Questions about origins of human warfare continue to generate interesting theories with little empirical evidence. One of the proposed explanations is sexual selection theory. Within and supportive of this theoretical framework, the authors demonstrate a mating–warring association among young heterosexual men in four experiments. Male, but not female, participants exposed to attractive, as compared to unattractive, opposite-sex photographs were significantly more likely to endorse war-supporting statements on a questionnaire. The same mating effect was not found in answering trade conflict questions. Male participants primed by attractive faces or legs of young women were significantly faster in responding to images or words of war than those primed by unattractive faces or national flags. The same mating effect was not found in responding to farming concepts or general aggression expressions. Results underscore the link between mating and war, supporting the view that sexual selection provides an ultimate explanation for the origins of human warfare.

New research provides the first evidence that sensory recalibration — the brain’s automatic correcting of errors made by our sensory or perceptual systems — can occur instantly.

Bottling up emotions can make people more aggressive, according to new research. The psychologists used a pair of classic movie scenes in their research. They found that subjects who were asked to suppress their emotions and show no reaction to a notoriously disgusting scene in the 1983 film “The Meaning of Life” and another in the 1996 film “Trainspotting” were more aggressive afterwards than subjects who were allowed to show their revulsion.

A sleepless night can make us cranky and moody. But a lesser known side effect of sleep deprivation is short-term euphoria, which can potentially lead to poor judgment and addictive behavior, according to new research.

For elderly subjects at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, research shows that hope may lie in brain plasticity.

Methadone has been used to treat heroin addicts for nearly 50 years. Yet we have surprisingly incomplete knowledge about possible harmful effects from prolonged use. New research shows that methadone affects the brain and impairs the attention of experimental animals.

Asuragen, Inc. announced that they have achieved CE-marking and commercial launch in Europe of the AmplideX™ FMR1 PCR Kit for the detection of CGG repeats in the fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene. The AmplideX FMR1 PCR Kit is widely available through Asuragen’s recently established network of distributors in Europe…

A UT Dallas researcher is examining how children evaluate information to solve problems and learn how to think critically, with the aim of combating misleading advertising aimed at young people. Children’s lack of cynicism is refreshing to adults. But to navigate through life successfully, individuals must know how to differentiate between reliable and doubtful sources of information. Dr…

We hold many beliefs about memory – for instance, if you study more, you learn more. We are also constantly making judgments about particular instances of learning and remembering – I’ll never forget this party! That was easy to understand. I’ll ace it on the test…

The College strongly proposes to the Seanad members that rather than deleting section 59(1)(b) they propose an amendment to this section deleting the words “or unwilling” and that the other aspects of Section 59(1)(b) be retained in the legislation…