August 9, 2024: Upcoming stargazing events, American science is underperforming, and future computers could be made from biological material. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Perseid meteor shower over Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. Jerry Hamblen/Getty Images | | | Keep your eyes on the skies in the wee hours of the morning on Monday the 12th. Small bits of rocky debris from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle will be burning up in the thermosphere (some 60 miles or 97 kilometers up), creating the annual Perseid meteor shower. The moon will set around midnight Sunday, after which the sky will be dark enough to get a good show of shooting stars, according to NASA, potentially up to 100 meteors per hour.
Other cosmic events: In the early morning of the 14th (next Wednesday) in the Americas, Europe and Africa, Mars and Jupiter will be a mere third of a degree apart in the sky. This is called a "conjunction" (though the scientific term is "appulse"). When the sky is still dark between 3am and 4am, look at the Eastern horizon and scan your eyes up. You'll see Jupiter as a bright "star" about three fists' height off the horizon. Mars will be a red spark near it.
Viewing tips: For the meteor shower, find the darkest skies you can and lie on a blanket or reclined chair and just take it all in. For even better views of the planets, you'll be able to see four moons of Jupiter through a pair of binoculars. Even see the red and white atmospheric stripes on Jupiter will be visible with a telescope! | | | American Science in Peril | The head of the National Academy of Sciences warned in a speech in June that American science is losing its edge worldwide. American researchers now claim a smaller share of the most-cited science papers. Development of new drugs and technologies has plateaued over the past few decades. China, by contrast, has experienced exponential growth by similar metrics. China currently files more patents than the U.S. and hosts more than a quarter of the world's clinical trials.
Why this matters: Science impacts every American's day-to-day life, says Marcia McNutt, NAS president. Innovation typically bolsters our economy and strengthens the country's military and cybersecurity research. As federal funding has dipped, private companies have stepped in, sometimes conducting research (such as on GMOs or AI) that rushes ahead in a way that decreases the public's trust of science and technology, she says.
What can be done: McNutt strongly recommends the U.S. to strengthen its K-12 STEM education and create a national strategic research plan to make the most of limited federal funding. In 2022 Congress passed the CHIPS and Sciences Act, which promised to not only revive homegrown semiconductor production but to invest $170 billion in research funding over the next five years and improve STEM education across multiple levels. But almost two years out, budget constraints have put meaningful progress on pause. "We need to go faster and stronger" in reinvigorating American science, says Mary Woolley, president of Research!America. –Saima Iqbal, news intern | | | • Telescopes on the Gaia spacecraft have spotted 352 asteroids in our solar system that likely have their own small orbiting moonlets. Adorable! | 3 min read | | | • Scientists have detected solar neutrinos, tiny, ghostly particles that sail through normal matter and may prevent us from detecting dark matter. | 5 min read | | | • Severe colds can make some people feel like they're going to drown in mucus. But "exactly how much goop a cold produces is a difficult question to investigate, not least because of all the variables involved," writes science writer Bethany Brookshire. At least 160 strains of rhinoviruses are out there, and each produces different symptoms in different people. In one study researchers collected used tissues (yuck) from sickly college students and determined the average mucus production was 30.4 grams a day ("Only about the average mass of half a tennis ball!"). More studies are needed, Brookshire says. | 5 min read | | | MOST POPULAR STORIES OF THE WEEK | • In Iceland, a Volcanic Monster Fumes as Researchers Race to Understand Its Dangers | 25 min video | • These Pathogens Could Spark the Next Pandemic, Scientists Warn | 4 min read | • Overdose Deaths Are Finally Starting to Decline. Here's Why. | 6 min read | | | Test your knowledge on this week's science quiz! Today's first question pulls from an article I featured this week in Today in Science (so loyal readers will know the answer right off the bat!). Email your score or questions to games@sciam.com and click here for all of our games, including Spellements, math puzzles and science jigsaws. | | | • If you're going through a stressful time, science has evidence-backed ways to help you bounce back from adversity. Some tips: Lean on close friends and commit to a workout routine or meditation practice. | 14 min read | | | My first memory of seeing the Perseid meteor shower was on a family camping trip to Vermont when I was maybe 10 years old. We were lucky enough to be under dark, clear skies and hundreds of shooting stars took us by complete surprise. | Email me Monday and let me know if you saw any meteors: newsletters@sciam.com. Thanks for reading Today in Science! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | P.S. Sharp-eyed Spellements players this week wowed me with all the science words they found! A sampling: Orrery (a mechanical model of the solar system) was found by readers Cherilynn Morrow, Lowell Wilson, Carolyn Gramling and Elizabeth Moore. Readers Cheryl Pfoff and Mark Watkins spotted stomata (tiny pores on plant leaves). And Michael Loebbers sent in boson (the subatomic particle). You people are impressive! | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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