Imagine you hold a strong belief that something will happen. You’re confident, but not entirely sure. This is the idea behind a unique theory of belief. The theory suggests that when you believe something with a certain amount of confidence, you expect it to happen. But what if it doesn’t? The theor
These days, we rely heavily on technology to stay connected. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were stuck at home, we found ourselves missing something big. A study from spring 2020 showed that Americans really missed those spontaneous chats, feeling close to others physically, and not havin
Everyone in Yemassee, South Carolina, is on high alert. Forty-three tiny monkeys have escaped from a research facility—and they're still hiding in the woods. The company responsible, Alpha Genesis, admitted it was a human blunder that led to the escape. A caretaker forgot to secure two doors, and th
Ever wonder how past traumas shape our brains? New research is digging into this question. It turns out, childhood trauma can make people more likely to struggle with major depression later in life. But not all traumas affect the brain in the same way. Some types of childhood trauma might mess with
Ever thought about why current pension systems might not work as well as they could? A big issue is that they don't consider how much each person has contributed to raising the next generation. This is a problem because the current pay-as-you-go (PAYG) system treats everyone the same, even if they d
Last week, a high-ranking Israeli general caused a stir with remarks suggesting the Gaza Strip might be fully evacuated. Brigadier General Itzik Cohen told journalists that residents of northern Gaza won't be allowed to return home. Humanitarian experts weighed in, warning this could break internati
Did you know that how we experience stories can affect us differently? Scientists found that people felt more involved when watching videos. But their bodies said otherwise! When people listened to audio stories, their hearts beat faster, they sweated more, and their bodies were even a bit warmer. I
Imagine if our pension system worked differently. Instead of today's pay-as-you-go (PAYG) method, what if pensions were funded by human capital investments? The PAYG system has a major flaw—it ignores who contributes to raising the next generation and even whether they do at all. This study suggests
Ever thought about how we decide to believe something? This theory breaks it down. See, when we believe an event will happen, we either go all in or not at all. No halfway beliefs here! If we decide to believe it, we get a confidence level, let's call it 'c', between 0 and 1. The higher 'c', the mor
Ever wondered how our daily routines and travels paint a picture of city life? Scientists are using aggregated data from places we visit to create networks and study these urban lifestyle patterns. They've looked at counties like Harris in Texas, Dallas (also in Texas), New York County in New York,
