ura ire Oa ae raat TRAU LaLa mene PLUS GIANT QUANTUM VORTEX ARE PEOPLE IN HILLY TOWNS HEALTHIER? THE SCIENCE BEHIND FLUFFY PANCAKES WHY THERE COULD Pes YOUR KIMCHI HOW UKRAINE'S DRONE ARMY IS (CHANGING WARFARE Nola MUU d PY Ets Th Te) Baga teg COSMOLOGY Why cells from ad pre ange Do human Pee Uae exist? aac Fe a ee Ua Bad See NIce Peg ORY Pa eee Rerieeee edMya el eet) ante) been living its best life since you got a card reader from Barclaycard. [ere Rie hea ure AcN old ih aks Na stays connected and comes with free accounting software,' you spend less time waiting and more time watering. Cee RNC UE eter) ee arr e What's good for small business is good for everyone. ne %) barclaycard | payments The payment part is just the startOnthe HEY threo Features cover FRaSgte gE | cocmen rnin “ea HowUteine's drone Mysteries ofthe gt. armyis chaning wartare challenge aman bod § mt ners nS Nobel winner im Pesbes tobe etvourbobgy and nthe future cosmotony iconoclastic why they mater andalso not nutty” Gant quantum vortex Ae people intilly tawnsheatier Volast No3ars Thestlece behind Cover image: Pau Wearing ‘ty pancakes News Features Ancent ecosystem Marvellous you Netwerkt organisms heed Though we have anintimate inte sea 3.4 on yeas 290 wasp tre humanbodys cormplety ysteiesremain Thermodynamic ive plore tne most bafing Computer namesses random questions eto answer an tha Auctions torun clelations insightsthoy re thoweg up catehing up olden opportunity Lie expectancy gap between Thetime siete a elution imenandwomeniscosng Incosmolgy says Peebles, souhichasrenomicacurostes ‘xe going tolead usthere? Views ‘ The back pages Thescience of cooking Thesecrettopllowy pancakes Comment Using euphemisticlanguage formenstualproductsis haamfu says en Gunter Puzzles Tryour crossword, quick que and logicpuzle ‘The columnist ‘Annalee Newte contends vithpost-covdteaching Almost the last word What triggers ccadasto chirp Inunison then go sient? Aperture Industry ses ts sights on Blk ithum eserves Tom Gauld for New Scientist ‘cartoons’ take onthe world Letters Te Mediterranean dite one ‘fmary options for heath . Sal Feedback culture Se = (nthe chopping block kalalin Karkds Nobeljouey Fishy business Seabed tawing sarnajox source of CO, emissions anda lotto stomach arJanuary2024| NewSclentistElsewhere on New Scientist Instant Expert Newsletter Brain: The latest “The difficulty sma isn’t getting Join si leaging bran scentstson 110 February at London's Conway Hall 8y way f the lates research Innewrosclence psychology and ptysilogy they wil eveal what Isgoig oni our heads when we think fel and communicate. 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Buy npr ow newscientist.com/nspod youtube.com/newscientist fixtheplanet shop.newscientist.com alNewScientist27 January 2025If you're more about exploration than (aie Mele Tiel eam SOMES MCR CNC eune en cela el Rea RR ERE 1p SCC mee ciueh soca eeean cy PSUR Ure Soc) eee Pee Renna eae ss ean) Galapagos Islands, or getting up close eee ea scuetier netics ce eee oe ett aa oe Paha ec ican ee aii) Roll Romolo iSubscriptions NewScientist Make sense of our changing world ‘The breathtaking advances in artificial intelligence and a growing urgency to find climate change solutions are set to dominate headlines in 2024. Stay ahead with New Scientist and let us guide you with the latest news and expert analysis. Stay ahead in 2024 Go to newscientist.com/20891 or call +44 (0) 330 333 9470, quoting 20891 Bilal \. for just £1 EAsThe leader Aska silly question Exploring the peculiarities of human physiology can bring serious benefits ANCIENT Egyptians would have considered it bizarreto contemplate whether the brain might contain our :mind:for them, the heart wasthe repository for our thoughts and wisdom, Likewise, not solong ago, t would have seemed ridiculousto wonder what the bacteria living in our guts were doing, nevermind consider their connectionto depression or our ability to fight disease. Now, ofcourse, we know that our icrobiomeis vitalto both mentaland physical health. And although we arestill, someway offunderstandinghow our brains giverise to consciousness, there canbenodoubtthat asking questions about the strangest aspects of our physiology can lead tosome seriously helpfulinsights~as we discover in our PUBLISHING & COMMERCIAL ommend event decor ian Newton Display avers ‘ms aaionen ese ma epied neces state count manage Petacchipe conan Aa, Recrnent ating ‘bagless ween ‘eraliment sl Steno "ey mont manger on ‘realy 554 Balle newceecom "sleor ances ‘Meadofevent production Marines eel agen tmnt coe engage ey Sper ean Nat Tew sent Discovery Toure intr ken cue Senor rod manage te sds datecode ate Hedofsrtoy and prod elopment ass Ae santchnlog ht chon sen nitenntng Sima gear raadlw ei decope nl gue love oie te Sans "areetige const tor tn Nall special featureexploringthe mysteries ‘ofthe human body, starting on page30, ‘Most recently Knowledge gained by investigating bacteria that livein ‘the gut has led researchers to question ‘what is goingon with theother microbes “investigating the stranger aspects of our biology could ‘open doors to new treatments” residing within us. What areallthose fungi doing in there (page 32)? ‘Theemergingansweris that, just like ‘thebacteria that call your body home, ‘thefungiliving inside youarenot only linked with serious infections and some ‘cancers, but can also help prevent ‘common conditions likediarrhoea NewScientist het exes ln Aor asinine ronal ose ad ‘commer finance manager cation ‘Nanaprment acount: fbn Fanagenent scat tan Les ‘un bsinse partner huni subaanine covnerts acm eae ey stn ae ange Santee see cance rompers cae cote mei om tom mane percocet Poste Scents Rovswood fuse ery Road, Seine ae a crete meres ee, ett Saag Qrecycle andthrush.Allof which leads othe tantalising possibilty that wecouldone day manipulatethemtoimprovehealth, justas weare ryingto dowith gut bacteria, Itisjustoneexampleothow questions about what might seem tobe irrelevant aspects of ourbodies from why they re soasymmetrical (page34) and whether we possess pheromones (page35)towhy we have cells fromsiblings inside us (page 33) andwhat taste budsare doing intesticles (page 36)-are more valuable than wethink. Investigating such peculiaritiescan reveal fresh insights into our evolutionary past, open doors to new treatments and ‘even change how we thinkabout what it Istobehuman.So weshould encourage morebizarre inquiries “the answersthey throw up arerarely ily. © RS Ee bse segicte, ‘Akrancra Thompson, sam Wook eget ie cg ti tay “pectedot ane ado feature one Conane sc en Thomson "teria Mc eter een wt ‘Cale snd Commenty omntandc oo Pd tinge ger Tom canol SS ey fm nae sn eden sna ia ‘rest forcitn a cena ag eres SEE ES foe" Taine neree ‘27 famuary 2024] New Sclentsts| refer) _. eerie Support life-changing euineeienn medical research. sg Join Research Bakers Many diseases have been cured thanks to medical research, but some areas of health are still in desperate iene eyelelae Hold a charity bake sale with a scientific twist. Scan the QR code to find out more. wu mescokesesch eesixyearstobe spotted bydoctors pg greatwhiteshark pas geometry pis PS Tole L oT Bld ctaled ast) ‘This container holding samples oer ene Perr nh eee on pet eenmnt erty thathad prevented accessto pene een a Loe nae Peee eaters ‘Therock particles, measuring up toabout 1 centimetre across, Pe ence Seer ee 2 Jamary 2025 New Slentist7News Ancient ecosystem revealed Analysis of rocks in South Africa reveals a network of organisms thriving in the sea 3.4 billion year's ago, adding to evidence for an even earlier origin of life, finds Michael Marshall AS EARLY as 3.qbillion years ago, ‘on Earth had formed diverse communities. Exceptionally preserved remains fromthe period revealanecosystem of microorganisms that sustained themselvesiin a range of ways. ‘Thecomplexity ofthe ‘ecosystem suggests life had already existed for hundreds ‘ofmillions of years and began carly in Barth’shistory. Asample ofchert rock “Manuel Reinhardt at the containing what may University of Gattingen in be the remainsof Germany and his colleagues ‘microorganismsthat studied rocks from the Buck Reef Chert, patt ofthe Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa Therocksare3 42billion years old and arethought obethe preserved remnants of shallow seas around ‘chain of voleanicislands. lived 3.4 billion yearsago Carbon clues The ayersof rockcontain, icroscopicblobs of carbon-based matter, believed tobe the remains of microorganismsthat lived Inthesewaters.Reinhardtand The Buck Reef Chertrock hisgroupanalysed this material layerwithinthe Barberton todetermineitschemical Greenstone Bet in South makeup, which they used to Africa was under the sea infer what sort of metabolism these lifeforms had, Theteam focused on the carbon itself This element comes in several forms called isotopes, 4.1 Life might have emerged ‘his many billion years ago billions of yearsago Which areldentical apart from thenumberofneutronsinthe nucleusoftheatom.Thetwomain & carbonisotopesarecarbon-i2and carbon-13 Living things prefer touse carbon-r2,sobiological matter tends o have more carbon-i2andless carbon-t3, than non biological matter, ‘1 New scientist 27 January 2004 However, notall living things are equally goodat preferentially absorbingcarbon-12, That means theratio between the two forms canprovidectues about an organisin's metabolism. “Much ofthe material studied hasacarbon signature that ‘matches photosynthesis: theability to use ight energy to ‘make sugar, This suggests there were enormous quantities of| photosynthetic microbes living near the surface ofthe sea billions of years ago (Precambrian Research, dolorg/mdce) However, some ofthe blobs hhad less carbon-12. Photosynthetic organisms can't achieve this, so Reinhardt says those microbes ‘must have been feedingona chemical called acetylcoenzyme A. Otherblobs hadstilllower levels of carbon-t2, suggesting themicrobesin them were ‘making either methane or acetate as waste products, which other ‘microbes were then feedingon, Itisn't possible totellit allthe microbes wereliving Inexactly he same placeat thesame time, says Reinhardt Thephotosyntheticones must have lived near the surface of the water, but the others may have 'sedimentson the seabed. Theresearch is “brilliant” and “really painstaking’, says Frances ‘Westallatthe French National Centrefor Scientific Research in ns," What I'm reading out of this is that early life was working very much similarly tolifetoday” Thestudy alsoaddstothe evidence foran early origin oflifeon Earth, earlierthan crude reading ofthe fossil record might suggest Theoldest widely accepted evidence for lifeis35 billion yearsold, from Pilbarain “What 'mreading out of this is that early life was working very much similarly to life today” Australia, Researchershave reportedevidence of older fossils from37billion years ago ‘oreven earlier, but others say, theevidence isn't convincing inmost ofthose cases, “allthe rocks olderthan about 35 billion years old they areso badly metamorphosed,” says Westall. That meansthe ‘oldest ecosystems wecan see are ich communities ike the ‘oneReinhardt’s team studied. There must have been older and seen them becauise they aren't preserved -at east notin ways. ‘wecan currently detec, Asa result, theearlest history of ‘unknown, “It's very difficult to see the