People & Society 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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		Respect for Sacred Values is Key to Conflict Resolution Ethical and religious beliefs can trump material gains in motivating human behavior Released  January 7, 2009
		A Crowded World Researchers use computer scenarios to study crowd behavior in time and space Released  December 18, 2008
		Financial Markets Grow 'Green' Companies Investors see 'green' firms as less risky, charge lower interest rates Released  October 7, 2008
		Economist Hedges Bets on Wildfires in California Social scientist Joanne Ho describes an interdisciplinary approach to researching the risks to residents, homes and firefighters in areas threatened by wildfires Released  September 8, 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
		Top Scientists Promote Innovative, Multidisciplinary Global Problem-Solving Strategies   Released  December 11, 2007
		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
		Helpful Robot Alters Family Life A relationship with your vacuum cleaner? Robotic vacuums are warming their way into homes and even taking on a personality for some families. Released  June 8, 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
		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
		Bonding in the Middle East Nobel chemist helps young scientists across the region strengthen ties, work together Released  April 6, 2006
		"Crash" Course in Visual Perception and Motor Control New research explains the role of perception in collisions Released  March 8, 2006
		Electronic Braille Tutor Teaches Independence Bilingual system reborn in new hardware Released  February 13, 2006
		Istanbul Overdue for Earthquake Retrofit Researchers present concerns to Turkish Prime Minister Released  January 5, 2006
		Computer Program Streamlines Complex Work Scheduling Chemical engineers develop an algorithm that could transform scheduling Released  December 6, 2005
		Earthquake Study Suggests Simple Building Fixes Can Save Lives Code enforcement may have prevented dozens of deaths in Turkish temblor Released  October 13, 2005
		Kidney Exchange: A Life-Saving Application of Matching Theory Economists help build a kidney exchange system that saves lives. Released  October 5, 2005
		Man Against Machine Computer-generated method outperforms human-designed program for fingerprint improvement Released  September 1, 2005
		New Mexico Graduate Student Receives Costa Rica's Top Science Honor At 26, Esteban Araya is the youngest person to ever receive the top science award from his native Costa Rica. A graduate student in astronomy at New Mexico Tech, Araya was honored for his research into the formation of massive stars. Released  August 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
		Creative Minds Mingle: Robotics at the Junction of Art and Engineering What happens when the real world meets the virtual one? Or, when the art world meets the world of engineering? A New York art professor and her students find out, through the eyes of a roaming robot named Kiru. Released  May 6, 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