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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		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
		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
		Worldwide Biodiversity Threats Tied to Growth in Households Taking a fresh look at world population dynamics, scientists have uncovered evidence that increasing numbers of households -- even where populations are declining -- are having a vast impact on the world's biodiversity and environment. 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
		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
		Values and Morality in Global Finance Money makes the world go 'round, but in the 21st century it's being redefined. People in many countries are expressing their faith or community values through alternative forms of finance. Some are even printing their own money. Released  June 16, 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