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Science X / Kids shrug off sunk-cost bias until about age 6, behavioral experiments reveal
Ever wonder why adults cling to things in which they've invested time or effort? In behavioral experiments, people often predict that they would stick with an option just because it was harder to get. Psychologists call this ...
Science X / This Neptune-sized world orbits backwards, hinting at a hidden giant's influence
Imagine a world the size of Neptune, but instead of following the orderly path of its neighbors, it is racing headlong against the flow of its own solar system. In the case of the exoplanet TOI-1710 b, the cosmic clockwork ...
Science X / AI in the classroom: Are we building better thinkers or better shortcuts?
AI chatbots like ChatGPT have made their way into college life, sparking an important debate: Do these tools actually help students become better thinkers, or are they just a shortcut? Universities want to foster critical ...
Science X / Could less caffeine be the smarter performance enhancer? Scientists find a surprising sweet spot
Think of an athlete eyeing the finish line—could a single shot of caffeine be the difference between a podium finish and a personal best? For decades, runners and cyclists have treated the stimulant as a near-magical performance ...
Science X / Deep in Libya's Sahara, tiny primate fossils are rewriting how our ancient cousins got to Africa
Hidden beneath the scorched expanse of the central Libyan Sahara lies a prehistoric graveyard that was once a lush, green gateway to a continent. For decades, the origin of Africa's higher primates has been one of evolution's ...
Science X / How a brainless sea blob still 'feels' touch and crawls away in seconds without nerves or muscles
For a flat sea creature just a few millimeters across, a gentle poke is instantly recognized as danger. Trichoplax adhaerens—a translucent blob with no head, brain or muscles—scuttles away in seconds when touched. Imagine ...
Science X / Most people accurately read their partner's insecurities, but misreads might actually do some good
Identifying one's partner's emotional needs plays a foundational role in romantic relationships. Most people think they actually have a pretty solid understanding of their partner's attachment style and often actively behave ...
Science X / One-of-a-kind Iron Age mother-of-pearl seal unearthed at Tel Hadid, Israel
A tiny, iridescent shell seal found in an ancient garbage pit in Israel is the first of its kind ever found in the region and may have belonged to a community deported and relocated by one of the ancient world's mightiest ...
Science X / Space travel may strip away the mind's oldest anchor, opening a state of consciousness humans rarely experience
When astronauts float free of Earth's pull, their bodies adapt—but something strange happens in their minds. Many report feeling "unmoored," "expanded" or "disconnected," as if reality itself has shifted. Iconic cases like ...
Science X / Macaques plan ahead, offering clues to origins of human foresight
When humans are planning their future actions and decisions, they typically imagine situations or issues they could encounter and predict how they would respond in these imagined scenarios. This imaginative process is highly ...
Science X / A solar storm was seen speeding up instead of slowing down, and scientists think they know why
A gigantic solar eruption in November 2021 defied expectations. Two spacecraft—Solar Orbiter at 0.85 AU and Wind at 0.98 AU—watched the same coronal mass ejection (CME) as it zoomed through the solar wind. Normally, a CME ...
Science X / Could an ancient plant compound hold the key to metabolic harmony?
For centuries, the secrets of traditional medicine were locked away, and only recently have they come to light. Imagine an ordinary yellow plant extract, widely used in Chinese medicine, exerting effects not only on blood ...