https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/strange_offbeat/education_learing/ Quirky stories about education and learning issues in health, technology, environment, and society. en-us Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:47:48 EDT Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:47:48 EDT 60 https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/strange_offbeat/education_learing/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251129044502.htm Five hundred years ago, a Bible accidentally printed with a backwards map of the Holy Land sparked a revolution in how people imagined geography, borders, and even nationhood. Despite the blunder, the map reshaped the Bible into a Renaissance book and spread new ideas about territorial organization as literacy expanded. Over time, sacred geography evolved into political boundary-making, influencing not only early modern thought but modern attitudes about nation-states. Sun, 30 Nov 2025 09:01:30 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251129044502.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251001092238.htm Gaslighting, often seen as a form of manipulation, has now been reframed by researchers at McGill University and the University of Toronto as a learning process rooted in how our brains handle prediction and surprise. Instead of merely being explained through outdated psychodynamic theories, this new model highlights how trust and close relationships can be exploited by manipulators who repeatedly undermine a person’s confidence in their own reality. Thu, 02 Oct 2025 08:27:26 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251001092238.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250505170644.htm Neuroscientists are developing methods to map the brain systems that allow us to recognize and get around our world. Mon, 05 May 2025 17:06:44 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250505170644.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250424120758.htm Mind blanking is a common experience with a wide variety of definitions ranging from feeling 'drowsy' to 'a complete absence of conscious awareness.' Neuroscientists and philosophers compile what we know about mind blanking, including insights from their own work observing people's brain activity. Thu, 24 Apr 2025 12:07:58 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250424120758.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250422132018.htm With the assumption that students are going to use artificial intelligence and large language models such as ChatGPT to do their homework, researchers set out to learn how well the free version of ChatGPT would compare with human students in a semester-long undergraduate control systems course. Tue, 22 Apr 2025 13:20:18 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250422132018.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250127124201.htm The world of quantum physics is experiencing a second revolution, which will drive an exponential leap in the progress of computing, the internet, telecommunications, cybersecurity and biomedicine. Quantum technologies are attracting more and more students who want to learn about concepts from the subatomic world -- such as quantum entanglement or quantum superposition -- to explore the innovative potential of quantum science. In fact, understanding the non-intuitive nature of quantum technology concepts and recognizing their relevance to technological progress is one of the challenges of 2025, declared the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by UNESCO. Mon, 27 Jan 2025 12:42:01 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250127124201.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250123113100.htm Researchers have derived a formula for viral behavior in the Wild Cards, a science fiction series written by a collection of authors about an alien virus called the Wild Card that mutates human DNA. The formula he derived is a Lagrangian formulation, which considers the different ways a system can evolve. It's also a fundamental physics principle, which also makes the fictional example a powerful teaching tool. Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:31:00 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250123113100.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250121162108.htm Do speakers of different languages build sentence structure in the same way? In a neuroimaging study, scientists recorded the brain activity of participants listening to Dutch stories. In contrast to English, sentence processing in Dutch was based on a strategy for predicting what comes next rather than a 'wait-and-see' approach, showing that strategies may differ across languages. Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:21:08 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250121162108.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/11/241105114201.htm Explaining a theoretical science concept to high school students requires a new way of thinking altogether, which is precisely what researchers did when they orchestrated a dance with high school students at Orange Glen High School in Escondido as a way to explain topological insulators. Tue, 05 Nov 2024 11:42:01 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/11/241105114201.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241009121555.htm Parents seeking help in encouraging toddlers to be physically active may soon need to look no further than an inexpensive robotic buddy for their kids, a new study suggests. Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:15:55 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241009121555.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241002104856.htm 'Future You' is a generative AI tool that enables users to have a simulated conversation with a potential version of their future selves. The chatbot is meant to reduce users' anxiety, improve positive emotions, and guide them toward making better everyday choices. Wed, 02 Oct 2024 10:48:56 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241002104856.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240424160228.htm A university professor has found a way to help students -- and himself -- power through long lecture classes: exercise breaks. A new study showed that five-minute exercise sessions during lectures were feasible and that students reported positive impacts on their attention and motivation, engagement with their peers and course enjoyment. Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:02:28 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240424160228.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240305134220.htm Sprinting 'like a jet plane taking off' will help produce Premier League star strikers of tomorrow, new research has revealed. A new study of Tottenham Hotspur's academy has shown that just a few words can instantly boost sprinting speed by 3 per cent over 20 meters. It would normally take weeks of targeted training to achieve such a large increase. Tue, 05 Mar 2024 13:42:20 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240305134220.