research

For Retirement Planning, Words Matter

In matters of life and death, it turns out that semantics matters. When researchers asked people what age they would "live to," compared with what age they would "die by," people's expectations shot up by an average of nine years. That life expectancy could have a big impact on your retirement finances.

Debt-Ceiling Law: States Brace for Another Hit

The debt-ceiling discussions may be over, but the fallout for states is just starting. Many states, still struggling to recover to pre-recession levels, have depended on federal money to make up their shortfalls. As the flow of money slows, which states will take the biggest hits?

Google Is Making Us Forgetful, But Does It Matter?

Research studies by Betsy Sparrow of Columbia University "support a growing belief that people are using the Internet as a personal memory bank: the so-called Google effect." Yes, the awareness that we can look things up easily later makes our memories worse. But when it comes to retrieving that online data, she notes, "We're remarkably efficient."

Wikinvest's Mike Sha on the Investing Wisdom of Crowds

If the financial collapse taught us anything, it's that opacity and self-serving behavior rule at the big Wall Street firms -- so how can the little guy trust their advice? Wikinvest's Mike Sha explains how crowdsourcing can provide better, less biased investment advice to average investors.

A Bad Job Is Worse for Mental Health Than No Job at All

We all know the psychological impacts of job loss and unemployment can be painful. But a new study reveals something that may surprise some victims of this recession: Having a bad job can be as harmful to your mental health as no job at all -- in fact, it can be even worse.

Pfizer Shrinks Its Drug Pipeline Amid R&D Cuts

In an update Tuesday, Pfizer said it is discontinuing 15 of the projects in its development pipeline. The news comes a month after the world's largest pharmaceutical company announced large research and development cuts were on the way.

Doing Book Research Without Breaking the Bank

Planning on a career as a writer? Getting started can be costly -- advances are often elusive -- so you'll often have to dig into your own pockets to cover the cost of doing research. Doing that within your means is the key. Here are eight tips for doing great research on a budget.

The Autism Study Fraud's Impact on Scientific Research

Aside from the embarrassment, researchers know deceptions like the autism research fraud can have much larger consequences, both for the parents of autistic children and for the future of their studies. Says one prominent scientist: "It taints a lot of very good work that goes on."

Study: Alcohol Is Most Harmful Drug to Society

A new study indicates that alcohol is far more harmful than illegal drugs such as crack cocaine, heroin, or marijuana, based on an analysis of both direct health effects and indirect costs to society as a whole.

Paper, Not Plastic: Credit Cards Boost Unhealthy Eating

Dieters looking for a little extra willpower to avoid putting junk food in their grocery carts might want to leave their credit cards at home. New research shows that buying groceries with plastic instead of good old-fashioned folding money makes people more likely to buy unhealthy foods.

Where's the Oil From the BP Spill? Look Down Below

Nearly five months since the start of the massive BP oil spill, many questions are still unanswered. More than 200 million gallons of oil were released between April and August, and now a team of marine scientists thinks they know where a large portion of the oil from the BP spill has gone.

The Web Eclipses Print Newspapers as a News Source

It's official: Newspapers now trail the Internet as a source of news for Americans, according to the Pew Research Center. Of those polled, 34% said they had gone online for news the previous day, while 31% said they had read a newspaper. But it's not all bad news for newspapers.

Eli Lilly Shelves Potential Alzheimer's Drug

Eli Lilly has halted the development of an Alzheimer's treatment after studies showed the experimental drug not only failed to slow the disease's progression, it actually reduced patients' cognition.