trend, simply because ofa lack of well preserved rocks,’ says Westall What does seem clears that lifeis significantly older than 435billion years. Personally, Ithinklife emergedon Earth duringthe Hadean [eon}, probably about 42, 4.1billion ars ago)” says WestallHealth Endometriosis takes six years to be diagnosed due to a lack of awareness Elizabeth Hlavinka POORaccesstohealtheareand Inthe US, the averagedelay is gaps in medical knowledge mean s1years,compared with .5years that endometriosis can take years, in Australia, where the federal orevendecades,tobe diagnosed. government announced Thecondition occurs when _hationalaction plantoimprove tissuesimilartotheliningof endometriosis care in 2018, theuterusgrowsinotherplaces, __Theresearchers foundthat suchasthe ovaries andfallopian poor access to private healthcare tubes,whichcanleadto painand —_sareason for delaysinsome difficulty conceiving Thecause countries forpeople with limited cofendometriosisisinknown, incomes. Some arealso unableto butithas been linkedto genetics physically access healthcare. The and immune system problems, Researchershave previously PeopleinPariemarch reported how peoplewith tocallforactionon tendomettiosisofen face a delay endometriosisin 2018 {in diagnosis. To find out how widespreadsuch delays areand why they occur, Jodie Fryerat North Yorkshire County Council intheUKandher colleagues atthe University of Yorkand Yorkst John University lookedat 22 studies from18 countries They found that those with endometriosis waltanaverage of 6,6 years tobe diagnosed, with much variation between countries, For instance, one study found that the diagnostic delay in Braallisjust six months, ‘compared with 27 years in the UK. Space Slimhope remains _ power,puttingthecratttosteep. i: The apan Aerospace Exploration forresuscitating “Agency (AXA) launched SLIM in ingmoontander september 2023 andittook along, tooping path toits final destination, JAPAN stricken lunarcraftcould _ciring Earth several times inorder stillberevived by sunlight. tsSmart to save fuel. Since Decamber, Landerforinvestigating Moon _ithasbeen orbiting the moon, (SLIM) touched down onthe surface taking images ofthe surface cn 19|anvary,making the country and preparing forlanding. the itthtomanage his aftertheUS, stouchdownmarked the fist theSovietUnion, China andindia. use fa technology that engineers But the probe's solar panels have nicknamed "smart eyes" werepointing west, away rom —_whichallowed SLIM to target thesun,leavingit operatingon _Itslanding spot with extreme batteries. These were turnedoff precision. This system compared Bhoursaftertouchdowntosave images romits on-board cameras eamalso iden sdageneral lack ofendometriosis knowledgein medical professionals and people with thecondition’ssymptoms. ‘Many of those with cendomettiosissay they feel ‘unheardorasiftheir symptoms are dismissed. Five studies reported how people seean average of four doctors before they are diagnosed (medRxiv, dojorg/mdcb). Getting adiagnosis gives you thelanguage toexplain your cexperlenceand providesthe {gateway toaccess supportand todatafrom other spacecraft orbiting the moon to pinpoint ts own location, and then autonomously navigated to standing spot onthe slope of Sholicrater. Unless SLIM canbe restarted, the mission’ scientificcapabilities are drastically reduced. Although INisinsleep mode at the moment, ‘SLIM dropped off two tiny rovers, ‘each withits own small payload of “if sunlight hits the moon from the west, we believe power generation” treatment,” says Carol at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK Seeking diagnosis fon top of having symptoms can be really mentally gruelling, she says. Linda Griffith atthe Massachusetts institute of Technology, who was diagnosed with endometriosis 4 yearsafter theonset ofher symptoms, cites how thecondition usedtobe ‘the career woman's asitwas believed to affect those who delayed pregnaney toprogress at work, despite sometimesarising in teenagers. In 2022,endometriosis research received just 0.038 percent ofthe Us National Institutes of Fiealth budget, despite the condition affecting atleast percent of Uswomen. The poor funding results in alackof research, which then affects awareness and medical practice, says Elise Courtolsatthe Jackson Laboratory in Connecticut, “itis extremely common and yet we don't know the most basicreason why endometriosis, arises, how Itspreadsand how itevolves,’ she says. scientific instruments ast flew down tothe lunar surface. One of ‘them is designed to hop around instead of oling on wheels, while the otherisa sphere slightly smaller thana tennis ball, designed by a ‘toy manufacturer to roll across the lunar surface. The rovers seem, ‘tobe functioning property. AXA hopes the lander can be awoken, though. “if sunlight hits the ‘moon from the westinthe future, we believe there's possibilty ‘of power generation, and we're ‘currently preparing for restoration,” ‘the agency saidina statement. Leah Crane 2r}amary 2024 NewSclentist!9News Technology 7 i 1 i First ‘thermodynamic computer A prototype computer harnesses random physical fluctuations — or noise - to run calculations Karmela Padavie Callaghan ACOMPUTER can now perform advantage of that process to “Ithinkit’snot widely calculations using ust the random performacalculation, Because appreciated what could bedone “noise” that isinherent inour thewarm component would with thermodynamiccomputing, world. tis builtusing standard change temperature in any andthisisagood start says ‘components andcould eventually case,exploitingthisto perform Todd Hylton at the University runartficial intelligence calculation makesthecomputer of California, an Diego. programs moreefficiently Ql more efficient. he fundamental proposition thanconventionalcomputers. TousetheSPU,theNormal _behindthermodynamic Inconventionalcomputers, — { Computing researchersexposedit computing isthat, essentially, if allcalculationsarereducedto—& toelectricalcurrents with random, wewere less prescriptivein telling sequences of sands, However, smalFamplitudefluctuations. the hardware what todo, and et it thesecomputersmustcontend | Thecircuitboardof the SPU They andifferent computations _sortof dothese thermodynamics withrandomthermodynamic "thermodynamic computer" by changing these input currents, noise like piece of acircuit tuningthecircuitssothat,for | “We are making lemonade warmingupandunexpectediy _stochasticprocessingunitorsPU~ instance,one“pendulum*has out of lemons, using the tuminga0intoa1.Thiscauses _onacircult boardsimilartothose agreaterinfluenceovertheway _ fact that physical systems errors,butPatrickColes at New _usedinconventionalcomputers. theothersevenosillate.They are naturally noisy” York-based start-up Normal Itcontains eight interconnected then measured the currentsand Computingandhiscolleagues circuits, each of which stores voltagesofthesPU'cireuitsto {processes} that ae already there havebuiltacomputerthattakes energy inanelectricoscilation~ assess theresultofthecaleulation. more naturally..then wewould advantage ofthenoise instead. _alittlelikeanelectricversion of Theresearcherssuccessfullyran get much more capable Al systems “Weare makinglemonade __aswinging pendulum. aprogramthatcan findtheinverse and probably onesthat are much outoflemons,usingthefact ‘Athermodynamiccomputer of so-called mathematical ‘more energy efficient” hesays. that physical systemsare receives its inputs fromthe rmatrix,whicheanbea challenging Artery Kolchinsky at Pompeu naturally noisy” says Coles. Dhysicalenvironmentrather calculation. Theyalsoranseveral_ FabraUniversityn spain says The researchers uilta thanthrough akeyboard. For _programsthatare important for that ifthe SPU were made prototype thermodynamic instance, ifoneofits components creatingandusinggenerativeAl bigger, it ight be useful for computer-whichthey namedthe gets warmer, the computertakes algorithms (arkiv,doiong/mdb8). computations beyond AL Environment Seaweed could help _ tiscotleagues have modelled how \ ‘Seaweedbeing harvested ir well seaweed wouldfare under Comal UX forsale avert global famine jrehccearsceare They found , ‘restaurants afteranuclear war thatseaweed would stillbe able to grow up to:13 percent per day which is typically limited by nutrient ‘ONE of thebest options forfeeding —_inplaces suchas the east Pacific. availability. na nuclear winter, people inthe event of anucear Within nine to 24 months, cooling surface waters would Catastrophe thatblotsout the _seaweedcuttivated onropes. = sink and force nutrient-rich deep sunmay be seaweed. between buoyscouldsupplyup = waters to ise. That would expand euclear war broke out, t025>per centof the food currently = the area suitable for growing touring citesandforestscould eaten by humans, as wellas 10 per seaweedlike Gracilaria tikvahiae, ‘emit150:milliontonnes.ofsoot, cent of animal feed and 50 percent = red alga that is already farmed dimming the sun. Temperatures of biofuel production, according £ for foodinAsia. ould drop by 9°C(16F)and global _to the simulation. Expanded ‘$2023 United Nations report food production fromagrculture seaweed cultivation could avert found that farmed seaweedisa could decline 90 percentinthefist up to 1.2 bilion deaths trom says|ehn."[Seaweed! is definitely low-carbon source of protein and year ofnuclearwinter.Anasteroid starvation theteamestimates__oneof the topcandidates.” ther nutionts that could boost impact ouldsimilarly disrupt our (Earth's Future, doi.oro/mat®). Thetropicsandsomeofthe food security. Butt can absorb foodsystems by occluding sunlight. “Wewillneedfood,and we wil subtropics wouldstithave enough dangerouslevels of heavy metals Florian Ukich ehnat the liance need alotofitbecause our current warmthandiight to grow some _inpolluted waters. 