Research
The uncanny valley
A new study by Associate Professor Karl MacDorman (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) provides research on why films like Mars Needs Moms fail to connect with viewers (plot, dialogue and general theme notwithstanding). His research examines whether a mismatch between the human realism of an animated character's face and voice cause it to be experienced as eerie -- also known as "the uncanny valley effect." More »
Rich club
Just as the Occupy Wall Street movement has brought more attention to financial disparities between the haves and have-nots in American society, researchers from Indiana University and the University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands are highlighting the disproportionate influence of so called "Rich Clubs"within the human brain. More »
Optimizing photosynthesis
Indiana University biologists have uncovered how a control system works in producing the important light-harvesting antennae that power photosynthesis in cyanobacteria, the microorganisms that are progenitors of all land plants and responsible for nearly half of the Earth's current oxygen production. More »
