August 5, 2024: Sparkly blue clams are solar-gathering powerhouses, how some people are fat AND healthy, and a possible reason why this summer's Olympic swimmers aren't breaking many records. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Detail of design and vibrant colors inside giant clam taken close up underwater on a tropical reef in Palau. Erin Donalson/Getty Images | | | Giant clams are four feet long (!) and live in shallow coral reefs off the coast of Palau. Their innards are sparkly blue and operate as perhaps the most efficient solar panels on Earth. Researchers found that in a model of the clams' first step of photosynthesis, during which chlorophyll absorbs a single photon, the process had an efficiency of 43 percent—more than twice that of most current solar panels and three times that of tree leaves.
Why this is so cool: The clams' fleshy mantle contains an orderly arrangement of photosynthetic algae, which convert sunlight into food for the clam. The mantle's surface is lined with iridescent cells that channel light down toward the algae. And the clams appear to inflate or deflate the mantle to optimize the amount of light reaching the algae.
What the experts say: This bivalve might be a great source of inspiration for more efficient solar harvesting technology designs. Alison Sweeney, a Yale University biophysicist and co-author of the new research, hopes the findings might inform the design of algae-stocked bioreactors. | | | Health studies have repeatedly identified people who have high BMIs (body mass index) and good metabolic health. These peoples' blood pressure, cholesterol levels, insulin sensitivity, triglyceride counts, liver fat levels, and more are within healthy ranges. Researchers call this phenomenon metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). Depending on how it's defined, MHO may apply to as many as 60 percent of adults classified as obese by the BMI scale (which is a flawed metric calculated as a ratio of height to weight, but that's a whole other story).
How it works: Whether someone has MHO may depend on a few factors. In general, people who carry fat on their hips and thighs, not around the midsection, have fewer health conditions. How that fat is stored also matters– fat stored just under the skin is less risky than if fat packs close to organs like the liver. Ethnic background also seems to impact disease onset–those of South Asian, East Asian, Chinese or Japanese descent tend to have metabolic complications at a lower BMI or body weight than people of other ancestries.
What the experts say: The relationship between body fat and disease is complicated. Rather than fixating on reducing weight, the focus should be on adding fruits, vegetables and whole grains to meals, moving the body more, and enjoying nature. "If people are following a healthy lifestyle, and they're less preoccupied with a number on the scale, they're also less likely to feel stress and anxiety about their weight," says JoAnn E. Manson, an endocrinologist and epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School. | | | • Most expectations of record-breaking swim times at the Paris Olympics have not panned out. Experts think it might be because the competition pool is too shallow. | 7 min read | | | • The percentage of people who say they've tried to end a pregnancy without medical assistance increased after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a new study. | 3 min read | | | • "Trump's plan to launch a massive deportation project nationwide draws on the same flawed historical rationales and pseudoscience that built support for concentration camps worldwide in the 20th century," writes Andrea Pitzer, author of the book One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps. "Early architects of these camps veiled their efforts in scientific terms while using terror and punishment to seize more power," she says. | 5 min read | | | • On a recent family vacation, Clara Moskowitz, senior editor for space and physics, spotted these sea stars clinging to the rocks in the tidepools on the coast of Olympic National Park. The round greenish creatures are Giant Green Anemones. | | | Summer vacations are a wonderful opportunity to encounter the wonders of science. Long flights and car trips away from home are not necessary--scientific processes are happening in every backyard, parking lot, or even on your kitchen countertop with the right materials. Check out this list of really cool experiments you can try out at home with or without kids, and most don't require any special stuff. Science belongs to all of us! | Thank you for being part of our circle of science-curious readers. Email me anytime: newsletters@sciam.com. Same time tomorrow! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | Today's Spellements. Spot missing science words not accepted by the puzzle? Email games@sciam.com and I may give you a shoutout in this week's newsletter! Readers Hayes from Troy, New York, and Pat from Saxtons River, Verm., noticed that "lignin" was missing from Friday's puzzle. Lignin is a set of organic polymers that forms key structural materials in plants. Good eye, Hayes and Pat! | | | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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