If the sun suddenly disappeared, how long would life on Earth last, from humans and plants to subterranean bacteria? And why do humans so readily adopt fiction into our lives, and feel emotion about characters as though they were someone close to us in real life?
29 July 2026
Why do we become so attached to fictional characters, despite knowing they aren’t real?
Paul Salmon/Alamy
Why do humans so readily adopt fiction into our lives, and feel emotion about characters as though they were someone close to us in real life?
Dave Neale
Bedford, UK
Dmitri T/Shutterstock
If the sun suddenly disappeared, how long would life on Earth last, from humans and plants to subterranean bacteria?
Garry Trethewey
Arkaroola, South Australia
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