A free, daily newsletter for anyone who loves science, inspiration and awe ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
April 18, 2025—Public transit safety, a possible sign of life at an exoplanet and the demise of the U.S. worker-safety research agency. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | An artist's depiction of exoplanet K2-18 b. NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI) | | - Is dimethyl sulfide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet called K2-18 b, detected by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, really a sign of alien life? | 4 min read
- NASA's next major space telescope, called the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is ready to launch. Trump wants to kill it and other vital science. | 6 min read
- Plant leaves absorb airborne microplastics. This previously overlooked route for plastics to get into the food chain holds implications for ecology and human health.| 4 min read
- The discovery of two genes involved in severe morning sickness during pregnancy could unlock new treatments. | 8 min read
- Listen to Gary Stix, our recently retired mind, brain and everything else editor, discuss the past 35 years of science and technology. | 20 min listen
| | Driving a car or other motor vehicle in the U.S. is more dangerous than taking a bus, train or subway, factoring in the risks of crime and crashes, according to a new analysis covered by Scientific American editor Tanya Lewis. The finding counters public perception and claims made by some officials, often parroted in the media. Despite the dread some riders feel, the risk of death or injury on public transit is about one tenth that of car travel, the research shows. Reportable assaults, robberies and homicides on public transit in larger urban centers are all down compared with 2019, as illustrated in the story's graphics. | How they did it: Drawing on transportation deaths data from various sources, the researcher normalized death counts resulting from motor vehicle crashes, rail transit and bus transit by passenger miles. Otherwise, the comparison would have been skewed by the variation in the number of people who drive and ride in cars and trucks compared with those who take trains and buses. What the experts say: "Every time we get in the car, we face an enormous threat to our safety. [The U.S. is] the high-income country with the highest road traffic fatality rate, and we just accept that," says Natalie Draisin, of the FIA Foundation, a global organization focused on road and travel safety. | | | | |
Amanda Montañez; Source: Safer Than You Think! Revising the Transit Safety Narrative. Todd Litman. Victoria Transit Policy Institute, April 8, 2025 (data) | | A CUSTOM PUBLICATION SPONSORED BY UL RESEARCH INSTITUTES | | How the Science of Safety Helps Tackle Global Risks | | erhui1979/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images | | Every day, we're surrounded by risks of all sizes. While some embrace risk-taking, others go to great lengths to avoid it. But what about the risks that impact society on a global scale, such as those related to sustainable energy, societal health, and digital technology? | | | | |
- Did you keep up with science news this week? Test your knowledge with this week's science quiz. Also check out today's Spellements puzzle. This week, readers Mark Z. and John M. found the word nictate, a verb meaning "to blink." Animal watchers may have noticed or learned that cats, dogs, some other mammals, and some sharks, birds and reptiles have a somewhat creepy-looking third eyelid, technically called a nictitating membrane.
| | - An early April executive order to fire hundreds of scientists and other employees at the national research agency that works hand in hand with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will render workplaces more dangerous and result in more worker deaths, writes researcher Catherine Blackwood. The firings effectively eliminate the agency, called the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and will make it "easier to abuse an already struggling workforce," adds Blackwood, who was among the recently fired at NIOSH. | 4 min read
| | MOST POPULAR STORIES OF THE WEEK | | - Language differences control your brain's sentence-prediction habits. | 3 min read
- Mathematicians crack 125-year-old problem, uniting three physics theories. | 4 min read
- Miners suddenly are tearing up the seafloor to extract valuable metals. | 18 min read
| | In an early childhood memory, I recall my father extolling the wonders of the steam engine and railroads as we admired a hulking, retired locomotive housed in a museum. At the time, I couldn't comprehend the significance. Cars were the only transportation I knew then. Now I'm a "train nerd" and prefer Amtrak or other rail or bus transit over driving a car or flying when possible. It's no secret that the U.S. under-invests in its railways and public transit compared with many other countries, but there's still fun and ease to experience on our hobbled federal passenger rail system or other regional transit systems. | | —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | | | |
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