A recent study published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality explored the relationship between belief systems and perceptions of science and religion. It found that individuals with strong religious beliefs tend to see science and religion as compatible, whereas those…

Christmas is a season of joy and togetherness. But for many, it’s also one of the most stressful times of the year. Stress arises from an imbalance between the demands placed on us and our ability to cope with those…

Editor’s note: Warning: Although we’ve done our best to avoid spoiling anything major, please note this list does include a few specific references to several of the listed shows that some might consider spoiler-y. This was another good year for…

Why do some people experience frequent nightmares while others rarely do? A new study suggests that specific psychological traits, particularly thin mental boundaries and a predisposition called nightmare proneness, play a significant role. These findings, published in the journal Dreaming,…

Do sugar content labels help us make healthier choices during the holidays? A study in Acta Psychologica found that they might not. Using mobile eye-tracking glasses, researchers found that festive, sugar-rich foods are more visually captivating and desirable than their…

At this point, any serious retro gamer knows that a bulky cathode ray tube (CRT) TV provides the most authentic, lag-free experience for game consoles that predate the era of flat-panel HDTVs (i.e,. before the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 era). But…

If you’ve been too busy fixing your video drivers to take part in this year’s Ars Technica Charity Drive sweepstakes, don’t worry. You still have time to donate to a good cause and get a chance to win your share…

A recent study published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing has found that improving one’s appearance—whether through physical changes or digital filters—may lead to more prosocial behavior, such as charitable donations or ethical purchasing. Across seven studies, researchers…

Health care company Ascension lost sensitive data for nearly 5.6 million individuals in a cyberattack that was attributed to a notorious ransomware gang, according to documents filed with the attorney general of Maine. Ascension owns 140 hospitals and scores of…

Flu season is ramping up across the US, but Louisiana—the state that has reportedly barred its health department from promoting flu shots, as well as COVID-19 and mpox vaccines—is leading the country with an early and strong surge. Louisiana’s flu…

For $2,100, you could buy over a dozen upper-quality mechanical keyboards. Alternatively, you could buy just one mechanical keyboard kit. Costing the same as a desktop computer, The Icebreaker keyboard commands one of the highest price tags you’ll see for…

Under Joe Biden’s direction, the US Trade Representative (USTR) launched a probe Monday into China’s plans to globally dominate markets for legacy chips—alleging that China’s unfair trade practices threaten US national security and could thwart US efforts to build up…

Director Denis Villeneuve’s stunning two-part film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune has received many well-deserved accolades—with Dune: Part 2 being crowned Ars Technica’s top movie of 2024. The films also spawned a lavish HBO spinoff TV series, Dune: Prophecy, just…

What will humans be like generations from now in a world transformed by artificial intelligence (AI)? Plenty of thinkers have applied themselves to questions like this, considering how AI will alter lives – often for better, sometimes for worse. They…

Beleaguered automaker Nissan is going to throw its lot in with Honda. The two Japanese OEMs want to merge by 2026, creating the world’s third-largest car company in the process. In fact, earlier this year the two signed memorandums of…

Although the details remain in flux, the transition team reviewing NASA and its activities has begun to draft potential executive orders for changes to space policy under the Trump Administration. Sources familiar with the five people on the team, who…

A new study has uncovered a surprising player in ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects: astrocytes, the star-shaped support cells of the brain. By studying larval zebrafish, researchers found that ketamine reduces behavioral passivity by altering astrocytic activity in response to futile…

A study of individuals with various psychiatric disorders found that gut microbiota composition is associated with changes in psychological functioning. Specifically, the researchers identified associations between functional domains—negative valence, social processes, cognitive systems, and arousal/regulatory systems—and the abundance of eight…

Editor’s note: Warning: Although we’ve done our best to avoid spoiling anything too major, please note this list does include a few specific references to several of the listed films that some might consider spoiler-y. This was the year that…