Although “yellow journalism” is probably as old as journalism itself (the term itself dates back to the Pulitzer vs Hearst circulation wars of the mid-1890’s), the rise of the internet has taken inaccurate, sensationalist news stories to epidemic levels. If you’re on social media, you’ve probably seen at least one relative posting and spreading doubtful news stories from equally dubious sources. Unfortunately, lies are catchy. Lies that have been carefully formulated to fuel

If you’ve ever read a psychology textbook, you’re probably familiar with the tragic and infuriating story of Kitty Genovese, a 28-year-old New Yorker who in 1964 was stabbed to death near her building in full view of 38 bystanders, none of whom lifted a finger to intervene. This is the birth of the psychological term “bystander effect”: a situation wherein the larger the number of witnesses, the less likely they are to help, and the only problem with this origin story is that

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the father figures in our lives—and in the lives of mammals, evolutionarily speaking. Having a huge brain (proportionate to our bodies, at least) comes with its share of hazards. For instance, we must emerge into the world with gigantic heads, and all that grey matter requires so much energy that our young aren’t capable of much more than crying and pooping. The mother of any baby primate typically does her fair share to tend to that helpless