study news stories on Newser

Buying Organic Turns You Into a Jerk

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:31:17 CDT

Ever encountered a snotty attitude at an organic food stand? It makes sense psychologically, according to a new study that analyzed how people reacted after looking at different kinds of foods, MSNBC reports. "There's something about being exposed to organic food that made them feel better about themselves," says study...

Key to Weight Loss: Stop Eating at Night

Kevin Spak — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:36:36 CDT

Want to lose weight, but can't bear to give up french fries? Well, there might be a "diet" of sorts that lets you indulge—provided you do it early. A new study has found that eating early, and then fasting at night, could be a powerful weight-loss strategy, the LA...

Left Side of Your Face Looks a Lot Better

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:00:05 CDT

Your left profile is the hot one, apparently. Researchers at Wake Forest University devoted time to the issue by asking 37 college students to rate 20 faces in photos, and found they preferred those showing their left sides, Huffington Post reports. "Our results suggest that posers' left cheeks tend to...

Which Country Believes in God Most?

Kevin Spak — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:23:53 CDT

If religion were a contest, the Philippines would be winning. A whopping 94% of people in the Philippines believe in God, making it the most faithful country on the planet, or at least, among the 30 countries included in a new University of Chicago study. But almost all the nations...

Living Together No Longer Jinxes Marriage

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:35:05 CDT

Living together before getting hitched no longer spells doom for married couples, says a new government study. In the late '60s, a mere 10% of American couples shared a place before marriage, and their divorce rates were higher, writes AP . Now, around 60% of couples move in together before tying...

Study Finds Arsenic in Baby Formula, Cereal Bars

Kevin Spak — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:02:05 CST

A new study has found troubling levels of a kind of arsenic known to cause cancer in infant formulas and cereal bars that contain organic brown rice syrup. Arsenic is often found in rice, because rice absorbs the toxin from the soil, the LA Times explains. The study tested 17...

Malaria Kills Twice as Many as We Thought: Study

Kevin Spak — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:07:27 CST

Health officials have been vastly underestimating the number of people who die of malaria every year, because they've largely ignored its adult victims, according to a new report published in the Lancet . The actual death toll for 2010, according to its estimate, was 1.24 million, nearly twice the World...

Stradivarius' Powers Just a Musical Myth

Kevin Spak — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:10:05 CST

They’re famed far and wide as the finest violins on the planet (one recently sold for $16 million) , but do Stradivarius violins actually sound better? A study suggests they don’t, NPR reports. Researchers assembled a group of six violins—two Stradivariuses, a Guarneri, and three modern violins—and invited a...

Biblical Angels Were Just 'Lucid Dreams'

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:42:22 CST

What if Biblical characters who saw angels were all simply dreaming? Researchers in Los Angeles tested that theory by asking participants to re-enact the experience of Elijah, the prophet who was awakened by an angel carrying much-needed bread and water. Following instructions, volunteers at the Out-of-Body Experience Research Center tried...