Week in Science: This math mystery connects Sudoku, flight schedules and protein folding

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January 10—This week, Santa Ana winds are fueling fires in Los Angeles, mitochondrial DNA that can hop into the human genome, and ADHD symptoms fluctuate with the menstrual cycle. All that and more below! --Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

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The Math Mystery That Connects Sudoku, Flight Schedules and Protein Folding Thousands of notoriously difficult problems in computer science are actually the same problem in disguise Jack Murtagh

Jumping 'Numts' from Mitochondria Can Be Fast and Deadly Bits of DNA from mitochondria can skip surprisingly fast into our genome and may reduce lifespan Martin Picard

How the Ferocious Santa Ana Winds Are Fueling the Palisades Fire The nature of the Santa Ana winds makes them perfectly suited to fueling blazes like the Palisades Fire, and climate change is increasing the risk Andrea Thompson, staff editor

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HMPV Cases Are Rising Across Asia, but Experts Say Not to Panic A common respiratory virus called human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, has been spreading in some countries in Asia, including China, India, Malaysia and Kazakhstan. Here's what we know Lauren J. Young

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The Real Reason People Don't Trust in Science Has Nothing to Do with Scientists "Propaganda works" is the real upshot of a survey showing lingering postpandemic distrust of science Dan Vergano, staff journalist

Heliophysics Is Set to Shine in 2025 The science of the sun and its effects on the solar system is a sprawling discipline that expects a very exciting 2025 Meghan Bartels

How to 'Catch' Prime Numbers A prime number study charts the limits of detection Max Springer, intern writer

What the End of U.S. Net Neutrality Means A federal court's decision deals a legal blow to the open Internet Ben Guarino

How Periods Can Affect ADHD Symptoms and Treatment Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms worsen right before and during a period, a new study finds, and this could impact treatment Kelso Harper

Plants' Photosynthetic Machinery Functions inside Hamster Cells Transplanted chloroplasts endured two days inside animal cells—and got to work Saugat Bolakhe

What Does First U.S Bird Flu Death Tell Experts about Disease Severity? Louisiana has reported the first U.S. fatality from avian influenza. Most of the country's human cases have been mild Tanya Lewis

Breaking the Constitution Won't Fix the Bureaucracy A government efficiency panel threatens U.S. government competence and constitutional underpinnings, warn two administrative science experts Thomas J. Greitens ; M. Ernita Joaquin

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