Human Quirks: Living Well

October 14, 2024

Top Headlines

Toddlers Show Increased Physical Activity With a Robot Playmate Moving Around the Room

Oct. 9, 2024 — Parents seeking help in encouraging toddlers to be physically active may soon need to look no further than an inexpensive robotic buddy for their kids, a new study ...

Viruses Are Teeming on Your Toothbrush, Showerhead

Oct. 9, 2024 — Microbiologists found that showerheads and toothbrushes are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses -- most of which have never been seen ...

Bottlenose Dolphins 'Smile' at Each Other While Playing

Oct. 2, 2024 — Dolphins are extremely playful, but little is known about how they -- and other marine mammals -- communicate during playtime. New research shows that bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) use the 'open mouth' facial expression -- analogous to a ...

AI Simulation Gives People a Glimpse of Their Potential Future Self

Oct. 2, 2024 — 'Future You' is a generative AI tool that enables users to have a simulated conversation with a potential version of their future selves. The chatbot is meant to reduce users' anxiety, improve positive emotions, and guide them toward making better ...

Latest Headlines

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'Who's a Good Boy?' Humans Use Dog-Specific Voices for Better Canine Comprehension

Oct. 1, 2024 — Humans slow their own speech when talking to their dogs, and this slower tempo matches their pets' receptive abilities, allowing the dogs to better ...

Feet First: AI Reveals How Infants Connect With Their World

Oct. 1, 2024 — Researchers explored how infants act purposefully by attaching a colorful mobile to their foot and tracking movements with a Vicon 3D motion capture system. The study tested AI's ability to detect ...

Sharing Biosignals With Online Gaming Partners to Enhance a Mutual Sense of Social Presence Between Complete Strangers

Sep. 27, 2024 — Although interactive online platforms, including esports platforms, aim to foster close connections between people, they often fall short of ...

'Out-of-Body' Research Could Lead to New Ways to Promote Social Harmony

Sep. 9, 2024 — Out-of-body experiences, such as near-death experiences, can have a 'transformative' effect on people's ability to experience empathy and connect with others, new research ...

How Fish Guts Might Play a Role in Future Skin Care Products

Sep. 5, 2024 — There are some pretty strange ingredients in cosmetics and skin care products. One example is snail mucin -- also known as snail slime -- which is used for its moisturizing and antioxidant ...

Can Fungi Turn Food Waste Into the Next Culinary Sensation?

Aug. 29, 2024 — Fungi can transform plant and animal products into delicious foods like cheese, miso and beer. A researcher argues that a type of filamentous mold -- Neurospora intermedia -- could also turn food ...

Will EEG Be Able to Read Your Dreams? The Future of the Brain Activity Measure as It Marks 100 Years

Aug. 22, 2024 — One hundred years after the human brain's electrical activity was first recorded, experts are celebrating the legacy of its discovery and sharing ...

Pilot Study Uses Recycled Glass to Grow Plants for Salsa Ingredients

Aug. 21, 2024 — Tortilla chips and fresh salsa are tasty, but they could be even more appealing if you grow the ingredients yourself. Now, researchers report that some salsa ingredients -- cilantro, bell pepper and ...

Individuals Vary in How Air Pollution Impacts Their Mood

Aug. 7, 2024 — Affective sensitivity to air pollution (ASAP) describes the extent to which affect, or mood, fluctuates in accordance with daily changes in air pollution, which can vary between individuals, ...

Study Uses Game of Thrones to Advance Understanding of Face Blindness

July 23, 2024 — Psychologists have used the hit TV series Game of Thrones to understand how the brain enables us to recognize faces. Their findings provide new insights into prosopagnosia or face blindness, a ...

Increased Antioxidants and Phenolic Compounds Produced in Salted Red Perilla Leaves During Japanese Apricot Pickling

Sep. 26, 2024 — Antioxidant content and activity are increased during the processing and digestion of Japanese apricots pickled with salted red perilla leaves, new research ...

How Spreading Misinformation Is Like a Nuclear Reaction

July 30, 2024 — Researchers develop a new type of rumor propagation model, taking inspiration from nuclear reactions. Their model can provide fresh insights on how online disinformation spreads and how to combat it. ...

Smell of Human Stress Affects Dogs' Emotions Leading Them to Make More Pessimistic Choices

July 22, 2024 — Dogs experience emotional contagion from the smell of human stress, leading them to make more 'pessimistic' choices, new research finds. Researchers tested how human stress odors affect ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 models similar to those underpinning ...

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 ...

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 brain linked to the ego-modifying ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 'boring' vegetables. A ...

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 ...