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Akira O'Connor

Akira O'Connor

Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of St Andrews
I am cognitive psychologist who is interested in memory decision-making and subjective experiences of memory (e.g. deja vu and jamais vu). I have used a range of methods to conduct my research, including paper and pencil tasks, computerised tasks, pupilometry, and fMRI.

Jamais vu: the science behind eerie opposite of déjà vu

Sep 18, 2023 06:25 am UTC| Science

Repetition has a strange relationship with the mind. Take the experience of déjà vu, when we wrongly believe have experienced a novel situation in the past leaving you with an spooky sense of pastness. But...

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Economy

Iran-U.S. Oil Tensions Escalate as Revolutionary Guards Threaten Strait of Hormuz Blockade

Tensions between Iran and the United States have reached a dangerous new level after Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps threatened to halt all oil shipments from the Middle East if American and Israeli military...

U.S. Solar Market Contracts in 2025 as Trump Rolls Back Renewable Energy Incentives

The United States solar industry experienced a notable slowdown in 2025, with new installations falling to 43 gigawatts a significant drop from the nearly 50 GW recorded in 2024. A joint report by the Solar Energy...

Chinese AI Stocks Surge as Tencent, MiniMax, and Zhipu Launch Agentic AI Programs

Chinese artificial intelligence stocks climbed sharply on Tuesday, driven by growing investor enthusiasm around agentic AI a rapidly emerging category of software capable of performing complex tasks autonomously on user...

Asian Currencies Face Pressure as U.S.-Iran Conflict Weighs on Markets

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China's Trade Surplus Surges Past Forecasts in Early 2026

Chinas trade balance delivered a powerful start to 2026, with the countrys trade surplus reaching $213.62 billion in the January-February period significantly outpacing analyst expectations of $177.40 billion. The...

Politics

Trump-Putin Call Addresses Iran War, Ukraine Peace, and Global Oil Crisis

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a significant phone call on Monday, addressing the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, the conflict in Ukraine, and growing instability in global energy...

Trump Hints at Possible U.S. Takeover of Cuba Amid Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

President Donald Trump raised eyebrows Monday when he suggested Cuba could be facing a potential U.S.-led takeover, describing the Caribbean nation as running on fumes with virtually no energy resources or financial...

Taiwan's MQ-9B SkyGuardian Drone Order Stays on Schedule Despite Middle East Conflict

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U.S. Patriot Missiles Redeployed From South Korea Amid Middle East Conflict

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung acknowledged Tuesday that Seoul lacks the authority to prevent Washington from relocating U.S. military weapons stationed on the peninsula, following reports that Patriot missile...

U.S. Calls for Reassessment of International Aid to Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan

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Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

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NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

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Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

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Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

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Apple Bets Big on India: iPhone Production Hits 55 Million Units as China Reliance Fades

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Anthropic Sues Pentagon Over AI Blacklist, Citing Free Speech Violations

Anthropic has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Pentagons decision to place the AI company on a national security blacklist, marking a dramatic escalation in its standoff with the U.S. military. The California-based...

Yann LeCun's AI Startup AMI Raises $1 Billion at $3.5 Billion Valuation

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Nvidia Sets $4M CEO Bonus Target for Fiscal 2027 as AI Demand Drives Revenue Growth

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) has introduced a new variable compensation plan for fiscal 2027 that ties executive bonuses directly to revenue performance, according to a recent regulatory filing. Under the updated...
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