Dog's 'Guilty' Look Is All in Your Head

Freedom melts away maladies—if you're French

(NEWSER) - Retirement is great medicine, new research shows. A study of French workers for 7 years before and after they punched the time clock for the last time indicates health increases dramatically after retirement. Reports of poor health drop from 19.2% in the year before retirement to 14.3% the year after—that’s the same level as 8 years before, leading researchers to conclude retirees feel 8 years younger. More»

(NEWSER) - It won't surprise most dog owners, but now scientists know it: The average dog is as smart as a 2-year-old child, reports the Telegraph. Dogs understand up to 250 words and gestures, can count to 5, and do basic calculations, researchers have found. "Obviously, you can't have a conversation with a dog"—at least not a two-way conversation—but dogs are among the most intelligent animals, and rival apes and parrots in language comprehension, says researcher Stanley Coren. More»

(NEWSER) - Dog owners who try to tame their pets by acting aggressive themselves will only make matters worse, LiveScience reports. A new study in Applied Animal Behavior Science presents sobering news for advocates of tough love. Those who hit, kick, growl at, or confront their dogs in similar ways are more likely to have pets that act in kind. Instead of raising their hand, owners should try offering more exercise, or maybe a treat, when training. More»

(AP) - The length of a man's ring finger may predict his success as a financial trader, the AP reports. Researchers at the University of Cambridge in England report that men with longer ring fingers, compared to their index fingers, tended to be more successful in the frantic high-frequency trading in the London financial district. Indeed, the impact of biology on success was about equal to years of experience at the job. More»

(NEWSER) - If you ended your holiday visit home with frayed nerves, blame your brain, not your brother's snoring, Discovery reports. Family members prompt activity in a different part of the brain from friends and strangers, a new study shows. Researchers used MRIs to look at subjects' brains while they viewed photos of biological relatives and people who liked like the subjects, as well as photos of friends and strangers who weren't lookalikes. More»