1 toFecdtheEarthinDisastersand food systemwor/t work any more" landcropsaswellasseaweed, -—AlecLuhn sol NewScientist|27 January 202§Health Life expectancy gap between menand womenis closing Chen ty WOMENhave historically outived ‘men, but changing lifestyles may be helping men tocatchup. Globally the averagehuman ltespan has sen overthe past century atrend that s expected to continue as nations become richer. But there hasbeen a consistent gap between thelife expectancies of ‘menand women. ‘Now, David Atance del Oimoat the University of Alalsin Spain and his colleagues have analysed the mortality data of 194 countries from 1990 to 2010. ‘They divided the countries Into five groups according to thoirlongevity trends. The group with the highest life expectancies Included the places with the highest Incomes, suchas Australia, Japan, the US, the UK and other parts of western Europe. The group with the lowest lteexpectancies consisted of just Rwanda and Ugands ‘The greatest life expectancy jump ‘was among men in Rwanda and Uganda, whohad an average lite expectancy of just 30.85 yearsin 11990, increasing by 14.37 years to45.22 yearsin 2010. Among women in these countries fe ‘expectancy increased over this period by just 0.94 years from 50.37 yearsto 51.31 years. Inthe group with the highest lite expectancies, the average ‘gap betweenmen and womenin 1990 was 4.84 years tipping inwomen's favour. This dropped 104.77 yearsin 2010, and the researchers think the gap will have continued to close (PLOS One, oi.org/atd2pa). Inrecent decades, both men and womenhave benefited from ‘advances inhealtheare, says del (Oimo. Smoking and alcohol-related deaths, which isproportionately affect men, have also decreased, which may have helped to reduce the life expectancy gap, he says. ‘Seepage 13 fer more on espan Archaeology Humans reached China thousands of years earlier than we thought ‘Michael Marshall [MODERN humans were living Inwhat snow China by 45,000 years ago. Thefinding means ‘our species reached the area thousands of years earlier ‘than was generally hought. Francesco dErricoat the University of Bordeauxin France andhiscolleagues have re-examined an archaeological sitecalled Shiyuin northern, China. twas first excavated {n1963,not long before the Unrest of China’s Cultural Revolution, "Thiswas not the best moment tofindsuch an Important sit says dErvic. shiyu isan open-airsiteina river gully. Itholds a 3o-metre ‘deep deposit of sand and other sediment, which the original ‘excavators divided into four layers, the second-from-bottom ‘of which was foundto hold evidence of human occupation. ‘Theexcavators found more than 1,000 stone artefactsand thousands of animal bones, There was also aplece of hominin skull identified as ‘modern human (Homo sapiens) Some artefacts weretaken to Beljing’s Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. But those left at local facilities~ineluding thehomininbone-were lost. “We have perhaps o per cent ofthe stone tools” says dErrico. D’Errico andhiscolleagues have re-excavated Shiyu tofind its age. They dated5 sediment samplesusing technique called optically stimulated Juminescence and carbon-dated so animalbonesand teeth. They say the hominin ayeris about {44,600 years old (Nature Ecology & Evolution, dol.org/mdbé) Theshiyuhominins were probably H. sapiens, says Arina Khatsenovich atthe Insituteof Archaeology and Ethnography 5000 ‘Number of yeas the arrival ‘of modern humans in China hhas been pushed back inNovostbirsk, Russia, who wasn't involved inthe study. Assuch, thenew study {implies modern humans had reached northern China about 45,000 years ago. Th back our species’ ari CChina by about 5000 years. ‘ThenextoldestH. sapiens stein CChina is Tianyuan cave, whichis 40,000 yearsold, says Erico. Some researchers have et gee Left: the first modem human toreach China may havecome fromthe north, Abover artefacts including a graphite dise ‘fromthe Shiyusite, China claimed ourspecies arrived ‘earlier, potentially upto 260,000 years ago. But Errico saysothers have critiqued much, of theevidence forsuch an early presencein the region. Itmay be that, as humans centered Asia from Africa, they spread out via multiple routes, says Khatsenovich, Aswellas exploring the tropical southern regions of Asia they also seem. tohavegonefurther north. Khatsenovich says there are signs ofa modern human presence inthis region, includingat Ob/-Rakhmat ‘grottoin Uzbekistan from 48,800 years ago.{tmay be that ‘our species reached Shiyu, and China, viathisnorther route. Asmodern humans arrived, they encountered hominins that already livedthere,likethe Neanderthalsand, further east, the Denisovans. There may have been cultural exchanges: the artefacts at Shiyuinelude some thatlook more like tools from these earliergroupsandfour pieces of obsidian, a volcanic ‘lass. Theteam traced them to sites 800 and 1000 kilometres north-east of hiyu. D'Errico saysitis unlikely the inhabitants travelledthis farthemselves. January 2024 New Sclentst x.News Analysis Technology What does Ukraine's million-drone army mean for the future of war? In 2024, the besieged nation is likely to have more drones than soldiers in its armed forces. Itis changing the way war is waged, finds David Hambling UKRAINE'S president Volodymyr Zelensky has promised thatin 2024 the country’s armed forces willie arilion crones. Hsnation has already deployed hundreds of ‘thousands of mainiy smaller drones, but this fs big shift ~a transitiontoa itary with more of these mactines ‘than soldiers, What daes that mean forthe future of armed conflict? ‘Such technology has already transformed the conflict between Russia and Ukzaine. ‘Mt this point in Ukraine, anything that moves ~ solder or a vehicle ~ canbe identified, tracked and utimatey rit with acrone}" says Samuel Bendett, adviser ta the Center fora New “American Security think tank. "This isamajor change rom previous conflicts evena few years ago” ‘Small drones, many of ther tank That didn’t happen. though quaccoptersthatare available to _arange of causes, frm international Consumers haveplayed.akeyrale. support to Ukrainian courage, helped FromnotlongafterRussiaizaded _themmountahistorc defence, inFebruary 2022, Ukraine hasused drones na doubt were abig facto such madelsasscouts todrect ‘These of thistechnologyin the atilery re and to drop small war acceleratediniate 2022, wth the introduction of ist-person view “Before the war, the (FVyracing quadcopters repurosed common thinking as guided weapons Ther powerful was Ukraine would ‘motors mean they cancartyan get demolished” anti-tank warhead 20 kilometres todestroy tanks artlary and other ‘grenades. Theyre often known as targets. FPVS can chase down Mavis aftertheMavicdronemade speeding trucks, enter buildings by Chinese fim Russian soldiers andbunkers through windows and son copiad these tactics. docrwvays or cve into trenches, and Theseconsumermachineshave have beenbuitinlarge numbers. ‘been supplemented with smaller ‘Commanders on bothsides ‘numbers ofheayy muticopters were nay sceptical about using tocropbombsandlonger-range consumer drones on the battefild, reconnaissancetypes resembling andprocurementhas largely been tiny aircraft, as wellassingle-use via volunteer groups, doncrs or aftackdrones that are essentialy _solciersbuying the devices diminutive cuisemissiles. Ukraine themselves. But governments now feldsassauitunitsmadeup _arenow-drivingthe efforts. ofamixafadfferentsorsof drones. *Thiswarhas demonstrated an "Before the way thecommon unprecedented use commercial thinking was Uizaine would drone technology by statemiltaries)" ‘get demolished’ says Zachary ays Bendet Kallenbornat he CenterforStrategic _ Ukraine deployed an estimated and Intemational Studies, US thik 200,000 of them in 2023,mainly s2New Scents |27January 2004 FPs and Mavictypes, something ‘made possible by thelow-cost, off-the-shelf nature of thernachines, incontast to the usual ower rriltarypracurement process. "Over SO percent of equipment andpersonnel are destrayed by ‘ones, andthe ather 5O percent aredestroyed ith assistance fram tones according tone vounteer (quoted by United 24, a fundraising initiative set up by Zolensky that hashelned buy the devices. War of adaptation Iwas als intially thought that rones would be very winerable ‘oracio-frequency jarnming, which blocks communication between them ‘andthe operat: But while thousands of drones have succumbed to such electronic attacks, operators modify ‘hem with antjamming measures ‘sucha fiters and recevers working on different frequencies. "lammingand other countermeasures do have an effecton drones, but thereisan ‘adaptation-counter-adaptationrace taking place in Ukraine, withinew counter methods and technologies Abatch of DIMatrice 300 [ATK drones, part of Ukraine's “Remy of Drones" project ‘appearing constantiy’ says Bendett ne response tojamming sto make crones more autonomous so hey cannavigate andcary fut attacks withaut continuous contol The operatorjustindicates atarget and the drone does the rest Kalenbor says these systems, often using artifical inteligence, are currently quit rile and prone tofailure."lexpect both sices toexperiment with and field autonomous systems, but stil probably ata more limited scale or for mare narrow function" he says. Kallenbom and Bencettooth say this wars ikely toset the pattern for future conflicts, Akey factor the se of the drones has been the fas speed with which new ones can be deployed and how $400 FPVS canbe fieldedin much largernumbers than $200,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles. ‘We can absolutely expect to seeextensive drone use in future confit’ says Kallenborn. "The war has demonstrated that militar that wants to fieldmany ‘drones need nt spenda lot on their development, procurement and use” says Bendett "Weare seeing this, pattern aireadyin the [srael-Hamas ‘war, Sudan civil war, Syria cil war and the use of drones by drug caftelsinLatin America’ ‘The US Department of Defense 'salsoattemptingto capitalseon Uleaine's success witha project called Replicator which would allow to rapily fel thousands ‘ofsmaly highly capable drones, ‘Although the use of ronesis ‘becoming frequent inmany conflicts, the ways they are put fo work can be very diferent, saysKalenbom, “suspect the debate willshifttowhat speciictypes of drones areusefulin which oles, inwhat quantities! #Mass death of elephant seal pups raises fears of bird flu spreading in mammals Lake Taylor ANUNPRECEDENTEDmassdieoff —“Themortaltyofpupswas __waskilledby the virus earlier Newborn elephant sea pups ofelephantsealsontheshoresof extraordinay.catasrophie _thismonth suckethelr motherstofeed, Patagonia, Argentina suggests andprobablyalsoincludeda Researchers largely thought sothereislitlechance ofeating thatahighiycontagiousstrainof — largenumber ofadultssays mammals wereonlycatchingthe infected bids, says team member bidfuisnowbeingtransmitted Campagna. "Itmay ake decades vrusftom contact with infected Marcela Uhart atthe University between ammalsandposesforthesesealpopulationstogetbirds,suchasbyeatingthemor of california, Da agrowingthreattotheworlds _backtowherethey were: catingfarmfeedcontaminated The diseasealo spread biodiversity say researchers. THsNiwasfirst detected inChina with nfectedbirdfaeces. However, rapidly in sealionsallalong Somegépercentofelephant inig96andhadbeenlargely thereisgrowingevidencethat the Atlanticcoast in August ast sealpups(airoungaieonina) —confinedtodomestcated birds. HsNimaynowbespreading_yea.kilingthousands in areas atthre breeding sites where from mammal to mammal where fewbitds were affected, thersdistainataantawas — GOK Somestudis suggestedlast suggesting the sealions could detected inthe Valdes Peninsula ‘oO yearthat HSNi may be circulating transmitthe virus, says Uhart. fegioninsouthern Argentina Proportion elephant seolpups between farmedminkinSpain “Thisisallhighy suggestive died in October 202309 thathave ciedat three sites and between wildsealsintheUS. _ofsomesortoftransmission Claudiocampagnaat the ‘Athesiteswhere elephant seals between manunals WildlfeconservaionSocity _Butsincezoz1ithasspread more werefounddead they hadlitieto_ Mamnalto-mammal and his colleagues. ‘qulckiyinwikipopulationsinthe nointera infecedbird transmission increasesthe xtrapolatingthe mortality rate Americas and Europe populations saysCampagna.it_risktotheworkd’s mammals atthethreesitestheresearchersThevirushasinfectedatleastjsalsohighiyuntikeythatsucha andalsothe chance ofthe virus estimatethat7400baby elephant szobirdandasmammalspecies. lagenumberofmammalscould eventually adaptingto infect, sealswerekiledbythevirusin Morethan 00,0o0birds inSouth havebeen infectedinlessthan humans more easily sys Uhat Patagonia,thehighestfiguresince America-the mostaffected amonthwithout the infection Wemust quickly study HN scientistsbeganstudyingtheir region-havediedfromthefta —beingtransmittedamongthem. nother affected populations to