Home | Academic subjects | Social sciences | Sociology & Psychology

Talking dirt     If you saw my picture alongside a statement made by somebody else, you'd still be more likely to attribute traits implied by the statement to me. You would do this even if you knew I was not associated with the statement. From By your words shall ye be judged http://whyfiles.org/shorties/inference.html

Nicotine junkies     Addiction. Still smoking that tobacco? In the midst of a battle royale over tobacco, nicotine and smoking, scientists have found striking evidence that heroin, cocaine and nicotine affect the same part of the brain. Statistics and information. From Smoke gets in your eyes http://whyfiles.org/024nicotine/

Things That Go Bump in the Night     Fear. What frightens you? That queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach is not an accident. It stems from a whole 'nother brain that's newly discovered, but with ancient roots. This brain helps you digest food - and feel fear. From The skull speaks http://whyfiles.org/026fear/

Science of Love     Love stinks. Learn why. Birds do it. So do snakes and moths. Is there an animal mating system? Following our noses? Rubbish! Love stinks. Matchmaker, matchmaker... Chocolate-flavored love. From Love is in the air http://whyfiles.org/033love/

Minding the Body     Emotions and Health. Surprising links between emotional well-being and physical health. Remember when "mind and body" were distinct? Today we know the mind affects the body and vice versa. From Emotional rescue http://whyfiles.org/039emotion/

Culture of Grief     Diana died. Millions wept. Behind the grief reaction. Grief is a process that changes our relation from "presence" to "memory." The grief of bereavement is indescribably painful. From Good grief http://whyfiles.org/048grief/

Learning language     New insights about our trademark trait. Where did our capacity for language originate? Many linguists, echoing the influential Noam Chomsky, argue that it's a uniquely human gift. From Blah, blah, blah http://whyfiles.org/058language/

When kids kill     Death at School. Why are kids killing kids? How dangerous are our schools? Some statistics and psychological speculation. From School violence http://whyfiles.org/065school_violence/

Refugees     Refugees' Anguish. What can we do to help? Healing victims of torture and refugees. In 1999, almost a million refugees left Kosovo, hounded by Serb soldiers, paramilitaries and police. From Tortured treatment http://whyfiles.org/085refugees/

Mothers play     A Vital Role, Scientists Say. "No Duh," Mom's Respond. How does early experience affect health later in life? How does parental behavior shape kids? What does stress have to do with it? From The Science of Mother's Day http://whyfiles.org/087mother/

Learning about learning     Can adult brains make new neurons? Until the last few years, neurologists who believed that new nerve cells appeared in brains of adult mammals were about as common as mint-green Nash Ramblers at used-car lots. From Yearning for learning http://whyfiles.org/093learn/

Heroes in the Ships: African Americans in the Whaling Industry     From Colonial times to the twentieth century, men of African ancestry were active in New England's whaling industry as sailors, blacksmiths, shipbuilders, officers, & owners. By the 1840s, black sailors constituted about one-sixth of the labor force; and by 1900, African Americans and Cape Verdeans had become a majority. From Kendall Whaling Museum / "Heroes in the Ships": African Americans in the Whaling Industry http://www.kwm.org/collections/exhibits/heroes/home.htm

Collapse: why do civilizations fall?     Explore the collapse of four ancient civilizations in order to understand what awaits our own. Learn what happens when a society collapses and how archaeologists find and interpret evidence. From Exhibits Collection -- Collapse http://www.learner.org/exhibits/collapse/

Tale of Three Cities     Examine details of a painting by René Milot that compares ancient Egypt, medieval Spain, and modern New York to see how life has changed - and hasn't. From Tale of Three Cities @ nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/3cities/

Andes Expedition: Searching for Inca Secrets     Virtual autopsy of the ice maiden that was killed five hundred years ago as a sacrifice to the gods in the Inca empire. The maiden's body preserved remarkably well. There is also a description of the expedition to the Andes led by Johan Reinhard, aimed to discover more Inca religious sites. Attractive graphics, but limited content. From Andes @ nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/andes/index.html

At the Tomb of Tutankhamen     Opening of the royal Egyptian sepulcher of Tutankhamen which contained the most remarkable funeral treasures. The account is given in the form of diary of the witnesses, which actually has appeared in the National Geographic earlier. Site also contains a list of resources about Egypt history. Limited content. From At the Tomb of Tutankhamen @ nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/egypt/index.html

Lewis and Clark Online Base Camp     Lewis and Clark's sitings on their way of exploring the west. Learn where they made stops and what they did. From Lewis & Clark @ nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisclark/index.html

Ice Treasures of the Inca     Climb Peru's Mount Ampato following the path of the ancient Inca in a re-creation of an actual expedition that took place in 1995. The site is done mostly in a narrative text format. From Ice Treasures of the Inca @ nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mummy/index.html

