Today in Science: Why the Atlantic hurricane season has been mild

A daily read for the science-curious ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

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September 10, 2025—AI's Achilles heel, hype surrounding gluten-free diets and why the Atlantic hurricane season has been mild, so far. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor TODAY'S NEWS This artist's concept shows the volatile red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 and its four most closely orbiting planets, all of which have been observed by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Joseph Olmsted (STScI) Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have found tentative evidence for an atmosphere on a rocky exoplanet, raising prospects for finally finding a living world around another star. | 7 min read Hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin is historically at its peak on today's date—but not this year. Here is why. | 3 min read Autism has no single cause​, despite RFK, Jr.'s promise to announce its causes sometime this month. Here's what makes the condition so staggeringly complex. | 7 min read Trump's health cuts leave states with gaping holes in disease surveillance that could allow outbreaks to go undetected. | 4 min read Spacetime ripples from a black hole collision across the cosmos show more ways Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein were right. | 5 min read More News Want to dive deeper into the science that interests you? Consider a subscription to Scientific American. Today in Science readers get special discounts! TOP STORIES Jay Bendt Hype about Gluten-Free Diets Gluten-free diets hold few benefits for people without celiac disease, writes Scientific American contributing editor Lydia Denworth. For the 99 percent of the population who live free of celiac, consuming gluten doesn't impair digestion. Some people without celiac, however, have trouble digesting wheat and mistakenly ascribe their symptoms to gluten. Rather than celiac disease, these people might have a so-called type two wheat allergy, which can be diagnosed with a tiny microscope in the intestines. Such allergic reactions unfold slowly over a matter of hours rather than minutes.    How it works: In celiac disease, white blood cells attack gluten as if it's bacteria or another foreign invader. The immune response damages and impairs the colon, causing diarrhea, constipation, considerable pain and ultimately weight loss.    Why this matters: People who cut gluten from their diet unnecessarily might be doing themselves more harm than good. Some gluten-free products are ultra-processed, low-fiber or lacking nutrients. Low-fiber diets increase the risk of heart disease.  AI's Achilles Heel In July, the nonprofit ARC Prize Foundation launched a preview of a new way to evaluate the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) agents to generalize and learn by example—by making them play video games. AI can excel at solving expert-level problems, but it often fails to work out questions that humans may find to be a piece-of-cake, such as the unstated rules of a game. Why? Most AI systems struggle to generalize from bits of information, and then adapt and apply it to novel situations and problems. This ability, a hallmark of artificial general intelligence (AGI), remains challenging for AI.  How it works: The AGI test is made up of 100 novel video games, says AI researcher and ARC Prize Foundation president Greg Kamradt, interviewed in this piece by Scientific American editor Deni Ellis Béchard. Each one is a two-dimensional, pixel-based puzzle designed to teach a mini-skill to the player (human or AI). To successfully complete a level, the player must demonstrate mastery of that skill by executing planned sequences of actions. There are no instructions in the game, so one must play to discover controls, rules, and a goal. So far, humans are dominating over verified AI agents, according to the game's leaderboard. (Take the tests here.)   What the experts say: "Humans are incredibly sample-efficient with their learning, meaning they can look at a problem and with maybe one or two examples, they can pick up the mini skill or transformation and they can go and do it," says AI researcher and ARC Prize Foundation president Greg Kamradt. "The algorithm that's running in a human's head is orders of magnitude better and more efficient than what we're seeing with AI right now." —Andrea Tamayo, newsletter writer

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WHAT WE'RE READING There is now clearer evidence that AI is wrecking young Americans' job prospects. | The Wall Street Journal Grandparents for Vaccines, a volunteer group, launches to share stories of life before immunizations. | KGW-TV​ Collective nouns for librarians. | McSweeney's​​ Most of us likely have tried some sort of diet in an attempt to control our health. Except in cases such as celiac disease, it can be tough to tell if a diet is effective in the long run. Fortunately, Scientific American is up to the task of assessing the evidence for various diets. Check out our recent special report, "The New Science of Diet, Weight and Health," as well as this piece, "Unexpected clues emerge about why diets fail." Please send any comments, questions, cool stuff or feedback to: newsletters@sciam.com.    —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor

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