Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) Discoveries

NSF's public investment in science, engineering, education and technology helps to create knowledge and sustain prosperity. Read here about the Internet, microbursts, Web browsers, extrasolar planets, and more... a panoply of discoveries and innovations that began with NSF support.

Showing: 1-18 of 18 | Search Discoveries

		2007: Year in Review A look back at some of the NSF-supported advances and activities reported last year Released  January 30, 2008
		Seafood Makes Waves: Humans Leave Home Shellfish allowed humans to relocate to Australia and New Guinea 40,000 years earlier than first thought Released  October 17, 2007
		Modern Technology Reveals Ancient Footpaths Buried in 2,500 Years Worth of Volcanic Ash Central-American villagers created sacred burial customs despite volcanic eruptions Released  March 13, 2007
		2006: Year in Review A look back at some of the NSF-supported activities highlighted last year Released  January 9, 2007
		Understanding the Building Blocks of Language and Thought Language shapes how infants learn spatial concepts Released  December 6, 2006
		Economic Structure Drives Working Poverty in Los Angeles Region Surprising findings about the geographic distribution of working poverty Released  September 7, 2006
		"Crash" Course in Visual Perception and Motor Control New research explains the role of perception in collisions Released  March 8, 2006
		Monkey Business The discovery of capuchin monkeys in the wild using stones as nutcrackers may tell us something about the monkeys' ingenuity, and more about ourselves. Released  July 6, 2005
		New Primate Discovered in Mountain Forests of Tanzania "Highland mangabey" is first African monkey to be described in more than two decades Released  May 19, 2005
		Unmasking Bias Implicit Association Tests can help individuals identify their own unconscious biases, and use that knowledge to help avoid discriminatory behavior. Released  January 27, 2005
		Pathways to Academic Success What factors enable children to be successful in school? Released  January 25, 2005
		Really Old Bones of Early Humans Unearthed in Ethiopia Researcher uncovers four-million-year-old ancestral fossils Released  January 19, 2005
		Why Contribute to the Good of the Group? Are you more likely to help someone who has helped out on community projects? Released  December 17, 2004
		True or False? When Memories Play Tricks The ease with which people's memories can be distorted is disconcerting. Released  October 14, 2004
		Scientists Find Earliest "New World" Writings in Mexico Scientists have uncovered glyphs and plaque fragments with what is believed to be the earliest form of writing ever found in the New World. The artifacts challenge previously held notions about the first Mesoamerican system of written communication. Released  July 30, 2004
		Will Baby Crawl? Maybe yes, maybe no, says anthropologist David Tracer, whose study of children in Papua New Guinea supports the view that milestones of child development vary with culture. Released  July 21, 2004
		Baboon Fathers Really Do Care About Their Kids In a finding that surprised researchers, a recent three-year study of five baboon groups at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya reveals that baboon fathers overwhelmingly side with their offspring when intervening in disputes. Released  July 20, 2004
		American Sign Language Spoken Here Before William Stokoe's groundbreaking research, American Sign Language (ASL) was erroneously viewed as a pantomime, a poor substitute for spoken speech. Now ASL is recognized as a language with its own syntax, morphology, and structure. Released  June 25, 2003