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articles tagged: research
does tough love really subdue real world conspiracy theories?
# oddities

does tough love really subdue real world conspiracy theories?

A new experiment shows that ridicule as almost as effective as debunking when it comes to dissuading people from falling for conspiracy theories.

does evolution slack off in the bedroom?
# sex

does evolution slack off in the bedroom?

A widely covered study alleges that humans lost the penile bone and a certain measure of endurance in mating. But that finding seems to be at odds with other studies.

when academia is behind the real world
# tech

when academia is behind the real world

In most fields, bleeding edge research is conducted in academic labs, not corporate bullpens. In computer science, that's often not the case.

why it’s not what you quantify, but why
# science

why it’s not what you quantify, but why

Quantification and tracking gets people to do more of what you want them to do, but makes doing it a lot less fun.

what happens when you study a hot button problem
# sex

what happens when you study a hot button problem

AAU's survey of inappropriate sexual behavior did not go smoothly and its results raise a lot of questions about both their methodology and college culture.

why proving universal grammar is harder than it seems
# science

why proving universal grammar is harder than it seems

A new study shows that human languages do tend to follow the same logical rules, but the theory's sheer scope means it only takes one exception to invalidate its premise.

the hookup culture that wasn’t there
# sex

the hookup culture that wasn’t there

American seniors are convinced that millennial life is just an orgy of constant casual sex. But research into the matter shows absolutely no evidence of this.

what we can learn from the mars one fiasco
# space

what we can learn from the mars one fiasco

Mars One might be imploding under its own hype but that doesn't mean we can't learn from its ability to tap into people's desire to explore.

to meat or not to meat, that is the question
# science

to meat or not to meat, that is the question

The future of meat isn't exactly not meat, at least not yet. But there is one way we could convince at least some people to start eating meat that doesn't come from an animal...

when surveys, sociology, and porn intersect…
# sex

when surveys, sociology, and porn intersect…

The idea that sexual abuse and careers in porn go hand in hand isn't true according to a survey of adult performers. But the context of the findings and public reactions to them are still quite unsettling.

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