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

View in web browser Sponsored by

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

Top Stories

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 Simon Makin

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 Lauren J. Young

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 Lauren Peace, Tampa Bay Times, partner content; KFF Health News

Sponsor Content Provided by Archaeological Paths Discover Egypt with the World's Most Renowned Archaeologists Join Dr. Zahi Hawass, the living legend of Egyptology, and Dr. Mostafa Waziri, one of Egypt's Head of Antiquities, on the Royal Egypt Tour! Unlock ancient secrets, learn firsthand about the latest discoveries, and gain exclusive, beyond-the-guidebook insights from the world's most renowned archaeologists.

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 Meghan Bartels

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 The Editors

'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 Katherine Douglass, partner content; Augustus Lamb, expert writer; Jerry Lu, expert writer; Ken Ono, expert writer; William Tenpas, expert writer; The Mathematical Intelligencer

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 Saima S. Iqbal, intern writer

How Light Tells Us the Story of the Universe Almost everything we know about the cosmos is conveyed by photons traveling across vast distances Phil Plait

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 Samantha Lawler, expert writer

Popcorn, the Ultimate Snack, May Have Truly Ancient Origins Popcorn might be more than 6,000 years old, an anthropologist explains Sean Rafferty, partner content; The Conversation US

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. Jeffery DelViscio; Kelso Harper; Tulika Bose; Michael Lester

'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 Meghan Bartels

Follow Us Instagram  |  X/Twitter  |  Threads  |  Facebook  |  YouTube Manage your email preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us Scientific American One New York Plaza, New York, NY, 10010