Today in Science: The hottest place on Earth

Science, insight, inspiration July 14, 2023: What's happening in the oceans, news about aspartame and the hottest place on Earth. Read below and TGIF! —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor TOP STORIES Ocean Update In the last 50 years, humans have burned enough coal, gas and oil, cut down enough trees, and produced enough other emissions to trap some six billion Hiroshima bombs' worth of heat inside Earth's climate system. Nearly 90 percent of that heat goes into the ocean. The impacts on this ecosystem are catastrophic and we need to pay attention, writes Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy and a distinguished professor at Texas Tech University. What can be done: Curbing climate warming will have the biggest impact. In addition, many countries can negotiate financial swaps that remove that nation's debt in exchange for the protection of large swaths of their ocean. This has happened successfully in Ecuador, Barbados and other countries. Research on "super" coral species that thrive in warmer oceans could help us rehabilitate vital regions of carbon-absorbing coral reef. What the experts say: We can't afford to ignore the irreplaceable role and indispensable services the ocean provides, Hayhoe writes. "It's still possible to shape a future where people and the ocean can thrive together; but to do so, we must act now." Down with the Sweetness Late last night, two groups at the World Health Organization released rulings on the artificial sweetener aspartame. One group said that aspartame was associated with a higher risk for liver cancer, while the second group found no convincing evidence for harm with aspartame consumption below the current acceptable daily intake limit of 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (about 14 cans of Diet Coke per average person). The WHO's "possible" carcinogen list is notoriously cautious and many experts say there's no need to worry, much less panic. What this means: The ruling does not mean you need to stop consuming all aspartame-containing products, nor does it change the acceptable daily intake put forth by the WHO. Both groups called for more research on the effects of the sweetener on the human body.  What the experts say: "If consumers are faced with the decision of whether to take cola with sweeteners or one with sugar, I think there should be a third option considered," said Francesco Branca, director of the department of nutrition and food safety at the WHO, in a news briefing announcing the findings, "which is to drink water instead and to continue to limit the consumption of sweetened products altogether." IMAGE OF THE DAY Credit: Alan Dyer/Stocktrek Images/Alamy Stock Photo Get to know the Summer Triangle, rising in the evening skies of the North Hemisphere during June and July. It's made up of the three stars Vega, Altair and Deneb, each with their own fascinating features and origin stories. Above, the Milky Way shines through the Summer Triangle stars in July, looking up through trees in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Deneb is at top left, Vega at top right, and Altair is at bottom. "The stars you see in the sky aren't just pretty points of light that are fun to look at. They're real, they're places, and each one of them is absolutely incredible," writes astronomer Phil Plait. TODAY'S NEWS • Hackers could use electric vehicle chargers to attack the power grid. | 7 min read • Death Valley, Calif., could hit 131 degrees F in the next few days--it would be the hottest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth. | 3 min read • Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter sale of a birth-control pill called Opill. | 5 min read • Seeing nature, even in just virtual reality, can bring health benefits—and helps scientists learn why we need the real thing. | 5 min read More News EXPERT PERSPECTIVES • "We applaud the FDA for following the science" and joining the more than 100 other countries who have approved the sale of birth control pills without a prescription, write Mai Fleming, April J. Bell, Christine Dehlendorf, all at the University of California, San Francisco. "Government officials, health care systems and providers and advocates must make it easier to get Opill and any subsequent over-the-counter birth control options by making these medications affordable, easily available, simple to use and able to be dispensed without stigma or gatekeeping," they write. | 6 min read More Opinion ICYMI (Our most-read stories of the week) • New Tinnitus Therapy Can Quiet Torturous Ringing in the Ears. | 2 min read • Underground Climate Change Is Weakening Buildings in Slow Motion. | 5 min read • Could New Weight-Loss Drugs like Ozempic Treat Addiction? | 8 min read The first time I learned about the Summer Triangle was on a school camping trip, looking into the clear dark skies above the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. I still look for it every year during summer nights, and it's come to be a comforting reminder that, no matter what transpires on Earth, the universe is carrying on. Have a look up into the skies this weekend if it's clear!  Reach out any time and let me know how to make this newsletter better: newsletters@sciam. Have a restful weekend! —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