March 22, 2024: Earth has seven quasi-moons, bacteria-blocking catheters, and why banning TikTok won't secure Americans' data. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Earth has one moon, yes. But other objects also hurtle around the sun in relative close proximity to Earth; because of how they move, these objects sort-of orbit Earth. They aren't really moons because they actually orbit the sun and not our planet, but they're quasi-moons. They also tend to be too far from Earth to be gravitationally bound to it. How it works: As astronomer and educator Phil Plait analogizes, imagine you're driving in the middle lane of a three-lane highway. A car pulls up on your left, speeds ahead, moves into the far right lane, and slows down on your right as you pass it. It then crosses behind you and repeats the cycle. An asteroid called 469219 Kamoʻoalewa is about 50 meters wide and does exactly this dance with Earth as both objects careen through space in their orbits of the sun (watch a video here). Earth has seven known "quasi-moons."
What the experts say: The orbits of Earth's companions are not stable. Gravitational tugs from the planets can alter them. Sometimes quasi-moon orbits can morph into horseshoe-shaped orbits, and vice versa. "What's a planet, what's a moon—are a lot more malleable than you might think," writes Plait. "In science, it's always best to avoid hard-and-fast definitions and allow yourself to be flexible in your thinking." | | | Using AI simulations, researchers designed a new urinary catheter they say can reduce bacterial contamination by up to two orders of magnitude—without antibiotics. The interior of the 3-D printed device is studded with three-dimensional geometric shapes that prevent bacteria from gaining traction on the walls and making it up to the bladder.
How it works: Bacteria like Escherichia coli climb up catheters and into the bladder using a "run and tumble" movement pattern: They burst forward, then stop and reorient before propelling forward again. In the new catheter design, triangular obstacles block bacteria and reorient them away from the bladder. The researchers used AI to run tens of thousands of simulations with different catheter designs and landed on one that built up less than one one-hundredth of the bacterial colonies in a traditional catheter.
What this matters: About 100 million urinary catheters are placed every year. About a quarter of users in developing countries and about an eighth in the U.S. develop a catheter-associated urinary tract infection. The new catheter design would reduce the need for antibiotics (overuse of which can lead to antibiotic resistance).
| | | Credit: Amanda Montañez; Source: "AI-Aided Geometric Design of Anti-Infection Catheters," by Tingtao Zhou et al., in Science Advances. Published online January 3, 2024 | | | • The Chandra X-ray Observatory faces a premature end under new funding cuts proposed by NASA—and astronomers aren't happy. | 6 min read | | | • Banning TikTok won't help secure Americans' data. Foreign and domestic intelligence agencies get plenty of it from the ever-expanding global trade in digital data. | 5 min read | | | • Divisive, emotional and potentially harmful content drives traffic online, and therefore not only are tech companies not incentivized to remove harmful content, they are actually incentivized to promote it. We need a "public service Internet" that treats the audience first and foremost as citizens participating in a society, rather than as consumers in a marketplace, writes Helen Jay, a researcher in media and communications policy at the University of Westminster in England. "We should not be content to leave the prospects for democracy, the labor market and humanity's existence in the hands of billionaire tech moguls," she says. "We need an Internet that instead puts the public and democracy first." | 4 min read | | | OUR MOST-READ STORIES OF THE WEEK | | | • People with 'Havana Syndrome' Show No Brain Damage or Medical Illness | 7 min read | • Florida's Surgeon General Shows the Danger of Politicizing Medicine | 5 min read | | | Phil Plait writes above that in science it's helpful to allow flexibility in one's thinking. Indeed, many of science's most profound discoveries went against conventional thinking at the time. Outside of scientific exploration, an intellectual humility--admitting what you don't know and being open to changing your beliefs--is associated with stronger relationships and personal development. Thinking your way out of your own box is tough and requires practice, but pays off in the end. | Thank you for opening your mind every day here in our community of science-lovers. Reach out any time with thoughts, ideas and suggestions: newsletters@sciam.com. See you Monday! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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