Today in Science: Amazon joins the satellite race

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April 29, 2025—Why women's ADHD symptoms feel so much worse before their period. Plus, Amazon launches its first satellites into an already crowded orbit; and more climate scientists are canned.    —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor TODAY'S NEWS A ULA Atlas V - 551 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, carrying satellites for Amazon's Kuiper Project. Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto via Getty Images Amazon launched its first 27 operational Project Kuiper satellites in its attempt to compete with SpaceX's Starlink—but experts remain concerned about space junk and obstructed astronomy in low-Earth orbit. | 6 min read An HPV infection increases the risk of heart disease, according to an analysis of seven papers. Scientists are now studying whether the HPV vaccine can prevent cardiovascular disease. | 6 min read The Trump administration dismissed all the scientists working on the National Climate Assessment, a congressionally mandated report that helps to craft environmental rules, legislation and infrastructure project planning. | 3 min read Most clicked yesterday: This miracle molecule is more effective than bleach, but is safe for eyes and skin. And it might just prevent the next pandemic. | 11 min read More News TOP STORIES ADHD Fluctuations Psychologists monitored 97 female college students across their menstrual cycle, nearly all of whom had a formal ADHD diagnosis. The scientists measured participants' hormone levels every day and assessed participants' ADHD symptoms with questionnaires and cognitive tests. The team found that participants reported worse ADHD symptoms, such as inattention and impulsivity, just before and at the start of their period and, to a lesser extent, around ovulation.   What's going on: The researchers believe changes in symptoms are caused by drops in estradiol, the most powerful form of estrogen. Estrogen is mostly known as a sex hormone, but it's also very active in the brain, aiding attention, memory and stabilizing moods. It helps the body produce and maintain dopamine, an important brain-signaling chemical that plays a central role in ADHD.   Ripley Cleghorn; Source: ADHD in Adult Women: Challenges and New Directions," by Michelle M. Martel. Presented at Psych Congress, Boston, November 2024 (data) Why this is interesting: Researchers once thought of ADHD as an unchanging condition: either you have it or you don't, end of story. But new research shows that ADHD symptoms can change across a person's lifespan, and symptoms can even shift over the course of a single menstrual cycle. Plus, the condition has mostly been studied in boys and men, so the new results provide insight into what is happening for many women with ADHD.  What the experts say: "It's about a sensitivity to hormonal fluctuations," says Dora Wynchank, a psychiatrist and researcher at Dutch mental-health-care organization PsyQ. "That combination of poorly operating dopamine and low levels of estrogen is just a sort of double whammy that makes the cognitive symptoms so much worse."

EXPERT PERSPECTIVES All kids are natural-born scientists, but the idea that science is reserved for only certain kinds of people (usually white men) emerges surprisingly early, writes Ryan F. Lei, an associate professor of psychology at Haverford College. The language that parents and teachers use to discuss science can have a real impact on keeping all kids engaged with the discipline, he says. In his research, "students whose teachers use more action-focused language (e.g., 'let's do science') persisted longer in a novel science game compared to students whose teachers used more identity-focused language [('let's be scientists')]." | 4 min read More Opinion I had the privilege of meeting a group of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders last week, conducting a science experiment with them and then practicing how to "do science journalism." It was a delight to experience the enthusiasm, imagination and curiosity that youngsters employ to understand the world around them. Oh, and we talked about their favorite animals a lot. Top mentions? Roly Poly bugs and venomous snakes.  How have kids inspired you to learn and see the world around you? Let me know at: newsletters@sciam.com. Thanks for reading!    —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

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