@article {3221736, title = {Psychological Function in the Context of Protracted Stress During War: A Multi-Sample, Multivariate Longitudinal Study}, journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry}, volume = {16}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Continuous traumatic stress has wide-ranging implications for important life outcomes across multiple domains. We present the design protocol from the first waves of one of the most comprehensive studies of the impact of one pervasive continuous traumatic stress context{\textemdash} war{\textemdash}on individuals. In this ongoing project we have been collecting quantitative and qualitative data on psychological function, risk, and resilience at different levels of influence and at various junctures during the ongoing 2023-2025 Hamas-Israel war from three samples (total N=16,330). We present this large-scale, multi-sample, multivariate, mixed-method, longitudinal study, and showcase select, preliminary findings at different levels of analysis and in different samples (e.g., concerning war exposure, trust in institutions, and well-being). We document the design, scope, and future trajectory of the project, encouraging interdisciplinary, cross-border collaborations among researchers across diverse fields. This is important not only for understanding responses to the current conflict, but also for understanding risk and resilience in other conflict-affected regions and among populations facing continuous traumatic stress more broadly.}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1729795/abstract}, author = {Yaakov Greenwald and Dana Katsoty and Dema Abu-Raya and Sharon Cayzer-Haller and Noa Levy and Tamar Machlev and Nitzan Shoham and Maya Benish-Weisman and Ella Daniel and Shaul Oreg and Noga Sverdlik and Ariel Knafo-Noam} } @article {3221735, title = { Extensive chameleon mortality in mechanized harvest of grapes suggests that wildlife biodiversity in the agricultural matrix may be a double-edged sword }, journal = {Global Ecology and Conservation}, year = {2025}, abstract = {The global pervasiveness of agriculture and its profound effects on biodiversity increasingly mandate developing sustainable agricultural methods to support healthy ecosystems within agricultural landscapes. However, increasing the attractiveness of agricultural landscapes for wildlife may negatively impact biodiversity if animals or their reproduction are adversely affected in such habitats. While the effects of agricultural practices were investigated across various crop types and wildlife species, reptiles remain largely overlooked. Additionally, although reptiles in croplands were monitored throughout the farming season, little attention has been directed towards the effects of harvest at the season{\textquoteright}s end. To illustrate the potential impacts of mechanical harvest on wildlife in permanent crops, we present a case-study concerning reptiles in vineyards. We scanned the waste of a medium-sized winery over four nights and found 105 reptiles, 69 \% of them chameleons. Though chameleons are considered carnivorous, approximately half had consumed grapes, potentially attracted by them. Vineyards, like many crops, offer resources including sugar, moisture, and shelter, likely attracting many wildlife species. However, mortality during mechanical harvest may be high, potentially rendering such crops an ecological trap. For chameleons the effects may be particularly devastating, as harvest closely precedes the egg-laying season. While our case study focuses on reptiles in vineyards, its implications extend to many species in croplands. Ultimately, ecological traps affect biodiversity by attracting animals to habitats in which their fitness is impaired.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e04038}, author = {Liran Sagi and Akiva Topper and Oded Keynan and Amos Bouskila and Oren Kolodny} } @article {3221734, title = {The adaptive tasks and trade-offs that drive the human value system}, journal = {Communications Psychology}, volume = {4}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Human values inform behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs, but what shapes the human value system? Here, we employ Pareto analysis on the European Social Survey data (N = 411,904). Pareto analysis relies on an optimization framework to extract the drivers that shape people{\textquoteright}s individual variations. We found that individual differences in values are linked to balancing trade-offs between three adaptive tasks: Self-enhancement, Growth, and Conservation. Notably, value combinations that represent non-adaptive trade-off solutions, though considered theoretically possible, are absent from the data. These adaptive tasks are robust across two global samples, multiple countries, different religiosity levels, and age groups. Beyond identifying adaptive tasks, Pareto analysis provided a framework for assessing trade-off shifts across development and religiosity levels. This work paves the way for investigating the tasks{\textquoteright} etiology and their underlying mechanisms. More broadly, Pareto analysis offers a principled approach to understanding individual differences in humans, revealing the adaptive tasks and trade-offs that drive complex psychological systems.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00382-8}, author = {Noam Markovitch and Dan Hilman Amir and Rony Zer Kavod and Ariel Knafo-Noam and Yuval Hart} } @article {3215014, title = {On a theorem of Dan Rudolph. I.}, journal = {Israel Journal of Mathematics}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Twenty years ago Dan Rudolph gave a seminar talk at the University of Maryland in which he discussed his discovery that if one restricts the shift invariant measures on a finite alphabet shift space to have entropy greater than or equal to\ c\ \> 0, then the generic measure there defines a process that has entropy\ c\ and is isomorphic to a Bernoulli shift. He never published a proof of this theorem. In the following note we will present a proof of this result.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11856-025-2841-z}, author = {Jean-Paul Thouvenot and Benjamin Weiss} } @article {3214472, title = { The alkenes Z9-C29 and Z9-C31 function as quorum-sensing pheromones stimulating worker reproduction in the bumble bee Bombus terrestris }, journal = {Nature Communications}, volume = {16}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Division of labor in reproduction in eusocial insects is governed by delicate and context- dependent mechanisms, yet the regulatory processes remain largely unclear. Here, we investigate social cues involved in the establishment of reproductive dominance in bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) workers. We reveal the roles of two alkenes, (Z)-9-nonacosene (Z9- C29) and (Z)-9-hentriacontene (Z9- C31) in the activation of ovarian development. These alkenes are found throughout the queenright bumble bee colony, including wax, workers, drones, and gynes, and their levels are positively correlated with colony size. They act as quorum-sensing pheromones that facilitate ovary maturation in a threshold-dependent manner under queenright conditions. A synergistic interaction between the perception of these two alkenes and the occurrence of dominance contests is essential for the ovary development of worker bumble bees, independent of temporal sequence. Artificial addition of these two alkenes into colonies confirms their stimulatory effects on the ovarian developmental potential of worker bees, even in the presence of a queen. Our findings highlight a quorum-sensing-like mechanism that primes the initiation of worker ovary development, providing insights into the complex regulation of context-dependent reproductive plasticity in social insects.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65812-x}, author = {Zhuxi Ge and Jin Ge and Dan Zhu and Xin Nie and Jocelyn G. Millar and Guy Bloch and Xianhui Wang} } @article {3214471, title = { Comment-The Collective Aspect of Job Seekers\&$\#$39; Data Rights }, journal = {Comparative Labor Law \& Policy Journal}, volume = {45}, year = {2025}, abstract = {THE WORKPLACE is a complex and dynamic environment that mirrors societal relations and interactions. Given the inherent imbalance of power between employers and workers, as well as the lack of bargaining power of any individual worker, worker unions have emerged to provide workers with a collective voice and place them on more even footing with their employers, allowing them to achieve more than any single worker could on their own (Bok, 1971). Through the assertion of their members{\textquoteright} collective rights, worker unions have played a pivotal role in promoting rights such as fair wages, safe work conditions, health benefits, and insurance (Weil, 2005).}, url = {https://doi.org/10.60082/2819-2567.1072}, author = {Katrina Ligett and Ayelet Gordon-Tapiero} } @article {3214470, title = { Patent Monopsonies }, journal = {Duke Law Journal}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

Conventional wisdom perceives patent protection as a necessary evil. Patent protection, the argument goes, raises the prices of patented products and processes, thus restricting access to innovation. But without it, not enough innovation will be produced. Hence, generations of scholars have sought ways to curb the market power of patentees via various legal interventions, such as prizes, compulsory licenses, and other forms of regulation. All have tacitly assumed that eroding the market power of patentees would result in a competitive market for innovation that would put an end to the allocative inefficiencies and distributional inequities that emanate from patent protection.

