How we distinguish between true and false in our daily lives

September 19th, 2009 LONDON - If you want to know if someone is telling you the truth, just go through his or her handwriting, say scientists in Haifa, Israel. According to psychologists, handwriting changes when someone lies, and this is so because the brain has to work harder to invent facts, which then in turn interfere with the normal writing process.

July 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new computer game prototype, called FunSAT, utilises human ability of intuition to help solve a fundamental problem underlying many computer hardware design tasks. The online logic puzzle combines work and play and could help integrated circuit designers select and arrange transistors and their connections on silicon microchips, among other applications.

July 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new computer game prototype combines work and play to help solve a fundamental problem underlying many hardware design tasks. Called FunSAT, it could help integrated circuit designers select and arrange transistors and their connections on silicon microchips, among other applications.

July 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Nearly all animals can detect light, thanks to three types of retinal cells that allow us to see images or distinguish between night and day. Now researchers have discovered in fish yet another type of cell that can sense light and contribute to vision.

July 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Rhesus monkeys and humans recognise faces the same way, according to the latest research. The study provides insight into the evolution of the critical human social skill of facial recognition, which enables us to form relationships and interact appropriately with others.

July 6th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Men who have sex daily, especially with younger women, are more likely to live longer, according to a new study. The study, conducted by researchers at Germany's Max Plank Institute, found that a man's chances of dying early are cut by 20 per cent if their bride is between 15 and 17 years their junior, reports the Daily Telegraph.

June 24th, 2009 Study: New radiation detectors not worth the costWASHINGTON — The government shouldn't buy more of the new radiation detection machines it's been developing to look for smuggled nuclear materials at ports, a report from the National Research Council says. The new machines are only marginally better at detecting hidden nuclear material than monitors already at U.S.

June 22nd, 2009 New detector not much better catching nuke matterWASHINGTON — Federal investigators say the government's next generation radiation detectors are only marginally better at detecting hidden nuclear material than monitors already at U.S. ports, but would cost more than twice as much.

June 21st, 2009 LONDON - A recent study shows that we use two separate processes to determine the subtle differences between true and false in our daily lives as opposed to previous views that true and false statements are both processed in the left inferior frontal cortex. According to researchers from the Universities of Lisbon and Vita-Salute, Milan, determining whether a statement is true involves memory and deciding whether one is false relies on reasoning and problem-solving processes.

May 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new technique tracks movement of freely moving single neutral atoms in real time, that is more than 99.7 percent accurate and sensitive enough to discern the arrival of a single atom in less than a millionth of a second. The system, developed by researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) in College Park and the Universidad de Concepcion in Chile, employs a novel means of altering the polarisation of laser light trapped between two highly-reflective mirrors, according to a JQI release.

May 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - People might one day be eating dog food, for a new study has found that it tastes as good as liverwurst or duck liver mousse. The researchers found that people can't differentiate in the flavour of dog foods with that of normal human foods.

April 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Physicists are using the phenomenon dubbed as 'spooky action' to distinguish between two similar quantum devices. 'Quantum ghosts' are far distant particles that can somehow 'talk' to each other, a theory put forward by famous scientist Albert Einstein, who called it 'spooky action at a distance'.

April 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Eva Mendes has advised women not to ignore themselves and add more pleasure into their busy lives. The 'Hitch' star was named the Global Pleasure ambassador of Magnum ice cream as she launched the world's largest survey on pleasure in Istanbul.

February 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers are working on tactile devices that can help the deaf to 'hear' -- through vibrations. Tactile devices translate sound waves into vibrations that allow the user to distinguish between vibratory patterns associated with different sound frequencies.

January 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - How reliable are eyewitness accounts, whose testimony is crucial to the outcome of many criminal trials? They can be easily confused, researchers say. For example, if someone witnesses a man in a blue pullover stealing something, then overhear people refer to a grey shirt, how likely is it that the eyewitness will remember the actual colour of the thief's pullover? Studies have shown that when people are imparted false information about an event, they become less likely to remember what actually happened - it is easy to mix up the real facts with fake ones.