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Fear facts
Cowards can blame their genes
Scientists may have found a gene for fear, a gene that controls production of a protein in the region of the brain linked with fearful responses.
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Some fears are inherited
Fear, long thought to be a learned response, may actually be a partly inherited trait programmed into our genetic makeup, a study of twins has found.
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Beach-goers surveyed on shark fears
A Gold Coast academic believes public policies, influenced by exaggerated fears of shark attack, are damaging the environment.
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The fear of 'haunted' houses explained
Shivers down the spine and other weird feelings may not be due to the presence of ghosts in haunted houses but to very low frequency sound that is inaudible to humans, according to a controlled experiment by British scientists.
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'Alien abductees' suffer post-traumatic stress
Alien abduction stories may be triggered by false memories, but sufferers still exhibit many of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a U.S. study.
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Fearless genes mean more autistic men
A region on the X-chromosome linked to the perception of fear may explain why men are 10 times more likely than women to have autism, report U.K. researchers.
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Kangaroos fear sound of own feet
Farmers may one-day blast out a recording of kangaroos thumping their feet to scare them off, new research suggests.
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Why fear of blushing makes things worse
People whose cheeks turn red at the thought of speaking to a stranger have similar blood flow to everyone else. It's just that their blushing takes longer to subside so it's more obvious to them and others, Australian research suggests.
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Humans can't calm Fido's fear of thunder
Dogs that are terrified of thunderstorms are only calmed by the presence of other dogs, not humans, a new study suggests.
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Hormone turns cute kids into horror teens
Researchers report that a hormone the body produces in response to stress that normally calms adults and younger children instead increases anxiety in adolescents.
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Treating anxiety may help stuttering
Australian researchers are testing a new technique which they hope will prevent relapse in people who stutter.
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Anxiety during pregnancy affects birth weight
Mothers who suffer anxiety during pregnancy have reduced blood flow to their uteruses, which might help explain why stressed women tend to have smaller babies, a team of British researchers has found.
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New cannabinoid compound may treat anxiety
The anxiety-dampening effect of cannabinoids in marijuana may one day be used as a pharmaceutical, after American and Italian researchers found a way to utilise it on rats while avoiding the unwanted side-effects.
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