July 21, 2011

Editor's Selections: Effects of Quality of Life, Google and Memory, Language, and Bears

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

One of my other homes online is at ResearchBlogging.org where I serve as the Social Sciences Editor. Every Thursday, I select notable research posts in anthropology, philosophy, social science, and research/scholarship, and in addition to the RB News page, I share my selections here on AiP. Here are the picks for this week:

Is there a connection between quality of life and atheism? At Evolving Economics, Jason Collins discusses a paper that examines superstition and uncertainty in some interesting examples (e.g., "men and women become more religious when they view pictures of attractive same-sex mating competitors, another possible case of uncertain outcomes"), leading to the conclusion that rates of atheism will rise as developing countries establish themselves and uncertainty about daily life decreases.

While we seem to be sure that our relationship with technology will have resounding effects, we're still trying to determine what those effects will be and how they will unfold. To this end, the Neurocritic expertly dissects a study on memory in a Google-centric world. While it ultimately seems to offer commentary on our attention spans more so than memory, it illustrates just how complicated our relationship with technology is.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

At Language on the Move, Ingrid Pillar takes issue with a campaign to encourage migrants to learn German. The campaign takes a derogatory tone and implies that "laziness" is the reason why migrants in particular have a hard time with German. Ingrid shares with readers some of the reasons why language can be difficult to acquire in a migration setting and emphasizes the need for bilingual tolerance.

Do bears need paternity tests? Kevin Zelnio of EvoEcoLab uses this question to generate a discussion about making research relevant to everyone. As concerns about funding for research grows, it's more important than ever to encourage a more general understanding of and interest in science.

I'll be back next week with more from the social sciences.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American