Category: Culture & Community

A new study at Vanderbilt University indicates that the "rewards" for aggressive behavior involve some of the same brain functions as sex, drugs and (presumably) rock 'n' roll.

New research from Vanderbilt University shows for the first time that the brain processes aggression as a reward - much like sex, food and drugs - offering insights into our propensity to fight and our fascination with violent sports like boxing and football.

With Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, Professor Steve Gimbel of Gettysburg College looks at the ins and outs of flirting.

Love is in the air as Valentine's Day nears, and Gettysburg College philosophy professor Steve Gimbel is offering some ethical and practical advice on flirting to those of the faint of heart.

"Flirting is an art form. The accomplished flirt knows when to be subtle and when to be blunt," Gimbel said. "But the game can be dangerous, especially if you are involved with someone. Does your lover have a right to be pissed at you for flirting? Like so much in ethics, the answer is it depends."

Celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Hayden Panettiere, 50 Cent, Raul Julia-Levy and Paul Rubio call for the release of Lolita from a Miami Seaquarium by joining forces with the Orca Network. The exploitation of Lolita has continued for over 30 years as she lives in solitary confinement at the seaquarium. The celebrities are giving a voice to Lolita's plight.

Celebrities from all facets of the entertainment industry have pooled together to fight for the release of a captive L pod orca whale named Lolita. According to the Orca Network, actors, producers, singers and philanthropists have volunteered as spokespersons for the campaign to release Lolita from the Miami Seaquarium to her native habitat in the Pacific Northwest after 37 years of captivity.

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Lolita at the Miami Seaquarium.

Scientists long have focused on how climate and vegetation allowed human ancestors to evolve in Africa. Now, University of Utah geologists are calling renewed attention to the idea that ground movements formed mountains and valleys, creating environments that favored the emergence of humanity.

Scientists long have focused on how climate and vegetation allowed human ancestors to evolve in Africa. Now, University of Utah geologists are calling renewed attention to the idea that ground movements formed mountains and valleys, creating environments that favored the emergence of humanity.

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Nahid and Royhan Gani, geologists at the
University of Utah's Energy and Geoscience
Institute, stand on the Ethiopian Plateau near
the Gorge of the Nile, which was carved by
Africa's Blue Nile River. The Ganis are studying
the timing of the canyon's incision to learn
more about how movements of Earth's crust
are related to human evolution.

The National Wildlife Federation has teamed up with NatureFind to make it easy for you to get in touch with nature in your neighborhood.

It’s December 27 and cabin fever has set in. The out-of-town relatives are driving you crazy, the fridge is down to egg nog and a left-over cheese ball, you’ve run out of batteries, the cat has knocked most of the ornaments off the tree, the kids are reeling from their candy cane sugar buzz, three new toys have already broken. HELP! How can you escape?

Resting in less than 10 feet of Caribbean seawater, the wreckage of Quedagh Merchant, the ship abandoned by the scandalous 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd as he raced to New York in an ill-fated attempt to clear his name, has escaped discovery -- until now.

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IU marine protection authority Charles Beeker examines possible wreckage from Capt.
Kidd's Quedagh Merchant.

An underwater archaeology team from Indiana University announced today the discovery of the remnants. IU marine protection authority Charles Beeker said his team has been licensed to study the wreckage and to convert the site into an underwater preserve, where it will be accessible to the public.

What should a family understand if a child or relative chooses to disclose their sexual orientation during the annual holiday gathering or decides to reveal more about his/her experiences as a gay or lesbian person?

What should a family understand if a child or relative chooses to disclose their sexual orientation during the annual holiday gathering or decides to reveal more about his/her experiences as a gay or lesbian person? Rather than see the news as a ‘bombshell,’ perhaps they should view it as an unexpected gift, says psychologist Robert-Jay Green, PhD. Green is executive director of the Rockway Institute, a national center for science and LGBT public policy at the California School of Professional Psychology, a part of Alliant International University in San Francisco.

Although it's long been thought that the ancient Mayans had a tax and tribute system, new evidence suggests that they enjoyed a robust market economy.

Coaxing answers from 1500-year-old clues hidden in soil clumps, a team of archaeologists and environmental scientists identified a marketplace in an ancient Maya city, calling into question archaeologists’ widely held belief that people of the era relied on rulers to tax and re-distribute goods, rather than trading them with one another.

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Then-BYU graduate student Chris Jensen samples soil at an ancient Maya site in Mexico
that he and his collaborators demonstrated was once a marketplace.

The Ginger Ninjas kick off the Pleasant Revolution, leave their Northern California homes, bound for the South of Mexico on a 5,000 mile human powered concert tour; Band will tour by bicycle, carry their instruments and new 1000-watt human powered sound system.

Hey ya'll! We're outta here. Wanna come along? Following a whirlwind odyssey on the Clif Bar's 2-Mile Challenge, The Ginger Ninjas, along with Shake Your Peace!, photographers, journalists, radio programmers, and a slew of road warriors, are laying rubber to the road.

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Mass of bicycles.

There are some interesting tidbits on this significant holiday of the year—Thanksgiving! Some are fun to note, while others would be a tad helpful to improve your general knowledge. But for one, you’ll thoroughly enjoy the Thanksgiving trivia that follows. So enjoy and share some trivia today!

What comes to your mind when you think of Thanksgiving? The big fat golden-brown turkey? Grandma's pumpkin pie? Or the oh-so-nice cranberries and corn-on-the-cob? Well well, all these ARE a major part of the Thanksgiving holiday. But there's even more to this wonderful occasion of Thanksgiving! The holiday of Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the beauty and bounty around us, our marvelous friends and family, the gift of their love and many more such good things that we are thankful for ! Celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in November, the spirit of Thanksgiving Day sets the tone for a grand and joyous season. Now share some interesting trivia associated with the Thanksgiving holiday. Like most trivia, the Thanksgiving trivia is just as much a fun read. Check these out: