Week in Science: A human on a bicycle is nature's most efficient traveler

View in web browser

October 17—This week, complex life may be older than scientists previously thought; we dig through the scientific literature and talk to experts to find the anti-inflammatory supplements that actually work; and the strange saga of space shuttle Discovery. All that and more below! —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

Top Stories

Mysterious Rocks Could Rewrite Evolution of Complex Life Controversial evidence hints that complex life might have emerged hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought—and possibly more than once Asher Elbein

The Strange Saga of the Great Texas Space Shuttle Heist Texas lawmakers want to move the Smithsonian's retired space shuttle to Houston. It's "a vanity project that is apt to destroy a near-priceless American treasure," one historian says Dan Vergano

Which Anti-Inflammatory Supplements Actually Work? Experts say the strongest scientific studies identify three compounds that fight disease and inflammation Lori Youmshajekian

Feed your passion for science (and read every story linked to here!) with a subscription to Scientific American.

A Classic Graphic Reveals Nature's Most Efficient Traveler A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom Allison Parshall, DTAN Studio

The Slippery Slope of Ethical Collapse—And How Courage Can Reverse It Your brain gets used to wrongdoing. It can also get used to doing good Elizabeth Svoboda

Can We Bury Enough Wood to Slow Climate Change? Wood vaulting, a simple, low-tech approach to storing carbon, has the potential to remove 12 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year—and some companies are already trying it Syris Valentine

The Math That Predicted the New Pope A decades-old technique from network science saw something in the papal conclave that AI missed Jack Murtagh

How to See the Earth and Moon from Mars If you pick the right time, our home world and our moon could be easily visible from the Red Planet Phil Plait

When Will the Leaves Turn? This Is How Scientists Find Peak Fall Colors If you want to know where the best leaf peeping will be this year, climate science and weather can provide the answer Humberto Basilio

New Clues Suggest San Andreas and Cascadia Faults May Produce Synchronized Earthquakes Samples from the seafloor reveal evidence of several earthquakes along the West Coast's two major fault zones happening in quick succession over the past 3,000 years Jack Tamisiea

Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Happen Soon Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies Deni Ellis Béchard

A Solution to the CIA's Kryptos Code Is Found after 35 Years After decades of speculation, two writers uncovered the answer to the Kryptos code's final cipher Humberto Basilio

Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters here. Scientific American One New York Plaza, New York, NY, 10004 Support our mission, subscribe to Scientific American here Unsubscribe  |  Preferences Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us