Today in Science: See this stunning new map of the cosmos

A newsletter for unflinching, ever-curious science-lovers. ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

December 19, 2025—Tantalizing molecules found in the plumes of Enceladus, 20 new calls of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, and a stunning new map of the cosmos.  —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor TODAY'S NEWS NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA's newest space telescope SPHEREx has unveiled a stunning map of the cosmos in infrared. | 2 min read Here's how much practice you need to become the best in the world at something (Hint: It's not 10,000 hours). | 3 min read Listen: Scientists have recorded 20 new calls of the endangered Hawaiian monk seals. | 21 min listen Earth's orbit is cluttered with old spacecraft debris, space junk, and a megaconstellation of satellites. Spacecraft operators now have a narrow window of time to avoid a collision. | 3 min read  In an exclusive excerpt of her new book The Great Shadow, historian Susan Wise Bauer explores how sickness is distinct from injury and has shaped the way we think about ourselves and our world.  | 4 min read More News Explore the universe with a subscription to Scientific American. Feel the awe of science this holiday season.​ WATCH THIS Jeffery DelViscio/Scientific American Earlier this week I wrote about a weeklong journey our senior multimedia manager Kelso Harper took to join researchers as they tracked southern resident killer whales off the coast of Oregon. On board their vessel, scent-detection dog Eba helped the researchers locate floating killer whale poop for collection and analysis. What a good girl! Watch a documentary about the research here.   TOP STORIES Artist's depiction of Cassini sampling plumes from the subsurface ocean of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Fascinating Plumes Plumes of water spray up from the south pole of Saturn's moon, Enceladus. But unidentified substances make up about 2 percent of the slushy blast. Evidence of these ingredients arose from data that NASA's Cassini orbiter captured from 2005 to 2017. Scientists revisited data from the Cosmic Dust Analyzer on the spacecraft, which parsed the chemical composition of puffs of dust from ice grains striking its detectors each time the spacecraft swooped through a plume. They found other ingredients: complex organic molecules such as esters, ethers and compounds with oxygen and nitrogen.  Why it matters: Enceladus remains one of the most alluring destinations in the search for extraterrestrial life. In this most recent discovery, scientists suspect these compounds are intermediates that could make further complex organic molecules.    What experts say: "But maybe those compounds originated from even larger compounds. What exactly would we find if we dove into the ocean below? Are the compounds reported here just the tip of the astrobiological iceberg?" says Kevin Hand, a planetary scientist and director of the Ocean Worlds Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who was not involved in the study. —Andrea Tamayo, Newsletter Writer

PLAY NOW If you've been reading Today in Science this week, this first question of today's science quiz should be a slam dunk. Plus, here's today's Spellements puzzle and our Killer Sudoku, which is a mind-bending mashup of Sudoku and KenKen. More Games MOST POPULAR STORIES OF THE WEEK New Flu Variant May Be Triggering Spike in Severe Disease | 3 min read How to See Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as It Swings by Earth One Last Time | 2 min read The Hype behind Probiotics | 4 min read  Thanks to everyone who emailed me about their fitness trackers! I loved reading about how you all incorporate this daily data into your lives. Some told me they use their stats to help them monitor caffeine intake (if their sleep is restless) or get closer to 10,000 steps every day. I'm impressed by these metrics help you to assess your stress levels and, as one reader told me, advocate for yourself when you're at the doctor's office. I don't think I'm the only one who isn't quite ready for a fitness tracker just yet, but you all inspire me! I love hearing from you, reach out any time: newsletters@sciam.com. Happy weekend.   —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

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Week in Science: New flu variant driving case surge

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December 19—This week, a new flu variant may behind the current surge in cases. Plus, humans have something of a sixth sense called interoception, and it could be the key to mental health. And tonight is your last chance to spot the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. All that and more below. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor Tell us what you think about this newsletter! Email newsletters@sciam.com anytime.

Top Stories

New Flu Variant May Be Triggering Spike in Severe Disease A novel influenza variant called subclade K appears to be driving an uptick in cases and hospitalizations throughout the U.S. and other countries Tanya Lewis

How to See Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as It Swings by Earth One Last Time This week marks the last chance for backyard astronomers to see interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS before it races on its journey back to outer space Claire Cameron

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A Distorted Mind-Body Connection May Explain Common Mental Illnesses Disruptions in interoception may underlie anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health ailments Diana Kwon

These Orcas Are on the Brink—And So Is the Science That Could Save Them Inside the desperate rush to save the southern resident killer whales Kelso Harper

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The Hype behind Probiotics Popular supplements with billions of "good" microbes really help only a few illnesses, research shows Lydia Denworth

How Dark-Fleet Ships Use A Digital Trick to Disappear—And How to Find Them An oil tanker seized by the U.S. this week reportedly used a technique that scrambled its location, but new advanced visual tracking can help expose such ships' true coordinates Eve Lu

Meet Your Future Robot Servants, Caregivers and Explorers Robots are poised to play a much bigger role in daily life at home, at work and in the world Ben Guarino

RFK, Jr.–Backed Lyme Disease Conspiracy Theory May Be Probed under New Bill President Donald Trump is expected to sign a defense bill this week that orders an investigation into whether the U.S. military bioengineered Lyme disease Claire Cameron

New Views of Solar System Moons Complicate Ocean Worlds Theory Oceans hiding within the crusts of distant moons are tantalizing targets for scientists looking for life beyond Earth Meghan Bartels

Strange Cosmic Blast May Be First-Ever Superkilonova Observed The combination of a supernova and a kilonova may have produced a rare space explosion that astronomers have never seen before Claire Cameron

The 10 Most Mind-Blowing Discoveries About the Brain in 2025 From glowing neurons to newborn memories, here are the most fascinating brain discoveries of 2025 Allison Parshall

Heart and Kidney Diseases and Type 2 Diabetes May Be One Ailment These three disorders could really be "CKM syndrome," which can be treated with drugs like Ozempic Jyoti Madhusoodanan

Rising Temperatures Could Trigger a Reptile Sexpocalypse The sex of many turtles, crocodilians, and other reptiles is determined by the temperature at which their eggs incubate. Global warming could doom them Elizabeth Preston

Mysterious Bright Flashes in the Night Sky Baffle Astronomers Celestial transients shine furiously and briefly. Astronomers are just beginning to understand them Ann Finkbeiner

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