http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Research by a University of Southampton historian has found that the practice of ransom was widespread among all soldiers during the Hundred Years War (1337 – 1453) and not, as generally thought, just the preserve of kings, knights and higher orders. http://phys.org/news278318213.html Other Sciences Fri, 25 Jan 2013 06:37:02 EST news278318213 When your neighbor asks to borrow a cup of sugar and you readily comply, is your positive response a function of the give and take that characterize your longstanding relationship? Or does it represent payment –– or prepayment –– for the cup of sugar you borrowed last week, or may need to borrow a month from now? http://phys.org/news272640080.html Biology Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:21:30 EST news272640080 While exchanging favors with others, humans tend to think in terms of tit-for-tat, an assumption easily extended to other animals. As a result, reciprocity is often viewed as a cognitive feat requiring memory, perhaps even calculation. But what if the process is simpler, not only in other animals but in humans as well? http://phys.org/news265888896.html Biology Mon, 03 Sep 2012 15:00:26 EST news265888896 Learning to work in teams may explain why humans evolved a bigger brain, according to a new study published on Wednesday. http://phys.org/news253331905.html Biology Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:58:42 EST news253331905 Biological research increasingly debunks the view of humanity as competitive, aggressive and brutish, a leading specialist in primate behavior told a major science conference Monday. http://phys.org/news248984593.html Biology Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:23:21 EST news248984593 The Transformation of Solidarity, a book co-edited by University of Queensland sociologist Dr Mara Yerkes, tackles the subject of globalisation of national economies and societies where we put a high value on individual rights and self-expression. http://phys.org/news247730471.html Other Sciences Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:01:18 EST news247730471 (PhysOrg.com) -- Bloggers and other social network users are more likely to share knowledge online where the qualities of trust, strong social ties and reciprocity are present, according to a study forthcoming in the Journal of Management Information Systems. http://phys.org/news245492699.html Other Sciences Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:25:27 EST news245492699 (PhysOrg.com) -- Physicist Stefano Lepri of the Italian National Research Council and his partner Giulio Casati of the University of Insubria, have published a paper in Physical Review Letters, where they demonstrate through mathematical theory that it should be possible to create asymmetric materials that allow most light or sound waves to pass through in one direction, while mostly preventing them from doing so when going the opposite way. http://phys.org/news223629389.html Physics Tue, 03 May 2011 09:20:01 EST news223629389 When two individuals face off in conflict, the classic problem in evolutionary biology known as the prisoner's dilemma says that the individuals are not likely to cooperate even if it is in their best interests to do so. But a new study suggests that with incentives to cooperate, natural selection can minimize conflict, changing the game from one of pure conflict to one of partial cooperation. http://phys.org/news211002143.html Biology Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:10:04 EST news211002143 (PhysOrg.com) -- Humans are incredibly cooperative, but why do people cooperate and how is cooperation maintained? A new research study by UCLA anthropology professor Robert Boyd and his colleagues from the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico suggests cooperation in large groups is maintained by punishment. http://phys.org/news191860413.html Other Sciences Sat, 01 May 2010 04:36:22 EST news191860413 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have long been puzzled by large societies in which strangers routinely engage in voluntary acts of kindness, respect and mutual benefit even though there is often an individual cost involved. http://phys.org/news188137875.html Other Sciences Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:00:01 EST news188137875 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new scientific study has found that at least some of the stereotypes associated with older siblings are true: the oldest sibling is often less trusting, less cooperative, and less reciprocating than younger siblings. http://phys.org/news179568469.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:18:43 EST news179568469 Vindictiveness doesn't pay. This has been demonstrated by a current study at Bonn and Maastricht Universities. According to this study, a person inclined to deal with inequity on a tit-for-tat basis tends to experience more unemployment than other people. Vindictive people also have less friends and are less satisfied with their lives. The study appears in the current edition of the Economic Journal. http://phys.org/news157283971.html Other Sciences Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:04:20 EST news157283971