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SPONSORED BY  | | | | December 6, 2024: Marine biologists pin down the mysterious "biotwang" sound. Plus, a better way to treat concussions, and why you should consider a vaccination against pneumonia. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Colored computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest of a person with bacterial pneumonia in the left lung (right). Vsevolod Zviryk/Science Source | | | The elusive Bryde's whale. Nature Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo | | | Scientists first heard the "biotwang" a decade ago. This long, low moan sound followed by a mechanical chirp (you can hear the biotwang on our site) was picked up by underwater microphones near the miles-deep Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. After speculating for a decade that it might be a whale sound, researchers recently confirmed the biotwang is made by Bryde's whales, a rarely-seen baleen species. While surveying whales off the Mariana Islands, an archipelago near the trench, the researchers heard the biotwang nine out of 10 times when Bryde's whales turned up.
The next steps: Knowing that the Bryde's whale produces the biotwang, the scientists went on to examine the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database of more than 200,000 hours of marine audio recordings. They wanted to identify where in the ocean the whales were found during different seasons and years–a difficult task since the whales are so elusive. The team used an AI search tool that flagged every instance of the biotwang, uncovering specific whale migration patterns, and how they changed based on climate conditions.
What the experts say: As climate change worsens and the El Niño and La Niña climate patterns continue to shift, "these whales will have to travel farther—and they may have to work a little harder to find food," says Ann Allen, a research oceanographer at NOAA. | | | Concussions, the everyday term for a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), are common: Nearly three million people in the U.S. are officially diagnosed with a TBI every year in emergency departments and hospitals–most of those classified as mild. Why this matters: Last year, a multicenter study of more than 1,200 people showed that 33 percent of those with mild TBI and 30 percent of those with moderate or severe TBI experienced some kind of deterioration one to seven years after injury. Conditions include problems sleeping, headaches, and memory and psychiatric issues. In the long term, a concussion can lead to dementia or trigger cardiovascular disease.
What the experts say: Earlier this year physicians proposed a new system to diagnose and classify brain injuries beyond the vague "mild." The new model would include clinical symptoms (like loss of consciousness), blood-based biomarkers, imaging and other modifiers (which include access to health care, among others). Different TBIs will be assigned different resulting risk factors based on the new system, and they will require closer tracking by doctors in some cases. | | | SPONSORED CONTENT BY CCHCS | Use your skills to make a positive difference in the lives of incarcerated persons. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) / California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) is seeking full-time compassionate, knowledgeable psychiatrists to join our multidisciplinary mental health teams. Learn more. | | | MOST POPULAR STORIES OF THE WEEK | | | • What Caused This Seven-Mile Scar in Australia's Outback, Seen on Google Earth? | 4 min read | • Why 'Brain Rot' Is 2024's Word of the Year | 2 min read | | | • When sleep training babies, parents deliberately limit how much they respond to their restless or crying baby. The process is intended to teach babies to fall asleep independently—and stay asleep all night. "While sleep training is often sold with the premise that it helps babies sleep better, the evidence shows they sleep more or less the same as babies who are not sleep-trained," writes science journalist Amanda Ruggeri. One prevalent narrative around sleep training is that it's all upside for both babies and parents. This idea is based on cherry-picked data and overlooks the field's significant limitations, she says. | 5 min read | | | • Do our furry friends dream? The so-called continuity hypothesis, which is supported by strong evidence in humans, holds that people's dreams reflect their daily experiences. If we extend the concept to our pets, we should expect that dogs dream in smells, experts say, given that olfaction is so central to their waking experience of the world. And cats might dream of stalking and pouncing on prey. Or of basking in the sun. | 3 min read | | | CHENDONGSHAN/Getty Images | | | This was the week of rotting brains (strange, considering Halloween is long past). Neuroscientists performed chemical analyses of ancient preserved brains and put forth a hypothesis explaining why the organs can survive so unusually long. Meanwhile, the Oxford University Press announced that "brain rot" is the 2024 Word of the Year. If you've ever found yourself scrolling aimlessly through short videos on YouTube or looking at meaningless meme after meme on Instagram, you've experienced brain rot. I hope this newsletter keeps you away from Internet sludge and sharp as a whip for years to come! | Thank you for being part of our circle of science-curious readers! Email me anytime: newsletters@sciam.com. Have a restful weekend. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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