People unsure of own beliefs less likely to entertain opposing views

September 6th, 2009 LONDON - Are you feeling powerless as a parent? Then, here's some food for thought: a new research has claimed that a mother's beliefs even before her baby is born predict how well her infant will sleep at night later. According to researchers in Israel, if an expectant mum thinks that babies who cry at night are suffering distress and need comforting and soothing back to sleep, then her newborn is likely to wake more frequently during the night than if she believes babies should learn to settle themselves.

August 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The U.S.-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) expressed deep grief at the death of Senator Edward Kennedy. Dr. Bharat Tewarie, USINPAC leadership committee member from Massachusetts said, "Senator Kennedy was the senior statesman of American politics with a public service record of nearly half a century.

July 29th, 2009 NC Republican Burr will vote against SotomayorWASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Richard Burr says he will vote against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

July 22nd, 2009 HYDERABAD - A group of rationalists gathered here Wednesday morning to not just watch the longest solar eclipse of the century but also tuck into breakfast in an attempt to remove superstitious beliefs from the minds of people. While the dark clouds blocked the view of the partial eclipse, they went ahead with their meal on the banks of the picturesque Hussain Sagar Lake in the heart of the city to prove a point.

July 22nd, 2009 CHENNAI - Joggers on the Chennai beach were surprised to see dolphins swimming and jumping very near the shore early Wednesday, the day of the century's longest eclipse, even as Dravida Kazhagam cadres ate food in public to debunk superstition linked to the celestial event. As news about the dolphins being close to shore spread, a large number of people gathered on the beach to enjoy seeing them swim.

July 22nd, 2009 Medical examiners in DC unsure how 4 girls diedWASHINGTON — Two D.C. medical examiners say they are unsure how four girls found decomposing in a row house died.

July 14th, 2009 Sotomayor vows to use even hand in judging casesWASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has vowed to not let her personal views affect how she would rule on cases from the nation's highest court. In an exchange with the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday, Sotomayor said she believes comments she has made about the value of life's experiences have been misinterpreted by her critics.

July 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - People swim in a sea of information, but filter out most of what they see and hear. A new analysis of dozens of studies shows that while people tend to avoid information that contradicts what they already think or believe, certain factors, however, can cause them to seek out, or at least consider, other points of view.

June 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - An international study involving more than half a million participants in 34 countries has revealed that about 70 per cent people harbour implicit stereotypes linking science with males more than with females. Reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study has also shown that in countries whose citizens stereotyped most strongly, boys achieved at a higher level in eighth-grade science and maths.

May 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - College students' views about evolution and creationism are usually shaped by what their high school biology teachers teach them in class, a new University of Minnesota (UM) study claims. In the study, co-authors Randy Moore and Sehoya Cotner, professors in the College of Biological Sciences, surveyed 1,000 students taking introductory biology classes at UM to learn how biology majors view evolution compared to non-majors.

April 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - American model Shanna Moakler has decided to make it very clear that she was "hurt and upset" by first runner up in Miss USA 2009 pageant Carrie Prejean's comment about gay and lesbian marriage. Moakler, 34, was upset by Prejean saying that a "marriage should be between a man and a woman", and she has decided to make a stand for what she believed in - the right for gay and lesbian couples to marry.

April 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Few Americans are actually at odds with many of President Barack Obama's specific positions, despite majority of them believing that the Obama Administration has performed its best in foreign policy in its first 100 days. The latest FOX News poll finds a majority of Americans (55 percent) think Barack Obama has done the right thing in his diplomatic dealings with unfriendly dictators like Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.

April 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's pledge to "seek a new way forward" with the Muslim world is an important goal, say most Americans. According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, though nearly half hold negative views about Islam and a sizable number say that even mainstream adherents to the religion encourage violence against non-Muslims, they feel it is important for Obama to try to improve U.S.

March 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Wishful bettors, who make overly optimistic investments, not only harm themselves financially but contaminate the entire markets as well, say researchers. The research team from the University of Texas at Austin and Cornell University showed how wishful betting could harm beliefs throughout markets, as other market participants assume that wishful bettors possess more favourable information than they do.

February 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - While science is only nibbling at the edges of the stuff dreams are made of, different cultures believe that they embody hidden truths, according to newly published research. In six different studies, researchers asked 1,100 people about their dreams.