The bias may make it harder for depressed and anxious people to take a risk on a new relationship, job or other career opportunity.

Not only does hearing this statement lower IQ, it also makes people more aggressive, other studies have shown.

Two things which make you look more intelligent that you can do right now.

Your intelligence could influence how much alcohol you consume.

This positive personality trait linked to more suicidal thoughts and suicide itself.

TED Fellow and chemosensory researcher Paule Joseph unveils the hidden power of a sense that's too often overlooked: smell. She delves into the science behind smell — from how it evokes memory and emotion to its potential for early disease detection — and advocates for the creation of a baseline test for taste and smell that could open the door to more comprehensive health care.

Do you hate having your photo taken? Portrait photographer Teri Hofford is here to change your mind. She unpacks why you may think you look bad in photos — and how to boost your confidence for those moments captured on camera.

Ohio auditor Dave Yost, a Republican, says that virtual schools should be compensated based on what their students learn.

Neural responses are naturally variable from one moment to the next, even when the stimulus is held constant. What factors might underlie this variability in neural population activity? We hypothesized that spontaneous fluctuations in cortical stimulus representations are created by changes in arousal state. We tested the hypothesis using a combination of fMRI, probabilistic decoding methods, and pupillometry. Human participants (20 female, 12 male) were presented with gratings of random orientation. Shortly after viewing the grating, participants reported its orientation and gave their level of confidence in this judgment. Using a probabilistic fMRI decoding technique, we quantified the precision of the stimulus representation in the visual cortex on a trial-by-trial basis. Pupil size was recorded and analyzed to index the observer's arousal state. We found that the precision of the cortical stimulus representation, reported confidence, and variability in the behavioral orientation judgments varied from trial to trial. Interestingly, these trial-by-trial changes in cortical and behavioral precision and confidence were linked to pupil size and its temporal rate of change. Specifically, when the cortical stimulus representation was more precise, the pupil dilated more strongly prior to stimulus onset and remained larger during stimulus presentation. Similarly, stronger pupil dilation during stimulus presentation was associated with higher levels of subjective confidence, a secondary measure of sensory precision, as well as improved behavioral performance. Taken together, our findings support the hypothesis that spontaneous fluctuations in arousal state modulate the fidelity of the stimulus representation in the human visual cortex, with clear consequences for behavior.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma talks with the founder of the Girls Computing League about the promise of her generation

Hours after the Titanic sank, news organizations latched onto a telegraph message that seemed to say that the ship and all its passengers had been rescued. It would turn out to be a tragic case of fake news.

Winter in Washington, D.C. may be too warm for outdoor ice skating, so organizers at the National Zoo brought in a special kind of rink for their annual "Zoo Lights" celebration

Honeybees get a caffeine buzz and memory boost when they drink coffee nectar

It’s not the most urgent news story that’s gripped the world since 2020, but it might be the weirdest: The last three years have seen more 400 “encounters”— many reports have used the word “attacks”—between orca whales and boats in the Strait of Gibraltar. Because the orcas are particularly fond of tearing the propellers off of yachts, the temptation to characterize these six-ton, pack-hunting, demonstrably intelligent mammals as class warriors fighting back against the 1 percent is strong, and the memes have been fun (https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/orca-wars-killer-whales-attacking-boats) . But trying to understand animal behavior in human terms is a mistake. In this episode, we speak with Carlyn Kranking (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/author/carlyn-kranking/) , Smithsonian’s assistant digital science editor, about why stories about animal behavior are so popular with our readers, and how she decides which ones deserve more scrutiny. Then, I speak with Lori Marino, a biopsychologist with a specific focus on whale and dolphin intelligence, about what’s really happening between the orcas and the yacht set. Dr. Marino invites you to learn more about The Whale Sanctuary Project at their site (https://whalesanctuaryproject.org/about-the-whale-sanctuary-project/) . You can also see Dr. Marino in the documentary films Blackfish (2013), Unlocking the Cage (2016), and Long Gone Wild (2019). Find prior episodes of our show here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/podcast/) . And read the transcript of this episode here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/are-wild-animals-really-just-like-us-180982939/) . There’s More to That (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/podcast) is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Chris Klimek, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly. From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Genevieve Sponsler, Terence Bernardo, and Edwin Ochoa. The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales. Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson. Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Music by APM Music.

