May 13, 2024: America is a lonely country, planning for a human settlement on the moon, and brain worms around the world. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Last month, NASA announced that its targeted 2026 Artemis III mission to the moon will include three experiments to evaluate the lunar environment at its south pole. A pair of seismometers will be used to detect two different types of seismic rumbles called moonquakes. A space-age terrarium, will feature an enclosed growth chamber to nourish three crops—duckweed, a turnip relative and thale-cress —and protect them from the extreme lunar environment. The Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA) will use the flow of electric currents through the lunar soil to detect the presence of volatiles, most notably water ice.
Why this is important: If humans ever want to establish a permanent presence on the moon, scientists need to know the risk to structures from moonquakes, the possibility of growing plants on the moon and the likelihood of finding water there.
What the experts say: "We're going to see humans on the moon. And that's going to start changing how we view the whole enterprise," says Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and a member of the seismic monitoring team. "This is not going to be planting the flag and going home." | | | An artist's concept of an Artemis astronaut deploying an instrument on the lunar surface. NASA | | | Between 2002 and 2020, researchers asked nearly 59,000 participants from 14 nations between the ages of 45 and 65 about their general attitudes related to companionship, social exclusion and social isolation (these indirect questions serve as an indication of loneliness). Americans and their British counterparts scored higher on loneliness scales compared with people in 13 European nations. By contrast, middle-age adults in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands reported some of the lowest levels of loneliness.
Why this matters: A lack of social connection increases the risk of premature death by more than 60 percent and also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia. Loneliness may also contribute to insomnia and the declining U.S. life expectancy, 77.5 years.
What the experts say: "We consistently see that there's a correlation between government investment in its people and lower rates of loneliness," says Daniel Surkalim, a loneliness researcher at the World Health Organization. Lack of a so-called safety net may be to blame for high rates of loneliness–for example, paid leave seems to support more robust relationship connections outside of work. The U.S. is the ONLY developed nation without a federal law providing for paid leave. | | | • Climate disasters could destabilize major banks, according to a new report released by the Federal Reserve. | 3 min read | | | • AI chatbots for mental health therapy could be a valuable way to reach people who otherwise don't have support. But irrelevant or harmful chatbot advice could be dangerous, especially for people in crisis. | 11 min read | | | Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of an axial section through the brain of a 25-year-old patient showing cysts (purple) from a tapeworm infection. Zephyr/Getty Images | | | • Implicit bias is a subtle form of bias that influences our decision-making, our interactions and our behaviors--we all have it, but are often unaware of how it's influencing us. Biases on the individual level can be hard to change, Kristin Pauker, a professor of psychology at the University of Hawai╩╗i at M─Бnoa, tells OpenMind co-editor Corey S. Powell. One way to counteract the effects of bias is to make changes to the environment that typically keep those biases alive, she says. For example, tightly structured hiring processes that include interviews and qualification checklists can obviate subtle biases in hiring managers. Listen to their fascinating conversation as a podcast as well. | 8 min read | | | Were you lucky enough to see aurora borealis over the weekend? An historic solar storm unleashed solar plasma that slammed into Earth's magnetic field, creating a light show in the sky, even as far south as Florida! Sadly, the skies were cloudy for me this weekend. | If you did see them, did you take a photo? Send your best to me at: newsletters@sciam.com. I'll share some with the Today in Science community. See you tomorrow! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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