Science News for Writers

io9.gizmodo.com To many authors it appears designing a protagonist is a process of making them über-masculine, often to the point of parody.  What this research points out is that a man with a beard is seen by most women as a better match than the hyper-masculine.  Or the almost feminine.  A small point perhaps, but something to consider. How beardedness affects women's attraction to men "Extremely masculine and extremely feminine-looking males were least attractive." New research suggests that women tend to find beardedness attractive when judging long-term relationships, perhaps as a signal of formidability among males and the potential to provide direct benefits, such as enhanced fertility and survival, to females. For the study, investigators used computer graphic manipulation to morph male faces varying in facial hair from clean-shaven, light stubble, heavy stubble, and full beards, with additional differences in brow ridge, cheekbones, jawline, an...

www.uc.edu Should gay candidates come out of the (political) closet? Study says yes "LGBT elected officials make tremendous public servants because they are painfully aware of the impact policies have on people's lives." A political science researcher finds that the sexual orientation of LGBT candidates no longer poses an impediment to being elected to public office -- and, in some cases, may actually help them win.  Drastic shifts in public opinion in the last decade have seen an uptick in gay and lesbian candidates running for -- and winning -- public office as never before. But experts often advise even openly gay and lesbian candidates to downplay their sexual orientation or risk losing votes. Now, a new study by David Niven, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, calls that advice into question. The research suggests that not only does a gay or lesbian candidate's sexual orientation no longer pose a poli...

www.express.co.uk    Scene from the "Great fire of London" in ITV's new series Destruction of Old St Paul's Cathedral  highlights devastating impact of Great Fire of London “ Thus lay in ashes that most venerable Church, one of the  most antient pieces of early piety in the Christian world ”                                                                      – Writer John Evelyn, 7 September 1666 "Thus lay in ashes that most venerable Church, one of the most antient pieces of early piety in the Christian world," wrote John Evelyn in September 1666. On the 350th anniversary of the fire, to mark the occasion, the University of Leicester Special Collections has made available a number of contemporary eye-witness accounts held within the University archives that illust...

How many times have you watched a Superman film or TV show and found yourself almost screaming, "Clark Kent is Superman you dolt!"  Or have you actually screamed this, shocking everyone around you in the theater? I guess it's because we're in on the joke, whereas, at least according to this research, donning a pair of glasses can be an effective disguise.  Add a hat and a dorky expression, and Superman becomes Clark Kent and no body is the wiser. Here's the report. Now go try it.  Put a costume of some sort on over your Superman duds and see for yourself. *  *  *  *  * Scientists show that 'Superman' disguise could actually work Researchers at the University of York have shown that small alterations to a person's appearance, such as wearing glasses, can significantly hinder positive facial identification.  The research has the potential to contribute to future policies concerning photo identification, such as drivers' licences ...

Credit: © Marek / Fotolia  For many decades fear has been put forth as a hallmark feature of psycho- pathy, the impairments in which would lead to bold risk-taking behavior. Psychopaths feel fear but see no danger Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Radboud University Nijmegen found proof that psychopathic individuals can feel fear, but have trouble in the automatic detection and responsivity to threat. For many decades fear has been put forth as a hallmark feature of psychopathy, the impairments in which would lead to bold risk-taking behavior. Sylco Hoppenbrouwers (VU Amsterdam), Erik Bulten and Inti Brazil (Radboud University) reviewed theoretical and empirical brain and behavioral data pertaining to fear and psychopathy and found that psychopathic individuals have trouble detecting threats.  There was however little evidence that the conscious experience of fear was affected, indicating that the experience of fear may not be completely...

Credit: Images: mirellawalker.com   People who look cold and incompetent receive less support in situations of social exclusion than those who look warm and incompetent. Fair or unfair? Facial cues influence how social exclusion is judged People are often excluded from social groups. As researchers from the University of Basel report in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, whether un-involved observers find this acceptable or not may depend on the facial appearances of those excluded. The exclusion of cold and incompetent looking people is more likely to be accepted. Social exclusion -- be it at school, work or among friends -- is usually a painful experience for those affected. This behavior also often has a considerable effect on third-party observers: Bullying and ostracism with the aim to hurt the victims are seen as particularly unfair and morally unacceptable. However, in some cases, social exclusion is also perceived as justified. Groups are, f...

Dr Ciara Greene, University College Dublin This confirms the reason academics, scientists and reputable journalists don't print things without thoroughly confirming their sources. At least two sources for a piece of information before posting anything. When I see anything posted with only a single source, I discount it until I have a chance to confirm the story from other independent sources. I'm not alone in this, and this research clarifies why this is such an important practice. *  *  *  *  * The more we know, the easier we are to deceive Knowing a lot about a subject means you are more likely to have false memories about it. That is the paradoxical conclusion of research presented by Dr Ciara Greene from University College Dublin to the annual conference of the British Psychological Society's Cognitive Psychology Section in Barcelona. Dr Greene and Anthony O'Connell, then a Masters student at University College Cork, asked 489 participants to rank...