Week in Science: Hiroshima bombing produced a bizarre metal

Plus, have we already found life on Mars?                    

View in web browser

July 31—It’s a hot take, but some scientists are convinced we already found evidence of life on Mars in the 1970s. Plus, an earth scientist found a completely new metallic material that was created from the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima, and geneticists uncover “ghost ancestors” in the human genome. After reading this newsletter, take our Friday quiz to test your knowledge of this week’s science news. (Today, that involves avocados.) —Emma Gometz, Newsletter Editor How are you liking this newsletter? Email newsletters@sciam.com anytime.

Top Stories

Has NASA already found life on Mars? In searches for past and present Martian life, some scientists say we’ve been too cautious to see what’s right in front of us Nadia Drake

Hundreds of never-before-seen ancient ‘earthworks’ discovered in the Amazon Many of these structures date to around C.E. 100–300, during the time of the Aquiry civilization, and may have been used for ceremonial purposes Jackie Flynn Mogensen

Travel with Scientific American Experience Yellowstone as a Winter Wonderland Reservations now open! This January, journey deep into Yellowstone National Park with your guide, Senior Desk Editor Andrea Thompson, for a spectacular week-long exploration of snowy landscapes, steaming geysers and roaming wildlife. Learn More

How a 99-year-old mathematician unraveled a century-old braid mystery Joan Birman popularized the Burau representation problem decades ago. Now she and two colleagues have a proof that reveals brand new insights into the geometry of braids Lyndie Chiou

The Hiroshima atomic bombing created a bizarre new material. Scientists just discovered it The extreme conditions of atomic bomb explosions create “uncontrolled microexperiments” that, in Hiroshima, forged a never-before-seen metallic alloy Mary Randolph

Support science journalism you can trust with a subscription to Scientific American: Get 90 days of digital access for just $1!

Everyone alive may carry DNA from a ‘ghost lineage’ of human ancestors Scientists analyzing modern genomes may have found a long-lost branch of the human family tree Jacek Krywko

550 years later, scientists claim to have solved what killed Botticelli’s muse Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli painted Simonetta Vespucci as Venus rising from the waves. Now scientists think they’ve solved how she died Paolo Pozzilli, The Conversation US

Does physics allow time travel? Physicists, mathematicians and philosophers have been exploring the possibility of going forward to the future or back to the past Manon Bischoff

Europe’s heat waves are killing thousands—and wringing its soils dry The European continent is facing a dual reckoning this summer—extreme heat is killing thousands and draining its rivers, soils and reservoirs at a record pace Sanidhya Sharma

Mathematical ‘einstein’ tile works in the real world, to everyone’s surprise Discovered by an amateur mathematician in 2022, this strange construct can tile an infinite surface without repeating. But can it be useful in the real world? Joseph Howlett

Is buying lettuce off the table all summer? Thousands of people have gotten sick from Cyclospora. Experts can’t agree whether the end is in sight Mary Randolph

Math can help reduce traffic jams When the roads get crowded, many drivers start changing lanes. Mathematics suggests this intuition is typically wrong Randa Herzallah, The Conversation US

Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters here. Scientific American 1000 N West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, Delaware 19801 Support our mission, subscribe to Scientific American here Unsubscribe  |  Preferences Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us