Science News for Writers

Based on this research, it appears that a tiny change on the molecular level in the brain cells of babies can lead to all sorts of psychiatric problems later in life.  Drinking, physical abuse, drug use or illness in the mother, all can cause illnesses such as schizophrenia and some forms of autism and bipolar disorders for a fetus.  We're talking of changes of the most basic chemical type within the developing fetal cells of a newborn leading to a lifetime of mental issues. This information, perhaps not directly related to a character in your story, can help you understand how this person became the way they are.  In the debate of nature versus nurture, it appears that nature is the culprit.  This asks the question, "can talk therapy cure such a disease when its cause is genetic?"  I can't answer this. From a human standpoint, since the stem cells of people with a psychiatric problem were used to make this "diagnosis", is there hope that a stem cell t...

What a cool headline. I'll admit I don't read much literary fiction, usually the Booker Prize winner of the year, or books of like credential.  Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Jack London and similar writers are more my speed. But I certainly understand the importance of this research to supporters of teaching reading as a leisure activity, as well as to the authors of literary works. Here's the full press release: *  *  *  *  * Heated debates about the quantifiable value of arts and literature are a common feature of American social discourse. Now, two researchers from The New School for Social Research have published a paper in Science demonstrating that reading literary fiction enhances a set of skills and thought processes fundamental to complex social relationships -- and functional societies. Ph.D. candidate David Comer Kidd and his advisor, professor of psychology Emanuele Castano performed five experiments to measure the effec...

Have you ever known or known of an abused woman, and wondered why she won't leave him? It may be because of a pet. Jennifer Hardesty, associate professor of human development and family studies at the University of Illinois, discovered when she interviewed women victims of domestic violence that 34 percent of women delayed leaving out of concern for their pets because their abuser had threatened and harmed the animals in the past.  " He made me stand there and . . . watch [him kill my cat]. And he was like: That could happen to you ." ~ Study participant Admittedly Hardesty's sample size was small, 19 women, but it does point out a somewhat unexpected complication in these stories of abuse, which could make an interesting and educational plot twist in your next story. "For abused women, a pet can be a treasured source of unconditional love and comfort -- maybe even protection -- in a time of transition. Many are strongly bonded to their animals...

An experienced novelist or screenwriter will tell the neophyte considering writing a book or screenplay, "understand your characters by working out their backstories first". I came across this study from 2008 earlier today on Science Daily, the results of which offer insight into rigid or male dominated cultures, whether in the third world or in various corners of our own country. Strict Societies Foster Violent Drinking Cultures Countries with strict social rules and behavioral etiquette such as the United Kingdom may foster drinking cultures characterized by unruly or bad behavior, according to a report on alcohol and violence released today by International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP). The report lists 11 cultural features that may predict levels of violence such as homicide and spousal abuse. Violence-reinforcing cultures tend to share the following features: Cultural support (in media, norms, icons, myths, and so on) for aggression and a...

You're working up the back story of a commitment phobic character, someone who is attracted to but can't let him or herself get close to another, more commitment-comfortable character in your story. This brings up the question, is commitment-phobia genetic? If genetic, is there much one can do to learn to open up and trust? Or is commitment phobia a learned behavior?  And if learned, what can a person do to overcome this hurdle?  Here's a bit of science you may find very useful: according to research published  in 2012 in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, commitment phobia is a behavior learned at the hands of emotionally distant parents, which gives you a model for piecing together your character's back stories as well as the personalities of your character's parents and siblings. Here's the complete story from December, 2012: 'Commitment-Phobic' Adults Have Mom and Dad to Blame Afraid to commit to a relation...

" Our model predicts that the conflict will be stronger when fathers rather than mothers control (family) resources ." The conflict between parent and child over the child's choice of a mate has long been fodder for soap operas, horse operas and opera operas. Also romantic comedies, drama and tragedies. It may even play out in your life, as a child or as a parent. Have you ever wondered why this is?  I mean, how this standard conflict between parents and children came to be?  Even why in some cultures arranged marriages are the only option?  Yes, this is great fodder for the writer, but why is this such an ancient and universal theme? An evolutionary explanation to this age-old conundrum is offered in a study published today, September 20, 2013 in the journal Evolution & Human Behavior, written by Dr. Tim Fawcett, a research fellow in Bristol's School of Biological Sciences.  As Dr. Fawcett notes, " I...

It's a base assumption in our society that we all have freedom of choice to love or hate, whether people, products or anything else.  New research shows that you and I are actually following a script, that when we each love or hate, we're simply are doing what we are predisposed to do. Freedom of choice apparently doesn't exist, at least according to this research.  Here's an edited version of the press release, parsed according to my predispositions and not my freedom of choice. Why Do Haters Have to Hate? Newly Identified Personality Trait Holds Clues New research has uncovered the reason why some people seem to dislike everything while others seem to like everything. Apparently, it's all part of our individual personality -- a dimension that researchers have coined "dispositional attitude." People with a positive dispositional attitude have a strong tendency to like things, whereas people with a negative dispositional attitude have a str...

