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This week’s new questions

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?
B0729K Television and cartoon characters, depicted in the form of toy dolls, making up a window display.. Image shot 03/2008. Exact date unknown.
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

Stunning sunset over the Baltic Sea with the sun disappearing below the horizon creating a bright glow on water.; Shutterstock ID 2765860393; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other:
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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