Summary: Chimpanzees have been observed yawning and lying down after seeing a humanoid android mimic a yawning facial expression, indicating contagious yawning triggered by an artificial agent. This study is…
Category: Life
Conquering Nightmares and Insomnia with Science
Summary: A new workbook offers science-backed strategies to help individuals overcome chronic nightmares and insomnia. Using proven therapeutic approaches, it teaches readers how to rewrite distressing dreams and develop healthier…
Challenging the ‘multi-billion dollar fear-and-smear campaign against genetically-engineered crops’
It’s been said before but is worth repeating: Humans have been modifying the DNA of our food for thousands of years. It’s called … agriculture. Early farmers, >10,000 years ago), used…
How the Brain Tells Imagination from Reality, And When It Fails
Summary: A new study identifies the brain mechanisms that help us distinguish real experiences from imagined ones. Researchers found that the fusiform gyrus—a region involved in visual processing—plays a key…
Preemptively cutting rhinos’ horns cuts poaching
Rhino poaching may be substantially reduced by removing the reason so many rhinos are poached in the first place: their highly valued horns. Dehorning rhinos dramatically drops the poaching rate…
Can AI Be Funny? Yes, But Not Funnier Than a Human
Summary: A new study shows that AI can create internet memes rated as funny and shareable as those made by humans, but the best jokes still come from people. Researchers…
Multitasking Is Many Skills, Not One
Summary: A new study reveals that multitasking isn’t a single, universal skill, but a combination of broad cognitive abilities and task-specific skills. Researchers tested 224 participants across nine different multitasking…
Probiotics helped great star corals fend off a deadly disease
Great star corals in the grip of disease have been saved with probiotics — beneficial bacteria that attack or displace invading pathogens or possibly trigger immune responses to them. What’s…
Hallucinogens Linked to Milder PTSD
Summary: In a unique real-world study, researchers examined the psychological effects of trauma on survivors of the October 7 Nova Festival attack in Israel, focusing on their use of mind-altering…
Nostalgic Tunes Trigger Stronger Urge to Dance Than Familiar Hits
Summary: A new study reveals that nostalgia plays a powerful role in making us want to dance, even more so than familiarity with a song alone. Researchers asked young adults…