The present Article sets out to challenge the accepted understanding of innovation, showing that patentholders ordinarily operate in markets of monopsonistic nature, namely, markets characterized by a single purchaser or a highly concentrated demand side. Crucially, this finding involves the most prominent patent-inhabiting industries, including pharmaceuticals, agriculture and biotechnologies, defense technologies, infrastructural equipment and other sectors. The existence of monopsonies in markets for patented technologies implies that commentators have thus far overlooked the actual structure of the marketplace for patents, which routinely features a bilateral monopoly: a single seller along with a single buyer. After highlighting this phenomenon and assessing its pervasiveness, this Article introduces a blueprint for analyzing patent monopsonies. It shows that under extant market structure, the monopsonistic counterforces may reinstate competitive pricing of inventions, whereas in other cases, the presence of patent monopsonies might prove disadvantageous to society at large.

The new market picture this Article portrays gives rise to several important policy implications. First, it shows that the high prices consumers pay in some industrial sectors are due to the existence of monopsonies, not patents. Second, in contrast with conventional wisdom, it counsels against the use of compulsory licenses in monopsonistic industries because they reduce innovation without generating any real benefits to consumers. Third, it demonstrates that the existence of monopsonies is a core reason for suppression, non-commercialization, and distortion of innovation. It also discusses legal interventions that can help alleviate this problem.

}, url = {https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/dlj/vol75/iss3/1}, author = {ROY BAHARAD and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3214469, title = { Impartiality Preferences in Sacrificial Moral Dilemmas Involving Autonomous Vehicles }, journal = {Analysis}, year = {2025}, abstract = {The development of autonomous vehicles has stimulated research into preferences in sacrificial moral dilemmas. Studies such as the Moral Machine Experiment, which has attracted enormous attention in both philosophy and psychology, have been criticized for an important methodological flaw: forcing participants to choose between two options, like killing a man or a woman. It has been shown that many people actually prefer a third option, namely treating people {\textquotedblleft}equally{\textquotedblright}. While this is an important improvement, we argue that {\textquotedblleft}equal{\textquotedblright} treatment can be understood in different ways. Instead of {\textquotedblleft}equality{\textquotedblright}, we propose to use the concept of impartiality and argue that impartiality needs to be complemented with action-guiding decision rules. To support this conceptual point, we conducted a vignette study. Our results suggest that impartiality is indeed the main preference and that the most attractive decision rule to complement impartiality is not random choice, as many papers suggest, but inaction.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/anaf041}, author = {Norbert Paulo and Lando Kirchmair and Yochanan E Bigman} } @article {3214468, title = {Towards a theory of microbially-mediated invasion encompassing parasitism and mutualism}, journal = {Biological Invasions}, volume = {27}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Biological invasions pose major ecological and economic threats, and extensive research has been dedicated to understanding and predicting their dynamics. Most studies focus on the biological invasion of single species, and only in recent years has it been realized that multi-species interactions that involve native and invasive host species and their microbial symbionts can play important roles in determining invasion outputs. A theoretical framework that treats these interactions and their impact is lacking. Here we offer such a framework and use it to explore possible dynamics that may emerge from the sharing of native and non-native symbionts among native and non-native host species. Thus, for example, invasive plants might benefit from native microbial communities in the soil, or might be particularly successful if they carry with them parasites to which competing native hosts are susceptible. On the other hand, invasion might be hindered by native parasites that spread from native to invasive individuals. The mathematical framework that we present in this study provides a new mechanistic, cohesive, and intuition-enhancing tool for theoretically exploring the ways by which the subtleties of host-microbe relationships can influence invasion dynamics. We identify multiple pathways through which microbes can facilitate (or prevent) host invasion, microbial invasion, and the invasion of both hosts and their co-introduced microbes. We disentangle invasion outcomes and suggest possible ecological dynamics that may be underexplored in current invasion biology literature. Our work sets the foundations for invasion theory that includes a community-level view of invasive and native hosts as well as their microbial symbionts.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-025-03711-4}, author = {Maria M. Martignoni and Jimmy Garnier and Rebecca C. Tyson and Keith D. Harris and Oren Kolodny} } @article {3214467, title = { Basic dimensions of leader personality: a lexical study in Hebrew }, journal = {Journal of Research in Personality}, volume = {120}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Traditional trait-based leadership research relies on generic personality models, overlooking the context-specific nature of personality. We used the lexical approach to develop a leadership-focused personality taxonomy. We identified 199 adjectives for describing leaders (Study 1) and factor analyzed leaders{\textquoteright} (Study 2,\ N\ = 402) and followers{\textquoteright} (Study 3,\ N\ = 421) ratings of these adjectives. Analyses revealed five dimensions shared across groups, closely related to, yet distinct from the Big Five and HEXACO factors: Energy, Psychopathy, Organization, Irritability, and Intellect. Two follower-specific dimensions{\textemdash}Supportiveness and Weakness{\textemdash}also emerged. Relationships with the Big Five, HEXACO, and leadership criteria supported construct and concurrent validity. Study 4 replicated the structure in samples of military (N\ = 226) and religious (N\ = 202) leaders.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2025.104679}, author = {Noam S. Keshet and Shaul Oreg and Yair Berson and Marcella AMG Hoogeboom and Reinout E. de Vries} } @article {3214466, title = { Effective citizen science implementation reveals ecological and conservation insights for two amphibian species }, journal = {Journal of Zoology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Amphibians are the most endangered group of vertebrates, facing numerous threats, and detailed data are required to identify stressors and prioritize conservation efforts. While these data exist for many species, gaps remain, especially in understudied regions. Citizen science is an approach that can vastly increase the available data for informed decision-making. This study aims to use such an approach to investigate the population dynamics of two amphibian species in urban environments. We used the program MARK to perform a capture-mark-recapture analysis on two datasets: a large dataset collected in a multiyear citizen-science program, focused on two urban near eastern fire salamander (Salamandra infraimmaculata) populations, both found within a large city; and a second dataset, collected in a 1-year survey, focused on two green toad (Bufotes sitibundus) populations in an urban park and in a nearby nature reserve. Individuals of both species have unique patterns of dorsal spots, allowing for noninvasive recapture identification. Using repeated measurements of recaptured salamanders, we derived a species-specific growth curve that converts body length into an age estimate. Combined with a survival analysis of the capture{\textendash}recapture dataset, this age estimate revealed a prolonged period of increased vulnerability during the salamanders{\textquoteright} terrestrial phase, from metamorphosis until they reach full size. Additionally, the two case studies suggest that exotic fish introduction can have highly detrimental impacts on these amphibian species and should be the focus of future studies.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.70073}, author = {Omer Darel and O. Rybak and A. Ben-Levy and G. Kolodny and T. Kis-Papo and N. Lavie-Alon and R. Vidan and Oren Kolodny} } @article {3214465, title = { Monopsonies in Patent-Inhabiting Industries }, journal = {Regulation}, volume = {48}, year = {2025}, url = {https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/rcatorbg48\&i=132.}, author = {ROY BAHARAD and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3214464, title = { Core Facets of Divine Forgiveness: A Study Across Monotheistic Religions }, journal = {Frontiers in Psychology}, volume = {16}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

