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June 18, 2025—Planning for a warmer future distracts us from the real problem. Plus, a flesh-eating fly is close to entering the U.S., and astronomers detect the dark dust in the universe. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Illustration of the dilute, dark gas and dust between galaxies. Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty Images | | | The Problem with Adaptation | The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway contains 1.3 million seeds from all over the world, stored as an "insurance policy" in case future agricultural systems are wrecked from global crises like war and climate change. But in 2017, the entrance to the vault flooded (which endangered the seeds) because of (ironically) melting nearby permafrost and unusually intense spring rains. In response, the Norwegian agency that runs the vault told the Guardian that they hadn't planned for the melting permafrost. Even on a project intended to protect future food supplies from global warming, "humans are not very good at anticipating change, even in the short run," writes Naomi Oreskes, a historian of science at Harvard University. Larger lessons: Big projects that claim they will help us "adapt" to climate change seem to ignore how severely an altered global climate will affect all systems and humans on Earth. For example, seeds saved now in Svalbard will stop evolving while in cold storage. If farmers try to plant them decades from now, the seeds will be thrust into a natural world to which they are no longer adapted, and they could fail to thrive. The bottom line: "The difficulties of the seed vault remind us that the most important thing we can do right now is not to plan to respond to climate disaster after it happens," Oreskes says, "but to do everything in our power to prevent it while we still have that chance." | | | Invasion of the Screwworm | The New World screwworm is marching northward from Central America at an alarming rate. The fly's larvae eat the flesh of livestock and have moved some 1,400 miles from southern Panama to southern Mexico in about two years. The northernmost sighting is currently about 700 miles south of the U.S. border. Why it matters: Screwworms are disastrous for ranchers, whose cattle can become infected when the flies lay eggs in cuts or wounds, after which their resulting larvae burrow, or screw, into that flesh. The resulting infection can cause weight loss, impaired milk production and even death from secondary infections. The fly larvae can infect humans too, especially those who work closely with livestock, for which there is no treatment other than surgery. What can be done: Throughout Central America, agricultural departments keep fly populations down by releasing millions of sterile male flies per week. Female screwworms mate only once in their lifetime, so the infertile males reduce the size of the next generation of flies. In May, ethicists and entomologists wrote in a paper in Science that the screwworm is a good candidate for complete elimination that won't adversely affect local ecology. Scientists could use genetic engineering to insert a deadly mutation into the fly's sperm and egg cells, which would be passed on to the next generation.
What the experts say: Consistent use of the sterile male flies technique eradicated the screwworm from the U.S. in 1966 and from regions north of the Darién Gap (the zone that connects Central and South America) in 2006. But the flies are spreading again. "I don't know how it got away so quickly," says Maxwell Scott, an entomologist at North Carolina State University. "There had to be some movement of infested livestock, particularly through the middle [of Central America].... It just moved too fast." | | | | |
A special event for Scientific American subscribers | | The fast fashion industry is under fire for its environmental toll and exploitative labor practices. But a wave of change is rising. Join journalist Jessica Hullinger in conversation with Scientific American editor Jennifer Schwartz as they spotlight the innovators and movements reshaping fashion—from botanical dyes and local supply chains to upcycling and repair services. | | | | |
- Extreme heat is the top weather-related killer in the U.S., causing hundreds to thousands of deaths every year, and outdoor laborers are especially vulnerable. In 2024 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a federal rule to protect workers from high heat—it would require not only access to water, rest breaks, and shade or other cooling areas but also heat safety training and protocols to acclimatize new and returning workers to high-heat conditions. Not only is this rule the humane thing to do, it is in the economic best interest of businesses, write the editors of Scientific American. | 4 min read
| | - After firings at the CDC, the agency is hiring back 400 workers.| Politico
- People are becoming fixated on their ChatGPT companions and having mental health breakdowns. | Futurism
- The Republicans' spending bill proposes the sale of 3 million acres of public land for housing development. | High Country News
| | Even with its issues, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a good idea. Indeed, a collection of millions of seeds from around Earth seems prudent, if for nothing more than posterity. But I would guess that Naomi Oreskes views the project in the same light as geoengineering efforts to curb climate change—by blocking the sun with aerosol particles, or refreezing Arctic Ice: They are fanciful, low-impact experiments at best, distracting money-pits at worst. If we accept the gravity of what is truly happening to our planet, we must face it head on by curbing fossil fuel use. | | Please send any comments, questions or feedback on this newsletter, to: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow! —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | | |
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