Smart people are just as racist as their less intelligent peers -- they're just better at concealing their prejudice, according to a University of Michigan study. "High-ability whites are less likely to report prejudiced attitudes and more likely to say they support racial integration in principle," said Geoffrey Wodtke, a doctoral candidate in sociology. "But they are no more likely than lower-ability whites to support open housing laws and are less likely to support school busing and affirmative action programs." He analyzed data on the racial attitudes of more than 20,000 white respondents from the nationally representative General Social Survey. He examined how their cognitive ability, as measured by a widely used test of verbal intelligence, was linked with their attitudes about African-Americans, and about different policies designed to redress racial segregation and discrimination. Respondents were about 47 years old at the time of the interview, o...

I remember the 1966 movie, "Fantastic Voyage", starring Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brien, and Donald Pleasence.  The idea was to shrink a submarine and crew to microscopic size so they could save the life of some politico.  The main image I retain is Raquel Welch (left) in a skin-tight suit that is stripped down to the minimum by rampaging and probably sexist, male white blood cells.  The rest of the story remains a blank. Well, the concept has come true in a way with a new image-guided surgical system under development at Vanderbilt University. It employs steerable needles about the size of those used for biopsies to penetrate the brain with minimal damage and suction away the blood clot that has formed. The story goes on to describe this as a high-tech method to remove blood clots from a patient's brain after they suffer a life threatening embolism.  Now, instead of suction tubes, how about electrodes or a tip tha...

Any writer worth his or her syntax how should be considering how global warming and the resulting change in our climate impacts the story and plot.   This includes the positions taken by deniers and the political debate that swirls around the topic.   I'm not going to take a stand on this other than to say that researchers have determined that the less a person knows about global warming and climate change, the more likely they are to deny the science behind the phenomenon. They are something like the old 19th Century "Know-nothing" political party in the U.S. which took the position toward slavery and their rapidly changing economy, "If I keep my head in the sand, maybe it will go away."  It didn't, as you know.   Unfortunately, it looks we're just at the beginning of the impacts.  Consider these three releases from August 1st of this year, and think of how these results can impact your characters and your story lines. *  ...

Tennessee Williams in his cups. A often cited quote from Ernest Hemingway, known for his drinking. Why have so many writers been alcoholics and addicts? A new book, The Trip to Echo Spring: Why Writers Drink, by Olivia Laing, just published in England by Canongate and to be published in America in December by Picador, explores the lives of many well known authors. To order The Trip to Echo Springs from Powells Books, the world's largest single site new and used bookstore, click on the image below: Trip To Echo Spring: Why Writers Drink by Olivia Laing

An article in the July 19, 2013 online edition of the Economist notes that police records and surveys of victims across Europe and North America show crime against the person and against property falling over the past ten years.  Even falling dramatically. In America the fall began around 1991; in Britain it began around 1995, though the murder rate followed only in the mid-2000s. In France, property crime rose until 2001—but it has fallen by a third since. Some crimes are all but disappearing. In 1997, some 400,000 cars were reported stolen in England and Wales: in 2012, just 86,000. Why?  The experts are divided in explaining the decline, but it appears to be a combination of better policing, better  awareness of crime prevention by the population, and certain demographic changes. To read the entire Economist Article:  Falling crime Looking for a woman war hero to write about or fictionalize?  In the same issue of the economist is the ...

It's the basis of the Bourne Identity series by Robert Ludlum: a man awakens not knowing who or where is he.  It's called Transient Global Amnesia , a temporary total loss of memory, a device often used in fiction. Just to prove that this fictional reality exists in our world, consider the American who wakes up with amnesia speaking Swedish.  In fact, the man claims he cannot remember anything of past life after being found unconscious in a motel room in Palm Springs.  Michael Boatwright, 61, woke up with amnesia, calling himself Johan Ek, the Desert Sun reported. Boatwright was found unconscious in February, and was transported to the Desert Regional medical center.  Hospital officials believe Boatwright may have been in town for a tennis tournament in the Coachella valley. He was found with a duffel bag of exercise clothes, a backpack and tennis rackets. He also carried a passport, a California identification card, a veteran's medical car...

Much is made of the influence of the Star Trek series on developing technology from warp drive to the now ubiquitous cell phone (the inventor of which admits Star Trek's communicators gave him the idea.) But wait, a new study tells us there's more.  A symbiotic relationship of sorts between our CIA and Ian Fleming's James Bond. When it comes to developing cool spy toys, it seems Fleming's James Bond books and movies were years ahead of our own CIA in spy gadgets.  And, that the real-life CIA copied outlandish gadgets from Goldfinger and From Russia With Love, according to a University of Warwick analysis of declassified letters and interviews revealing the bond between Ian Fleming and Allen Dulles. However the relationship between the former CIA director and the spy thriller writer went far deeper than raiding the novels for technological inspiration. Through Dulles, the agency actively leaned on the British author to paint it in more positive light at a time w...

Impulsive Murderers Much More Mentally Impaired Than Those Who Kill Strategically The minds of murderers who kill impulsively, often out of rage, and those who carefully carry out premeditated crimes differ markedly both psychologically and intellectually, according to a new study by Northwestern Medicine® researcher Robert Hanlon. "Impulsive murderers were much more mentally impaired, particularly cognitively impaired, in terms of both their intelligence and other cognitive functions," said Hanlon, senior author of the study and associate professor of clinical psychiatry and clinical neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "The predatory and premeditated murderers did not typically show any major intellectual or cognitive impairments, but many more of them have psychiatric disorders," he said. Published online in the journal Criminal Justice and Behavior, the study is the first to examine the neuropsychological and intelligenc...