Introduction

Among the religious factors that significantly contribute to believers{\textquoteright} well-being, research on the personal experience of divine forgiveness (DF) remains in its infancy. The aim of this study was to investigate similarities and differences in the conceptualization of DF, its conditional/unconditional nature, and the understanding of sin across the three main monotheistic religions.

Methods

This was achieved by interviewing theologians (N = 3) through a focus group and having lay believers (N = 229, 63.8\% female,\ Mage = 33.09 years, SD = 13.81) from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism complete a self-report questionnaire.

Results

The theologians{\textquoteright} and believers{\textquoteright} perspectives revealed that while there are shared aspects across religions (e.g., God{\textquoteright}s mercy is greater than His justice), some differences are evident (e.g., the pathways to seek and achieve DF).

Discussion

These findings make a significant contribution to the psychology of religion, shedding light on universal and culturally specific dimensions of this multidimensional phenomenon.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1646554}, author = {Francesca-Giorgia Paleari and Francesca Vittoria Danioni and Valentina Valtulini and Daniela Barni and Asl{\i} Bugay S{\"o}kmez and Sara Eissa and Yaakov Greenwald and Ariel Knafo-Noam and Camillo Regalia} } @article {3214462, title = { Knowing How Personnel Selection Algorithms Compare With Human Recruiters Influences Their Perceived Trustworthiness }, journal = {International Journal of Selection and Assessment}, volume = {33}, year = {2025}, abstract = {As the performance of artificial intelligence (AI) enabled algorithms to improve, so too increases the potential for them to be used to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of human resource management (HRM) decisions. Yet, public distrust in AI algorithms could keep organizations from using this technology to improve HRM decision-making. Here, we examine one factor that may influence the perceived trustworthiness of AI algorithms used in HRM, specifically those used in personnel selection decisions. Drawing from organizational justice and trust theories, we posit that knowledge of how the algorithm compares with human recruiters in terms of hiring members of traditionally discriminated demographic groups serves as a fairness heuristic that affects the algorithm{\textquoteright}s perceived trustworthiness by increasing its perceived ability, benevolence, and integrity. In three experimental studies (N = 1382), we show that when people are informed that an algorithm used in personnel selection results in more women or racial minorities being hired, as compared to selection decisions made by human recruiters, they perceive it as having higher ability, benevolence and integrity, and are more willing to adopt it and to follow its recommendations. The opposite is true when the algorithm is said to decrease the number of women and racial minorities being hired. Our research suggests that auditing personnel selection decisions made using AI algorithms and communicating how they compare with human recruiters in terms of their diversity, equity, and inclusion outcomes is important for the perceived trustworthiness and public acceptance of this technology.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.70028}, author = {Mads N. Arnestad and Yochanan E. Bigman and Elizabeth Solberg and Kurt J. Gray} } @article {3214461, title = {La puissance sociale des \émotions}, journal = {{\'E}tudes}, year = {2025}, pages = {33-42}, abstract = {