hhumberscloselythreedecades strainandagrowingnumber | “Wenowhavetoconcludethat understand ts geneticmutations ago Marine Mammalscience, _ofmammalspectesarebelng _—_thiswastmammaltomammal -—_inmmammalsand the possble latest figures on outcomes for bleed spontaneously. Susie Shapiroat the UKHCDO people withhaemophiiain the People with any form ot finds the ideainteresting, but says UK, whichsuggest that thosewith haemophilia used tohave alower the differences could be a statistical dotorg/mdbw) affected. A polarbeatin Alaska transmission’ riskto humans, shesays. Health Mild haemophilia Haemophilais heritable, coused Anilustrationof the by mutations ina gone that encodes pile. factor ilo wich mayaddanextra rect heproteinsimatedin 5 SI etesblocdtocer year or twotolife ‘making blood cot after an injury. . ‘The most commen forminvolves seeninthe UK maybe asignof PEOPLEwith mild haemophilia, __mutationsinthe gene that encodes possible advantages blood that hich reducesblood clotting, seem _aproteincalled factor Vl. A islesstikoly to form potentially tohavea longer fe expectancy Depending on the mutation, ER) dangerousclots, says Maks. thanthosewithout it Thismaybe people can have varying levels of Supporting this idea,in 2022 because they aretes likely tohave factor Vlinthelr blood. Having Sto = Maks and is team showed that strokes andhear attacks, which Operant the typical factor il» people withhaemophiliaare about a canbe caused by clots. levelis classed as mild haemophilia = ‘irda ikelytohave cardiovascular ‘hefinding comes om the andthosewiththisdont usually > conditions as otherindviuals. rmilderformshave an average fe _feexpectancythanaverage. thas systems getting better at identifying fluke. "'dbe cautious about the expectancy of 84 years. Thisis _risenoverrecent decades, according thecondition and giving the ight _strengthof the conclusion about 1L:7yearsmorethan for UKmenas toaNovemberreport fromthe UK treatments, saysMichael Makris _greater fe expectancy because the ‘whole, according tothe Office for Haemophilia Centres Doctors’ atthe University of Sheffield, UK. number of older people with mild National Statistics. About9in10 _Organisation(UKHCDO).Thisisdue _Forthosewiththemild form, the haemophilia is small’ she says. people withthe conditionaremen. to severalfactors includinghealth above-average lifeexpectancynow Clare Wilson ar January 2005|New Sclentista5News Environment Seabed trawling is a major source of global CO, emissions Michael Le Page FISHING by bottom trawling releases about 340 million tonnes of carbon dioxideinto theatmosphere each year, accordingto thefirst study toestimate these emissions. Thats nearly 1percent of globalC0, emissions, amajor contribution that hasbeen overlooked until now, Trawling involves dragging, ‘weighted nets acrossthe g seafloortocatch bottom: ‘dwelling fish, crustaceansand > shellfish. The practice is widely used, butthe fishing gear ‘damages seafloor environments suchas coralreefs, “Bottomtrawlingis an Sothe team has combined extremely destructive formof forces with researchers who fishingasthenetsandweights havedeveloped computer dragged along thebottom ‘models of ocean circulation, destroy marine habitatsthat_ _Accordingto those models, ccan take many years ore. some 5s percentofthe CO: establishandrecover,"says _ released into water by trawling MikaPeckattheUniversity _willend up inthe atmosphere ofSussex, UK, who wasn't after nineyears (Frontiersin Involved in the research, Marine Science, doiorg/gtda80). Italsostirs up sediments, providingthe oxygen that morethan half comesout,” Imlerobesneedtobreakdown says Atwood, “And that it organicmatterintocarbon __comesout quite rapidly” dioxide, Those sediments might otheriseconinuetotanaun 3 Ly O) {ormany millennia preserved bylowoxygen conditions, __Annial CO, emissions of bottom sothecarbon islocked away. trawling inmilionsof tonnes Inzo21 Trisha Atwoodat UtahstateUniversityin Logan _Accordingtoareportby andhercolleagues combined the Global Carbon Project, studies lookingathowmuch total COzemissions from. CO; maybereleasedduring —_-humanactivitiesroseto trawling with dataon the 40.9 gigatonnes in 2023 Soif extentoftrawling worldwide the team’sestimate iscorrect, fromanorganisationcalled _trawlingaccounts for around Global Fishing Watch, (0.8 percent of global emissions, Theteamconcludedthat __comparedwith28percent massiveamountswerereleased _foraviation and shipping, Intotheseawater.Butthebig __Conservationistssay the ‘unanswered question was findings strengthen the case howmuch ofthe COs eleased _forreducingtrawling.’A ban from sedimentsends up ofdestructivefishing practices inthe atmosphere. iskey othe futureothealthy sal New Scientist 27 January 2024 Inbottom trawling, ‘weighted nets aredragged ‘across the seafloor ‘marine ecosystems, says Peck. “Measures to reduce the carbon impact of bottom- towed fishing gearareurgently needed, though it must be done aspart ofa just transition, says Gareth Cunninghamatthe Marine Conservation Society “Thereisn’taonessize-fits-all ‘mode},and solutions will vary fromone location to another” Not al researchersare convinced by the numbers. “Tm very sceptical about their estimates” says Jan Geert Hiddinkat Bangor University, UK. Hethinks much ofthe carbon that reaches the seafloor Isinhard-to-break-down forms, such asin bones, so isn't released even when sediments are disturbed. Atwood's team ‘may be overestimatingthe quantity released by up to 1000 times, he argues. Atwood says theestimateis basedon measurements. "We took tudies that measurethe amount of CO; that was coming offofthe seabed inareas that are trawled,’shesays. 1 Health Beeping shoes boost walking ability in Parkinson's disease Sara Novak ‘SHOES that beep when someone walks with astrong stride can Improve stability in people with Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's occurs due toa Joss of nerve cllsin part ofthe braincalled the substantia nigra. This leads toa reductionina chemical called dopamine, which helps regulate movement. As result, symptoms can include ‘tremors and balance problems. Inaneffort to overcome this, researchers at Physio Biometrics inMontreal,Canada,haveecreated sensor called Heel2Toe that clips ‘onto the inside of shoes. When a ‘sor walks with astrong heel-to- toe motion, it sends. signal via ‘Bluetooth toasmartphone, which produces a beeping sound. To test the sensor, Nancy Mayo, who works at Physio Biometrics and McGill University in Montreal, and her colleagues worked with 21 people with Parkinson's who hhad gait issues but could walk withouta stick. Allparticipants had five sessions witha physiotherapist and were given a workbook with tips for stable walking. Fourteen of them werealso given the Heel2 Toe sensor, which they were told to ‘wear while walking fora least Sminutes,twice a day. ‘Three months later, 13 of the 14 people who wore the sensor walked furtherin a 6-minute test thanthey did atthe start of the study. There ‘was noimprovement for the other ‘people (medixiv,dolorg/mc's8), “The brain loves getting rewards, and this device provides congratulatory beep every time Yyournake a good step/' says Mayo. ‘The esearchers didnt test Ifthe sensor changes dopamine levels inthe brain, but Mayo says ‘tmight stimulate “adopamine- driven reward and feedback loop” thathelps compensate or the reduction in the chemical among people with Parkinson's. #‘Quantum vortex’ mimics black holes Researchers have made a surprisingly large quantum vortex in a tank of superfluid helium Lech Crane AGIANT quantum vortexmay _unusualquantumeffects,andit_memberPatrikSvanéara,alsoat which are essentially small allow researcherstostudyblack _isknownasaquantum fluid. The the University of Nottingham.The vortices. When many of them, hholes.Itcomprisesaneddyina _tesearchersplacedthe helium in strengthandsizeof thevortex are are clustered together, they tend specialformofliquidheliumthat atankwithaspinning propeller _crucialforgeneratinginteractions —tobecome unstable, bu the displaysquantumeffects.The _atthebottom. Asthe propeller _betweenitandtherestofthefluld experimental set uphereallowed resulthassomepropertis similar rotated, itcreated atomado-like inthetankthataresignificant_theresearchers to combine toblackholes,allowingittoactas vortex in the fluid, ‘enough toobserve. about 40,000 quantaof rotation asort of simulator. “While similar vortices have The vortex in this work togetherto form what they Intheareasaroundblackholes, been madebeforein physical _—-measuredseveralmillimetres_callagiant quantum vortex therules ofgravityandquantum systemsotherthan uperfluld across, much argerthan (arXiv, dotorg/mdbm). ‘mechaniesinteract,leadingto _helium,theirstrengthistypically other stable ones that have “its an experimentaltour effects that aren'tobservable atleast a couple of orders of ted in quantum "says eff Steinhauer anywhereelseinthecosmos.This magnitude weaker” says team, the pas. atthe Technion-Israel Institute ‘makes those regions particularly Creatingsuchalarge version _of Technology. Important to study, ‘Wemight beable to study {s difficult because in quantum The researchers observed how “There'allthis interesting __blackholes by making liquids rotation can only oceur tiny waves inthe Mld interacted physicsthatoccursaroundblack _vorticesinhellum intiny "packets" calledquanta, _withthevortex, process that holes, but so much of tis out of mimics the way that cosmic fields reach, saysSilke Weinfurtner at {nspace interact with rotating the University ofNottingham, UK black holes. They found hints of “We can use these quantum, blackhole phenomenon called simulators to investigate the aaringdown mode, which occurs phenomenathat happen aftertwo blackholes combine and around black holes” the resulting one jiggles duetothe Tobulld their quantum residual energy from the merger. simulator, Weinfurtnerand . “Thisoffers an excellent hercolleagues used superflui starting point to investigate helium, which flows with severalblackhole physics extraordinarily ow viscosity — processes, withthe potential 500 times lower than that of water. ofseeking new insights and Because It moves without friction, ‘uncovering hidden treasures form of helium exhibits along the way." says Weinfurtn Life Megalodon was ‘42022 study by ackCooper are much arger. Hels part of a reat whites; says Underwood. i i ‘atSwansea University, UK,and_groupof 26sharkexperts that ts immer form means it wouldnt Nothinglikeagiant jccieaguesreconstuctedthe Simstoset herecordstalht. _havehadhugeacaaraton, so great white shark animalbased ona partial fossilised According to Underwood, ‘would have pursued rather than skeletonknown asiRSNBP9893. Cooper'steamdlidrtrealischow ambushed prey Palaeontologia THE ancient sharkmegalodon, __‘The results showed a stocky, incomplete the skeleton wasand Electronica, doloraigtdes). offendepicedasasuper-sized _powerulsharkbult forbursts_-howmany vertebraeit wasmissing. Based on another partial fossil reat white, was probably alonger, of speedtottackprey,similarto_—Theteambehindthenew study thebiggest specimen of megalodon rmoreslenderbeast, according great wit shark(Carcharodon_saysthestrenathof thespinal —_wasestimated tobe 20 metres toanew fossil analysis. carcharias)~but,at 15.9 metres, _columnsupgestsamore slender long. Underwood thinks might Best known fromitsdepiction about thee times as ong, body