Make mistakes on purpose – it can dramatically boost your performance

“Deliberate erring” offers a surprising but effective way to enhance your memory and improve how you perform in many unexpected areas of life, says David Robson Humans | Columnist 9 March 2022 By David Robson Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images A man of genius makes no mistakes,” James Joyce wrote 100 years ago. “His errors are … Read more

Congress poised to boost U.S. science funding, launch new health agency | Science

U.S. research agencies would get budget boosts of roughly 5% this year under a final 2022 spending bill that congressional leaders unveiled early today and hope to pass in the next few days. But those amounts fall far short of aspirational funding levels for several science agencies that Congress is weighing under separate legislation now … Read more

Lose yourself: How transcendent experiences can boost your well-being

A growing body of evidence suggests that doing things that make your sense of self fall away can make people happier, less stressed and even kinder to others. Here’s our short guide to achieving this state Health 2 March 2022 By Jess Craig Simon Shim/Unsplash A FEW years ago, psychiatrist Roland Griffiths published the results … Read more

Why are efforts to boost the small number of Black U.S. physicists failing? | Science

This story is part of a special package about the barriers Black physicists face and potential models for change. Read more C. Smith/Science In the 1990s, physics departments at U.S. universities faced an existential crisis. The number of undergraduate physics majors had plummeted by 25% over 10 years, prompting fears that many departments might disappear … Read more

Widely available supplement may explain brain boost from exercise | Science

A good workout doesn’t just boost your mood—it also boosts the brain’s ability to create new neurons. But exactly how this happens has puzzled researchers for years. “It’s been a bit of a black box,” says Tara Walker, a neuroscientist at the University of Queensland’s Brain Institute. Now, Walker and her colleagues think they have … Read more

Science is increasingly revealing how we can boost our happiness

Kseniia Zagrebaeva “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These are three unalienable rights emphasised by the US Declaration of Independence as being the duty of their leaders to protect and secure. The third one gives perhaps most pause for thought. What should governments – and all of us – be doing to maximise societal … Read more

The happiness revolution: How to boost the well-being of society

We now know that economic growth doesn’t necessarily translate into greater well-being. A closer look at Nordic countries such as Finland reveals surprising truths about what really makes a happy society and how other governments can emulate their success Humans 19 January 2022 By David Robson Matt Dartford IF YOU want to maximise your chances … Read more

Fairywrens: Australian birds can nest out of breeding season to boost numbers

Purple-crowned fairywrens are more flexible in their breeding behaviour than we thought, which has helped the bird population to grow in one wildlife sanctuary in Western Australia Life 5 January 2022 By Chen Ly Purple-crowned fairywrens in the Northern Territory, Australia Wayne Lawler/Australian Wildlife Conservancy For the second year in a row, researchers have spotted … Read more