Existen numerosas obras sobre cada una de las doce emociones analizadas por Eva Illouz en su {\'u}ltimo libro,\ Modernidad explosiva\ (Gallimard, 2025). La originalidad del enfoque de la soci{\'o}loga radica en mostrar c{\'o}mo la modernidad democr{\'a}tica, la industria del desarrollo personal y las redes sociales han contribuido a reconfigurar nuestras emociones hasta el punto de conferirles una centralidad que ha sustituido a otras instancias que gobiernan nuestras vidas. La hemos entrevistado para comprender mejor el poder social de nuestra vida emocional y los riesgos de su instrumentalizaci{\'o}n.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.3917/etu.4330.0035}, author = {Eva Illouz and Nathalie Sarthou-Lajus} } @article {3214460, title = {Empathy as a risk factor for internalizing symptoms during war: A 10-year prospective study from toddlerhood to adolescence}, journal = {Development and Psychopathology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {While empathy is often seen as a resilience factor, emotional resonance with others{\textquoteright} suffering may increase psychological vulnerability during mass trauma exposure, particularly in youth. Since the role of early empathy as a prospective risk factor remains understudied, we used a decade-long longitudinal design to examine whether empathic reactions in childhood predicted early adolescents{\textquoteright} internalizing (depression and anxiety) symptoms following the October 7th attack and the Israel{\textendash}Hamas war. Empathic distress was assessed at age 1.5 years and age 3 years through observational tasks. Emotional empathy and internalizing symptoms were self-reported at age 11 years, before the war, and reported again after its outbreak. Findings showed substantial internalizing symptoms during the war, with 31\% of participants exceeding the clinical cutoff for anxiety and 23\% for depression. Non of the empathy measures predicted internalizing symptoms before the war. However, during the war, empathic distress at age 1.5 and emotional empathy at age 11 predicted internalizing symptoms, controlling for negative emotionality and prior internalizing symptoms. Path analysis also linked empathic distress at age 3 to internalizing symptoms during war. Findings suggest that early empathic reactions may increase vulnerability to internalizing symptoms during mass trauma but not in non-traumatic contexts, aligning with a diathesis-stress model. Understanding empathy{\textquoteright}s role in risk and resilience can inform interventions for youth exposed to war.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579425100631}, author = {Dana Katsoty and Lior Abramson and Ariel Knafo-Noam} } @article {3214459, title = {Widespread Religious and Spiritual Change Due to War: A Terror Management Perspective}, journal = {The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This study investigated the impact of war on personal religiosity and spirituality (R/S). From a Terror Management Theory perspective, mortality awareness might lead individuals to seek existential security not only by endorsing R/S, but also by adhering to cultural norms. Therefore, we expected that war would drive widespread R/S change, but the extent to which individuals increase or decrease R/S would depend on the culturally normative nature of R/S. We relied on data from 1,278 Jewish-Israeli students collected during the ongoing 2023{\textendash}2025 Israel-Gaza war. Approximately half of the sample reported some change, with increases in R/S being more prevalent than decreases. However, this pattern varied by religious group affiliation and was especially true in contexts where R/S is more normative. Considering the culturally normative nature of R/S and both increases and decreases in R/S is important to contributing a fuller account of R/S change in the face of protracted stress.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2025.2554482}, author = {Yaakov Greenwald and Mario Mikulincer and Ariel Knafo-Noam} } @article {3214458, title = { Juvenile hormone signaling and social complexity in the Hymenoptera }, journal = {Current Opinion in Insect Science}, volume = {72}, year = {2025}, abstract = {The seminal discovery that in adults of the highly social honey bee (Apis mellifera), juvenile hormone (JH) regulates age-related division of labor (DoL) but not adult fertility, unlike in most insects, has led to the hypothesis that the evolution of insect sociality involved modifications in JH signaling. Recent studies examining JH functions across the Hymenoptera provide two main insights: First, significant progress in studies of the bumble bee\ Bombus terrestris, which exhibits an intermediate level of social complexity relative to honey bees, shows that JH regulates multiple tissues involved in reproduction, but not task performance. JH also seems to function as a primary gonadotropin in bees showing solitary lifestyles or low levels of social complexity, highlighting a marked contrast with its roles in honey bees. Second, this association between JH function and social complexity in bees does not generalize to other lineages. The few studies on JH function in highly social stingless bees are not consistent with the honey bee model. In wasps and hornets, JH typically influences both fertility and age-related DoL. There is substantial variability across ant species, offering no consistent model linking JH function to social complexity. We propose that although JH signaling is commonly modified in social insects, the specific changes differ between {\textemdash} and sometimes within {\textemdash} lineages. There is no one model linking JH function to social complexity across major lineages, likely due to changes in related pathways. These modifications enable social insects to circumvent the trade-off between reproduction and maintenance.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2025.101433}, author = {Yuval Shalem and Tzvi S. Goldberg and Guy Bloch} } @article {3214457, title = {Building Complexity From Simplicity: A Songbird\&$\#$39;s Vocal Repertoire Varies Among Populations Despite Similarity of Syllables}, journal = {Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {15}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Vocal communication plays a critical role in understanding animal behavior, evolution, and cognition. We developed an automated system combining audio signal processing and machine learning (supervised and unsupervised) to characterize the vocal repertoire of the White Spectacled Bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthopygos), a widespread passerine in Israel known for its complex year-round vocal activity. Analyzing hundreds of field recordings using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), our system identified thousands of calls, revealing a hierarchically structured vocal repertoire composed of distinct complex vocalizations (motifs) and base units (syllables). Our results show that different populations possess unique motif repertoires, primarily consisting of population-specific motifs built from syllables that are similar across genetically distinct populations. This study enhances our understanding of this understudied species and highlights the White Spectacled Bulbul{\textquoteright}s potential as a model organism for investigating vocal communication and social learning in animals.}, url = { https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72020}, author = {Aya Marck and Oren Kolodny and Yoni Vortman and Rachel Ben-Shlomo and Yizhar Lavner} } @article {3214456, title = {Advancing subterranean conservation through Global Research on eDNA in Groundwaters (GReG)}, journal = {Subterranean biology}, volume = {53}, year = {2025}, pages = {31-40}, url = {https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.53.165710}, author = {Mattia Sacc{\`o} and Abdul Elmasri and Mahima Tawal and .... and Oren Kolodny and others} } @article {3214455, title = {Pareto optimality reveals the core computations of the human brain}, journal = {Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society}, volume = {47}, year = {2025}, abstract = {The human brain supports complex behaviors through diverse functional connectivity patterns. We propose Pareto optimality as a novel framework to understand this functional organization. According to Pareto theory, systems optimizing multiple competing goals do so by balancing trade-offs along a low-dimensional "Pareto front" defined by archetypes that each optimize a single goal. Applying Pareto analysis to resting-state fMRI data (HCP, N=1200), we found that individual connectomes lie on a low-dimensional triangle. The three archetypes represent core computational goals: minimizing energetic cost, supporting cognitive control and goal-directed behavior, and enabling internal processing and memory. These goals are reflected in connectivity patterns, network topology, information flow, behavioral and clinical associations. The framework generalizes beyond rest to task-based brain states, and a simple neural model illustrates the trade-offs{\textquoteright} computational basis. Pareto optimality offers a principled approach to decompose brain function into core computations across conditions, populations, and stages of life.}, url = {https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gn078wm}, author = {Dan Hilman-Amir and Yuval Hart} } @article {3214454, title = {Responses to Organizational Change: Evolution of the Concept, Established Findings, and Future Directions}, journal = {Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior}, volume = {13}, year = {2025}, abstract = {In this review, we examine developments in how organization members{\textquoteright} responses to change have been conceptualized, measured, and predicted, and the outcomes they have been shown to produce. We focus on quantitative studies and use four conceptual lenses to analyze them: the tripartite approach, the change response circumplex model, change ambivalence, and levels of analysis. Drawing on established classifications of change response antecedents, we present current understandings of the factors and the mediating and moderating mechanisms that explain responses to change. Particular attention is given to the roles of national culture and time in shaping responses and our understanding of them. We end with directions for future research and practice, emphasizing the need to consider response activation, ambivalence, and timing in understanding and managing responses to organizational change.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-020924-064623}, author = {Shaul Oreg and Noga Sverdlik} } @article {3214453, title = {Approaches to quantify and manipulate insect hormone signals}, journal = {Current Opinion in Insect Science}, volume = {72}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Hormones play a decisive role in many aspects of insect biology. To study processes controlled by hormones, one needs methods to identify and quantify hormone titers and tools to enhance or suppress hormonal signaling experimentally. In this review, we focus on the key lipidic insect hormones, the juvenile hormones (JHs),\ and the ecdysteroids. The lipophilic nature of JH and ecdysteroids in combination with their low endogenous titers makes handling and quantification challenging but feasible owing to the improvement of analytical detection methods. Chemical and genetic approaches to modulate hormonal homeostasis have been developed based on knowledge of hormone biosynthetic and biodegrading enzymes, transporters, and receptors and enabled by advances in reverse genetics techniques. Here, we overview contemporary methods available to detect and quantify JHs and ecdysteroids from insect samples and to manipulate endocrine homeostasis.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2025.101425}, author = {Fernando G. Noriega and Guy Bloch and Martin Moos and Petr Simek and Marek Jindra} } @article {3203581, title = { Choosing to know: Children\&$\#$39;s decision to actively request social-norm information and their sharing behaviour }, journal = {British Journal of Psychology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {We examined the sharing behaviour of children (aged 6-12) when presented with a generous vs. a selfish norm of sharing, or after having a choice of whether or not to request the (same) social-norm information. We found that with age children shared more overall and were more influenced by the generous norm in their recommendations to others. Moreover, the results show a significant effect of information-seeking on children{\textquoteright}s behaviour: children who were presented with the choice to request social-norm information and actively chose to request it were significantly more influenced by the information in their own sharing decisions and in their recommendation to others, compared with children who were presented with the same social-norm information without asking for it. The findings highlight the importance of an active search for information, rather than the information content per se, as a key factor in understanding the effect of social-norm information on children{\textquoteright}s sharing behaviour.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.70011}, author = {Hagit Sabato and Ilana Ritov} } @article {3203580, title = { Entrepreneurs\’ optimal decisions in equity crowdfunding campaigns }, journal = {European Journal of Operational Research}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Equity crowdfunding is a method of financing an initiative whereby an entrepreneur sells shares in her firm to a group of people (the crowd) on a dedicated platform. Understanding the forces that shape the behavior of both buyers in the crowd and entrepreneurs in equity crowdfunding platforms can help design more efficient platforms and increase the welfare of all participants. We therefore develop a common value sequential crowdfunding game-theoretic model, where the entrepreneur sells a percentage of her firm in order to raise money for its establishment and then shares the future value of the firm with the crowd. Buyers on the platform who visit the campaign decide whether or not to invest in it. Each buyer{\textquoteright}s decision depends on the amount that has already been invested before him and on his own knowledge about the firm and the market in which it operates (which we model as a noisy signal that he obtains regarding the true value of the firm). By offering a different percentage in the firm, the entrepreneur leads the crowd to a different equilibrium. We characterize these equilibria and then analyze the entrepreneur{\textquoteright}s decision. We show that the entrepreneur{\textquoteright}s optimal percentage she offers for sale is non monotonic in the ex-ante probability of success. This is in-line with recent empirical findings. We further show that when buyers{\textquoteright} signals are very noisy, the entrepreneur may prefer buyers that have a less accurate signal regarding the true value of the firm over buyers with a more accurate signal.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2025.07.004}, author = {Hana Tzur and Ella Segev} } @article {3202926, title = {Conversion}, journal = {Encyclopedia of Religious Psychology and Behavior}, year = {2025}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38971-9_800-1}, author = {Yaakov Greenwald and Ariel Knafo-Noam} } @article {3202925, title = { Deliberate ignorance in resource allocations to others: The role of entitlement }, journal = {Current Opinion in Psychology}, volume = {65}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This paper explores the role of self-image concerns and a sense of entitlement in decisions involving resource allocation, when individuals can choose to seek or avoid information about the needs of others. We review research showing that people often engage in willful ignorance to protect their moral self-image while pursuing their self-interest. We propose, however, that to fully understand self-image protection as a driver of deliberate ignorance, it is essential to examine the underlying attitudes that support and sustain this motivation. As an example, we highlight the moderating role of entitlement, showing that individuals with a high sense of entitlement are less likely to avoid information and more likely to help. These findings underscore the interplay between moral self-concept and worldview in shaping social behavior.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102089}, author = {Ilana Ritov and Stephen M. Garcia} } @article {3202924, title = { Tired of war: Changes in the sleep of the Israeli civilian population in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war }, journal = {International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology}, volume = {25}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