shape. *t would almost actually have been 24metresiong. inthe Meg film ranchise,Ofodus Charles Underwoodat Birkbeck, certainly not befeedinglike modern Cooper stands by his stocker megolodonwentextinctsome University of London, says that megalodon. "No matter which 3.Smilionyearsago.Itwas one study made tenuous assumptions" “No matter which hypothesis ou support about ofthelargestmarine predators aboutthesize of megalodonbased hypothesis you support _—its body shape twas very tohavelived,butnocomplete _largelyonithavingsimilarteethto about its body shape, big shark"he says. shelton hasbeen found. great whte,although megalodor’s it wasa very big shark" Matthew Sparkes January 2024] NewSclentistasNews Artificial intelligence Al cracks hard maths An Alfrom Google DeepMind scores almost as well as the best students on geometry questions from the International Mathematical Olympiad, finds Alex Wilkins AN ARTIFICIAL Intelligence from Google DeepMind can solve some Intemational Mathematical ‘Olympiad (IMO) questions ‘ongeometry almostas wellas thebest human contestants. “The resultsof AlphaGeometry arestunningand breathtaking” says Gregor Dalinar, theIMO president."Itseems that Alwill inthe IMO gold medal much soonerthan was thought” ‘TheIMO,aimedat secondary school students, isone ofthe ‘world’ most difficult maths competitions. Answering questions correctly requires ‘mathematical creativity, which Alsystems struggle ith GPT-4, for instance, which has remarkabl reasoningabty nother domains, © MS ‘scores percent onIMOgeometry ‘questions, and even specialised Als struggle toanswer aswell as average contestants. ‘Thisis partly down tothe difficulty ofthe problems, Dutalsobecause there are {ow problemstotrain on, ‘Thecompetition hasbeen runannually since1959, and ceachedition consistsof just six questions. Someofthe most successful Al systems, however, require billions of data points toleam whattodo. Geometrical problems, which makeup one ortwoof thesixquestionsand involve proving factsabout angles ‘orlines incomplicated shapes, are particularly difficult totranslate toacomputer friendly format, Gold standard ‘ThangLuongat Google DeepMind and his colleagues have bypassed this issue by creating atoolthat ‘can generate hundreds of millions ‘of machine-readable geometrical proofs. When they trainedtheir AlphaGeometry ALusing this data and tested it on 30IMO 6 |New Scientist 27 January 2024 Geometry problemsinvolve proving facts about angles ortines incomplicatedshapes geometry questions itanswered ascorrectly,compared with anestimatedscore of 25.9 for an IMO gold medallist based onthelrscoresin the contest, (Nature doiorg/meza) “Our(current] Alsystemsare stillstuggling with the ability todothings like deep reasoning, ‘where weneedto plan ahead for many, many steps andalso seethe big picture, whichis ‘why mathematis is such an Important benchmarkand test set forus on our quest artifical general intelligence, Luong {olda press conference. AlphaGeometry consists oftwo parts, which Luong comparesto aferentthinkingsystems inthe brainsa fast intltivesystem and a slower, moreanalytcalone. The first, intuitive partis alanguage ‘model similarto the technology behind ChatGPT, called GFF-.tt hasbeentrainedonthe millions of generated proofsand suggests which theorems andarguments totry next fora problem.Once itsuggests anextstep,aslower and more careful “symbolic reasoning” engine uses logical and mathematical rules to fully construet the argument that GPE hhas suggested. Thetwo systems then work in tandem, switching between oneanotheruntila problem has been solved. While this method works ‘on IMO geometry problems, the “It seems that Al will win the IMO gold medal much sooner than was thought” answersit constructs tend to be Jongerand ess “beautiful than human proofs, says Luong Butit can pot things that humans miss. Forexample,itdiscoveredabetter and more generalsolution toa question from the2004 IMO than was listed in the official answers. Solving MO geometry problems in this way isimpressive, says Yang-Hui Heat the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences, but the system isinherently limited inthe mathematicsitcan use because IMO problems should besolvable using theorems aught below ‘undergraduatelevel. Expanding theamount of mathematical Knowledge AiphaGeometry hhasaccess to might improvethe systemoreven help it make new mathematical discoveries, he says. Onthe money Itwouldalso be interestingto see how AlphaGeometry copes with not knowing what itneeds toprove, as mathematical insight canoften come from exploring ‘theorems with no set proof, says He."Ifyoudon'tknow what your endpoint is,can youtfind within theset ofall mathematical] paths \hetherthereisatheorem that ‘sactually interesting and new?” Last year, algorithmictrading company XTX Markets announced asiomnllion prize fund for AL ‘maths models, witha$5million grand prize for theft publicly shared Al modelthat can win an IMO gold medal, as wellassmaller progress prizes forkey milestones. ‘olvingan IMO geometry problemis one of the planned progress prizes” says Alex Gerko at XTX Markets. “Isexcitingto see progress towards this goal, ‘even before we haveannounced allthe details ofthis progress prize, Which would include... solving anactual geometry problem duringa live IMO contest: ‘Google DeepMind declined tosay whether itplansto enter AlphaGeometry ina live IMOcontest orwhet isexpandingthe system to solve other IMO problems. However, thecompany has previously entered publiccompetitions forprotein-folding prediction totes its AlphaFold Alsystem. IEnvironment Fertilisersadd microplastics into agricultural soil Barbara Pinho AMAJOR source of microplastic pollution in agricultural soilis fertilisers according toa long running experiment in the UK, and this pollution has increased ‘dramatically in the past 50 years. : Ferting sry sprayedon fllds can heldmicroplastes ‘Samuel Cusworth at Lancaster University, UK, and his colleagues looked at oil samples collected at agricultural science centre Rothamsted Researchinan experiment that has been running since 1843, The samples came from three groups:sollthathad received no fertiliser, soiltreated with organic fertilisers such as ‘manure or organiecompost and soll ‘weated with conventional fertilisers. Samples collected before 11966 contained ittieorno trace ‘of microplastcs. Inthe samples from the past 50 years, there was significant increase in microplastic concentrations in all three groups. However, soils treated with either organic or inorganic fertilisers contained more microplastics, showing that fertilisers are a major contributor (Communications Earth &Environment,doi.orgimez3). “with organic fertilisers, if any ofthe fed that's been given to the farmyard animalscontains any plastic this willbe digested and lend up in faeces" says Cusworth. Inorganic fertilisorscan spread rmicroplasties because many of them are coated with polymers toensure that nutrients are released slowly headds. # Health Kimchi and cheeses can contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria James Woodford FERMENTED food suchas kimchi and certain cheeses ‘can host antibiotic resistant bacteria, some of which have ‘thepotentialto cause ilhealth Hua Wangat The Ohio state University in Columbus and her colleagues assessed 10 types ‘of kimchi traditional Korean ‘dish made with salted and fermented vegetables~and four artisan cheeses, bought from either local ornational retail stores or japanese or Korean restaurants, nthe Columbus area Theteam found that nine ofthe kimehi products and allofthe cheeses contained antibiotie-esistant bacteria, someofwhich havethe potentialto cause gut-related symptoms or more severe health issuesifthey enter thebloodstream. They also ‘contained lacticacld bacteria, Which drive fermentation, that weresimiarly resistant to some antibiotics. Although fermentation bacteria can acquiteor develop resistance to antibiotics, that \wouldonly be a problem if they caused an infection oF ‘transferred their antibiotic. resistance gene to another bacterium, which “is possible ‘but hasn't yet been shown’, says Mark Turneratthe University ‘of Queensland in Australia Butone ofthe retail-bought kimchi produets the researchers tested contained astrain of Weissella,atype of fermentation bacterium that was foundto be highly resistanttoantibioties (bioRxiv, dol. org/mez2). "fthesestrains get into thebloodstream through ‘gastrointestinal tract issues, they can cause bacteraemia [abloodstream infection} ‘or sepsis untreatable by antibiotics?’ says Wang ‘eatadiet highin plant-based “Thisis regardless of| food, while the other half at thetransferof antibiotic adiet rich in fermented food. resistancegenesinthe gut” ‘Alter 10 weeks, those who Inanother part ofthe atemore fermented food had experiment,theteammade _agreaterabundanceof genes somekimchisamples."These associated with antibiot also invariably contained resistant bacteria in their stools. antibioticresistant strains There was no change among ‘of microbes” says Wang. thosein the other group. Such bacteria may beon the People with issues affecting rawvegetablesor inthewater _theirdigestivetractsor usedtomakethedish,with __immunesystems could {fermentation accelerating becomeillafteringesting their growth, shesays ‘these microbes, says Wang. The mainstream dairy ‘Many peoplealsoturnto Industry often uses pasteurised — fermentedfood afteracourse milk, long with starter ‘of antibiotics oraniliness, cultures bacteria grown to kickstartthetransformation “If these strains get into ‘ofmilkintocheese-thathave the bloodstream, they beensereened forantibiotie can cause untreatable resistant pathogens, say bacteraemia or sepsis” the researchers. Artisan ‘manufacturersmay use Inaneffortto reset their gut ‘unpasteurised milkand health, These individuals may culturesthat haven'tbeen be mostatriskwhenconsuming, sereened, though. fermented food with antibiotic: Finally theteamreassessed resistant bacteria, says Wang, geneticdatafromapreviousy Furthermore, ingesting published study. Outof such mierobes could worsen 36 adults, half weretold to the antibiotic resistance crisis when they enterthe KimehiisaKorean dish environment via faeces, made withsalted and ‘Wangexpects similar results fermented vegetables toapply to other homemade orattisan fermented food and drinks, such as sauerkraut, ‘made with raw cabbage, and kombucha, black tea made with asymbiotieculture of bacteria and yeast, or SCOBY. ‘Wangurges peopletobe ‘cautious ifthey are making fermented food and toopt forscreenedstarter cultures and pasteurised milk “Antibioticresistanceisa rmajorissue that humankind fs facing, especially bacteria that have developed resistance tolast-line antibiotics saysTurner. 