Results tagged “halloween” from 60 Second Science

Halloween is here — I know because some midget dressed as Jack Sparrow just beat me up for a Butterfinger. Don't even try to tell me it was a 'child,' because that little bastard was stronger than a bull.

But what, might you ask, does a Celtic celebration of the spirit world and chocolate-covered razorblades have to do with science? EVERYTHING. In a recent issue of Skeptical Inquirer, two physicists tackled the myths surrounding vampires, zombies and ghosts to show how popular conceptions of these supernatural beings collide head-on with the laws of science. Now, I know there's no such thing as vampires because I killed the last one, but if you require more empirical evidence than my infallible word, Costas J. Efthimiou and Sohang Gandhi go on to debunk them and other classic Monster Mashers in a variety of cool ways.

Continue reading 'Physicists to ghosts, zombies, vampires: 'you don't exist — except you, zombie'' >

Halloween: you either love it or you hate it. But no matter how you feel about it, it is the one day of the year when you can throw away your socially appropriate garb and don whatever crazy persona you choose. On October 31, society gives us the A-OK to throw away our business suits and dress entirely in bubble wrap if we want to—allowing us, essentially, to become someone (or something) else. But I've always wondered: do crazy costumes also make us act a little crazy? Do we not just look out of character on Halloween, but also behave out of character—say, by drinking twice as much as we usually do, committing petty crimes, or having one-night stands?

Luckily, science has some answers.

Continue reading 'Does Halloween Make Us Crazy?' >

Kids knocking on David Zald's door tonight looking for a treat are in for a trick. Zald, a psychology professor at Vanderbilt University, decorates his house with skeletons and creepy fog. As children walk through his haunted house, Zald can see fear in their faces.

"They want the candy, but they're not sure they want to come up," Zald said.

Who would blame them? Especially when he's dressed in white polyester as Disco Stu from the "The Simpsons."

Continue reading 'Psych professor turns haunted house into a lab' >

Just in time for Halloween, photographer Alex Klochkov took these photos of an abandoned Soviet-era brain research facility in Russia. Klochkov's photos have a lyrical beauty about them — but then, that beauty gets mitigated by the exposed crania of decomposing, rodentine test subjects. Geesh.

There's plenty of Fincher-meets-Reznor ghoulishness to be found in here, with a touch of Cold-War sadness.

Art Deliverance: Brain Research Facility

Image Credit: Alex Klochkov