June 6, 2024: Hubble goes to one gyroscope, a new way to help anxious teens, and prenatal vitamins are falling woefully short. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | • None of the most widely available over-the-counter prenatal supplements provide adequate levels of five key nutrients for pregnancy. | 5 min read | | | • An independent scientific advisory committee for the FDA voted this week against the use of the party drug MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, saying evidence was insufficient for its effects. | 4 min read | | | • This morning, SpaceX launched its Starship megarocket for the fourth time ever. The ambitious test mission was a success. | 4 min read | | | This week, NASA announced that the Hubble Space Telescope will operate from now on using only one gyroscope, a technique called "one-gyro mode." The observatory is equipped with six gyros, which were installed in the last repair mission in 2009. Only three remain operational, with one continuously glitching and pausing all of the telescope's science. The gyroscopes serve to orient Hubble in space and to help point at observing targets in the vast sky.
Why this matters: With only one gyro activated, Hubble can still perform most science observations, but it will acquire targets more slowly and in only about half of the sky at any given time. This will further limit the availability of the already-overscheduled telescope, and could reduce its scientific productivity by up to 25 percent. Hubble plays a crucial role, alongside the newer James Webb Space Telescope, in investigating distant galaxies, nearby exoplanets, and much more.
What can be done: In principle, a new repair mission could rendezvous with Hubble to fix its pointing and boost its slowly decaying orbit. That mission would carry significant risks, and so far NASA has shown little appetite for pursuing this option. "We do not see Hubble as being on its last legs. And we do think it's a very capable observatory. And we're poised to do exciting science with the other observatories on orbit and those that will join us on orbit," Patrick Crouse, Hubble's project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said during a press conference associated with the announcement. | | | A new kind of therapeutic treatment called memory reconsolidation could help teenagers suffering from common anxiety disorders. Therapists could integrate the tactic into an already-established kind of therapy called cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT). In memory reconsolidation the therapist offers a "reminder cue" to the teen patient at the start of a session where the teen will discuss their fears and anxiety triggers. This simple practice slowly changes the original memory and defuses its power.
Why it works: Teen brains are unique. After childhood certain brain areas undergo development, but in staggered order. For example, the amygdala (the brain region involved in activating emotions) increases in volume. But the prefrontal cortex (the region associated with regulating emotions) changes more gradually, with development continuing into adulthood. The mismatched development of these brain regions means teens are more likely to be reactive to emotions and susceptible to anxiety disorders. Memory reconsolidation, rather than trying to reprogram fears, which is highly dependent on the prefrontal cortex, summons the power of the amygdala in changing the original memory.
Another tactic: A "safety cue" could also be used in early treatments for fear and anxiety in teenagers. Such a cue could be a personal object, a photo, or even a scent. Studies in humans and rodents have shown that the amygdala and hippocampus (also with elevated activation during adolescence) both activate when a safety cue is presented alongside a fear cue–which can reduce fear.
More on parenting teenagers: Teens who receive empathy from their parents give more empathy to their peers and, later, their own children, according to a 25-year study. | 5 min read | | | • The United Nations predicts dozens of countries will have shrinking populations by 2050. China and Japan, two countries with falling birth rates, are trying new things to entice people to have children--China with a cash incentive, and Japan through a government-run dating app, announced this week. But declining populations are good news, says Stephanie Feldstein, the population and sustainability director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Considering no other large animal's population has grown as much, as quickly or as devastatingly for other species as ours, we should all be celebrating population decline," she says. | 6 min read | | | Scientific American, Vol. 230, No. 6; June 1974 | | | From the June 1974 issue of Scientific American: "Spirals of chemical activity form in a shallow dish of red reagent. A blue ring was induced by touching the surface of the solution with a hot filament, then the dish was rocked to break the ring. The free ends of the fragmented circular wave each curl around a pivot point, winding up into spirals." Photographs were taken over eight minutes. | | | In March, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at the NYU Stern School of Business, wrote in The Atlantic that the prevalence of smartphone use in children and teens has led to record-level rates of depression, anxiety and suicide in those age groups. Some experts have taken issue with his interpretation of the data, or claim he's overstated his position. If nothing else, these are important discussions that need to be had, and often where public attention goes, so goes the scientific research. | This newsletter is still evolving! Let me know how you're liking it by emailing me directly: newsletters@sciam.com. Until tomorrow. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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