27January 2024 New Sclentst x7News In brief Lite How tardigrades survive extremes ‘MOLECULARsensors help tardigrades withstandextreme environments. Infreezing temperatures or intenseradiation, these microscopic, eight legged invertebrates shrivelup intoa dryballcalledatunandenter state of deep hibernation. Toinvestigate how the animals dothis, Derrick Kolling at Marshall, University in West Virginia and his colleagues exposed tardigrades to high levels of hydrogen peroxide, sugar orsalt,orto-B0°C (12°F) to induce tuns. Underthesestresses, thetardigrades produce reactive ‘molecules called oxygen free radicals. hese oxidise an amino acid called eysteine, signalling theonset ofthe dormant stat, When conditionsimproved, cysteine wasno longer oxidised and the tardigrades woke (PLoS (One,doLorg/me4n). chenty Technology Mind Redditcanpredict Being better crypto price changes at navigation CRYPTOCURRENCY traders could havetripled their money by basing n’t down tenumberofpameatonng tO evolution currency on Reddit was ‘greater than theday before. MEN really do tend to have a better Emiliano DeCristofaro atthe sense of direction than women, University of California Riverside, — whichis probably due to differences andhiscolleagues analysed around inhow they were raisedrather omillionpostson 22forums,cr — thanbelng anevolutionary trait. subreddits,abouteryptocurrency Previous studies have found frombetween2005and2022, that menslightly outperform Theyalsotrackedtheprice of women onspatial navigation tasks. 30 mentionederyptocurrencies. Some researchers have suggested ‘Therewasacontlationfor —_thismaybe due to evolution. Imostcryptocurrencies between ___Toinvestigate, Justin Rhodes at thelevelofconversation,compared the University of linols Urbana~ withthe previousday,and rice. Champaign and his colleagues Inthatperiod,ifsomeonehad collected data from 21 species, tradedacryptocurtency based including humane, that included ‘onwhetherthe number of posts Informationen spatial navigation rose,they could have made stills and how far they travelled threetimesmorethan they from their homes on averags Invested arXiv,doLorg/mcgw). _fnatural selection were at play, Chris tokel-Waller Yyouwould expect the sex that sl New Scientist 27 January 2024 travelled further from home to have better navigational skills, with this being consistent across species. Instead, the team found that ‘among all the species, males were slightly better at navigating than females, even though insome species, suchas the rusty crayfish axonius rusticus) and the litle devil poison frog (Qophaga syWvatico, the females had the larger homerange (Royal Society pen Science, oi.orgime'). The findings suggest that navigational differences inhumans. ‘may becultural. They could alsobe aside effec of biological variations between sexes. Hormonal Aiforences, or examplo, "may affect allkinds of traits" says Rhodes. “The authors show ina very comprehensive way that ex. diferencesin spatial ability are ‘more likely acquired, says Antoine Coutrot atthe French National Centre fr Scientitic Research. “Spatial ability is much ke all cognitive abilities: the more you seit the more you have." CL Warm weather turns ibex nocturnal Alpine ibex (Copraibex) are ‘becoming more nocturnal toeescaperising daytime temperatures, despite a higher risk of encountering predators. Tracking 47 ibex ‘nas revealed that when ‘temperatures during daylight were higher, ex ‘were more active at night (Proceedings ofthe Royal Society®, doloraime4). Marshashugeice storeat its equator A colossal stab of ice seems tobe hiding at Mars's ‘equator. Data acquired by the Mars Express ‘orbiter indicates that this deposit called the Medusae Fossae Formation, contains. ‘enough water to cover the ‘surface of Mars in an ocean 1,502.7 metresdeep (Published in Geophysical Research Letters). Muttivitamins slow mental decline ‘Taking a dally multivitamin slows therate of memory decline in older people. ‘Atrial compared placebos ‘with supplements in $73 ‘people wo did memory testsat the study'sstart and ‘two years later(Ameriean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, doi orgiatatsp9).Thisis ‘the third randomised trial ‘to produce such result.Views ‘Thecolumnist Aperture Letters ccalture Culture columnist Annalee Newite Industry setsits ‘TheMediterranean Thestory ofatalin Bethan Adkerleyon ‘contends with post: sightson Bolivia's Aietisoneofmany Kariké'spathtoa Simon Reeve'snew covidteaching p20 Iithiumreserves pa2 optionsforhealth p2a | Nobelprize pa travel series p28 Why so squeamish? Describing menstrual products using terms like sanitary towels reinforces the trope that menstruation is dirty. It’s time to stop, says Jen Gunter ORES los procs es IY menstunteby seeing the words intended for personalcare “menstrual products” on signage by describing them based on inastore orhearing them spoken. theirfunction. Toothpaste, bubble Menstruation isnt contagious. bathandtoilet paper or tissue are ‘This might seem likean some examples that cometomind Insignificant change to some, Based on those names, wehavea possibly even an efforthardly g0od idea oftheirintended use worth the while but itisn't. The However thereisone Inability tosay orusea wordin exception: menstrual products. If print implies it isshameful When you wantedtobuy tampons, pads Someone walks intoastoretobuy oramenstrualeup,noone could theproducts they need sothey faultyou for being unabeto find don'tbleedallovertheirclothes theminastore. This isbecause andbedsheets and they are met rmanyuse euphemisms on their z witha euphemism, iteeinforces signage, uch as sanitary towels ‘thefalsenarrativethat whatis ornapkins or the more general jee happening sshamefuland dirty “feminine hygiene products’ Of ) Don'tunderestimatethe course thissqueamishness isn't negativeimpact this can have limited to storesigns,andmany onsomeone.Thisisntaonce- people have been brought upto Inatlifetime purchase, but an Use these same euphemisms. © experience they will epeat again Let’sdispensewiththe i 2181 andagain.irwecanaskforarolt “hygiene” and“sanitary” aspects - oftoilet paper ortissue, products oftheselabels.Thesetermsaren't 4 thataredestined totouch the Just incortect; they are harmful genitalsoranus,wecan certainly because they reinforcethe hnygleneorsanitaryconcerns, __things,whohadnointention__seesigns directing us to menstrual tiredtropethat menstruation _ surely wecan dothesame oflimiting myselfbasedon rules produets,oreven morespeciicaly isdiry rpolluting Thisisa with menstrual products. orideas aboutmy body created totampons, menstrual padsor falsebelicthathasbeen present Thenthereisthe"feminine” by men.Therearealso trans __napkins,ormenstrualcups. forthousandsofyearsandhas aspect. Menstruationdoesn’t___-menandnon-binary people who The terms sanitary napkins” beenusedtooppresswomen __conferfemininity:how youteel__menstruate,sousingfeminine and “femininehygiene" aren't andkeepthem {frombeing full _aboutyourselfis what matters _asanadjectiveexcludesthem.In___ some hinlinepreventing, members ofsociety,forexample there. Thinkingbacktomy early addition, menstruationstarts very society's decline. Itishigh byexcludingthem fromreligious daysofbuying padsandtampons, _earlyforsome.Dowereally want timefortheuse of euphemisms services or from preparing Lrememberbeingtumedoff _tousethetermfemininefora___formenstrualproductsto food while menstruating. by the feminine descriptors product neededby someone who end, because there s nothing Menstruation sn'tunhygienic. because,tome,the wordfeminine, ist2yearsoldoreven younger? shamefulabout menstruation. & Whensomeonemenstruates, _especallywhencombinedwith __Theeasy ix hereistorefer theyaren'tdirtyorunsanitary; _theimagery sedtosellthese __totampons, pads ornapkins, thoyaremenstruating Ifwecan products, meant delcateorfragile. menstrual cupsand menstrual Iencurtersagmaccoiogst saytolle paper-aproductlteraly —Ididn'tseemyselfasdelicate underwear as menstrual products. Herrew Dookis Bias designedtowipeawayfaecal ——_orfrgile.1wasaig-yearoldwith _Thatistheir purpose. Nothing bad Tre scerce,medeneond ratter-without ringingup _planstogoplacesand dogreat_—_willhappentothosewho don't, nybaleg/otmensratn ar January 2005 NewScientistla9Views Columnist NI Annalee Newitzsa sciencejournalstand ‘author. Their latest novel |s TheTerafoemers and they are the co-host of the Hugo-winning podcast (Our Opinions Are Correct. Yeuan follow ther @annaleen and their website 'stechsploitation.com Annalee’s week What 'mreading ‘The Sentinel State by Minxin Pe, terifiedeep dive into the Chinese surveillance state. What I'm watching ‘The Brothers Suna hilarious seriesabout a dorky guy who discovers hismother is actually the head of a Taiwanese gang. What I'm working on Finishing my “new syllabus” for nero to Media Studies inthe learning ‘management system This column appears monthly 20] New Scents |27 January 2025 This changes everything The Rip Van Winkle of pedagogy Returning to university teaching after almost two decades, Annalee Newitz discovers the trials and tribulations of learning management systems openanew piece of software andrealise that something terrible has happened. The kind ofterrble that results in dozens of instructional videos, hundreds ofeentries inthe FAQsand ‘multiple, contradictory warnings from people online purporting togive"simple introductions’ tothe software in question. Allofthisand more happened to ‘mewhen found myself subjected toalearning management system (known notso-fondly asan LMS) forteachinguniversity classesin ‘media studies.Inayearwhenthe Ushigher education systems imploding (more on that ater), my Journey through the wilds of thls LMS fe practically allegorical, Before becamea writer, Lwas anacademic in American studies and Ispent several years teaching atauniversity. havealways wanted to teach again, but |wound uptaking almost twodecadesto get backto it. Hence my sudden IMsshock.amthe Rip Van Winkle of pedagogy, who fel asleep ina plleorsmudgy photocopies and woke up ina world ravaged by plague-induced distance-learning platforms. Backinthemists of time, lwould createa sylabusandhand itout ‘ona pieceof paperon thetirst day of dass. na few rarecases, we had class websites and used some Janky old chat software for online discussions. Mostly, therewere books and photocopied “readers” fullofsupplementary materials. Exams were handwritten in “bluebooks" sheafsof lined paper stapled into flimsy blue covers. Tamnot trying toevokehalcyon days.Booksand readers were far tooexpensiveandthere was pretty ‘much no way for studentsto collaborate, ask questionsor turn intheir workonline, LMSeshave gonealong way towards fixing I ‘TiS never good feeling to those issues. Inthe department where lam teaching now, most coursetexts are cheap toaccess online. Students can chat with me and each other inthe LMSandturn inexams andassignments online. But now thereisanew set of problems. An LMSis a commodity, which meansithas tobe something managers can buy for corporateinstruction andon-the- Job training, Ithastobe everything foreveryone, whichleads to redundancies and misnomers ‘Don'teveruse’syllabus,"a colleague warned. “Use ‘new syllabus’ instead” Ofcoursethe drop-down menu includes both, “Back in the mists of time, Iwould create asyllabusand hand itoutonapiece of paper onthe first day ofclass” Also, don’tuse “pages” or“flles’, Iwastold use “modules” There are at least 50 videos on YouTube about how everything inthis LMS (oneof hundreds out there) has tobedone with modules because everything else is broken, Which ~ ‘yes, can confirm, Andthen there areallthe distance learning features grafted onto an already bloated systemin early 2020. thinkthis might be thesource ofalot of problems inthe LMS, which was converted fromanalready-messy system into videostreaming servicethat hosted thousands of professors broadcasting rom home. That is alot toask of any piece of software. Lurkingbeneath the tomtoolery Jsastarkreality:an LMS places educators