Inside the White House     Play a game of choices and learn what it is like to be a president in the Oval Office. From Inside the White House @ nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/whitehouse/noenter.html

Out of the Past     400 Years of Lesbian and Gay History in America. Articles and personal accounts. From PBS: Out Of The Past http://www.pbs.org/outofthepast/

Turn of the Century America     19th Century America history, nostalgia, news events, and ragtime music. From Turn of the Century America http://www.stormi.com/19century.html

Language of Love     In Victorian times, the rules of romance were quite different from today's dating guidelines. Here's a look at the code of etiquette that defined 19th-century courtships. One page site. Includes pleasant Ragtime music. From The Language of Love http://www.stormi.com/luv.html

Ad Graveyard     Real ads that almost ran. Gallery of real advertisements the clients were too scared to run. Humor, advertising, popular culture. From Jeffrey Zeldman Presents: The Ad Graveyard http://www.zeldman.com/ad.html

Calendars Through the Ages     Explore the fascinating history of the human endeavor to organize our lives in accordance with the sun and stars. Historical information and FAQ's on various calendars' years, months, and days of the week. Includes Julian, Gregorian, Jewish, Islamic, Chinese, Mayan, and others. From Calendars through the Ages - Home http://webexhibits.org/calendars/

Chauvet-Pont-d'arc Cave     Exceptional archeological discovery of a decorated cave. In 1995, fantastic Paleolithic Period cave paintings in the Ardèche gorges of France. Includes photos of several paintings and a discussion of the archaeological importance of the discovery. Also lists other significant French prehistoric finds. From ERROR http://www.culture.fr/culture/arcnat/chauvet/en/

Personality     What makes us who we are? Topics include: reputation, behavioral traits, environment and genes, and the evolution of human nature. Take a personality test or try a projective test to help better understand your own personality traits. From Annenberg/CPB Exhibits http://www.learner.org/exhibits/personality/

Country doctor     W. Eugene Smith's classic 1958 photo essay. Compelling black & white photographs and essay of the many facets of life for a country doctor in 1958. From W. Eugene Smith: Country Doctor http://www.life.com/Life/essay/country_doctor/

Freud: Conflict and Culture     Few figures have had so decisive and fundamental an influence on the course of modern cultural history as Sigmund Freud. Yet few figures also have inspired such sustained controversy and intense debate. Examines Freud's life and his key ideas and their effect upon the 20th century. From Sigmund Freud: Conflict & Culture (Library of Congress Exhibition) http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/freud/

Land of Genghis Khan     Great legend of Genghis Khan. View the map of his ancient empire. Learn about Mongolia today. From Genghis Khan @ nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/genghis/index.html

Exploring the Alien Abduction Phenomena: Kidnapped By UFOs?     Accounts of alien abduction. Read the experts' opinions about the abductions - some experts are believers, while others are skeptics. From NOVA Online/Kidnapped By UFOs? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/aliens/

Mysteries of Catalhoyuk     Mysteries of the Catalhoyuk, the site of an ancient city in Turkey. Look at the pictures of burials, and discuss your findings in the bone lab. Explore why the dead were buried in the floor of the house where people used to leave, and find out what people were eating for dinner 10,000 years ago. From Mysteries of Çatalhöyük http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/catal/top.html

Seeing, Hearing, and Smelling the World     Research and articles on the three best-known human senses: vision, hearing and smelling. Learn how humans see, how we hear and how we smell. From Seeing, Hearing and Smelling the World http://www.hhmi.org/senses/

Famous American trials     Contains accounts, maps, photos, transcript excerpts and other materials relating to famous American trials, including the Leopold & Loeb Trial, the Scopes Monkey Trial, the Andersonville Court Martial, the Scottsboro Boys Trials, the Haymarket Trial, The Lincoln Assassination Trials, the Manson Trial, the My Lai Courts-Martial, the Kelly Michaels Trial, and the Hauptmann (Lindbergh Kidnapping) Trial. From Famous Trials - UMKC School of Law - Prof. Douglas Linder http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm

Coffee     Coffee: legends, maps of coffee growing regions, different roasts, coffee. From Coffee @ nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/coffee/index.html

New York underground     New York's underground infrastructure that starts just below street level: power pulses, information flies and stream flows. Learn how it all happens there. From New York Underground @ nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/nyunderground/index.html

Buckminster fuller: Thinking out loud     Architectural and other inventions of the great Buckminster Fuller. An architect, designer, engineer, poet, philosopher, author and global iconoclast, Fuller was a true visionary, a Renaissance man best remembered as creator of the geodesic dome. Find out about the geodesic dome, dymaxion house, transport, megastructures and more. From www.pbs.org/wnet/bucky.cgi http://www.thirteen.org/bucky/