A newsletter for unflinching, ever-curious science-lovers. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
December 12, 2025—A "terminator model" of solar activity, a hodge-podge of activity at the FDA and how will-o'-the-wisps are sparked at marshlands. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | - Precisely calibrating clocks on Mars is harder than you'd think, because the flow of time on milli- and microsecond scales is affected by relativity as well as the Red Planet's lesser gravity, composition and orbital mechanics. | 5 min read
- COVID vaccines slashed kids' ER visits by 76 percent during a period spanning from August 29, 2024, through September 2, 2025, across nine U.S. states, according to a CDC study. | 1 min read
- Health experts are criticizing the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) consideration of a "black box" warning label on COVID vaccines. | 3 min read
- A brain stimulation device designed to treat depression at home received approval this week from the FDA. The device sends electric current into a part of the brain known to regulate mood. | 2 min read
- "Dark-fleet" ships use a digital trick called spoofing to evade detection. New advanced visual tracking can help expose such ships' true coordinates. | 2 min read
- Photos document moths sipping the tears of a moose in Vermont, a behavior that previously had mostly been observed in the tropics. | 5 min read
| | This illustration lays a depiction of the sun's magnetic fields over an image of the sun captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. GSFC/NASA | | A new heliophysics idea called the "terminator" model could improve space weather forecasting, a complicated enterprise because scientists do not understand well how the sun works, reports Scientific American contributing editor Sarah Scoles. Traditional solar activity models emphasize statistical patterns, solar oscillations or simulations of magnetic field interactions. The newer model posits that solar activity is ruled by the magnetic bands wrapped around the sun like rings and their movement across the sun's surface. In the most recent solar cycle, the terminator model's activity predictions were more accurate than those issued by experts working for the U.S. government.
Why this matters: Solar storms can interfere with the GPS systems that enable auto-steering and other precise operation of tractors and other agricultural equipment for planting, spraying and harvesting crops. Solar eruptions can release particles that irradiate astronauts and plane passengers, disrupt satellites' orbits and cause electrical outages due to grid disturbances.
What the experts say: "Everybody wants to know what the solar cycle looks like so that they can plan for the future," says Lisa Upton, a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute. | | Phenomena called will-o'-the-wisps, which appear as eerie, blue floating balls of light hovering over marshes and bogs, are ignited by tiny sparks of electricity, aka microlightning, a new study reports. In wetlands, water bubbles containing swamp gas, which is mostly methane produced by decaying organic matter, often rise and burst at the surface of the marsh, yielding aerosolized microdroplets of water. Differences in charges on the droplets' surfaces can cause a rush of electricity that creates microlightning. That rush then ignites methane and oxygen in the air, yielding the luminescent will-o'-the-wisps, reports freelance science journalist Rachel Nuwer.
How they did it: Bubbles of methane and air were introduced into a beaker of water in the lab. The bubbles eventually rose to the water's surface and burst, forming microdroplets. High-speed videos of the emergent droplets revealed the tiny, faint flashes of light ignited above the surface.
What the experts say: "Your first reaction when you hear about this finding might be, 'Okay, will-o'-the-wisps are these ghostly, spooky things, but so what?' In fact, the phenomenon we found—related to how chemistry can be driven at interfaces—is profound," says Stanford University physical chemist Richard Zare, a senior author of the findings. —Andrea Tamayo | | | | |
- Test your science knowledge by taking this week's science quiz. Plus, here's today's Spellements puzzle. Send any missing words you find to games@sciam.com and get a shout-out in a future newsletter. In recent days, Mitch C found odorant, and Mitch C and Joaquin M found dado, which is the pedestal part located above the base of a column.
| | MOST POPULAR STORIES OF THE WEEK | | - Death by Fermented Food | 4 min read
- Have Astronomers Found the True 'Star of Bethlehem'? | 3 min read
- Mathematicians Crack a Fractal Conjecture on Chaos | 4 min read
| | Will-o'-the-wisp literally refers to the light phenomenon also called ignis fatuus, or foolish fire. Have you seen it? I haven't, but now it's on my bucket list, along with aurorae. Apparently will-o'-the-wisp also is the name of a Marvel comic book supervillain physicist and a Dungeons & Dragons entity. In 1912, Scientific American covered "The elusive will-o'-the-wisp," calling it one of nature's unsolved enigmas. (It's a good read.) Today, we may know how these luminescent spheres are ignited, but other will-o'-the-wisp mysteries endure, Rachel Nuwer reports. I look forward to future clarity on will-o'-the-wisps, heliophysics and more. | | I hope you enjoy your weekend. Please reach out any time with feedback, comments and questions at: newsletters@sciam.com. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor
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