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240207120510.htm A teacher's gender and comfort with technology factor into whether artificial intelligence is adopted in the classroom, as shown in a new report. Wed, 07 Feb 2024 12:05:10 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240207120510.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240123122240.htm A research team announced they have identified the principle by which musical instincts emerge from the human brain without special learning using an artificial neural network model. Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:22:40 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240123122240.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231204135235.htm The sound a disc makes while soaring through the air is full of information about how fast the disc is flying and how quickly it spins. This inspired Kyle S. Dalton of Penn State University to combine disc golf and acoustics into an interactive acoustic signal processing lesson. He set three microphones in a line and connected them to equipment that converts each microphone's signal to a data point. Then he threw a disc with a small whistle mounted on top and recorded the flying disc's acoustical signal. The resulting dataset can be used to learn basic processing tools and practice data visualization. Mon, 04 Dec 2023 13:52:35 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231204135235.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231030110814.htm Researchers in the field of human-technology interaction have demonstrated how a custom-built 'data-to-music' algorithms can help to better understand complex data. The transformation of digital data into sounds could be a game-changer in the growing world of data interpretation. Mon, 30 Oct 2023 11:08:14 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231030110814.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731110750.htm The artificial intelligence language model GPT-3 performed as well as college students in solving certain logic problems like those that appear on standardized tests. The researchers who conducted the experiment write that the results prompt the question of whether the technology is mimicking human reasoning or using a new type of cognitive process. Solving that question would require access to the software that underpins GPT-3 and other AI software. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:07:50 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731110750.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230615183122.htm Numerous visual illusions are caused by limits in the way our eyes and visual neurones work -- rather than more complex psychological processes, new research shows. Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:31:22 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230615183122.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221021132720.htm By embracing a broader definition of learning that includes any behavioral adaption developed in response to regular features of an environment, researchers could better collaborate across the fields of psychology, computer science, sociology, and genetics, according to a new Perspectives on Psychological Science article. Fri, 21 Oct 2022 13:27:20 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221021132720.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220505143721.htm Researchers have uncovered how signals from a group of neurons in the brain's frontal lobe simultaneously give humans the flexibility to learn new tasks -- and the focus to develop highly specific skills. Thu, 05 May 2022 14:37:21 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220505143721.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220303141209.htm A physics professor has developed an innovative activity that poses the question: Is Usain Bolt faster than a 900-pound dinosaur? Thu, 03 Mar 2022 14:12:09 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220303141209.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220223111245.htm A professor has used Minecraft to teach a class on the history and culture of modernity. The course was based entirely within the game server, with instructions, in-class communication and course work almost exclusively carried out within the Minecraft world and over the messaging app Discord. This new pedagogical framework presented the researchers with the opportunity to see how the students used the game to achieve academic goals. Wed, 23 Feb 2022 11:12:45 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220223111245.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211006160046.htm Using data from NASA OSIRIS-REx mission, scientists concluded that asteroids with highly porous rocks, such as Bennu, should lack fine-grained material on their surfaces. Wed, 06 Oct 2021 16:00:46 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211006160046.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210610091052.htm Children with reading and writing difficulties who are presented with text on screens with flickering white noise both read better and remember what they have read better, according to a Swedish-Norwegian study. Thu, 10 Jun 2021 09:10:52 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210610091052.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210609115555.htm New research has revealed that people with the ability to visualize vividly have a stronger connection between their visual network and the regions of the brain linked to decision-making. The study also sheds light on memory and personality differences between those with strong visual imagery and those who cannot hold a picture in their mind's eye. Wed, 09 Jun 2021 11:55:55 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210609115555.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210430093230.htm Researchers developed new synaptic transistors that can mimic the human brain's plasticity by simultaneously processing and storing data. After connecting transistors into a device, researchers conditioned it to associate light with pressure -- similar to how Pavlov's dog associated a bell with food. Fri, 30 Apr 2021 09:32:30 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210430093230.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210304161103.htm With the help of about 200 human puzzle-takers, a computer model and functional MRI images, researchers have learned more about the processes of reasoning and decision making, pinpointing the brain pathway that springs into action when problem-solving goes south. Thu, 04 Mar 2021 16:11:03 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210304161103.