Week in Science: World's oldest alphabet discovered in Syrian tomb

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November 29—This week, archeologists discover the world's oldest alphabet. Plus, why the night sky is dark, and how humor can get you through hard times. All that and more below! --Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

Top Stories

World's Oldest Alphabet Found on an Ancient Clay Gift Tag A finger-sized clay cylinder from a tomb in northern Syria appears to be the oldest example of writing using an alphabet rather than hieroglyphs or cuneiform Stephanie Pappas

Mathematicians' Newest Assistants Are Artificially Intelligent AI-human collaboration could possibly achieve superhuman greatness in mathematics Conor Purcell

Why Is the Sky Dark at Night? You Can Thank the Big Bang Called Olbers' paradox, the seemingly simple mystery of the sky's darkness is something that stumped astronomers for centuries Phil Plait

Sponsor Content Provided by Archaeological Paths Dr. Zahi Hawass Returns to North America in 2025 with New Groundbreaking Discoveries! The real-life Indiana Jones returns to North America on his LARGEST lecture tour ever to share the latest discoveries and make the most thrilling announcements of his remarkable career. This event will make history – live on stage – and you won't want to miss it!

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How Humor Takes the Edge off Hard Times When life feels difficult, humor can be a coping mechanism that relieves stress and offers the breathing room to keep going, scientists say Meghan Bartels

When a Nation Embraces a False Reality A renowned psychiatrist and activist compares Trump's election to other pivotal historical moments in which the ultimate victim was truth itself Robert Jay Lifton

Scientists Scramble to Save Climate Data from Trump—Again Federal climate databases remained largely intact during President-elect Donald Trump's first term. Scientists say the threats are bigger this time Chelsea Harvey; E&E News

Could AI Ghosts of Ancient Civilizations Help Us Connect with Bygone Cultures? Social psychologists could turn artificial-intelligence-powered tools like ChatGPT on to writings from past cultures. Will this help us study ancient civilizations? Rachel Feltman; Fonda Mwangi; Jeffery DelViscio, staff editor

Wildfire Smoke Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia The particles that make up wildfire smoke may raise the risk of dementia even more than similar airborne pollutants from other sources Chelsea Harvey; E&E News

How the Return of Salmon to the Klamath River Shows Us What's Possible in Wildlife Conservation Once a tragic example of degraded wildlife habitat, the Klamath River's dam removal demonstrates how people can halt the decline of, and even restore, wildlife Jeff Opperman, expert writer

Searching for Underwater Treasure with Magnet Fishers With the help of a powerful rare-earth alloy, magnet fishers pull garbage out of polluted waterways Ben Guarino

Confronting the Dangers of Silent Spread Is Necessary to Prevent Future Pandemics We need targeted public health interventions to reduce transmission from asymptomatically infected individuals. Like COVID, silently spreading pathogens can lead to far more infections and fatalities Joshua S. Weitz

RFK, Jr., Could Run the Agency That Oversees CDC, FDA and NIH. Here's What That Means for Public Health RFK, Jr., could restructure the CDC, FDA and NIH in pursuit of his flawed vision of public health. Plus, we discuss chimpanzees at play and the first-ever close-up image of a star. Rachel Feltman; Tanya Lewis; Jeffery DelViscio, staff editor; Fonda Mwangi; Anaissa Ruiz Tejada

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