The entire industry of puzzle gaming is held up on the joy of problem-solving and the endorphin rush that is felt when a player suddenly figures it out. Science knows very little about that brief moment when we all just get it and in a new study, researchers have attempted to gain some insight by watching people have…
Brain-training programs like the ones offered by Luminosity and LearningRx claim to boost intelligence and even offset the effects of aging. A re-evaluation of the existing scientific literature on the matter shows these claims are complete bullshit.
Remember that mind-blowing scene in The Matrix when Neo had jiu-jitsu and kung fu uploaded directly into his brain? Researchers from HRL Laboratories are now saying they’ve developed a similar device that “teaches” pilots new skills. Too bad it’s bullshit.
Your education doesn’t have to stop once you leave school. We’ve put together a curriculum of some of the best free online classes available on the web this fall for the latest term of Lifehacker U, our regularly-updating guide to improving your life with free, online college-level classes. Let’s get started.
Your education doesn’t have to stop once you leave school. We’ve put together a curriculum of some of the best free online classes available on the web this summer for the latest term of Lifehacker U, our regularly-updating guide to improving your life with free, online college-level classes. Let’s get started.
If you’re interested in biology, or are just curious what humans have in common with a mushroom, or how a bacteria could possibly be related to dinosaurs, the NOVA Evolution Lab is a crash course. You’ll learn how living things are related, what DNA is and how it works, and hear from biologists working in the field.
Want to do the stuff you read about us doing? There's a practical approach to learning any new sport, one which breaks down the barriers, reduces risk and speeds the learning curve. It's what we do, and it should work for you too.
Dear Lifehacker,
I’m interested in getting a job as a programmer, but I don’t have any formal training. I heard boot camps can get me into a job in just a couple of months. They seem intense and expensive, though. Are they worth it?
Science fairs require more parental help and involvement than ever before, writes Hana Schank in The Atlantic. Filled with tales from the front lines, including the author's, the piece also explains the pros and cons of keeping this classroom tradition going.
Programming is one of the most valuable skills you can pick up in these modern times, whether for career prospects or to stretch your brain and create something awesome. If you're just getting started on your coding journey, here are ten tips and resources to set you off on the right foot.
There are many ways to learn about photography, not least of which are the vast depths of the internet, replete with tutorials and how-to videos. But getting past mere technical proficiency and learning valuable lessons about the art form isn't as easy as a Google search. Luckily, there are those old things called…
If you want to understand how different types of alcohol affect learning, ask a goldfish. That's what one Harvard Medical School researcher did in 1969, when he had them swim around in vodka and bourbon.
For the first time ever, scientists have witnessed the acquisition and spread of a new behavior — two new feeding methods — among wild chimpanzees. It's an 'extraordinarily rare' observation that points to the origins of social learning in both chimps and humans.
If you're looking for an exercise that's fun, interesting, and will work out your entire brain, grab an instrument and start playing.
Space is endlessly fascinating, but it can be difficult to know how to begin explaining its infinite vastness, especially to little ones. Enter the Orion A to Z—a colorful guide to space exploration put together by NASA.
You loved Reading Rainbow as a kid. Everyone did! But since the show went off the air in 2006, your ol' pal LeVar Burton's now trying to bring it back via the internet. He just needs a little Kickstarter help to do it.
Until now, humans have had one significant advantage over computers and robots: We meatbags were the only ones who could teach them how to function. Now, researchers at Washington State University have created computers that can teach other computers. And they're using Pac-Man to do it. Is nothing sacred?
People have been working on the concept of an electronic cap to supercharge your brain's learning ability for a while. But the one you see here, devised by a Vanderbilt team, has a funny (and potentially very abusable) trick: flip a switch, and it makes you more prone to mistakes and confusion. Don't show your…
Speed reading has long been a skill peddled by supposed experts, and recently a slew of cheap apps claiming to teach the technique have put it back in the spotlight. So, let's take a look at the claims of speed reading and if it's really possible to read 1,200 words a minute.
Have you ever been working on something, a special project or something outside the realm of normal day-to-day work stuff, and you find yourself totally stuck? As in, you have absolutely no idea what to do next? Google wants to help.