Study Objectives

War profoundly impacts various aspects of human life. The effects of war on sleep have been mainly studied among military personnel who are directly exposed to combat. The present work studies changes in sleep patterns of the civilian population following a war, assessing sleep before and during the 2023-2024 Israel{\textendash}Hamas war.

Methods

Study 1 compared the national prevalence of insomnia before and during the war by analyzing data from the 2023 Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics survey (N\ = 6,474). Studies 2 and 3 comprehensively assessed reports on sleep before the war and 2-3 months into the war through validated tools, and also measured psychological distress and demographics. These studies included two independent samples (N\ = 1,706), one of which was representative of the Israeli population. Study 4 re-surveyed the representative sample of Study 3 six months into the war (N\ = 273).

Results

In Study 1, the incidence of insomnia symptoms rose markedly during the war. In Studies 2 and 3, participants reported a 19-22 \% increase in the prevalence of short sleep (\< 6 hours/night), a 16-19 \% increase in clinical insomnia, and a 4-5 \% increase in sleep medication usage compared to before the war. In Study 4, 6 months into the war, the majority of sleep impairments persisted despite reduced psychological distress. Across studies, women and individuals with greater exposure to trauma were more strongly affected.

Conclusions

The findings of four studies demonstrate the detrimental effects of warfare on civilians{\textquoteright} sleep, indicating that these effects are likely long-lasting. The findings identify precursors for sleep problems and underscore the relationships between sleep, trauma, and psychological distress.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100596}, author = {Uri Zak and Shoham Choshen-Hillel and Hagit Hochner and Alex Gileles-Hillel} } @article {3202923, title = { Corporate Governance Outside Wall Street }, journal = {Texas A\&M Law Review}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