and students under surveillanceina way that was quite shocking tome in my Rip Van Winklestate.Ican see all my students’ names, sure, butalso their profiles, someof which include personal information. lean see when they logged and hat they did on theclass site. And anyone the student sharesthelr account withcan see everything Tam assigning in ass, comments have made in chat and more ike the idea that an LMS. could lead to transparency and accountability. But lworry that isn't how this kind of detailed classroom information is being used, IntheUS,thereisabacklash against higher education right, now. Recently, conservatives proudly proclaimedthat their anti-diversity activism led to the resignation of Claudine Gay, the first Black woman to become president of Harvard University. Parent groupsare banning books inschool librariesand pointingat “woke” sylabitoaccuse professors of brainwashing students by teachingthe history ofslavery, for ‘example. People who hate theidea of iberal education are selectively survelling dassroomsand \weaponisingwhatthey find. OF course, parentsandactivistscould always find out what was being taughtin school, but LMSes make itfareasierby collecting itallin ‘one place and puttingit online. Needlesstosay,thetextsthatan educator assigns are justasmall part of what they teach, would hate for my classes tobe judged purely on whatstudents are assigned; sometimes teach texts want toquestion orevisceratein ‘order to model riticalthinking. That isthe problem with pecking ataclassin an LMS andassuming youknow what Is being taught. ‘Thisbrings me back othe LMS asanallegory for education inthe Us.Ithas been commodified, itis ‘messy anditisfull ofsurveillance features. Luckily, it works just well ‘enough forustoteach~andwe haveto hope that isenough. #yen rad yc NewScientist Long weekel nds in the UK to immerse era pt rete Thescience ofthe Jurassic The science ofrewilding, Mysteries ofthe Coast, Dorset and Devon Coombeshead, Devon universe, Cheshire Discoverthesclenceofthe jurassic coast, Immerse yourself in naturedeepinthe _Explorethe mysteries ofthe fiomtheeverchanging coastallandscapes heart of Devon and discover how wildlife universe nan exciting programme tothehistoricbeaches and geology isreturningto the British countryside. that includes an excursion to UNESCO World Heritage Site Jodrell Banko Hunt for fossils along Lyme Regi's “Takes from leading rewiaing see the conic Lovell Telescope, famed ammonite pavement ‘conservationists and New Scientist eo staff write, Graham Lawton. Hear romleading experts inastronomy, former home of fossil hunter Mary Anning. ‘Small group guided tours of the cosmology and space science. ee ee 1160-hectaresit and ewiding areas Live tink-up withemate telescope in uise witha local geology expert. Guided tour ofthe species breeding and ‘Australi to view the southern Hear fromteading experts in geology eee nae eae ‘and palacontoloay. Private tour of jodrellBank. Stay at the beautiful, Grade Iisted De Vere Cranage Estate hotel. Find out moreViews ApertureBattery blues ‘Photographer MatjafKrivie ‘Agency Institute Artist ‘THis eerily beautiful places Salar de Uyuni, the worlds largest salt flat It les atthe crest ofthe Bolivian Andesand covers over 10,000squatekilometres. But below its stunning surface, trouble Isbrewing The demand for electric vehicles and the lithium batteries they requires booming, and Bolivia wants to exploit its lithium resources. The country’s state-owned mining company opened its first industrial scale lithium plant (pictured below), near Uyuntin December2023. Photographer Matja? Krivic has been visiting the areasince 2016, chartingthe effects of lithium ‘mining. His photograph ofthe flat was taken witha drone in 2017 and shows local salt miners loading theirtruck with salt. Kriviesays theevaporation ponds of lithium production facilities willdraw heavily onthe region’ scarce freshivater, and that lamaherders and quinoa farmersare worried. ‘Ten yearsago, Bolivians were talking about their country becomingthe Saudi Arabia of lithium, says Krivi.“Thishas ‘takenallong time, but now they've ‘opened their first industrial scale lithium plant, the problems for Jocals around water shortages willreally start” © Aligon Flood ar januaty 2025 |New ScientistViews Your letters Editor's pick Mediterranean is just one of many great diets a3January, p32 Fromjustine Bute, Bristol UK Michael Marshalls ook atthe ‘Mediterranean diet ade one key ‘observation! wishhehad expanded fon. He described how one scientist said different regions of the world ‘may have ther own optimum det. Thisis what longevity researcher Dan Buettner found inhisstudy of so-called blue zones, where there arehighlevels of centenarians. One {sin Sardinia, inthe Mediteranean, but the other zones are farromit. Fromone side ofthe planet to the other, blue zone inhabitants share somestriking similarities that can be adapted to sult anyone. ‘Ther diets are plant-based and ‘moderate, most havea dinkin the evening and they move about alt by gardening, cookin, playing ‘games or exercising. They find ways toreduce stress, find a purposein lite, offer and receive support and, ‘perhaps mostimportanty find their ‘vibe. We could earnatot from them. Itreally does take a village to raise a child January, p40 From Margaret Wilkes, Perth, Wester Australia ‘Asa psychologist anda mother ‘ho struggledin theeariy months ‘of my babies ives inthe isolation ofsuburban Australia found Tina Knezevic'sarticleon postnatal anxiety very interesting Whileresearch into the biological causes ofthis wil continue to make progress agree that the condition is“a function of biological, psychological and social factors” Having travelled and worked in ower income countries, suspect that this anxietyis less prevalent in more collectivist societies. thas been said that “ittakesa village to raise achild’andanewmotherina ‘nuclear family willtypicaly have hha little experience with infants gl New Scientist |27Janary 2004 before she gives birth to her own. Thehugeresponsibility of caringforthis vulnerable infant, while typically lacking physical and emotional support from other mothers who may also be struggling with isolation, means anxiety islikely tobe high. look forwardto cross-cultural studies onthis important topic. Electric cars may hold the solution to grid shortages January, p33 From Brad Eliot, Sydney, Australia You point out that electricity shortages will probably develop during peak periods in areas of North America, in part duetothe lackofnewtransmisstonlines to connect new sources ofrenewable powerto population centres. There aresimilarconcems in Australia. However, ttle has been writen about the hidden power of electric vehicles to help. Surprisingly, EV batteries typically have morethan four times the energy capacity of the largest home battery systems. “Most EV owners oniy use small fractionof that capacity each day, ctherthan on the rae occasions when they need to makealong journey. Newer EVs arenowable toexport powerto the home. Increasing numbers of EV owners could charge their cars using renewable energy oroff peak energy andthen use their carto powerthe house during peak periods. This could substantially reduce demand for new power linesand improve gr reliability. Reflections on the idea of mirror matter 6 January, p18 From Sam Edge, Ringwood, Hampshire, UK Iwasinterested toreadabout some potential consequences should darkmatter consist of ‘mirror matter” However, ifthis, existsasamirror duplicateof all, particles andthe electromagnetic, weak and strongforces, [question why gravity would bethe same for mirrormatterasfor conventional ‘matter, which it would haveto be mirror matter is dark matter. Darkmatterisusually postulated as material that interacts normally intermsof ‘mass and gravity, butvery weakly intermsofthe other forces. simpleranswer would be that itis conventional matter ofaform not covered by thestandard model ofparticle physics, rather thana whole mirror copy of everything. wealready have except gravity. Isthe Anthropocene far older than we thought? 30 December 2023, p15 From Wiliam Hughes-Games, Waipara, New Zealand ‘Thebeginningofanew epochhas often been defined aswhen, ina continually deposited sequence of sedimentary rock anassemblage of animals largely disappears, allowinga new assemblage to evolve, usually evidenced by fossils-The implications that some atastrophicevent wiped cout much ofthe older group. Usingthat definition, the Anthropocene began in Australia some s0,000 years agowith the demise of much arger marsupials, Ukewise it started inthe Americas some 1,900 0r12,000 years agoand in New Zealand about 7700 yearsage, inboth cases with thewipingout of megafaunaand many smalleranimals. It on the otherhand, weusethe definition ofachangeinthe climate, Jookingat the previous handfal of glacial interglacial cycles, we Want to get in touch? Sendlettersto letters@newscientst.com; RGD) sectors atnewscientst.com/tetters Letters sent to New Scientist, 9 Derry Street, London, W8 SHY willbe delayed should now behaving ice accumulatingon the highlands of Baffin Islandand beginning tospread southwards Inthis case, the Anthropocene began about 8oooyearsago. For every silver lining, thereisacloud 3oDecember2023,p34 From Roy Hartson, Verwood, Dorset, UK Hannah Ritchie highlightsthe progress made in developing and deploying new energy sources and moreefficient machines, but whilesuch headway isweleome, every silverlining has acloud. Most ofthe graphs published withthe story areofearbon dioxide perperson, but what ‘matters istotal emissions, aspopulation growth reduces gainsmade. When every thousandth ofa degree counts Letters, 6January From john Rymell, London, UK suggest we start stating global average temperature rises in millikelvin instead of degrees Celsius, in which ase we would refer to ourstrictest global warming target as aisoo mK rise This sounds more seriousthan 15°C, so might persuade far more peopletotake serious notice of, andact more quickly on, the cists. Reverse causation for this covid-1g link? s3January, p16 From Andrew Taubman, Sydney, Australia Youreport that people with severe covid-19 infection are ‘morelikely tobe diagnosed with schizophrenia, suggesting that covid-9 heightens the riskof this condition Altematively, could people with undiagnosed early schizophrenia be more likely tocatch covid-19, perhaps dueto somecharacteristicbehaviours? &pA) La clei a T= - ees a | \ pcre bereg Brain: The latest science behind the headlines Saturday 10 February 2024, 10am - Spm | London Toned Ce ie ee nM a UE research inneuroscience, psychology and physiology, what is going Ca a a aC eee Wey Pere IU rn esc SUS UCSC E Cy a vue cee newscientist.com/brainevent Suid Peet or Car er Neer Cee oan eas Pete eee ero stein) Crd ees naa rey eee eeerer is Neurosclence and MSc Cognitive eee eed ead pores ee CoeveseneyViews Culture Against the odds Katalin Karik6's work on mRNA was dismissed for years before it led to life-saving covid-19 vaccines. Clare Wilson follows her path toa Nobel prize Gg Book Breaking Through Kotalin Kartks Bodley Head (UK) Crown (US) INOCTOBER 2023 the Nobel prize inphysiology ormedicine went to Katalin Karik6 for helping olay the groundwork for mRNA-based ‘covid-19 vaccines, alongside her collaborator, Drew Welssman. Yet conlyafew years earlier, Kariké's ccareerhad