Friday, July 12, 2024

Week in Science: Not everyone has an inner voice in their head

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July 12—This week, Gen X faces troubling cancer rates, the head of NASA science has a LEGO habit, and some people don't have an inner voice in their heads. Enjoy!

--Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor


Not Everyone Has an Inner Voice Streaming through Their Head

The extent to which people experience "inner speech" varies greatly, and the differences matter for performing certain cognitive tasks

Gen X Faces Higher Cancer Rates Than Any Previous Generation

Researchers are investigating changes in cancer risks among young people as new data predict that rising rates of leading cancers, such as colon cancer, will overtake improvements

PMDD Is a Menstrual Disorder Much More Severe than PMS

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a condition triggered by hormonal changes that can cause severe symptoms such as despair and suicidal thoughts

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The Head of NASA Science Spent a Whole Weekend Building a LEGO Rocket

Scientific American sat down with Nicola Fox, head of NASA science, to talk about her LEGO-building hobby, the agency's massive Space Launch System rocket and the NASA science she's most excited about

The Supreme Court's Contempt for Facts Is a Betrayal of Justice

The Supreme Court majority's recent decisions about homelessness, public health and regulatory power, among others, undermine the role of evidence, expertise and honesty in American democracy

'Digital Twins' Give Olympic Swimmers a Boost

In the Paris 2024 summer Olympics, swimmers will be guided by their digital twin. Here's how they work to help the fastest swimmers break records

A Freeze-Dried Woolly Mammoth Has Yielded the First Ever Fossilized Chromosomes

For the first time, researchers have reconstructed the 3D structure of ancient genetic material, in this case from a 52,000-year-old mammoth

How Light Tells Us the Story of the Universe

Almost everything we know about the cosmos is conveyed by photons traveling across vast distances

A New, Deadly Era of Space Junk Is Dawning, and No One Is Ready

A Saskatchewan farmer's near miss with potentially lethal debris falling from orbit highlights the skyrocketing risks and murky politics of space junk

Popcorn, the Ultimate Snack, May Have Truly Ancient Origins

Popcorn might be more than 6,000 years old, an anthropologist explains

How Science Can Defeat Witchcraft Fears in Papua New Guinea

Belief in witchcraft and sorcery is deeply rooted in Papua New Guinea's culture and history, but it can lead to violence, particularly against women. Local public health experts are working to end this violence through education.

'Frog Saunas' Could Protect Species from Devastating Fungal Disease

A low-tech immune boost may help some species of frogs survive a brutal fungal disease that's already ended 90 species

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Today in Science: Surgeons spare patient's "chess brain"

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