August 26, 2024: Today we're covering the use of ultrasound to enhance our sense of being present in the moment, the science journalists of a century ago, and astronauts who just learned they're staying in space at least another six months. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | | Ride for Stranded Astronauts | Two NASA astronauts at the International Space Station since June initially expected their time in space to last a week. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams now are set to return to Earth in February on SpaceX's Dragon capsule, NASA announced Saturday. Wilmore and Williams were to return on the Boeing Starliner vehicle that carried them to the ISS, the vehicle's first flight with passengers. But several technical problems with Starliner put that plan on hold. To date, SpaceX has successfully carried eight standard crews for NASA, as well as a crewed test mission in 2020.
Why this matters: A total of 14 astronauts died in the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986 and the Columbia shuttle disaster in 2003, losses that weigh heavily on the space agency. The decision to go with the SpaceX vehicle represents a vote of confidence in the reliability of the Dragon vehicle for human spaceflight, reports Scientific American senior news reporter Meghan Bartels.
What the experts say: Despite the scheduling setback, "the hit would have been worse if [NASA] had made a decision that put astronauts' lives in danger. I think this is probably the least risky option for NASA at this point," says Wendy Whitman Cobb, a political scientist at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. | | | Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crew ship approaches the International Space Station during the company's Orbital Flight Test-2 mission on May 20, 2022. NASA | | | A five-minute zap with low-intensity ultrasound waves can foreclose some of the negative pathways of a wandering mind, such as excessive introspection and off-task rumination, a small study suggests. After a brief session of ultrasound stimulation to a deep-brain area called the default mode network (DMN), study participants reported being more able to feel present in the moment and to suspend judgment of themselves and others compared with participants who received a placebo stimulation.
What the experts say: "One of the greatest barriers to meditation and mindfulness is the steep learning curve. Brain stimulation can act like training wheels for the mind, helping people achieve that deep state of consciousness. That's our larger goal," said study co-author and cognitive neuroscientist Brian Lord.
Why it matters: Abnormal connectivity and functioning in the DMN is associated with anxiety and depression, reports freelance writer Lucy Tu. Interruption of those pathways could help people experience fewer negative thoughts and experience more detachment from feelings and time. | | | • Antarctica's "Doomsday Glacier" isn't as vulnerable to collapse as we thought, new study suggests. | 5 min read | | | • At-home syphilis tests could lower barriers to detection and help contain a national surge in the sexually transmitted infection. | 4 min read | | | • A focus on cognitive decline misrepresents the often steady or even improved cognitive skills of older people in general, writes science journalist Lydia Denworth. Prejudices about aging are contradicted by research showing that about half of 80-somethings have "little to no change in their physical, biological, hormonal and cognitive functioning," she writes. The aging process does change the brain, but processing slow-downs are in the range of milliseconds, intervals that might not be meaningful in daily life. And the extent of life experience among seniors often brings upsides such as wisdom and a more sunny outlook. | 4 min read | | | Any experience where one is the only person in a room who falls into some category—be that the only person of color, the only woman or the only person with a certain accent, etc.—can lead to feelings that range from unsettling to alienating. I've been there and so have most of you in one way or another. I'm no fan of hagiography, but some accounts of people who manage to carry on in such circumstances can be remarkably engaging and empowering. Such is the case with this recent "Lost Women of Science" podcast episode featuring an interview with Marcel Chotkowski LaFollette about her book Writing for Their Lives: America's Pioneering Female Science Journalists. I've read histories of science journalism that peg the field's onset to the post-WWII era or the launch of Sputnik. LaFollette has unearthed details about the work of Emma Reh, Jane Stafford and others who covered science in the U.S. as early as the 1920s. It's a pleasure to discover that science journalism and strong women in this field date to at least 100 years ago.
| —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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