Week in Science: ‘Corn sweat’ is making the Midwest muggier

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August 30—This week, "corn sweat" is making the Midwest heat wave even more unbearable, new research shows that age-related changes kick in not just in our 60s but as early as our mid-40s, and a giant megalith older than Stonehenge demonstrates the scientific expertise of Neolithic people. All that and more below! –Sunya Bhutta, Chief Audience Engagement Editor

Top Stories

'Corn Sweat' and Climate Change Bring Sweltering Weather to the Midwest A heat wave is sending temperatures soaring in the Midwest, and "corn sweat" is pushing humidity sky-high Andrea Thompson

Brain Scientists Finally Discover the Glue that Makes Memories Stick for a Lifetime A long-running research endeavor reveals key chemical players that cement memories in place—and still more have yet to be discovered Simon Makin

'Sloth Fever' Virus Is Spreading. Here's What You Need to Know about Oropouche The Oropouche virus, which causes a disease nicknamed "sloth fever" for one of the animals that can be infected, has seen its first cases in the U.S. Mariana Lenharo; Nature News

Why Aging Comes in Dramatic Waves in Our 40s and 60s A new study suggests that waves of aging-related changes occur at two distinct points in our life Saima S. Iqbal, intern writer

Ultrasound Brain Stimulation Boosts Mindfulness Study participants felt time distortion, fewer negative thoughts and greater detachment from feelings with a noninvasive ultrasound intervention Lucy Tu

NASA's Stranded Astronauts Will Fly Home on SpaceX's Dragon Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched to the International Space Station in June and expected eight days in space. Now these stranded astronauts finally have a ride home Meghan Bartels

Massive Megalith That Predates Stonehenge Shows Science Savvy of Neolithic Humans A survey of the Dolmen of Menga suggests that the stone tomb's Neolithic builders had an understanding of science Roff Smith; Nature magazine

String Theorists Accidentally Find a New Formula for Pi Two physicists have come across infinitely many novel equations for pi while trying to develop a unifying theory of the fundamental forces Manon Bischoff

The Pitfalls of Houseplant Collection A curator at the New York Botanical Gardens explains what we can learn about the past and the present from houseplant trends. Rachel Feltman; Fonda Mwangi; Jeffery DelViscio

This Ancient Sea Cow Was Killed by a Croc and Eaten by a Shark Scientists re-create the last moments of a manateelike animal that was eaten by both a crocodilian and a shark Meghan Bartels

Adult Drowning Deaths Are Increasing Most fatal drowning incidents in the U.S. involve adults, not children, and they often involve alcohol Erica Westly

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