As anyone who has ever posted anything even remotely political or mildly opinionated on Facebook has inevitably learned, social media is making us ruder. A new study shows that almost 80% of people surveyed experienced an “increase in rudeness” on social media sites, and one-in-five have actually reduced real-world, face-to-face contact with a friend over an online confrontation. Almost 20% of those surveyed has blocked or unfriended someone because of an online argument. If you have a hard time believing that social media is turning a segment of society into a bunch of jerks, do your own research study: Just post your thoughts about a controversial social issue, admiration of your favorite sports team, or a negative opinion about a popular TV show … Discuss

Even though only one in 13 Australians regularly attend church (and nearly a third don’t identify with any religious or spiritual belief), belief in Jesus remains prominent in the country. According to a new study, 80 percent of those surveyed believe Jesus died on the cross, and more than half believe He also rose from the dead. While 40 percent of the country describe themselves as Christians, researchers found that issues like “church abuse, hypocrisy, judging others and religious wars” were some of the primary "belief blockers" preventing many Australians from engaging in church … Discuss

A new study—with relatively obvious results—by Symantec Corp. found that when a cell phone was lost, 72 percent of those who found it clicked on a folder titled "private photos" and 57 percent clicked on a file called "saved passwords." Moral of the story: Don't lose your phone or use any of those file names ...

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A new study from the University of Leeds and University of York has found that pollution from North America has resulted in the loss of 1.2 million tons of wheat per year. Conversely, Europe's pollution doesn't affect other countries as much because of fewer low pressure systems and weather fronts ...

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