Chinese scientists claim they have built a Death Star-inspired beam weapon
Chinese scientists claim they have made a converging energy beam weapon — but did they really, or have they been watching too much Star Wars?
TECH DEIYO
Science and Technolgy blog
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Lonely individuals tend to think and talk in an unusual way, study finds
Two neuroimaging studies found that lonely individuals’ neural representations of well-known celebrities diverged from those typical for their group in the medial prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain. Lonelier individuals were also more likely to use unusual language when…
What delusions can tell us about the cognitive nature of belief
Beliefs are convictions of reality that we accept as true. They provide us with the basic mental scaffolding to understand and engage meaningfully in our world. Beliefs remain fundamental to our behavior and identity but are not well understood. Delusions,…
Space photo of the week: Hubble uncovers the true identity of an odd galaxy — and it’s not spiral or elliptical
The Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of NGC 4694, a galaxy that possesses unusual properties that complicate its classification.
Separated fathers struggle to maintain contact with children, especially daughters, study finds
Parental separation can strain family bonds, but the effects are not evenly distributed between mothers and fathers. A new study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family has found that fathers in Italy tend to have significantly less contact…
Why aren’t we crushed by the weight of Earth’s atmosphere?
Earth’s atmosphere is heavy, so why doesn’t it weigh us down more?
Cognitive reflection linked to better decisions in aviation emergencies
Decision-making can mean the difference between safety and disaster in aviation. New research published in Ergonomics investigates the cognitive and experiential factors that influence how pilots make decisions in simulated emergencies. The findings reveal how flight experience, analytical thinking, and…
Elizabeth Warren calls for crackdown on Internet “monopoly” you’ve never heard of
US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Congressman Jerry Nadler of New York have called on government bodies to investigate what they allege is the “predatory pricing” of .com web addresses, the Internet’s prime real estate. In a letter delivered…
Pornography’s role in shaping risky sexual norms in young adults
A new longitudinal study published in Psychology of Popular Media has found that increased pornography consumption among university students in Germany is associated with adopting risky sexual scripts and behaviors. The study, which followed participants over nearly two years, provides…
COVID-19 lockdowns linked to accelerated brain aging in adolescents, particularly in girls
A longitudinal neuroimaging study of adolescents found that their brains underwent accelerated aging between 2018 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. This was evidenced by increased thinning of the cortex region of the brain in these individuals. On average,…
