Finger claps have quietly taken over a swath of pop culture in the past year. The gesture — repeatedly tapping the thumb to a finger on the same hand — offers a silent way to show praise, like the ...

ITHACA, N.Y. — Every time you applaud at a concert or celebrate a touchdown, your hands are performing a feat of physics that scientists have puzzled over for decades. Cornell University researchers ...

The crowd at the city council meeting did not protest when the mayor asked that they refrain from booing or cheering as she invited the public to speak on any topic. “A violation of free speech!” ...

Nearly every human culture uses clapping to cheer, protest, pray or perform – but a new study reveals that the familiar gesture is as much a scientific event as it is a social one. “This is the first ...