Friday, March 22, 2024

The Week in Science: AI helped decode an ancient scroll

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March 22—In this week's top stories we're covering the group psychology of "Havana syndrome," the AI competition that decoded a Herculaneum scroll, and the Florida surgeon general's dangerous politicization of medicine. Plus, see a stunning lenticular cloud hovering over the Villarrica volcano in Chile. Enjoy!

-Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor


Lava-Lit Lenticular Cloud Crowns Volcano in Spectacular Photo

These bizarre-looking clouds form in stable atmospheric eddies

People with 'Havana Syndrome' Show No Brain Damage or Medical Illness

The largest and most comprehensive studies of 'Havana Syndrome' point to stress or group psychology as likely explanations for most "anomalous health incidents"

Inside the AI Competition That Decoded an Ancient Herculaneum Scroll

The Herculaneum scrolls, charred and preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, were unreadable—until now

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The Science Behind RSV and Vaccination

For 60+ years, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prevention has evaded scientists. But now that's changed. Dr. Temi Folaranmi, Vice President and Head, US Medical and Clinical Affairs, Vaccines, GSK, sheds light on innovations that led to scientific advances in the prevention of RSV. 

Quantum Weirdness in New Materials Bends the Rules of Physics

Electrons swarm in a soup of quantum entanglement in a new class of materials called strange metals

61 Unexpected 'Forever Chemicals' Found in Food Packaging

A global study identified 61 PFAS chemicals in food packaging that are not authorized for use in such products

Florida's Surgeon General Shows the Danger of Politicizing Medicine

Florida state surgeon general Joseph Ladapo's rejection of evidence-based policy stems from political rather than scientific motivations and puts innocent people at risk

How Pregnancy Changes the Brain

A study of more than 100 new parents showed that pregnancy and birth cause changes in brain circuits that may be involved in empathy and bonding with the child

How Wild Animals Actually Responded to Our COVID Lockdowns

The COVID lockdowns and the subsequent reemergence of humans had some surprising effects on wildlife beyond "nature is healing" tropes

Why People Aged 65 and Older Should Get a Spring COVID Vaccine

Older people are particularly vulnerable to COVID and should get another vaccine against the disease this spring, doctors say

High-Profile Geoengineering Experiment Shuts Down

A beleaguered solar geoengineering project failed to conduct field tests because of opposition from environmentalists and Indigenous residents

'Interstellar' Meteor Signal May Have Been a Truck—So What Was Collected from the Ocean Floor?

New analyses cast doubt on claims that a meteor witnessed over the South Pacific in 2014 came from another star system and raise questions about a high-profile expedition to recover the fireball's fragments from the seafloor

Stunning Comet Spiral Offers Glimpse of Icy Snowball at Its Core

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is hiding a strange spiral in its icy heart—and it may tell scientists about the comet's innards

Scientist Pankaj

Day in Review: NASA’s EMIT Will Explore Diverse Science Questions on Extended Mission

The imaging spectrometer measures the colors of light reflected from Earth's surface to study fields such as agriculture ...  Mis...