Today in Science: Can you boost your metabolism?

Daily science inspo June 14, 2023: The mind's role in chronic pain, mice with two fathers and the legacy of a self-taught math prodigy. Read it all below! —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor TOP STORIES Pain in the Back Chronic pain–especially back pain–affects millions of people globally, or up to about 10 percent of the world population. But tools are limited at diagnosing the anatomical cause. One recent review found that MRI results have absolutely no correlation with the root of pain.  Why this matters: Millions of people in the U.S. alone get MRIs and computed tomography scans for back pain, yet a recent study showed only 5 percent of those were medically justified and 65 percent resulted in potentially harmful advice–including risky back surgery.  What can be done: A recent clinical trial revealed the power of therapy to address chronic pain. Participants who received pain-processing therapy (learning how the fearful mind can amplify the experience or anticipation of pain) in addition to usual care were almost twice as likely to be pain free a year later than those receiving a placebo and three times more likely to be pain free than those receiving usual care.  My Two Dads Researchers have successfully bred mice with two biologically male parents. Out of 630 embryos created, seven live pups grew normally.   How it works: The scientists isolated an X chromosome from a male mouse's stem cell, duplicated it and embedded the altered stem cell in an artificial ovary to create an egg cell. They then used sperm from another male mouse to fertilize the egg.  What the experts say: The results are preliminary, and "there's a lot of work to be done" before the findings could be applied to animals beyond mice, says Evelyn Telfer, a reproductive biologist at the University of Edinburgh. Other mammals, like humans, have far more complicated reproductive systems. LISTEN NOW Credit: Scientific American/Kelso Harper/Oflu/Getty Images Mysterious Mathematician Ten years ago, a mysterious person posed, and then answered, a baffling mathematics question on Mathematics Stack Exchange (like Yahoo Answers for high-level math). The unknown account holder, called only "Cleo," went on to solve dozens of other high level mathematics problems on Math Stack, without providing proofs or explanations of their work. Her true identity remains a mystery, but some ideas are out there. Listen to this episode of Science, Quickly. | 8 min listen SUBSCRIBE: Apple | Spotify TODAY'S NEWS • Is it possible to change your metabolism? We asked the experts. | 7 min read • Tick-borne illnesses are increasing in the U.S. Here's how you can protect yourself this summer. | 4 min read • Therapy apps are incorporating AI programs like ChatGPT. But such programs could provide unvetted or harmful feedback if they're not well regulated. | 9 min read • The area burned by wildfires during summers in California has increased fivefold since 1971 because of more arid conditions caused by climate change. | 3 min read More News EXPERT PERSPECTIVES • In the workplace, 76 percent of men say they want to be allies for underrepresented and marginalized people in their organization. But new research has questioned whether that interest is largely performative, mirroring the skepticism that women often express, writes Meg A. Warren, an associate professor at Western Washington University. | 6 min read More Opinion WHAT WE'RE READING • These parents were taught that public schools are evil. They sent their kid anyway. | The Washington Post • Academic post-doctoral research programs are riddled with problems. | STAT  • Machine-learning models could make finding a romantic match easier, but duller too. | Inverse If you've listened to today's episode of Science, Quickly and are curious about the self-taught math prodigy Srinivasa Ramanujan, check out this feature article from our archive. It tells the story of how then Emory University mathematician Ken Ono and his colleagues built on concepts in some of Ramanujan's unpublished manuscripts to solve longstanding puzzles in math.  Send your impressions or ideas about this newsletter to me! All thoughts welcome: newsletters@sciam.com. Until tomorrow! —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters here. Scientific American One New York Plaza, New York, NY, 10004   Support our mission, subscribe to Scientific American here   Unsubscribe Email Preferences