October 2, 2024: An epidemic of nearsightedness, why your brain sees faces everywhere, and the Three Mile Island reactor is turning back on. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | NASA's Viking 1 orbiter photographed this region in the northern latitudes of Mars on July 25, 1976, while searching for a landing site for the Viking 2 lander. The image shows a mesa that resembles a human face (center), which helped to spawn a cottage industry of pseudoscientific claims about ancient Martian civilizations. NASA/JPL/MSSS | | | Have you seen the man in the moon? Or an elephant in the clouds? Familiar shapes can appear everywhere we look. As I wrote earlier this week, the brain is an incredible pattern-recognizing machine. Our brain's tendency to impose a recognizable image on objects or scenes is called pareidolia. We're especially good at "seeing" faces, and it's no wonder: the human brain has devoted entire neural regions to reading faces. In the sky: Astronomical phenomena are ripe ground for pareidolia. "Gas clouds and galaxies have just enough structure to trigger our pattern-recognition ability," writes astronomer and columnist Phil Plait. Some examples: the Horsehead Nebula is a giant complex of cold, dense gas and dust; the 1976 "face on Mars" turned out to be a large rock mesa that was casting shadows.
What the experts say: "Our brain is extraordinarily good at seeing patterns," writes Plait, "and although some are fanciful and fantasy, in many cases those patterns are real, revealing fascinating physics underlying their beguiling appearance." | | | Nearsightedness is on a dramatic rise worldwide. By 2050, according to some estimates, about half the world's population will be nearsighted. Currently in some Asian countries, as much as 88 percent of the population is affected (the U.S. does not track cases as diligently).
Why this matters: More severe cases of myopia are associated with long-term eye health issues like premature cataracts, glaucoma, retinal tears and detachments and myopic macular degeneration. Plus, children with impaired vision struggle with learning and may lack quality eye healthcare to help resolve any vision problems.
What the experts say: Rates of myopia may be rising because children spend far less time outside. Studies have shown that natural light is protective for myopia onset and development, though more research is needed on how varying wavelengths of light affect eyesight. What about electronic devices? The few studies on the issue show inconclusive findings for how screen time impacts vision. | | | Zane Wolf; Source:"Mortality Caused by Tropical Cyclones in the United States," by Rachel Young and Solomon Hsiang, in Nature. Published online October 2, 2024 (data and reference figure) | | | Long After the Wind and Rain A new study shows that tropical storms and hurricanes continue to cause what epidemiologists call excess deaths for 15 or more years after the initial disaster, with the average storm causing 7,000 to 11,000 excess deaths. Sustainability editor Andrea Thompson digs into what's behind these numbers in an article published today. | | | • Decommissioned nuclear reactors are turning back on, in part to power AI technology. | 5 min read | | | • Scientists have mapped a network of open clearings deep in the Republic of Congo rainforest where elephants and other animals go to eat and hang out. | 5 min read | | | • Why does mozzarella melt so well but ricotta doesn't budge? Food scientists are uncovering the complex reactions behind cheese melt (this is the kind of research we've been waiting for). | 4 min read | | | • AI helped researchers locate 303 new geoglyphs in the Nazca Desert of Peru. | Popular Mechanics | | | • Tubes designed to simulate shark intestines performed better at keeping fluid moving in one direction than so-called Tesla valves. | Ars Technica | | | • About 750 known plant species can absorb large amounts of metals from their environment and store them in their tissues. These plants may be the future of metal mining. | MIT Technology Review | | | • If nuclear reactors start turning on again, their waste will continue to pile up (on top of what's already been produced). Finding a way to store it safely has been in a state of locked debate for decades. To make progress and identify suitable storage sites, "our hazardous waste and clean water laws must have full authority over radioactivity and nuclear waste facilities so that EPA—and the states—can assert direct regulatory authority," writes Geoffrey H. Fettus, former director of the nuclear program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. | 6 min read | | | The brain can be a stubborn thing. Once it sees a face in the sky, a sequined dress as white and gold (and definitely not blue and black!), or a solution to a chess match, it holds onto that reality and won't let go. Such conviction can block other perspectives, other solutions, and other realities. If you have the chance to truly imagine that the world is NOT what it seems, take a chance on thinking differently and see what creative ideas or new perspectives come your way! | Thank you for being part of our circle of open-minded, science-curious readers! Email me anytime: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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