June 9, 2023: What dreams tell us about mental health, the realities of fusion power and how to stay healthy in smoky skies. Enjoy and TGIF! —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Dreams can be bizarre and disturbing, and even sometimes frightening. Do some betray a pathology? Dreams alone are not enough to diagnose a mental illness. But some characteristics of a dream may hint at disorders: for example, the frequency of nightmares is generally higher in people with a mental disorder, whether depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (they're particularly indicative of a person's risk for suicide).
Why this is cool: Dreams may serve to integrate memories and lessen negative emotions around difficult life experiences; in fact, people tend to wake up happier than when they went to sleep (what I'm hearing: more naps, because SCIENCE). Those systems can get derailed in people with depression or PTSD.
What the experts say: Dreams can be useful in diagnosing some brain disorders, like differentiating between Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia. Both involve cognitive loss, but the latter is accompanied by REM sleep behavior disorder, where the dreamer tries to physically act out what's happening in their dream. | | |
Why this matters: The world desperately needs sources of clean energy so we can mitigate the climate crisis created by burning fossil fuels. Despite multinational and startup efforts to build prototype fusion reactors, significant power production is decades away, say some.
What the experts say: "When we realize what climate change will do as an existential threat, the delivery of fusion will accelerate enormously," says Ian Chapman, CEO of the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority, the British government's nuclear energy organization. | | | Credit: Anadolu Agency/Footage/Getty Images; Kelso Harper/Scientific American | | | It's been an unsettling week on the East Coast as wildfire smoke billowed south from Canada and blanketed the entire region with choking smog. To help you navigate, our editors, along with local fire and health experts, have rounded up the top five things you need to know about wildfire smoke, wherever you live. Tune in to Science, Quickly or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
| | | • "Street outreach workers" are unarmed civilians who attempt to reduce gun violence by intervening in gang disputes, mediating violent conflicts and connecting individuals with lifesaving services. But they are more than 10 times as likely as the police to be shot or shot at. It is urgent to ensure the health and safety of this burgeoning profession, write Andrew V. Papachristos, David M. Hureau and Jalon Arthur. Papachristos and Hureau are professors at Northwestern University and the University of Albany, respectively. Arthur is director of an anti-gun violence organization in Chicago, Illinois. | 5 min read | | | ICYMI (OUR MOST-READ STORIES THIS WEEK) | | | • Newfound 'Quasi-Moon' Has Been Earth's Fellow Traveler for Thousands of Years | 2 min read | | | • Colombia's 'Cocaine Hippo' Population Is Even Bigger Than Scientists Thought | 5 min read | | | • Gift Wrapping Five Oranges Has Outwitted the Best Minds in Mathematics for Generations | 9 min read | | | Happy Friday, readers! I hope you've enjoyed Today in Science this week and have found it informative and maybe a bit inspirational. I've received a lot of nice notes from many of you with ideas and feedback, so thank you! And keep it coming. This newsletter will continue to evolve, and YOU can influence what it becomes, so email me at newsletters@sciam.com. | Wishing you clean, smoke-free air this weekend, wherever you are. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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