}, url = {https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1384\&context=lawreview}, author = {Gideon Parchomovsky and Asaf Eckstein} } @article {3202922, title = { Values and educational decisions: How do values relate to adolescents\’ academic track choices? }, journal = {European Journal of Psychology of Education}, volume = {40}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Values are central for life choices, including vocational and academic decisions. Importantly, vocational choices begin within the school system, where selecting specific study tracks can impact later career development. How do values relate to adolescents{\textquoteright} academic track choices? Study 1 focused on Israeli students who chose exact science tracks compared to those who chose other tracks. Adolescents, reached through panel recruitment (N = 216, age:\ M = 16.66, SD = 0.95; 63\% female), reported their values and listed their academic tracks. Openness to change related positively to studying in exact science tracks. Study 2 used a different approach, with Israeli participants, recruited through social media (N = 125, age:\ M = 17.21, SD = 0.60; 52\% female), self-reporting their main academic track and values. Additionally, a new questionnaire was introduced to measure the students{\textquoteright} value-based academic goals (VAGS). Exact science students held the highest self-enhancement academic goals, conservation values, and conservation academic goals. Artistic students had the highest openness values and the lowest conservation values and academic goals. Psychology students had the highest self-transcendence values and academic goals and lowest openness to change academic goals. Additionally, exact science students prioritized long-term goals more than those in other tracks. Similarities and differences in the two samples{\textquoteright} findings are discussed, in light of the different strategies to assign students to their study tracks. Results are reviewed in light of Schwartz{\textquoteright}s values theory and Holland{\textquoteright}s vocational environment model, promoting our understanding of the association between values and high school academic track choices. Theoretical and practical implications are suggested for the concepts of value-based academic goals.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-025-00964-4}, author = {Hila Segal and Shira Whartman and Ariel Knafo-Noam} } @article {3202921, title = { Stability and robustness of idiosyncratic choice bias }, journal = {Communications Psychology}, volume = {3}, year = {2025}, abstract = {A well-known observation in repeated-choice experiments is that a tendency to prefer one response over the others emerges if the feedback consistently favors that response. Choice bias, a tendency to prefer one response over the others, however, is not restricted to biased-feedback settings and is also observed when the feedback is unbiased. In fact, participant-specific choice bias, known as idiosyncratic choice bias (ICB), is common even in symmetrical experimental settings in which feedback is completely absent. Here we ask whether feedback-induced bias and ICB share a common mechanism. Specifically, we ask whether ICBs reflect idiosyncrasies in choice-feedback associations\ prior\ to the measurement of the ICB. To address this question, we compared the long-term dynamics of ICBs with feedback-induced biases in two longitudinal experiments involving 319 participants. We show that while feedback effectively induced choice preferences, its effect was transient and diminished within several weeks. By contrast, we show that ICBs remained stable for at least 22 months. These results indicate that different mechanisms underlie the idiosyncratic and feedback-induced biases.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00263-0}, author = {Lior Lebovich and Lea Kaplan and David Hansel and Yonatan Loewenstein} } @article {3202920, title = { The Distance Factor in Remedies }, journal = {Journal of Empirical Legal Studies}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

This article proposes a new classification of legal remedies that cuts across existing classifications. It argues that all remedies involving the transfer of resources are positioned along a continuum from close to remote, which determines their {\textquotedblleft}distance factor.{\textquotedblright} The basic distinction is between remedies provided directly by the injurer to the injured and remedies that are provided through third parties. The article presents the results of two original, preregistered experiments designed to examine the effect of the distance factor on perceptions of, and preferences for, various remedies from the perspectives of both the injured and injurers. The experiments reveal that even when the remedy is monetary, both injured and injurers prefer the remedy with the smaller distance factor. Specifically, both parties believe that direct compensation leads to better outcomes than payment via a third party with regard to rectifying the harm done, granting satisfaction to the injured, treating the injured and injurer with respect, improving the bilateral relations, and increasing the injurer{\textquoteright}s sense of responsibility for the harm. These findings are relevant to the various goals that the law wishes to promote, such as corrective justice, economic efficiency, or distributive justice. They vindicate the importance of private law, offer a more attractive justification for it than the one offered by Civil Recourse Theory, and support pluralism in remedial modes.

}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jels.12414}, author = {Daphna Lewinsohn-Zamir and Ilana Ritov} } @article {3202919, title = { Behavior engineering using quantitative reinforcement learning models }, journal = {Nature Communications}, volume = {16}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Effectively shaping human and animal behavior is of great practical and theoretical importance. Here we ask whether quantitative models of choice can be used to achieve this goal more effectively than qualitative psychological principles. We term this approach, which is motivated by the effectiveness of engineering in the natural sciences, {\textquoteleft}choice engineering{\textquoteright}. To address this question, we launched an academic competition, in which teams of academic competitors used either quantitative models or qualitative principles to design reward schedules that would maximally bias the choices of experimental participants in a repeated, two-alternative task. We found that a choice engineering approach is the most successful method for shaping behavior in our task. This is a proof of concept that quantitative models are ripe to be used in order to engineer behavior. Finally, we show that choice engineering can be effectively used to compare models in the cognitive sciences, thus providing an alternative to the standard statistical methods of model comparison that are based on likelihood or explained variance.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58888-y}, author = {Ohad Dan and Ori Plonsky and Yonatan Loewenstein} } @article {3202918, title = {Restraining State Theft: Tyler v. Hennepin County and Home Equity Protection}, journal = {Cato Institute}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This article discusses the Supreme Court case Tyler v. Hennepin County, which addressed the issue of home equity theft when local governments foreclose on properties for unpaid taxes and keep the surplus funds. The Court unanimously ruled that retaining surplus equity constitutes a taking under the Fifth Amendment, requiring just compensation to the homeowner. The decision strengthens property rights, particularly for lower-income individuals who are disproportionately affected by such practices. Analysis shows that the decision led to an increase in the sales prices of low-value homes in states that had previously engaged in home equity theft.}, url = {https://coilink.org/20.500.12592/10r80zh}, author = {Jonathan Klick and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3202917, title = {The Renaissance of Private Law}, journal = {Northwestern University Law Review}, year = {2025}, url = {https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/faculty_articles/549/}, author = {Gideon Parchomovsky and Yotam Kaplan and Adi Libson} } @article {3202916, title = {Restraining \&$\#$39;Theft by the State\&$\#$39;}, journal = {Regulation}, volume = {48}, year = {2025}, abstract = {The article focuses on the Supreme Court{\textquoteright}s 2023 ruling on home equity theft, affirming that property rights extend beyond the wealthy. Topics include the legal arguments surrounding Geraldine Tyler{\textquoteright}s case against Hennepin County, the broader impact of similar laws in various states, and the economic effects of the ruling on low-value home prices.}, url = {https://research.ebsco.com/c/uccnb4/viewer/pdf/blbfnsj7in}, author = {Jonathan Klick and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3202915, title = {The rise and the fall of Chthamalus southwardi}, journal = {Marine Biology Research}, volume = {21}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

