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September 5, 2025—The smallest particle in the universe, cells responding to sound baths and a weird fish with teeth on its forehead for sex. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | An artist's concept of multiple types of subatomic particles. Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library | | - What's the smallest particle in the universe? The answer to this supposedly simple particle physics question isn't so simple. | 4 min read
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Public health experts responded with disbelief and anger to statements made by RFK, Jr., as Senators grilled him yesterday about vaccines and turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | 3 min read - Inside the CDC's breakdown—an exploration of what is driving the exodus of agency staff and what this means for national health security. | 14 min listen
- This gloriously weird fish has teeth on its forehead for sex. | 2 min read
| | Serenading Cells Cells can "hear" sounds and respond genetically, new evidence suggests. Researchers at Kyoto University serenaded mouse cells with three types of sound frequencies for either two or 24 hours. RNA sequencing, a measure of gene activity, revealed changes in 42 genes after two hours and in 145 genes after 24 hours. Most cells showed an increase in activity, and some were suppressed. Many of the affected genes contribute to key cellular processes, such as cell migration and adhesion, writes freelance science journalist Simon Makin. Sound exposure also suppressed the development of fat cells. Why it matters: The team has begun studying whether sound baths can suppress the development of fat tissue in living mice—and similar studies on humans could be next, says biologist and study co-author Masahiro Kumeta. Audible sound also could be used someday to enhance regenerative medicine or combat cancer growth by manipulating cells, the researchers say. What the experts say: "It's a very extensive, thorough study," says Lidan You, an engineer who studies how bone cells translate mechanical stimuli into biological signals. "The next step [could be] using not only human cells but human organoids that model diseases," You says, "then moving to clinical studies." —Andrea Tamayo, newsletter writer | | Plastic Was Supposed to Be Sustainable In 1869, a celluloid compound was patented as a more sustainable material than ivory for making billiard balls. The dentine material had become scarce. This "first plastic" and other early era plastics industry products were perceived and lauded as relieving pressure on natural resources, reports Scientific American senior features editor Jen Schwartz. But a century later, the disastrous implications of plastics manufacturing and waste came into focus. Plastic doesn't biodegrade; instead, it fragments and accumulates for hundreds or thousands of years. And plastic isn't technically recyclable in most cases.
The backstory: In 1864, Scientific American published a billiard-table manufacturing company's competition, offering a $10,000 prize for an ivory substitute that could be used to make billiard balls. John Wesley Hyatt, the inventor of the celluloid material patented five years later, chose not to accept the reward so he could retain the rights to his invention, and start a company selling his celluloid billiard balls. What the experts say: "The advent of synthetic polymers didn't free humanity from the limits of natural resources," Schwartz writes. Now competitions are launched to spur the invention of methods to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and other plastic expanses in the world's oceans. | | LAST DAY TO ENTER OUR CONTEST | |  Celebrate 180 years of Scientific American with our SciAm in the Wild photo contest. You could win a one-year Unlimited subscription, science gadgets and exclusive gear. Entering is easy! Snap a photo of any Scientific American cover in a great setting, share the image on your social media (or email it to us), and you're entered to win! Full contest instructions here. | | | | |
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| | Some years ago, I attended a "Tibetan singing bowl sound healing" event. I don't know if the experience "restored my balance and harmony," as advertised, but prone on the floor with our eyes closed, we soon drifted into a state of deep relaxation as we listened to beautiful vibrating bells, gongs and bowls. The serenaded cells finding above now makes me wonder if the session offered any actual health benefits. It is already known that cells respond to mechanical stimuli. In 2021, Scientific American editor Tanya Lewis interviewed Ardem Patapoutian, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for identifying pressure-sensitive ion channels in cell membranes that enable them to "transmit signals in response to touch or pressure," as Lewis wrote. This mechanism underlies such processes as proprioception (sensing the position and movement of one's body), detecting bladder fullness and sensing the amount of air in the lungs. Now that's something to sing about. | | You made it through the first post-Labor Day work week. Have a good weekend and send feedback to: newsletters@sciam.com. See you on Monday. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor
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