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210113120700.htm Many students, especially non-science majors, dread chemistry. The first lesson in an introductory chemistry course typically deals with how to interpret the periodic table of elements, but its complexity can be overwhelming to students with little or no previous exposure. Now, researchers introduce an innovative way to make learning about the elements much more approachable -- by using 'pseudo' periodic tables filled with superheroes, foods and apps. Wed, 13 Jan 2021 12:07:00 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210113120700.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200812144012.htm Researchers describe an alternative way to engage students: a virtual game, modeled on an escape room, in which teams solve chemistry problems to progress and 'escape.' Wed, 12 Aug 2020 14:40:12 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200812144012.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200629120227.htm Students can hide their ignorance and answer questions correctly in an exam without their lack of knowledge being detected by teachers -- but only in the quantum world. Mon, 29 Jun 2020 12:02:27 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200629120227.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200608104724.htm Telepresence robots help university students learning remotely to feel more a part of the class, new research suggests. Mon, 08 Jun 2020 10:47:24 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200608104724.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200602110128.htm Some people look at an equation and see a bunch of numbers and symbols; others see beauty. Thanks to a new tool, anyone can now translate the abstractions of mathematics into beautiful and instructive illustrations. The tool enables users to create diagrams simply by typing an ordinary mathematical expression and letting the software do the drawing. Tue, 02 Jun 2020 11:01:28 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200602110128.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200521083626.htm Researchers have found that in a structured group drumming task aspects of participants' heart function synchronized. In a subsequent improvisational drumming task, groups with high physiological synchrony in the structured task showed more coordination in drumming. The data show that behavioral synchronization and enhanced physiological synchronization while drumming each uniquely predicts a heightened experience of group cohesion. Additionally, higher physiological synchrony predicts enhanced group performance in a subsequent, different group task. Thu, 21 May 2020 08:36:26 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200521083626.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191209110513.htm People who play drums regularly for years differ from unmusical people in their brain structure and function. The results of a new study suggest that they have fewer, but thicker fibers in the main connecting tract between the two halves of the brain. In addition, their motor brain areas are organized more efficiently. Mon, 09 Dec 2019 11:05:13 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191209110513.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191015115356.htm When it comes to being willing to explore more efficient options to solving a problem, monkeys exhibit more cognitive flexibility than humans, according to a new study. Tue, 15 Oct 2019 11:53:56 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191015115356.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191007153437.htm A study of US labor data suggests AI is already taking 'thinking economy' jobs from humans, and this trend will grow in the future. This will push more people into 'feeling economy' jobs that require things like interpersonal relationship skills and emotional intelligence. Mon, 07 Oct 2019 15:34:37 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191007153437.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190819175719.htm Neuroscientists have created interactive maps that can predict where different categories of words activate the brain. Their latest map is focused on what happens in the brain when you read stories. Mon, 19 Aug 2019 17:57:19 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190819175719.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190710103231.htm Mathematics is seen as the pinnacle of abstract thinking. But are we capable of filtering out our knowledge about the world to prevent it from interfering with our calculations? Researchers have demonstrated that our ability to solve mathematical problems is influenced by non-mathematical knowledge, which results in mistakes. The findings indicate that high-level mathematicians can be duped by some aspects of their knowledge about the world and fail to solve primary school-level subtraction problems. Wed, 10 Jul 2019 10:32:31 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190710103231.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190626125000.htm Students think it is instructors' responsibility to ensure they don't surf the web in class, according to a new study. Wed, 26 Jun 2019 12:50:00 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190626125000.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190404114434.htm Does [a:] as in 'baa' sound more green or more red? And is [i:] as in 'beet' light or dark in color? Even though we perceive speech and color are perceived with different sensory organs, nearly everyone has an idea about what colors and vowels fit with each other. And a large number of us have a particular system for doing so. Thu, 04 Apr 2019 11:44:34 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190404114434.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190403165844.htm The French government is launching a new standard for keyboard layouts in France. The position of the letters (A-Z) will remain the same, but special characters like accents and punctuation marks are moving and many more are added to better support typing French and boost usability and speed. Wed, 03 Apr 2019 16:58:44 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190403165844.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190325164228.htm Imagine that you live in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, you're a pint-sized primate with enormous eyes and you look a little like Gizmo from the movie, 'Gremlins.' You're a tarsier -- a nocturnal animal whose giant eyes provide you with exceptional visual sensitivity, enabling a predatory advantage. A new virtual reality (VR) software, Tarsier Goggles, simulates a tarsier's vision and illustrates the adaptive advantage of this animal's oversized eyes. Mon, 25 Mar 2019 16:42:28 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190325164228.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190131113837.htm Researchers showed that we can acquire the vocabulary of a new language during distinct phases of slow-wave sleep and that the sleep-learned vocabulary could be retrieved unconsciously following waking. Memory formation appeared to be mediated by the same brain structures that also mediate wake vocabulary learning. Thu, 31 Jan 2019 11:38:37 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190131113837.