Sure, smartphones and smartphone apps can waste our time and bring out the worst in people, but they can most definitely also be a force for good: They can educate, inform, and inspire. With that in mind we’ve put together a list of our favorite apps that can teach you something new every day, in small, easily…
At Bay Elementary in San Lorenzo, California, fans and Otter pops are common purchases for teachers alongside crayons, pencils, and construction paper. The school has no air conditioning, and temperatures in the East Bay can crank up into the 90s at the beginning and end of the school year. The blacktop that surrounds…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
When you're starting out in photography, with your shiny new DSLR, the world of lenses can be complex and scary place: prime this, wide angle that, and what the hell is focal length anyway? Don't worry! This video should have you covered.
Despite having spent late nights ruminating over stupid things you've said, it is actually possible to make yourself forget bad memories. In fact, not only is it possible, but the brain actually has two very different systems for doing it.
Researchers have proved that people can be conditioned with behaviors in their sleep — and then exhibit those same behaviors when they're awake, without any memory of the earlier training. While there's some suggestion this could lead to methods of learning information in your sleep, the potential for night-time…
Did you know the first metal detector was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1881 in order to extract a stray bullet from President James Garfield's back? This is the kind of interesting innovation revealed in IBM Think, a free app that maps out the roots of technological advances.
Everybody knows that sleep helps our brains sort out, reorder and make sense of all the information it consumes during the day. But now a team of neuroscientists has shown that it's possible to continue learning through the night, too. Here's how you can give it a try.
Advertisement
