Males that mate more often are more insecure about their social status than those mating less, according to new research on the behaviour of burying beetles.
The study, published in the journal Evolution, provides new evidence that the social sensitivity of male behaviour is linked to how often male beetles mate. (more…)
Soul singer Betty Everett once proclaimed, “If you want to know if he loves you so, it’s in his kiss.” But a new study by University of Chicago researchers suggests the difference between love and lust might be in the eyes after all.
Specifically, where your date looks at you could indicate whether love or lust is in the cards. The new study found that eye patterns concentrate on a stranger’s face if the viewer sees that person as a potential partner in romantic love, but the viewer gazes more at the other person’s body if he or she is feeling sexual desire. That automatic judgment can occur in as little as half a second, producing different gaze patterns. (more…)
A theoretical study led by the University of Exeter has shed new light on the conditions that lead to the evolution of spite or altruism in structured populations.
Understanding the way in which social behaviours such as altruism – when animals benefit others at their own expense – develop is a long-standing problem that has generated thousands of articles and heated debates.
Dr Florence Débarre of Biosciences at the University of Exeter led a study, published in Nature Communications, which presents a comprehensive framework that applies to a large class of population structures and identifies the crucial elements which support the evolution of social behaviour. (more…)
A region deep inside the brain controls how quickly people make decisions about love, according to new research at the University of Chicago.
The finding, made in an examination of a 48-year-old man who suffered a stroke, provides the first causal clinical evidence that an area of the brain called the anterior insula “plays an instrumental role in love,” said UChicago neuroscientist Stephanie Cacioppo, lead author of the study. (more…)
These findings won’t appear on any Hallmark card, but romantic love tends to activate the same reward areas of the brain as cocaine, research has shown.
Now Yale School of Medicine researchers studying meditators have found that a more selfless variety of love — a deep and genuine wish for the happiness of others without expectation of reward — actually turns off the same reward areas that light up when lovers see each other. (more…)
A three-minute cartoon video made by two UA graduate students is one of 10 finalists in the Ocean 180 Video Challenge, an outreach campaign designed to inspire scientists to communicate the meaning and significance of scientific research to a broader audience.
A science video disguised as a cartoon murder mystery has landed two University of Arizona marine ecology students among the top 10 finalists in the Ocean 180 Video Challenge, an outreach campaign designed to inspire scientists to communicate the meaning and significance of scientific research to a broader audience. (more…)
Kate Knuth blends a love of the outdoors with a life of public service
When Kate Knuth proclaims that she loves Minnesota and is dedicated to living and working here, you can hardly accuse her of living in a hometown bubble.
After all, Knuth studied at the University of Chicago, had an internship in Hawaii, earned a master’s degree at Oxford University, and took advantage of a Fulbright scholarship to sample life in Norway. (more…)
One in 10 people say February means the end for relationships gone bad — time to give Google the boot?
REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 4, 2013 — Tired of being let down in love on Valentine’s Day? According to a recent survey from Bing and Impulse Research Corp., a surprising one in 10 people have ended a relationship on arguably the most romantic day of the year. This year Bing is challenging people to reconsider their search habit and break up with Google. You wouldn’t keep dating someone who isn’t trustworthy, so why use a search engine known for serving its interests over your own? In fact, a whopping 85 percent of people report that trustworthiness is the most important trait in a mate, beating out good in bed, sense of humor and wealth. (more…)
