top story in The Cocktail Napkin
Women Eye Dance Moves to Find Thrill Seekers
How to spot thrill-seeking men on the dance floor, “sweet” personalities in public, and bidding fever on eBay.
Does This Make My Antenna Look Big?
Researchers mix technology with fashion, analyze a pharaoh’s skin condition, measure the smarts of Scrabble players, and more in this edition of Miller-McCune’s “Cocktail Napkin.”
As if Commercials Weren’t Bad Enough Already
Do we really need to smell the items featured in TV programming? A materials expert has created a function for your TV or portable device that can generate thousands of odors.
The Exploitation of Muggles in Harry Potter’s World
In this edition of The Cocktail Napkin, we look academics’ fixation on the social and economic problems in the world of Harry Potter, and how music festivals impact the psychological and social well-being.
New Dinosaur Gets a Rather Large Name
As if being wiped out by a meteor wasn’t degrading enough, a charismatic dinosaur discovered in Utah gets a less-than-flattering name.
Time for Robin Hood to Make a Comeback
Researchers from Nottingham University Business School say their survey proves it’s time for the city to re-embrace its most famous, albeit probably mythical, hero.
Standing in Alcohol Won’t Get You Drunk
Newsflash: Submerging your feet in alcohol doesn’t get you intoxicated. It only helps you dodge the “Less Filling/Tastes Great” debate. Sorry, Denmark.
College Guys Will Remember the Pretty Ones
In a recent experiment, women who showed interest in college-aged men were more likely to be remembered if they were deemed attractive.
Next They’ll Tell Us Germs Can Dance
Researchers discover very specific patterns in the movement of bacteria, which has important implications for the treatment of infections.
archive
Debunking Theories of a Terrorist Power Grab
A Penn State power-system expert cites laws of physics to pull the plug on worries that a terrorist attack on a minor substation could bring down the entire U.S. electric grid.
Researchers Tackle the ‘Hipster’ Phenomenon
Researchers tap the indie marketplace to learn more about hipsters, who don’t think of themselves as hipsters despite their obvious hipsterness.
Study: Canadian Parents Enforce Fewer Rules
In comparison to French and Italian parents, Canadians deemed most tolerant, according to study.
Use the Phone While Driving, Get Dumped
Study says using a cell phone while driving causes communication breakdowns that could cause misunderstandings and hurt relationships.
Get Plenty of Sleep Before Imitating Rock Gods
Paper reveals that players of a popular video game increase their performance when they’ve had a full night of rest.
Putting Climate Researchers Under the Microscope
Scientists who argue for human-caused climate change published twice as many papers and are cited 64 percent more often than researchers who doubt climate change.
‘House,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Violate Codes of Conduct?
Researchers analyzing episodes of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and Fox’s “House” determine the hospital dramas are “rife” with incidents that violate professional codes of conduct.
Skateboarders Try Riskier Tricks for Women
Researchers find that skateboarders will take more risks with their tricks and boast higher testosterone levels when women are present.
The Grandson’s Inheritance: Grandpa’s Walker
Researchers find a link between hip fractures in grandfathers and reduced bone size in their grandsons. Plus, see what happens when pop culture and academics collide …
Build Strong Bones With … Beer?
Scientists say the dietary silicon in beer boosts bone density, and moderate consumption might help fight osteoporosis.
related to The Cocktail Napkin
politics
- House Puts Transportation in Partisan Crossfire
- Overseas Troops Finally Get Fair Shot at Voting
- Pirate Party Docks at Berlin’s Parliament
- Conservatives’ Politics of Fear a Biological Response
- Who Owns Government-Funded Research Papers?
business
- The Perceived Delicacy of the Female Conductor
- Prop Planes: The Future of Eco-Friendly Aviation?