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181210150622.htm The human brain needs to suppress obvious ideas in order to reach the most creative ones, according to scientists. These obvious associations are present in both convergent thinking (finding an 'out-of-the-box' solution) and also in divergent thinking (when individuals have to come up with several creative ideas). Mon, 10 Dec 2018 15:06:22 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181210150622.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181022141509.htm The way we breathe may affect how well our memories are consolidated (i.e. reinforced and stabilized). If we breathe through the nose rather than the mouth after trying to learn a set of smells, we remember them better. Mon, 22 Oct 2018 14:15:09 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181022141509.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180815154454.htm Young children are significantly more likely than adults to have their opinions and decisions influenced by robots, according to new research. Wed, 15 Aug 2018 15:44:54 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180815154454.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180809175051.htm A fantastical scenario involving a space-exploring robot crashing on a distant planet is the premise of a video game developed for middle schoolers by researchers to study whether video games can boost kids' empathy, and to understand how learning such skills can change neural connections in the brain. Thu, 09 Aug 2018 17:50:51 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180809175051.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180723142907.htm New research in humans demonstrates the potential to improve memory with a non-invasive brain stimulation technique delivered during sleep. The results come from a project that aims to better understand the process of memory consolidation, which could translate into improved memory function in both healthy and patient populations. Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:29:07 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180723142907.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180628151752.htm As demonstrated in a series of new studies, researchers show that as the prevalence of a problem is reduced, humans are naturally inclined to redefine the problem itself. The result is that as a problem becomes smaller, people's conceptualizations of that problem become larger, which can lead them to miss the fact that they've solved it. Thu, 28 Jun 2018 15:17:52 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180628151752.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180613162613.htm Researchers conducted one of the first in-depth analyses on whether people learn better through virtual, immersive environments, as opposed to more traditional platforms like a two-dimensional desktop computer or hand-held tablet. The researchers found that people remember information better if it is presented to them in a virtual environment. Wed, 13 Jun 2018 16:26:13 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180613162613.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180420131436.htm A professor has used video games to teach Italian, allowing his students to master two semesters worth of language acquisition through one intensive class for students new to the Italian language. Fri, 20 Apr 2018 13:14:36 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180420131436.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180403140403.htm Despite seeing it millions of times in pretty much every picture book, every novel, every newspaper and every email message, people are essentially unaware of the more common version of the lowercase print letter 'g,' Johns Hopkins researchers have found. Tue, 03 Apr 2018 14:04:03 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180403140403.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180205134251.htm Spending too much time in dimly lit rooms and offices may actually change the brain's structure and hurt one's ability to remember and learn, indicates groundbreaking research by neuroscientists. Mon, 05 Feb 2018 13:42:51 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180205134251.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180103111407.htm Most people think of vision as simply a function of information the eye gathers. For cognitive psychologists vision is a little more complicated than that. One researcher now faces head-on the notion that her experimental subjects have been victims of a psychological phenomenon called response bias. She employed a classic, action-specific experiment involving a video game familiar to children of the 80s: Pong. Wed, 03 Jan 2018 11:14:07 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180103111407.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171113111058.htm Neuroscientists call for ethical guidelines to cover the evolving use of computer hardware and software to enhance or restore human capabilities. Mon, 13 Nov 2017 11:10:58 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171113111058.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171110133145.htm Recalling the names of old classmates 50 years after graduation or of favorite childhood television series illustrates the amazing abilities of human memory. Emotion and repeated exposure are both known to play a role in long-term memorization, but why do we remember things that are not emotionally charged and have only been seen or experienced a few times in the past? To answer this question, scientists decided to challenge the memory of individuals they had tested in the laboratory a decade previously. They discovered that participants recognized images seen for only a few seconds ten years earlier. Fri, 10 Nov 2017 13:31:45 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171110133145.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171009154941.htm Two brain regions -- the medial frontal and lateral prefrontal cortices -- control most executive function. Researchers used high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS) to synchronize oscillations between them, improving brain processing. De-synchronizing did the opposite. Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:49:41 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171009154941.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170724105105.htm Drinking alcohol improves memory for information learned before the drinking episode began, new research suggests. Mon, 24 Jul 2017 10:51:05 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170724105105.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170706121204.htm Manipulating the pulses of electrical activity in the thalamus during non-REM deep sleep make mice remember or forget. Thu, 06 Jul 2017 12:12:04 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170706121204.htm