A newsletter for unflinching, ever-curious science-lovers. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
November 3, 2025—The Taurid meteor shower, footage showing orcas attacking great white sharks, and strong evidence supporting exercise to treat cancer. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | A meteor from the Southern Taurid meteor shower streaks towards the aurora borealis in Central New York State on Sept. 29, 2025. Alex Hamer/ZUMA Press Wire via Alamy | | - Catch the Taurid meteor shower, and learn why scientists are watching it closely. | 4 min read
- Humans have been in space aboard the International Space Station continuously for 25 years. As the station nears the end of its time in space, new commercial habitats are lining up to take its place. | 6 min read
- Most listeners can't tell AI music from the real thing, but we likely will continue to seek music with an origin story, as well as tunes that enable human connection and emotional resonance. | 5 min read
- First-ever footage shows killer whales repeatedly targeting and flipping young great white sharks onto their backs to paralyze and dismember them. See video mid-way down the page. | 2 min read
| | | Workouts Help Treat Cancer | Strong evidence now supports the use of exercise as a formal treatment for cancer, to the point that it might be more effective than some current drug treatments, writes Scientific American contributing editor Lydia Denworth. As a result, many cancer centers now are looking into how to incorporate exercise support for patients as part of their "standard of care." The key study, involving more than 800 patients and published in July in the New England Journal of Medicine, drew a standing ovation when presented at an academic meeting. The patients with stage 3 and high-risk stage 2 colon cancer who were assigned structured exercise (along with conventional care) had a 28 percent lower risk of cancer recurrence, new cancers or death compared with similar patients who only got educational material about exercise. Why it matters: Exercise helps the hormone insulin bind to cells, bringing them fresh energy. When insulin is unable to bind, cells tend to make more of it, which is problematic because cancer cells may rely on the hormone for growth and division. Also, proteins called myokines are released by our muscles during exercise. High amounts of myokines have been linked to reduced growth of prostate cancer cell lines. Finally, mouse experiments show that workouts mobilize immune cells called natural killer cells and T cells to attack tumors. What the experts say: The integration of exercise into cancer treatment will only be effective if patients receive support such as supervised workout sessions and behavioral change guidance. "You can't just advise people to do more exercise and expect them to do it," says Kerry Courneya, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Alberta. | | | COVID May Raise Autism Odds
| A COVID infection during pregnancy increases the odds of having a child later diagnosed with autism or another neurodevelopmental condition, concludes a large, new retrospective study of health records. The finding echoes past studies that have identified links between autism and infections with flu, rubella (German measles) or other pathogens during pregnancy. The new study did not control for maternal health and for vaccination status. A large number of the study participants were unvaccinated for COVID because the study intentionally focused on births between March 2020 and May 2021, when COVID vaccines were not widely available. Past studies show that these vaccines protect pregnant people and their fetuses from severe COVID. Why this matters: In the latest research, a total of 16.3 percent of children born to parents who had COVID during pregnancy went on to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental diagnosis—such as autism, speech or motor delays—by age 3. The same number for children whose parents were not infected with the virus during pregnancy was 9.7 percent. The results "do not, however, suggest that everyone who has COVID while pregnant will have a child with autism," reports Scientific American editor Tanya Lewis. Genetics remains the biggest influence on autism likelihood, not environmental factors such as infection. Additionally, autism is a spectrum of conditions with many characteristics, not an inherent disability. What the experts say: Accumulating evidence in human and animal studies suggests that infections may activate the parental immune system in a way that signals the fetus and affects its brain development, says Kristina Adams Waldorf, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
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—Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor
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