September 3, 2024: Gold from earthquakes, a new type of pain medication is coming, and the oldest animal sex chromosome. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | A gold nugget "trapped" in quartz. Pierre Longnus/Getty Images | | | Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals in Earth's crust. The geological stress from an earthquake triggers a geochemical property in quartzes called "piezoelectricity," which generates an electrical charge and changes the electrical state of quartz. The altered state enables the formation of larger gold nuggets to clump up in the crust. To test the idea, researchers placed quartz mineral crystals in a fluid containing dissolved gold nanoparticles and found that, when under seismic-wave-like forces, the quartz produced enough voltage to jump-start a buildup of gold nanoparticles.
How it works: Quartz's structure is a repeating pattern of positively charged silicon and negatively charged oxygen atoms. When the arrangement is compressed or stretched, electrical charge disperses differently across its surface. Under the pressure of seismic waves, the changed electric state could lower the energy needed for gold nanoparticles in the fluid to interact with the quartz surface, allowing the nanoparticles to stick and accumulate.
What the experts say: Quartz piezoelectricity could explain some of the larger gold nuggets in Earth's crust—especially "orogenic" deposits where tectonic plates have collided and may have folded onto each other. "It appears to be a certainty that episodic earthquakes are important in helping form these important 'orogenic' gold nugget deposits," says James Saunders, a consultant geologist. | | | A new type of pain medication is on the way. Vertex Pharmaceuticals is applying for FDA approval for a new drug, VX-548, which it is calling suzetrigine. In clinical trials, the drug dampened acute pain levels by about one half on a 0-to-10 scale (about as good as Vicodin). The drug blocks sodium channels in peripheral nerve cells, and with obstructed channels, cells can't transmit pain sensations to the brain. Sodium channel blockers don't act on the reward center like opioid painkillers do.
Why this matters: One in five U.S. adults—51.6 million people as of 2021—is living with chronic pain. Typical pain relievers like aspirin or acetaminophen offer limited relief, and opioid painkillers risk high danger of dependency. More than 100,000 people have died of opioid overdoses every year since 2021, many whose addictions began with prescriptions to opioid painkillers.
What the experts say: "We are definitely hopeful that we can replace opioids, and that's the goal here," says Ana Moreno, a biomedical engineer at Navega Therapeutics, where researchers are using molecular-editing tools like CRISPR to suppress genes involved in chronic pain. | | | A greenhouse filled with Firefly petunias. Light Bio. Inc. | | | • Octopus sex is determined by a Z chromosome. Researchers have discovered that this chromosome is 480 million years old, the earliest known animal sex chromosome. | 6 min read | | | • The Federal Trade Commission is investigating an emerging business practice that the agency calls "surveillance pricing," which uses AI to tailor prices to individuals. | 6 min read | | | • Better air quality is linked to better school and work performance, experts say. But a 2022 CDC survey of school districts found that fewer than half had upgraded ventilation systems or opened windows or used fans to improve indoor air quality in classrooms. Regulations on school air standards are decades old and need updating and enforcement, writes health journalist Maggie Fox. "Federal, state and local officials owe it to kids, their parents and their neighbors to fight this most invisible of all hazards." | 5 min read | | | Welcome to a new week of discovery with Today in Science. Thanks for sending in your birthday wishes for Scientific American's 179th last week! No matter how long you've been a reader, it's a privilege to explore the world of science with you. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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