Social Sciences

Latyr Sy, a Senegalese percussionist and singer, was one of 75 researchers who played music for the study.

Why Do Humans Sing? Traditional Music in 55 Languages Reveals Patterns and Telling Similarities

In a global study, scientists recorded themselves singing and playing music from their own cultures to examine the evolution of song

New research suggests that male bonobos exhibit aggressive behaviors such as chasing, charging, hitting and kicking more often than scientists thought.

Male Bonobos, Close Human Relatives Long Thought to Be Peaceful, Are Actually Quite Aggressive, Study Suggests

The new research found bonobos were three times more likely than chimpanzees to commit an act of physical aggression

Researchers found that lyrics in each of five popular music genres were becoming more repetitive and charged with negative emotions.

Song Lyrics Have Become Angrier, Simpler and More Repetitive, Scientists Find

An analysis of more than 12,000 rap, pop, country, rock and R&B songs from the past 50 years shows more emotional and straightforward lyrics

Asian elephants were observed burying calves between 3 months and 1 year old that had died after experiencing infections and malnutrition.

Asian Elephants Bury Their Dead, New Research Suggests

In India, five dead calves were found buried on their backs in irrigation ditches, with evidence that multiple herd members had participated in the burials

Jackdaws are social birds that mate for life and breed in colonies.

These Birds Will Switch Companions to Earn Food but Stick With Family, Study Suggests

Jackdaws, cognitively complex relatives of crows, have intricate social dynamics and mate for life

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Western Australia

Male Dolphins Have (Lots of) Wingmen

To find a mate, male dolphins work together in complex social networks that dwarf those of any other animal, except humans, study finds

Shania Twain performs during the Zurich Film Festival in September 2021. 

What Do Pop Stars Have That One-Hit Wonders Don't

A new study finds that artists who had creative portfolios before an initial hit were more likely to continue creating hits

High social media use may simply be a coping mechanism, rather than a cause, of adolescents' mental health challenges. 

Negative Effects of Social Media May Impact Adolescent Girls and Boys at Different Ages

A new study suggests certain 'windows' of development when youngsters appear most sensitive to technology

Smog hangs over downtown Los Angeles, here in 2019. A new study found links between heavy air pollution and historical redlining in urban areas.

Redlined Neighborhoods Have Higher Levels of Air Pollution, Study Suggests

A new analysis documents a link between discriminatory housing practices and local air quality

Many people think that liars will give themselves away through nervous mannerisms like shrugging, blinking or smiling. But the scientific evidence tells a different story.

Why You Can't Spot a Liar Just by Looking

Psychologists say you can't confirm deception by the way a person acts—but experts are zeroing in other methods that might actually work

A new study finds most conversations don't end when we want them to.

Most People Don't Know When to Stop Talking, According to Science

A new study finds folks are pretty bad at guessing whether to wrap up a chat or keep talking

This year's top ten titles explore the cosmos, fear and cleanliness alongside narratives about owls, fish and eels.

The Ten Best Science Books of 2020

New titles explore the mysterious lives of eels, the science of fear and our connections to the stars

Older people tend to believe that younger generations lack whatever traits they themselves possess in abundance.

The Psychology Behind Generational Conflict

Older people have groused about younger people for millennia. Now we know why

Bonobo Mothers Interfere in Their Sons' Monkey Business

They find suitable mates for their offspring and chase away intruders once the mating begins, boosting fertility rates

Woman arranging bric-a-brac in her Arizona home circa 1940

How America Tidied Up Before Marie Kondo

From the Progressive Era's social hygiene movement to Netflix self-help reality television

Male Gorillas That Babysit End Up With Larger Brood of Their Own

Male gorillas that participated in child-rearing were also more successful breeders

Michael D’Antuono, "The Talk"

NYC Pop-Up Exhibition Traces Broken Windows Policing’s Toll

The show explores how the policing of minor crimes has caused an uptick in racial profiling, particularly targeting African American and Latino communities

A mesmerizing murmuration of starlings

Your Hysterical Tweet About That Spider in Your Sink Could Prove Useful for Science

A new study suggests mining social media for phenology data is fairly reliable and could assist researchers tracking how rapidly the world is changing

Tools Offer More Complex, Cooperative Picture of Easter Island Society

Basalt axes from one quarry area indicate cooperation between clans, not warfare over resources as previously hypothesized

Scientists don full-body suits to minimize contamination and disturbance of the precious artifacts uncovered in the 1617 church in Jamestown, Virginia, where a new skeleton awaits identification.

A Jamestown Skeleton is Unearthed, but Only Time—and Science—Will Reveal His True Identity

Jamestown Rediscovery archeologists use new technology to uncover the bones of one of the first English colonists

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