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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: laughter

laughter stories: 4 news summaries

 Apes, Humans Share a Laugh 

Commonalities
show laughter
is pre-human

Jun 4, 09 2:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - After tickling two dozen apes and several children, scientists have concluded that laughter developed long before humans did. In fact, a common ancestor of both apes and humans probably emitted the first chuckle at least 10 million years ago. The study measuring 800 vocalizations found that all subjects shared the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
apes • human evolution • human • laughter • scientific study

Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind

From memories to sleep to consciousness itself, scientists still can't agree

Jan 19, 08 11:49 AM CST
(Newser) - Debated for centuries, the human mind still holds a mystery or two in modern times. Here are LiveScience's top 10:
  1. Consciousness. Still the biggest human puzzle since Socrates.
  2. Cryonics. Can gray matter be revived from a 320-degree deep freeze?
  3. Aging. An unappreciated benefit, or simply cell decay with
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
sleep • memory • science • list • brain • mind • mystery • top 10 • laughter

Laughter Also Good Medicine for Orangutans

Study finds empathy, mimicry in primates' grins and chuckles

Jan 2, 08 4:52 PM CST
(Newser) - Humans aren't the only animals who laugh, according to a new study. Orangutans engage in a primitive form of laughing, the BBC reports—when one exhibits a facial expression such as an open, gaping mouth, and a companion displays the same expression less than half a second later. This sense... More »

MORE ABOUT:
apes • orangutans • laughter • primates • laughing • facial expressions

OPINION

Their Phony Yuks Run Amok

Writer says Hillary and Rudy are only hurting themselves

Dec 12, 07 2:50 PM CST
(Newser) - The presidential frontrunners have both taken to laughing loudly when facing hostile questions, and Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter says they’re tittering up the wrong tree. Hillary Clinton laughs uncontrollably when her health care plan is compared to “socialized medicine” and Rudy Giuliani gets giggly when quizzed on his... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Hillary Clinton • Rudy Giuliani • Franklin D. Roosevelt • laughter • presidential frontrunners

4 Stories


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