Moral Outrage Goes Viral, But Doesn’t Drive Action Online

Summary: A new study analyzing over a million posts linked to online petitions found that while moral outrage boosts a post’s virality, it doesn’t significantly increase petition signatures. Emotional and…

Chimp chatter is a lot more like human language than previously thought

Grunts, barks, screams and pants ring through Taï National Park in Cȏte d’Ivoire. Chimpanzees there combine these different calls like linguistic Legos to relay complex meanings when communicating, researchers report…

Seeing Is Believing: How We Judge AI as Creative or Not

Summary: New research shows that people perceive AI systems as more creative when they observe not just the final product, but also the creative process and the robot in action.…

In a courtroom first, AI brings a road rage victim back to life to confront his murderer. What happened?

For two years, Stacey Wales kept a running list of everything she would say at the sentencing hearing for the man who killed her brother in a road rage incident…

Bigger Brains and Strong Immunity Linked to Longer Lifespans

Summary: New research reveals that mammals with larger brains and more robust immune systems tend to live longer lives. By studying 46 species, scientists found a clear link between maximum…

Putrid plants can reek of hot rotting flesh with one evolutionary trick

Some plants stink of rotting meat or dung, which helps them attract flies for pollination. How plants make the carrion stench, which is usually produced by bacteria feasting on decaying…

Legal Cannabis Linked to Less Problematic Use, Better Mental Health

Summary: The Weed Care study in Switzerland is investigating how legal access to cannabis affects users’ consumption and mental health. In the first randomized trial of its kind, participants buying…

‘Massive breakthrough’: In breakthrough microsurgery, surgeons use an abdomen blood vessel to reconstruct breasts

A patient who had pioneering breast reconstruction surgery said she took part ‘for all the women who will come after me’. Tanya Tanna (pictured centre), 56, from South Ruislip, had…

Knowing Alzheimer’s Risk Lowers Anxiety, But Motivation Fades

Summary: A new study shows that learning about amyloid beta buildup — a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease — does not increase emotional distress, but motivation to maintain healthy habits…

Emotional Regulation Offers a New Path to Relief

Summary: A new study shows that improving emotional processing can significantly reduce chronic pain and improve quality of life. Researchers developed Pain and Emotion Therapy, an online intervention teaching emotional…