Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE) 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.

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		Financial Markets Grow 'Green' Companies Investors see 'green' firms as less risky, charge lower interest rates Released  October 7, 2008
		Violent Crime and Civic Engagement in Rural Communities Sociologist Matthew Lee designs a new conceptual model to study violence in rural settings Released  August 12, 2008
		Why People Live in Wildfire Zones University of Oregon psychology professor Paul Slovic and other researchers offer insight into understanding risks in a democratic society Released  July 2, 2008
		Predicting the Next Major Virus Peter Daszak, executive director of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine at Wildlife Trust, talks about the importance of research to better predict and prevent future devastating pandemics Released  June 30, 2008
		Chore Wars: Men, Women and Housework Study confirms wives do most household chores Released  April 28, 2008
		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
		Windows on American Life Social science research offers insights into American lifestyles and opinions Released  December 7, 2006
		Understanding the Building Blocks of Language and Thought Language shapes how infants learn spatial concepts Released  December 6, 2006
		New Technologies Could Make Airport Screening More Effective and Less Cumbersome Experts focus on identifying passenger ability and intent Released  October 24, 2006
		Economic Structure Drives Working Poverty in Los Angeles Region Surprising findings about the geographic distribution of working poverty Released  September 7, 2006
		Company Name Influences Stock Performance Easy to pronounce names perform better in stock markets Released  June 23, 2006
		"Crash" Course in Visual Perception and Motor Control New research explains the role of perception in collisions Released  March 8, 2006
		Kidney Exchange: A Life-Saving Application of Matching Theory Economists help build a kidney exchange system that saves lives. Released  October 5, 2005
		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
		Mistaken Identity: How Feedback "After the Fact" Influences Eyewitnesses Eyewitness testimony is a fundamental aspect of the American justice system. Can it be influenced? Released  January 26, 2005
		Pathways to Academic Success What factors enable children to be successful in school? Released  January 25, 2005
		Uncovering Trends in Public Policy-Making Do the policies enacted by Congress correspond over time to the priorities of the public? 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
		The 2003 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics: Analyzing Data with Irregular Trends and Volatility Good statistical methods can show how to forecast data series that follow irregular trends and series with ever-changing volatility. Released  December 23, 2004
		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
		The Implications of Making Care-giving Robots Lifelike Robots designed to help the elderly may be given the ability to interact in human-like ways -– but what are the implications of doing this? Released  November 4, 2004
		True or False? When Memories Play Tricks The ease with which people's memories can be distorted is disconcerting. Released  October 14, 2004
		Game Theorist Describes Unintended Consequences of U.S. Counterterrorism Policies World events might not suggest that a decline in terrorism incidents has taken place during the post-Cold War era. Yet, economists have identified just such a trend while revealing that the likelihood of death or injury from terrorism has increased. Released  July 30, 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