June 27, 2023: The importance of play, dated rainfall data and mysterious filaments at the center of the universe. Read it all below! —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Summer break has kicked off for kids across the country. And while many children will be enrolled in camps or other summer activities, they will (I hope) have more free time on their hands to wander and play outside. But not nearly enough will. Only 21 to 28 percent of U.S. kids get their recommended hour of moderate to intense physical activity every day. One reason could be increased screen time. Another is the lack of safe places. We should invest in new places and spaces for kids to play outside, as the editors of Scientific American write in our summer issue.
Why this matters: Many studies have found that unstructured play in childhood contributes to social, emotional and cognitive development in humans and animals. Being in nature has other proven psychological benefits for people of all ages. And yet, access to organized sports is not equal among white children and children of color, nor are there enough safe places for children to play outside, whether in large cities or more rural areas.
What can be done: More funding for places to play, from trails, skate parks, climbing walls and gardens to ball fields, bike paths, basketball courts and traditional playgrounds. Only 10 percent of U.S. schools let people into their playgrounds when school is out–and changing that could give 5.2 million kids more space to be kids. | | | The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publishes the Precipitation-Frequency Atlas of the United States, commonly called Atlas 14, which provides forecasts and estimates rainfall amounts across the country. A report published yesterday by the nonprofit First Street Foundation warns that Atlas 14 forecasts do not account for increased rain and storm intensity due to climate change. Indeed, the Atlas' forecasts have woefully underestimated both the amount of rainfall dropped by storms and the frequency of storms in recent years.
Why this matters: NOAA's precipitation estimates are crucial to engineers and planners who design structures such as roads and bridges, ideally to withstand the worst downpours and flooding. The report issued Monday warns that NOAA's precipitation estimates could cause new construction to be improperly designed and mar infrastructure projects funded from the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law of 2021.
What the experts say: NOAA did not comment on the new report, but said in a statement that the next version of the forecast, called Atlas 15, would address current problems and "incorporate historical changes in rainfall intensity" and include "estimates of future climate conditions." Atlas 15 is not due out until 2027. | | | Credit: Farhad Yusef-Zadeh/Northwestern University/MeerKAT | | | A strange array of filaments stretches across the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. These filaments are streaks of superfast particles and stretch both vertically through and parallel to the galactic plane for more than 100 light-years. In the above image, data from the MeerKAT radio telescope array show two types of filaments at the Milky Way's center. Each filament is color-coded to show its position angle relative to "galactic north." Redder filaments are oriented toward galactic north; bluer filaments are oriented away. What these filaments are and how they came to be is still a mystery. | | | • For decades, so called sightings and stories of UFOs have steadily profited news and entertainment outlets, and they have sated a deep human need for mystery, writes journalism professor Keith Kloor. "Pop culture needs a consistent diet of this junk food to meet our incessant UFO hunger," he writes. "Will we ever kick the habit?" | 5 min read | | | Some of my favorite summertime memories as a child are of roaming the woods behind our house for hours on end and not returning until dinnertime. As I mentioned above, unstructured play and exploration are part of healthy cognitive development in children, if you're lucky enough to have the space to do it! And it's true in other animals as well. Check out our 2021 feature on how all types of animals play, including adorable elephants! | Thank you to those who have sent me such kind and helpful notes about this newsletter! I'm always available to read your ideas and feedback, so email me anytime: newsletters@sciam.com. Until tomorrow! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | Credit: Martin Harvey Getty Images | | | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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