Morphological study and molecular analysis reveal that the population of chthamalids from Seychelles Islands belongs to the species\ Tetrachthamalus obliterratus.\ Previously, this population was regarded as\ Chthamalus southwardi. Thus, our study leads to the conclusion that\ Chthamalus southwardi\ is a junior synonym of\ Tetrachthamalus oblitteratus\ and should be abandoned. The molecular comparison between the population of Seychelles and that of Elat (on the Red Sea), using three markers {\textendash} COI, 12S rRNA, and NaKA {\textendash} suggests that these populations present two distinct clades of\ Tetrachthamalus oblitteratus.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2025.2484301}, author = {Noa Simon-Blecher and Uzi Motro and Yair Achituv} } @article {3202914, title = { A multilingual app for studying children\’s developing values: Introducing a new Arabic translation of the picture-based values survey and comparison of Palestinian and Jewish children in Israel. }, journal = {Developmental Psychology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Although over 250 million people speak Arabic as their first language, only a minuscule fraction of developmental science studies Arab children. As values are a core component of culture, understanding how values develop is key to understanding development across cultures. Little is known about young Arab children{\textquoteright}s values. We developed an Arabic version of the Picture-Based Value Survey for Children and implemented it in a multilingual application, adapted for 5-year-olds by recording the instructions and value item captions. We then compared the results in Arabic to those from the more established Hebrew version, with Hebrew-speaking children as a comparison group. A pilot study (N\ = 63) provided preliminary support that the measure is working well in Arabic and Hebrew. In Study 2, four hundred 5- to 12-year-old children reported their values (50\% in Arabic, 50\% in Hebrew) in a preregistered study. Multidimensional scaling analyses revealed structural patterns that closely correspond to Schwartz{\textquoteright}s (1992) theoretical structure in both languages. Replicating past findings, power values were less important than benevolence in both cultural groups, and girls ranked self-enhancement values lower than boys (but not in Hebrew speakers). We further explored age and cultural differences in value development. Value consistency increased with age in both cultures, peaking at age 9{\textendash}10. Cultural comparisons revealed several differences in value importance between the two cultures and lower value consistency and coherence in Arabic-speaking children. These results establish a tool for studying value development in Arab children and, more broadly, understanding the basic motivations driving populations that were hardly studied before.\ }, url = {https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001957}, author = {Aysheh Maslamani and Ella Daniel and Anna K. D{\"o}ring and Yuval Hart and Iyas Nasser and Ariel Knafo-Noam} } @article {3202913, title = { Individual versus social optimization in statistical estimation }, journal = {Operations Research Letters}, volume = {61}, year = {2025}, abstract = {A number of estimators participate in a non-cooperative game where the data they collect are reported to a central planner who takes decisions. She in her turn decides on the estimates to be imposed on the participants. Because they are aware of this, they may behave strategically and misreport. We exemplify this decision making process where the James-Stein{\textquoteright}s estimator is used by the central planner. In particular, we consider the resulting optimization or Nash equilibria reporting strategies in a number of variations of this game.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orl.2025.107284}, author = {Moshe Haviv} } @article {3196457, title = {Restraining \&$\#$39;Theft by the State\&$\#$39;}, journal = {Regulation}, volume = {48}, year = {2025}, abstract = { }, url = {https://research.ebsco.com/c/uccnb4/viewer/pdf/blbfnsj7in}, author = {Jonathan Klick and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3194349, title = { Urges now, interests later: On the factors and dynamics of epistemic curiosity }, journal = {Cognition}, volume = {259}, year = {2025}, abstract = {More information today is becoming more accessible to more people at an ever-growing rate. How does epistemic curiosity operate in this expanding informational landscape? We test a novel theory which postulates that experienced curiosity is a function of two psychological factors: Interest, which is cognitive, {\textquotedblleft}cool{\textquotedblright} and relatively stable in time, and Urge that is {\textquotedblleft}hot{\textquotedblright} and quick to rise and decay. These factors determine one{\textquoteright}s experienced curiosity at any given point in time. Interestingly, these temporal dynamics may lead to time-dependent changes in epistemic choices. In a series of forced-choice experiments (n\ =\ 702), participants chose between receiving answers to either high-Urge or high-Interest questions. Consistent with predictions derived from our theory, we found a present-bias in preference for Urge. Our theory explains why, in stark contrast to individual interest and with the potential to derail public discourse, a competition for our attention inherently incentivizes the use of inciting and sensational information. We present and test a theory-based behavioral nudge that partially ameliorates these effects.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2025.106107}, author = {Ohad Dan and Maya Leshkowitz and Ohad Livnat and Ran R. Hassin} } @article {3194348, title = { Children Subjected to Forced Separation and Wartime Trauma: Focus on Hostage Twins in the Hamas-Israel War }, journal = {International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice}, year = {2025}, abstract = {An especially critical task is to raise awareness of the effects of war on children, in general, and with reference to specific children whose circumstances might enhance their vulnerability. Starting points, from which we begin our discussion, are the abduction and separation of 3-year-old identical twins during the Hamas attacks on the South of Israel, on October 7, 2023. Emphasis is given to these twins{\textquoteright} circumstances and to all children{\textquoteright}s heightened vulnerability to the detrimental effects of war-related trauma, including mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Specific attention is given to the profound bond between identical twins and the devastating consequences of separation on their immediate and long-term emotional well-being. Drawing on research findings surrounding children at war and on historical evidence for the effects of twin separation on individuals exposed to war, our commentary underscores the urgent need for awareness and condemnation of the direct targeting of children. We advocate the preservation of family ties as essential for fostering children{\textquoteright}s resilience and emotional support. We also call upon professional organizations and the international community to prioritize the reunification of children with their families as a moral imperative in safeguarding the well-being and future of innocent children exposed to terrorism and conflict in war-torn regions.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-025-00225-3}, author = {Ariel Knafo-Noam and Nancy L. Segal} } @article {3194347, title = {Grading Patents}, journal = {Washington University Law Review}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

In this Article, we offer a new design for our patent system with a view

to optimize its functioning. As multiple patent scholars have recognized, the

root cause of the ills of our patent system is the high rate of low-quality

patents. Extant patent law employs a binary screening process, under which

inventions either qualify for protection or fail. Thereafter, all qualifying

inventions are entitled to the same level of protection irrespective of the

degree of their novelty, utility and nonobviousness. As we establish

throughout this Article, patent law{\textquoteright}s failure to distinguish among inventions

based on their quality greatly undermines the patent system{\textquoteright}s principal

objective of optimally incentivizing and adequately rewarding innovative

progress. Society, at least in principle, ends up paying the same price for

all qualifying inventions, regardless of their level of innovation and

improvement upon the prior art.

