Uncommon science: eye-opening scientific findings and impressive technological advances. Interesting facts and thought-provoking theories about Human, Earth and the Universe
Some of the worst pandemics in history have taken millions of lives. What lessons have we learned from these horrible events? Understanding the history of the worst pandemics requires the ability to differentiate between the epidemic and pandemic in the definition. First of all, the epidemic is an outbreak of…
Willful ignorance is built on the deliberate avoidance of evidence that doesn’t match one’s existing beliefs. This can be a defense mechanism as it allows us to create a world we feel safe in, akin to confirmation bias. However, it is also often apparent in behavior that is socially harmful.…
If I asked you how a CD worked, how confident would you feel in explaining it to me? Let’s say from 1-10? A 7, 8 perhaps? Okay, go on then, explain it, but in so much detail that I completely understand. Not so confident now? We’re talking about a phenomenon…
In a world where everything inexorably requires us to speed up, most people’s intuition tells them that being faster is better. However, according to research, our intuition may not always be as good as we think it is. Moreover, thinking slow may have several benefits over fast thinking in a…
Over the years, I’ve worked in a lot of different jobs. From factory floors to secretarial roles, it doesn’t seem to matter which. There’s always one personality in the workplace that gets on everyone’s nerves. And that gave me an idea. There must be specific personality types in the workplace…
Intelligence and how we gain it has been a puzzle for centuries, but there are four theories in psychology I think you’ll find most interesting. Psychologists have been trying to define intelligence for centuries, but many disagree on what intelligence really is. This has led to the development of many…
Cognitive effects can distort the way you think, increase anxiousness, and lead to numerous other difficulties. However, they are usually thought patterns viewing reality in an inaccurate and, typically, negative way. An example might be thinking “I am the unluckiest person on the planet”. As a result of this sort…
Have you ever learned about a new word, fact, idea or product and subsequently see it everywhere around you? This curious cognitive effect is known as the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. So, is it just a coincidence? Or is there a scientific explanation behind this phenomenon? In this post, we take a…
