These images show the power of the Category 5 storm ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
November 4, 2025—Bespoke gene-editing therapy, AI therapists and the threat of year-long measles outbreaks. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | - In a world first, a bespoke gene-editing therapy benefited one child. Now researchers plan to launch a clinical trial of the approach. | 4 min read. | 3 min read
- The U.S. and Canada might lose their measles-free status soon, meaning that the virus has become endemic—uninterrupted transmission from a single outbreak lasting 12 months or longer. | 4 min read
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Hurricane Melissa was one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever. Its rare intensity and impact reveal how storms are evolving in a warming world. | 12 min listen | | An image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientist Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab) | | This summer, astronomers discovered a comet dubbed 3I/ATLAS, which was quickly determined to be only the third known interstellar object to zip through our solar system. Such objects originated from another star, unlike the 4,000 or so comets known to have originated and orbited exclusively in our own system. Researchers are devising ways to use spacecraft to study the comet—clocked at a speed of 137,000 miles per hour when it was found—while the sun is hiding it from Earth. Last month, NASA and European Space Agency spacecraft operating at Mars and the sun started observing 3I/ATLAS; in the coming days and weeks, Jupiter-bound missions will follow suit, reports Scientific American senior reporter Meghan Bartels. Why this matters: Data on 3I/ATLAS are being compared with what is known about the local comets. "Seeing differences from normal comets in our solar system is really interesting. Seeing that they pretty much are all the same is interesting, too, because this gives us confidence that the process of building planets is the same everywhere," Karen Meech, a planetary astronomer at the University of Hawaii. What the experts say: Scientific enthusiasm for this rare detection is high. "Each one of these [interstellar objects] has been special and precious, and everybody drops everything to look at them," Meech says. | | AI companies and products that purport to provide therapy are using "deceptive practices," says C. Vaile Wright, a licensed psychologist and senior director of the American Psychological Association's Office of Health Care Innovation. "Therapy" chatbots offer emotional support that can seem as if it's coming from a trained mental health provider, but they are coded to keep you using the app as part of their business model, Wright says in this interview with Scientific American editor Allison Parshall. The apps typically echo and reinforce whatever you say, regardless of whether it's healthy. And this mimicry can have harmful and even life-threatening consequences. Why this matters: Safe, effective and responsible technologies could help to make up for access barriers and a shortage of providers in our broken mental health care system, Wright says. Companies are unlikely to make changes, but federal regulations could protect users' privacy, ban misrepresentation of psychological services, minimize addictive coding and report detection of suicidal ideation. What the experts say: "What stands out to me is just how humanlike it sounds. The level of sophistication of the technology, even relative to six to 12 months ago, is pretty staggering. And I can appreciate how people kind of fall down a rabbit hole," says Wright. If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or use the online Lifeline Chat. | | | | |
- Try to unscramble this image of our cover from January 1950. Once assembled, the photo shows a six-colored twist of paper, a Moebius band, a curiosity in the branch of mathematics known as topology. The Moebius band has only one side and one edge; a fly shown in the painting can crawl to any point on the side without crossing the edge. Take a tour of our cover-art puzzles to date.
| | Ads for AI therapy play during some of my frequently listened-to podcasts. As the interview above suggests, "buyer beware." The tech trend for mental health services has grown significantly in the past decade, as previewed in this 2016 Scientific American story. That story's sub-headline states, "With technology altering the therapeutic bond, something is lost but something else is gained." | | We always like to hear from you. Please send thoughts, queries and other feedback to us at: newsletters@sciam.com. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | | | |
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