Last summer, news reports of orcas deliberately tearing the propellers off of yachts in the Strait of Gibraltar thrilled observers who were eager to cast these intelligent and social pack hunters as class warriors striking a blow for the “common mammals” against the one percent. That turned out to be wishful thinking, according to guest Lori Marino, a biopsychologist who studies whale and dolphin intelligence. She told us that these six-ton whales were just having fun—if they wanted to harm the occupants of those boats, we’d know it.  Even so, these encounters are becoming a predictable seasonal occurrence between the months of May and August: A 50-foot charter vessel sank after its hull and rudder were damaged in an orca encounter near the Strait of Gibraltar on May 12. So here again is our episode on the perils of assigning human motives to wild animals, featuring Marino and Smithsonian assistant digital science editor Carlyn Kranking. This episode was originally released in September 2023.   Dr. Marino invites you to learn more about The Whale Sanctuary Project at their site (https://whalesanctuaryproject.org/about-the-whale-sanctuary-project/) . You can also see Dr. Marino in the documentary films Blackfish (2013), Unlocking the Cage (2016), and Long Gone Wild (2019). Find prior episodes of our show here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/podcast/) . And read the transcript of this episode here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/are-wild-animals-really-just-like-us-180982939/) . There’s More to That (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/podcast) is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Chris Klimek, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly. From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Genevieve Sponsler, Rye Dorsey, and Edwin Ochoa. The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales. Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson. Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Music by APM Music.

A new “health check” for our planet sounds an alarm bell on rising ocean acidification, which is driven by carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere

"Frida: Beyond the Myth" aims to paint an intimate portrait of the artist through dozens of works created by Kahlo and photographs taken by her loved ones

A new study sheds light on the muscular, dexterous appendage, suggesting trunk wrinkles are more important than many people realize

The remains were discovered during excavations in 1938. Now, researchers have learned new information about his identity by analyzing DNA from his tooth

Hay River RCMP say they believe two weekend incidents, including one in which a person was shot, are linked to drugs and organized crime.

Team Reid Carruthers has started the search for a new second after Derek Samagalski's decision to step back from the Winnipeg-based rink.

What would you do if you'd just been dealt a devastating, extremely public defeat? If your answer is "drink wine in leggings," then Vice-President and former Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris can do you one better: Drink wine in leggings, sporting a messy bun, while playing Connect 4.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have released dashcam footage of a crash that sent two people to hospital in life-threatening condition, linked to an ongoing investigation into rocks being thrown at moving vehicles in the GTA.

The high cost of pet care can be an unfair burden to place on your family when you’re gone. Experts say you should set aside cash pet care expenses, and make sure you have a trusted beneficiary in your will.

The OCA's decision Friday to announce that Rachel Homan's team would only represent the province at the national championship if the skip wasn't picked for the Olympic mixed doubles team generated criticism from some corners and confusion from others.

Maker of NHL Hockey Boards Uses SolidWorks and Robotics to Speed Production by More than 60 Percent

Island Sky invents green humanitarian solution using SolidWorks 3D CAD and Simulation software

World's largest stainless steel residential sink maker standardizes on SolidWorks, cuts new product line design time in half

Trojan Technologies uses SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD and Simulation Software to Develop Disinfection Systems Based on UV Light

Apple is set to streamline its retail displays, making way for new Mac models by downgrading the Apple Vision Pro demo experience.

A Transform 2012 Dancelink team in Mondim, Portugal, clears the way for a Transform Transit team to see the Gospel bear fruit four months later.

The change to the Title II program will benefit Southern states, while Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania, among others, will see their allocations shrink.

With the Janus case looming before the Supreme Court, teachers' unions are knocking on doors to try to boost membership and mitigate financial loss.

A new nationally representative survey of teachers, principals, and district leaders offers key takeaways.

No studies sufficiently answer the question, finds the GAO, which means debates over whether newer restorative-justice approaches help or harm safety are likely to continue.

With the U.S. facing the largest pay gap between teachers and similar professionals of any country surveyed by the OECD, Marc Tucker asks when we will finally address the embarrassingly obvious.

Marc Tucker explores why and how U.S. teacher education is holding our teachers, the profession and our schools back.

Building off of his piece last week, Marc Tucker looks at how the economics of higher education and lacking state governance combine to weaken schools of education.

The Disney “Treasure” launched one of its lifeboats to help rescue four passengers after the U.S. Coast Guard received a call for help on Sunday morning that a 50-foot catamaran was sinking.

First- and second-year students are invited to attend sessions through Link Penn State to learn more about the change-of-campus process. 

Do we only see isolated radicalism, or can we see a beautiful destiny for Arabs as well?

During OM France’s last LinkUp, an interdenominational event for all teens and young adults in the Nantes region, OMers focused on the theme of sexuality.

Thinking logs incorporate both literacy and math skills by asking students to write complete sentences explaining how they solved an equation and arrived at a solution.

A consistent bedtime may be more important to a child’s ability to control their emotions and behavior than the duration or quality of their sleep, according to a new publication by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Penn State College of Medicine. 

Loneliness and cognitive performance were related in the short term for older adults, according to a new study from researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development.

When teachers have experienced stressful events in their own childhoods, it could shape the way that they build classroom climate for their students, a study suggests.

Educators for Excellence took the temperature of teachers across the nation on issues ranging from compensation to preparation to union membership.

One OM couple uses Transformation Prayer Ministry to help followers of Jesus in Central Asia find freedom from lies they have believed.