Week in Science: This mysterious constant makes mathematicians despair

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December 20—This week, the Voyager probes are illuminating the dark regions beyond our solar system. Plus, the seed oils in ultraprocessed foods are linked to colon cancer risk, and the perfectly-shaped beer glass, according to math. That and more below. We'll be back in 2025! --Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

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We May Be on the Brink of Finding the Real Planet Nine If there's a hidden world in the solar system, a new telescope should find it Robin George Andrews

The Perfect Beer Glass Shape, according to Math A mathematician has calculated the ideal shape for a beer glass to keep the liquid inside as cool as possible Manon Bischoff

Ultraprocessed Foods High in Seed Oils Could Be Fueling Colon Cancer Risk A new study suggests certain lipids, particularly omega-6 fatty acids, which are commonly found in seed oils used to make ultraprocessed junk food, may promote inflammation in colon cancer tumors Lauren J. Young

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NASA's Beloved Voyager Probes Find Puzzles beyond the Solar System For two decades now, the iconic twin Voyager spacecraft have been quietly overturning everything we thought we knew about the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space Meghan Bartels

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The Vagus Nerve's Mysterious Role in Mental Health Untangled The healing potential of the brain's most interconnected nerve intrigues researchers Jena Pincott

Creating 'Mirror Life' Could Be Disastrous, Scientists Warn Breakthroughs in synthetic biology could create mirror versions of natural molecules, with devastating consequences for life on Earth Simon Makin

78 Books Scientific American Recommends in 2024 A collection of nonfiction and fiction books Scientific American editorial staff and contributors read and recommend in 2024 Brianne Kane

Mysterious Constant that Makes Mathematicians Despair The proof that the Apéry constant is irrational remains one of the most bizarre events in the history of mathematics Manon Bischoff

The Unbelievable Slowness of Thinking The brain is sometimes called the most complex machine in the known universe. But the thoughts that it outputs putter along at a trifling 10 bits per second, the pace of a conversation Rachel Nuwer

Why It's a Bad Idea to Shoot at New Jersey 'Mystery Drones' Surging reports of strange drones in the skies over New Jersey and other parts of the northeast U.S. have spurred calls to shoot down the unidentified objects. But that's a very bad idea Lee Billings, staff editor

'The Common Enemy Is the Virus,' Not One Another, Anthony Fauci Tells SciAm Scientific American sat down with physician-scientist Anthony Fauci, who recently published a memoir, to discuss COVID mistakes and successes, bird flu concerns and political divisions Tanya Lewis

Scientists Discover Earth Life inside an Asteroid Sample Material from asteroid Ryugu riddled with earthly microbes provides a cautionary tale for scientists seeking signs of alien life Sharmila Kuthunur

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