}, url = {https://wustllawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/13_Parchomovsky-Baharad_FINAL-1.27.pdf}, author = {ROY BAHARAD and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3194346, title = { Individual differences in prioritization for consciousness and the conscious detection of changes }, journal = {Consciousness and Cognition}, volume = {129}, year = {2025}, abstract = {A recent discovery documented robust and reliable individual differences in how quickly people become aware of non-conscious visual stimuli (Sklar, Goldstein, et al., 2021). Given the seemingly large role that conscious experiences play in our lives, this trait is likely to be associated with later cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes. Here we examine the possible implications of this trait to perceptual conscious experiences. In two experiments we demonstrate that the speed of prioritization to awareness is correlated with the ability to notice changes in a change blindness paradigm. The first experiment (N = 97) found a correlation between prioritization speed and multiple parameters of change blindness performance. The second, preregistered, replication experiment (N = 99), further demonstrated that variability in other perceptual-decision making tasks cannot account for this correlation. The results of both experiments suggest that prioritization speed is tightly related with conscious experiences in other situations.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2025.103831}, author = {Gal R. Chen and Yuval Harris and Ran R. Hassin} } @article {3191918, title = {Human-induced pheromone pollution leads to changes in alternative mating tactics of moths}, journal = {Behavioral Ecology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Environmental changes driven by anthropogenic activities often disrupt animal communication and mating behavior. Consequently, these changes may force animals to adopt alternative mating tactics and strategies to find a mate. The mating disruption technique is an environmentally friendly tactic often used to control the pink-bollworm moth population in cotton fields. Though mating disruption is eco-friendly, it represents a Human-Induced Rapid Environmental Change for the targeted moths. Mating disruption involves spreading a synthetic version of the species-specific sex pheromone in the field, creating a pheromone-polluted environment, making it difficult for male moths to locate females and thereby reducing mating rates. We hypothesized that the intense sexual selection and environmental changes affecting communication would lead moths to increase their use of alternative mating strategies. An observed alternative mating behavior in male pink bollworm moths is disturbing mating pairs to displace the male and mate with the female. We compared this behavior between two populations and found that males long exposed to mating disruption disturbed mating pairs more frequently than those never exposed to it. In addition, males with a prolonged history of exposure to mating disruption showed reduced choosiness of females and increased their mating rate with small females of lower reproductive potential. The success rate of the observed couple disturbance was low. Nonetheless, this strategy, alongside other strategies, may contribute to the males{\textquoteright} reproductive success when facing the additional challenge of locating females due to the pheromone-polluted environment.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araf010}, author = {Shevy Waner Rips and Michal Motro and Uzi Motro and Oren Kolodny and Ally Harari} } @article {3191917, title = { Diversification of social complexity following a major evolutionary transition in bees }, journal = {Current Biology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {How social complexity evolved remains a long-standing enigma. In most animal groups, social complexity is typically classified into a few discrete classes. This approach is oversimplified and constrains our inference of social evolution to a narrow trajectory consisting of transitions between classes. Such categorical classifications also limit quantitative studies on the molecular and environmental drivers of social complexity. The recent accumulation of relevant quantitative data has set the stage to overcome these limitations. Here, we propose a data-driven, high-dimensional approach for studying the full diversity of social phenotypes. We curated and analyzed a comprehensive dataset encompassing 17 social traits across 80 species and studied the evolution of social complexity in bees. We found that honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees underwent a major evolutionary transition \~{}80 mya, inconsistent with the stepwise progression of the social ladder conceptual framework. This major evolutionary transition was followed by a phase of substantial phenotypic diversification of social complexity. Other bee lineages display a continuum of social complexity, ranging from solitary to simple societies, but do not reach the levels of social complexity seen in honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees. Bee evolution, therefore, provides a remarkable demonstration of a macroevolutionary process in which a major transition removed biological constraints and opened novel evolutionary opportunities, driving the exploration of the landscape of social phenotypes. Our approach can be extended to incorporate additional data types and readily applied to illuminate the evolution of social complexity in other animal groups.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.009}, author = {Ohad Peled and Gili Greenbaum and Guy Bloch} } @article {3191916, title = {Restless nights, cold hearts: Poor sleep causally blunts empathy}, journal = {International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology}, volume = {25}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

Poor sleep is pervasive in modern society. Poor sleep is associated with major physical and mental health consequences, as well as with impaired cognitive function. Less is known about the relationship between sleep and emotional and interpersonal behavior. In this work, we investigate whether poor sleep impairs empathy, an important building block of human interaction and prosocial behavior. We aimed to capture the effects of poor sleep on the various aspects of empathy: trait and state, affect and cognition.

Study 1 (n = 155) assessed daily habitual sleep over several days, and global sleep quality in the past month. Participants who reported worse sleep quality exhibited lower empathic caring and perspective-taking traits. Study 2 (n = 347) induced a one-night disruption of sleep continuity to test a causal relationship between sleep and empathy. Participants in the sleep disrupted condition had to briefly wake up five times over the night, whereas the sleep-rested controls slept normally. In the next morning, participants{\textquoteright} empathy and prosocial intentions were assessed. Participants in the sleep disruption condition exhibited lower empathic sensitivity and less prosocial decision-making than sleep-rested controls.

The main contribution of this work is in providing a robust demonstration of the multi-faceted detrimental effects of poor sleep on trait and state empathy. Our findings demonstrate that poor sleep causally impairs empathic response to the suffering of others. These findings highlight the need for greater public attention to adequate sleep, which may impact empathy on a societal level.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100548}, author = {Tom Gordon-Hecker and Shoham Choshen-Hillel and Eti Ben-Simon and Matthew P. Walker and Anat Perry and Alex Gileles-Hillel} } @article {3191346, title = { Profound individual differences in contextualized emotion perception }, journal = {Journal of Experimental Psychology: General}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Emotion perception is a fundamental aspect of our lives because others{\textquoteright} emotions may provide important information about their reactions, attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Following the seminal work of Ekman, much of the research on emotion perception has focused on facial expressions. Recent evidence suggests, however, that facial expressions may be more ambiguous than previously assumed and that context also plays an important role in deciphering the emotional states of others. Here, we adopt a novel approach, breaking down the means and documenting a robust trait in emotion perception. In six experiments with 671 participants, we find evidence for striking individual differences in emotion perception, with different people presenting profound differences in weighting the face versus the extrafacial context. Importantly, these differences are stable over time, stimuli, and paradigms. Our data show that individuals are interpreting identical emotional displays as communicating different emotions. Implications of these robust differences are discussed.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001692}, author = {Noga Ensenberg-Diamant and Ran R. Hassin and Hillel Aviezer} } @article {3191082, title = {Cultural innovation is not only a product of cognition but also of cultural context}, journal = {Behavioral and Brain Sciences}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Innovations, such as symbolic artifacts, are a product of cognitive abilities but also of cultural context. Factors that may determine the emergence and retention of an innovation include the population{\textquoteright}s pre-existing cultural repertoire, exposure to relevant ways of thinking, and the invention{\textquoteright}s utility. Thus, we suggest that the production of symbolic artifacts is not guaranteed even in cognitively advanced societies.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X2400089X}, author = {Yotam Ben-Oren and Erella Hovers and Oren Kolodny and Nicole Creanza} } @article {3191080, title = { Financial market exposure increases generalized trust }, journal = {Journal of Public Economics}, year = {2025}, abstract = {How can we build trust, especially in polarized societies? We propose that exposure to broad financial markets{\textemdash}where individuals place their assets in the hands of large groups of unfamiliar agents who nonetheless have the incentive and ability to promote their interests{\textemdash}can contribute to generalized trust. In a randomized controlled trial, we encourage Israelis to hold or trade stocks for up to seven weeks. We find that participation in financial markets increases the probability of expressing generalized trust by about 6 percentage points, equivalent to a quarter of the control group mean. The effects seem to be driven by political partisans along the left{\textendash}right spectrum in Israel, and are robust to negative price changes. Thus,\ trust is not only a cause but can also be an effect of participation in financial markets.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105303}, author = {Saumitra Jha and Moses Shayo and Chagai M. Weiss} }