August 28, 2024: Today is the 179th birthday of Scientific American! As we celebrate, we're also covering Neolithic engineering prowess, how we store memories and defenses against the "Gish gallop." —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | | 'Memory Molecule' Discovery | A search for molecules that help us cement memories in place has long fascinated neuroscientists. Now, researchers have identified a key player, called KIBRA (kidney and brain expressed adaptor protein), which works in concert with an already identified protein, called PKMzeta (protein kinase Mzeta), to "tag" and then strengthen synapses. The finding resolves some recent but initially contradictory results in mice. It's now clear that while PKMzeta is crucial to memory storage, there is no single "memory molecule," writes freelance science journalist Simon Makin.
What the experts say: "It's not PKMzeta that's required for maintaining a memory, it's the continual interaction between PKMzeta and this targeting molecule, called KIBRA. If you block KIBRA from PKMzeta, you'll erase a memory that's a month old," says neurologist Todd Sacktor, a co-author of the newly published result.
Why it matters: A complete understanding of how we form and store memories is crucial for explaining how we learn and maintain our sense of self. Exactly how memory works has been a fundamental question for neuroscientists. | | | Synapse Sebastian Kaulitzki/Science Photo Library/Getty Images | | | A new high-resolution laser scan of a massive stone chamber in southern Spain reveals that its builders were masters of rudimentary physics and geometry principles, writes Roff Smith. The chamber, known as the Dolmen of Menga, required a similar degree of engineering prowess as was involved in the building of the main stone circle at Stonehenge, which the dolmen predates by about 1,000 years. A total of 32 giant sandstone slabs—the largest one is estimated to weigh 150 tonnes— form the walls, pillar and roof of the chamber, which measures 28 meters long, 6 meters wide and 3.5 meters high. Along with the laser scan, unpublished photos and diagrams of earlier construction allowed the researchers to piece together the dolmen's construction process. How it works: As with Stonehenge, the builders likely transported the giant sandstone slabs from a distance (about 1 kilometer in the case of the dolmen) along wooden tracks. Once at the dolmen site, the slabs were tipped upright into sockets carved into bedrock by using counterweights and ramps. Facets carved into the slabs helped them interlock and stay in place, like Lincoln logs or Lego bricks.
What the experts say: "These people had no blueprints to work with, nor, as far as we know, any previous experience at building something like this. And yet, they understood how to fit together huge blocks of stone" with "a precision that would keep the monument intact for nearly 6,000 years," says study co-author and archaeologist Leonardo García Sanjuán. | | |
Scientific American is the oldest continuous publication in the U.S. and it's our birthday! We're 179 years old today. The above gif, created by Jen Christiansen, senior graphics editor at Scientific American, is a fun way to see how our logo has evolved across three centuries.
| | | • A duplicitous public-discourse technique, used for decades by creationists and called the Gish gallop, was in full effect during June's Biden vs. Trump debate. The former president deployed the bombastic tactic, "an avalanche of nonsense presented as fact," writes evolutionary biologist Madhusudan Katti. The best defense against the overwhelming torrent of falsehoods that make up a Gish gallop is not to refute each lie but to call out the speaker as a liar and then to refocus on one's own message, Katti writes. | 4 min read | | | • The case of the nearly 7,000 missing pancreases. | Vox | • At-home trail cameras: Capturing the secret animal reality show in your own back garden. | BBC | | | It's always awe-inspiring to celebrate the birthday of the first issue of Scientific American, as we are today. I can hardly express my appreciation for the publication's continuity as well as the care and expertise that goes into every story and issue. The magazine was ever-present in the house when I was growing up and played a significant role in my fascination with science and science writing. In observation of Scientific American's birthday, here are some recent items that editors especially enjoyed putting together for readers:
• The U.S. is entering a new nuclear arms age despite unfathomable risks.
• The new science of health and appetite: What humans really evolved to eat and how food affects our health today. July/August 2024 issue
We are also excited about our newly launched games module, which is updated daily and features science quizzes, science jigsaws, math puzzles and spelling puzzles.
| —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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