July 3, 2024: Summer is a downer for some people, science discoveries to lift the mood, and Moderna applies for FDA approval for a COVID/flu combo vaccine. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | A subset of people experience a summertime version of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is usually associated with dark winter months. Psychiatric emergency room visits for depression and other mental health disorders peak on hotter days, and moods tend to be more negative with increased heat. Suicide rates also rise in conjunction with temperature. Hotter days bring increases in aggression and violent crimes.
How this works: Those with summer SAD are probably more prone to problems thermoregulating their bodies. Heat can be a physical stressor, and maintaining a normal body temperature requires physical resources. High temps disrupt sleep, and being uncomfortable for long periods increases irritability and restlessness. One 2018 review study found that heat may also disrupt neurotransmitters involved in brain activity while we're awake, potentially increasing chances of depression.
What the experts say: Counterintuitively, short bursts of high-intensity heat exposure can reset dormant or dysfunctional thermoregulatory systems in people with depression, says Ashley Mason, a clinical psychologist and an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco. As climate change makes extreme weather more common, understanding the effects of hot days on mental health has never been more important.
| | | Science to Improve Your Mood | If you resonate with the description of summer sadness, here is another assortment of positive articles that may help keep the mood light all summer long and beyond.
Happy Body and Mind: - In an 1889 interview in Scientific American, inventor Thomas Edison claimed he never slept more than four hours at a time. He napped holding a ball in each hand, presuming that, as he fell asleep, the orbs would fall to the floor and wake him. Research suggests that the hazy period between sleep and awake CAN spur creativity and insight. Why not give it a try? | 5 min read
- Preliminary research has shown that cold-water swimming may alleviate symptoms of anxiety and body aches and pains. People who cold plunge often report euphoria and overwhelming feelings of happiness once they're out of the dip. | 2 min read
Cosmic Wonders: | | | The MWC 758 planet-forming disk is about 500 light-years away. ESO/A. Garufi et al.; R. Dong et al.; ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) (CC BY 4.0) | - Astronomers recently delivered detailed photographs of 86 young planetary families, including disks with gaps and spiral arms, signaling the growth of planets. | 5 min read
- In January, NASA announced that it had lost touch with Ingenuity, its helicopter explorer accompanying the Perseverance rover. Within two days the agency had scrambled to reconnect with the device (with help from Perseverance). | 2 min read
How Cool Is That:
| | | A butterfly through the eyes of a bird. "Recording Animal-View Videos of the Natural World Using a Novel Camera System and Software Package," by Vera Vasas et al., in PLOS Biology, Vol. 22, No. 1. Published online January 23, 2024 (CC BY 4.0)
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- Animals can see in many more "colors" than humans. Scientists developed a special camera, equipped with UV light detectors, to represent different animals' color views, such as those of birds or bees. | 4 min read
- The Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek device discovered more than 120 years ago filled with coin-sized bronze gears, has long befuddled historians and scientists. A team of physicists, archaeometallurgists, mathematicians and materials scientists (and more) have teamed up and discovered some of the purpose behind the mysterious object. | 17 min read
| | | • Number theorists have been trying to prove a conjecture about the distribution of prime numbers for more than 160 years. And mathematicians are one step closer to solving it. | 7 min read | | | • A combo vaccine for both COVID and flu is on its way. | 4 min read | | | • People whose pupils dilated more performed better on tests of working memory in a recent study. | 2 min read | | | • A recent Supreme Court decision ruled that the U.S. government can talk to scientists and social media companies to curb online falsehoods. Experts who fight misinformation feel "vindicated." | 5 min read | | | • In June, the prestigious scientific research journal Nature (whose parent company also owns Scientific American) retracted a research paper on stem cells that has been cited by more than 4,400 other papers. Peter Aldhous, a data, science and investigative journalist, began investigating the paper for apparent duplicated images, starting in 2006. "The saga of Verfaillie's Nature paper reveals a deeper problem with perverse incentives that drive 'successful' careers in science," he writes. "A highly cited paper like this is a gateway to promotions and generous grants. That can starve funding to more promising research." Science journalists are also to blame, he says, by "often fixating on the latest findings touted in journal press releases, rather than concentrating on the true measure of scientific progress: the construction of a body of repeatable research." | 5 min read | | | • News you can use: Scientists determine which type of paper is likely to give papercuts. | New Scientist | | | • Learning a new language is not just for young people--adults can do it too, and it can benefit the brain. | National Geographic | | | Some people are decidedly Summer People (I am one). Others prefer the brisk air of autumn, or the boundless feeling of potential that arrives in spring. No matter your preferred season, or if you live in a climate that doesn't have strong seasonality in its weather, sadness and loneliness can strike. Boost your resilience to changing seasons and your mood with exercising, forging close relationships, and starting a meditation practice, all of which have been shown to help people bounce back from adversity. | Thank you for reading Today in Science. Email me anytime and let me know what you think of this newsletter: newsletters@sciam.com. We'll be enjoying the Fourth of July holiday for the rest of this week. See you back here on Monday! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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