Friday, April 26, 2024

The Week in Science: Voyager 1 is making sense again

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April 25–This week, Voyager 1 is making sense again, the U.S. sand budget is washing away, and what happens when you quit Ozempic? All that and more below.

-Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor


After Months of Gibberish, Voyager 1 Is Communicating Well Again

NASA scientists spent months coaxing the 46-year-old Voyager 1 spacecraft back into healthy communication

An Epitaph for Daniel Dennett, Philosopher of Consciousness

Is consciousness nothing more than an illusion? That idea defined the work of Daniel Dennett (1942–2024)

The U.S. Spends a Fortune on Beach Sand That Storms Just Wash Away

The U.S. is paying hundreds of millions of dollars to replenish storm-ravaged beaches in a losing battle against rising seas and erosion

A custom publication sponsored by Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative
The New Age of Alzheimer's

Senators, researchers, policymakers, caregivers, and physicians: Meet the people inspiring new hope for ending Alzheimer's disease. Read more at www.sciam.com/alz

Quantum Computers Can Now Run Powerful AI That Works like the Brain

The influential AI design that makes chatbots tick now runs on quantum computers

What Happens When You Quit Ozempic or Wegovy?

Many researchers think that Wegovy and Ozempic should be taken for life, but myriad factors can force people off the drugs

Lemon-Scented Marijuana Compound Reduces Weed's 'Paranoia' Effect

The molecule that gives cannabis its citrusy smell can make THC less anxiety-inducing

A Golden Age of Renewables Is Beginning, and California Is Leading the Way

California has hit record-breaking milestones in renewable electricity generation, showing that wind, water and solar are ready to cover our electricity needs

Human Brains May Be Getting Bigger

Brain size in one Massachusetts community has steadily increased since the 1930s, possibly explaining why dementia is trending lower nationwide

Sorry, Little Green Men: Alien Life Might Actually Be Purple

Purple may be a likely color for extraterrestrial organisms, research suggests

Why Seasonal Allergies Are So Miserable

Plants are just trying to reproduce; immune systems are just trying to keep us safe

Woman Becomes First Person to Receive Both Pig Kidney Transplant and Heart Pump

A woman with life-threatening heart and kidney disease became the second person ever to receive a genetically modified pig kidney and the first person to receive a heart pump and a transplanted organ together

Could JWST Solve One of Cosmology's Greatest Mysteries?

The telescope's studies could help end a long-standing disagreement over the rate of cosmic expansion. But scientists say more measurements are needed

Scientist Pankaj

Today in Science: Humans think unbelievably slowly

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