engineers have built a new AI that shatters a long-held belief in forensics -- that fingerprints from different fingers of the same person are unique. It turns out they are similar, only we've ...

Sniffing Women's Tears Reduces Aggressive Behavior in Men, Researchers Report

Dec. 21, 2023 — New research shows that tears from women contain chemicals that block aggression in men. The study finds that sniffing tears leads to reduced brain activity related to aggression, which results is ...

Artificial Intelligence Can Predict Events in People's Lives

Dec. 18, 2023 — Artificial intelligence can analyze registry data on people's residence, education, income, health and working conditions and, with high accuracy, predict life ...