There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Sentence: Science has officially crowned us superior to our early-rising brethren. Paragraph: My fellow night owls, grab a strong cup of coffee and gather around: I have great news......(1)..... For a long time, our kind has been unfairly maligned. Stereotyped as lazy and undisciplined. Told we ought to be morning larks. Advised to go to bed early so we can wake before 5am and run a marathon before breakfast like all high flyers seem to do. Now, however, we are having the last laugh......(2).... It may be a tad more complicated than that. A study published last week, which you may have already seen while scrolling at 1am, suggests that staying up late could be good for brain power......(3)..... Is this study a thinly veiled PR exercise conducted by a caffeine pill company? Nope, it’s legit......(4)..... Research led by academics at Imperial College London studied data on more than 26,000 people and found that ”self-declared ’night owls’ generally tend to have higher cognitive scores”......

The correct option is Option 4.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Analyze the Sentence to be Inserted:
The sentence is: "Science has officially crowned us superior to our early-rising brethren."
Key clues in this sentence include:
• "Science": This indicates that the sentence should follow a mention of scientific validation or precede the specific details of a scientific study.
• "superior to our early-rising brethren": This refers to the comparison between night owls and morning larks, specifically asserting a scientific backing for the superiority of night owls.

2. Analyze the Context of the Paragraph:
Let's evaluate how the paragraph flows and examine the placement options:
• Before (1): The author introduces the topic to "night owls" with "great news". Placing the sentence here is premature because the author immediately transitions into explaining how night owls have been historically maligned and stereotyped.
• Before (2): The text says, "Now, however, we are having the last laugh... It may be a tad more complicated than that." Inserting the sentence here interrupts the transition to the caveat ("It may be a tad more complicated...").
• Before (3): The text discusses a study suggesting staying up late is good for brain power, followed by a rhetorical question: "Is this study a thinly veiled PR exercise...?" The flow here is cohesive and shouldn't be interrupted.
• Before (4): The author confirms the legitimacy of the study: "Nope, it’s legit." Following this confirmation, introducing the assertion that "Science has officially crowned us superior to our early-rising brethren" acts as a perfect summary statement of the study's impact. It is immediately supported and explained by the next sentence detailing the actual research: "Research led by academics at Imperial College London studied data on more than 26,000 people and found that 'self-declared night owls generally tend to have higher cognitive scores'..."

Conclusion:
Placing the sentence at position (4) creates a logical bridge between the confirmation of the study's legitimacy ("Nope, it’s legit") and the specific empirical findings of the Imperial College London research that compare night owls to morning larks.