- House Puts Transportation in Partisan Crossfire
- A Perennial Epicenter, Now for Same-Sex Marriage
- Prop 8 May Be Same-Sex Couples’ Least Worry
science
- EarthScope: A Seismic Shift in Data Gathering
- Why Robot Maids Won’t Do the Dishes
- 20,000 Robots Under the Sea
- Teens Weigh Ethical Animal Research Dilemmas
- Animal Research’s Changing Equation
culture
media
- Bitter About Your Life? Blame Facebook
- Miller-McCune’s Top Stories of 2011
- Pop Charts Still Dominated by Men
- Searing Look at Rio’s Homicidal Police
- PBS to Show ‘Where Soldiers Come From’
legal affairs
- A Perennial Epicenter, Now for Same-Sex Marriage
- Prop 8 May Be Same-Sex Couples’ Least Worry
- Five Orcas, Five Slaves or Five Persons?
- California’s Medical Marijuana Morass
- The FCC and Indecency: Here We Go Again
environment
- Quake Rescues Reserve, Shakes Baja Fishing Town
- Children’s Books Increasingly Ignore Natural World
- Conservation’s Earnest Message Could Use Levity
- Traffic Solution: Make Drivers Less Lonely
- Street Makeovers Put New Spin on the Block
health
follow us on:
join our newsletter:
most viewed
-
Children’s Books Increasingly Ignore Natural World
-
Casual Sex: Men, Women Not So Different After All
-
Prop Planes: The Future of Eco-Friendly Aviation?
-
Are Some Airlines Just Too Dangerous to Fly?
-
Pressure to Conform Can Inspire Creativity
-
Japan's Earthquake: Deciphering the Fury
-
Five Orcas, Five Slaves or Five Persons?
-
The Real Science Gap
-
Learning to Read When a School System Falters
-
The Perceived Delicacy of the Female Conductor
from the source
Gender Wage Gap Skewed By Survey Flaws
The wage gap between the sexes in America has been closing much faster than anyone realized, but that’s tempered by learning it’s been much wider than measurements had shown.
‘Orcas as Slaves’ Argument Sinks
An effort to identify five performing orcas as slaves failed in part, argues one scholar, because there’s no legal precedent establishing them as persons.
The Perceived Delicacy of the Female Conductor
New research finds listeners judge symphonic music differently when they’re told the conductor is a woman.
House Puts Transportation in Partisan Crossfire
Transportation used to be one of the few guaranteed areas of agreement when ideology trumped pragmatism in D.C. But that’s no longer the case.
Pressure to Conform Can Inspire Creativity
New research suggests less-creative people do more innovative thinking when they are told individualism is the norm, and instructed to conform.
Better Super Bowl Makes for Better Ads
A lot of people say they watch the Super Bowl mostly for the ads. But it turns out a good game surrounding those ads makes them seem better.
Overseas Troops Finally Get Fair Shot at Voting
After decades of obstacles hindering the voting process, new laws will allow overseas and military voters to submit their votes in time for the 2012 election.
Neglected Tropical Diseases Neglected No More?
World health leaders announce coordinated push to eradicate or control neglected tropical diseases.
Children’s Books Increasingly Ignore Natural World
A survey of award-winning children’s picture books from 1938 to 2008 suggests our increasing estrangement from the natural environment.
Traffic Solution: Make Drivers Less Lonely
Rather than moaning about too many cars on the road, the Ridesharing Institute says the real key to battling traffic congestion and pollution is filling empty passenger seats.
Hall of fame
Slugging — The People’s Transit
In Washington, D.C., commuters have taken thousands of cars off highways via a homegrown rideshare system known as “slugging.” Can the government create more slugs — without stepping on any?
Bacteria ‘R’ Us
Emerging research shows that bacteria have powers to engineer the environment, to communicate and to affect human well-being. They may even think.
A New Take on Political Ideology
An evolutionary psychologist proposes a new framework for understanding the root causes of our political beliefs.
The Real Science Gap
It’s not insufficient schooling or a shortage of scientists. It’s a lack of job opportunities. Americans need the reasonable hope that spending their youth preparing to do science will provide a satisfactory career.
Triumph of the Cyborg Composer
David Cope’s software creates beautiful, original music. Why are people so angry about that?