been spoken of “in hhushed tones asa cautionary tale oryoung scientists’ Karike'sstory isactassicInthe sgenreofunderdogs succeeding against the odds. Inher autobiography, Breaking Through ‘Mylifein science, she dishesthe dirton those who overlooked and underestimated her for decades, particularly staffat her chief ‘workplace, the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Inthe 1980s, Kariks had recently, cemigratedtothe USfrom Hungary and wasstrugeling witha very 26|New Sclentst|27January 2005 different workplace culture, havingscoredajobatthe prestigious “Penn” She had spotted the promise of mRNA, ampoleculethatcellsuse tomake proteins from the information storedin their DNA. While mRNA \was infamously unstableand dlifficultto work with, itcould, intheory,be used tomake cells produceany proteinsyou like. But Karike couldn't convince ‘theusual fundingsources, such asthe US government, to give her igrantstodiscover how to hamess this resource. After five years without securing a grant, Kiko was demoted from the academic careerladder. ‘Anyone who had previously suffered this fate hadleft Penn, ‘but Kariko carried on in alow: status position, serabbling around for laboratory reagents. She even made herown lab flasks from oversized pickle jas. There were bright spots. few Individuals gave her help and tencouragement.Aftera chance encounter ata photocopier, Kariks struckup apartnership with ‘Weissman, thenan HIV vaccine researcher, and switched her focus frommRNA-based medicines to vaccines. Together, they madea key breakthrough, discovering how to modify artificial mRNA so Itisacceptedby ourcells without destructive immune response ‘The technology waslicensedby two smallbiotech firms: Modema, based inthe US, and BioNTech in Germany, where Kariks took job. When covid-19 struck, mRNA was “Scientists are judged mercilessly by metrics the number of papers published, the prestige of journals they arein” anobvious cholce for vaccines because new mRNA molecules can be designed and mass produced fasterthan thecomponents of ‘most other kinds of vaccine Therrest is pandemichistory. ut itissobering toconsider how close we came tonot having KatalinKariké receiving hher Nobel prizein Stockholm in 2023 that technology. Why was tsuch ‘anear miss? An autobiography isnecessarily aone-sided account, Dut Kariks isscathingabout the workplace cultureat Penn, where, inherview, self publicity and sycophancy seemed essential career skillsand who you new beat what youknev. Yet wider issues may also have come intoit. Perhapsthecurrent sgrant-awarding system isto focused on applied research hich seeks to answer specific {questions with fast pay-offs— rather than basic science, which explores deeper questions in the hope a use willeurn up sometime. There isa more fundamental problem with how universities are run, though, Scientists are judged mercilessly by metries such as thenumber of papers they have published, the prestigeof the journals in which these appear ‘andtheirimpact-how many times their papers are cited by others, Such an approach may keep bean counters happy, but can be ¢gamedby the unserupulous and may not gatigea scientist’ true abilities Karke wasnt valued aatPenn because she scored zero nits dollars-per-square-foot scale,a measureof how much grant money ascientist brings Incompated with thelrlab space. ‘Thekey questionishowwecan change the system to ensure we don't overlook people like Karik, accordingto Stuart Buckat the Good science Project, which alms toimprovethe funding system. Considering how many lives hhavebeen saved by themRNA covid-19 vaccines, turns out that Kariko's story isa cautionary tale-just not the onethat her university thought it was. 8Cultural takeover Algorithms are robbing us ofagency and identity, says a disturbing new book. But there are ways to resist, discovers Alex Wilkins Gg Book Filterworld KyleChayka Doubleday Books ITMAY seema truism to say that ourlives areruled by algorithms ~ ‘doomscroling and fitter bubbles have entered the lexicon — but have we really collectively reckoned with how they have transformed fur culture and personalities? InFiterworld: How algorithms flattened cutture Kyle Chayka, staff writer at The New Yorker ‘magazine, argues convincingly that the shift towards algorithmically curated feeds, used everywhere cnline from Instagram to Spotity, hhashomogenised culture. Our tastes and desires increasingly dont belong to us, butt algorithms that are desioned to keep people engaged ata costs. If thesum total of your tastes does indeed add up toan cntire Personality then this lossismore psychologically wounding than It first appears ly scroling through Netflixor TikTok may seem harmless, but over days, ‘months or yeas, something more Insidious occurs. We lose our grip on what we ike and enjoy, outsourcing ‘urtaste to the machine. Chayka writes that “developing or indulging [taste] means constructing a firmer sense of sel, it becomes the basis, foridentity® Without t,he implies, weareadiit. ‘Taste-making algorithms are inescapable. Chayka shows tisby ‘working throughall comers of ite: \whatwe wear (TikTok), where we cat Google Maps), musicwe listen to (Spotify), even who we date or ‘marry Tinder). Though many of his observations aren't unique, taken together they seemtometo become what philosopher Timothy ‘Morton calls hyperobject, an incomprehensible edifice, dwarting ahumar's sense of time and scale, Chayka argues that this universe ‘of algorithmically driven decisions he calls Fiterworid has society- ‘wide implications: t scales up toinfluence our physical spaces, ‘our cites, and the routes we move ‘through...flattening them in turn." Noone gets out of Fiterworld unscathed. f you are lucky enough not toneed any sort of algorithm based system for your work - which instantly excludes almost every ‘creative industry that relies on these feeds for promotion - then youcan ‘ry opting out ofthe algorithms for awhile. Youcan peruse a physical bookstore rather than BookTok ~ TikTok book recommendations - ‘or tum on the radio instead of Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist. But f your fiend suggests fim recommended on X/Twitter or you ‘eel the need to buy those shoes ‘everyone has inexplicably started ‘wearing after a social media hype cycle, what are you todo? There isasense of futility about it al, Just finangout more abouta book orflmmay hep resis the agorthms operating incur wos ‘as Chayka finds when he tries his ‘own algo-detox for a few months. This Fiterworld may feel ‘inescapable, then, but there is hope, and Chayka has some reasonable suggestions about how to alter things. Leaving aside the systemic changes to big platforms that are the domain of government regulation and the law, people can atleast beconscious consumes. Shifting big problems toindividuals ‘an seem dubious when, for ‘example, we are told to reduce ‘our carbon footprint while oil ‘companies aelet off the hook, but itcan give usa sense of agency whenit comes to tastes. This can beas simples engaging ‘more with the media you de choose toconsume by, say, reading up about a film you watched or by paying artists you ike directly, says Chayka. Even the thoughtful act of recommending an album to friend isintinitely more rewarding thana contextless track surfacing inyour Spotify feed. As Chayka says, resistance to algorithmic fritionlessness “requires an act of willpower, a choice to move through the worldina different way. doesn't have to bea dramaticone.” 1 New Scientist recommends ‘Thomas Lewton Featureseeditor London {have ust fished the ‘TVadaptation of Naomi Aldecman's science fiction rove! The Power (Gictured, on Amazon Prime Video) in which biological quitkcauses society fo unravel. Young ‘women begin generating electrictyinaonce- dormant organ, learning howto shoot sparks from their fingertips. The global balance of power shifts overnight, a toldthroughhalfadazen parallel storylines et indiferent countries. We see revalutioninthe Middle East, near-bibical resurrectionin theUS ~andrevenge ineastern Europe -withallthe stories posing questions about thepurpose and corrupting potentalof physical power. ‘am algonearing the lend ofKazuohigura's sci-finavel Never Let Me Go. The setting appears tobe anEnglish private school inthe 1990s, but inthsalternaterealty, ‘mass humancloning \sthenorm. Everyday squabblesare Interspersedwitha dawning realisation ofthe twisted role the chlrenval nave to play ‘as "donors" Terifvng, 27 January 2025|NewScientist 27Views Culture The TV column New Scientist video BS) 6. scare st ee error Armchair travels Some urbanites feel like nature-travel shows almost come from. another planet, while others worry they encourage harmful tourism. Luckily, Simon Reeve's excellent new series puts conservation to the fore, says Bethan Ackerley Bethan Ackertey sa subettor atNew Scientist She loves scifi sitcoms and anything spooky. Sheisstilupset about the ending of Game (of Thrones, Fallow her on Twitter @inkerley ce w Wilderness with simon Reeve TheGarden for the BBQ;:no Us release date announced Bethan also recommends. Ww Back from the Brink ‘BBC iPlayer This uplifting two-part series highlights amazing conservation wins in Europe, such asthe comeback of Scotlanat’s capercali. Film ‘ACrackin the Mountain ‘Curzon Home Cinema Hang Son Doong in Vietnam Isthe world largest cave system, Plans to make It ‘more accessible to tourists are being resisted by environmentalists as this documentary explores. | New Scientist |27January 2024 ASAcommitted urbanite,Iwould Reeve seems more about finding neverswaptheindustrialchicof balance between “right” and myhomecity of Wolverhampton, “wrong kindsof tourism. In this UK foravista frollinghillsand | instalment, we visitthe Congo dales,letalonetropical rainforests basin, home tothe worlds second: ormountainpeaks.Forme,and —_largesttropical forest, which forbillions ikeme,theglories of stretches for morethan 2million untamed nature ela planet away. squarekilometresacross central Wildemess withSimon Reeve.a _Aiica. Thethree-week journey four-part BBCtravel documentary, beginsalongthe Republicofthe aims to fill this gap. Reeve and hiscrew seekout cornersofour “The series makesa rapidlyurbanisingglobesofar strong case that the relatively untouched by humanity Trvelingactsstanforsts, Stststep topreserving andicefields,desertsandoceans, an ecosystems to includingthe PacificOceans see its value” Coral Triangle and Patagonia, they revealthe pressuresthereandhow Congo's Motabariverin search of wemightprotectthem-fromus. theBaku, hunter-gatherers who Travel programmes havea livennomadically in the jungle. ratherqueasy relationship with Afteran old-fashioned knees-up conservation, predicated sthey _toweleome Reeve, several young are on'selling” adestination. Bakumenagreetotakeacamera When itcomes to theplaces asthey climb 20 metres into the Jeastinfluencedby humans(the tree canopy-Onemanthrusts his Ideaof"pristine”natureisan _armintoabeehiveandextractsa enduring, appealing myth),lam luminescent haul of honeycomb, warythat glossy traveloguescan __Thisisjustone exampleofthe Jeadto masstourismand damage. extraordinary natureintheCongo ‘Happily, based on is first rainforest. For me, itepitomised episode, Wildemesswithsimon _thejoy and surprisel felt learning ‘SimonReevetraveling upariverinthe Rept ofthe Congo about thisregion andits people, Whoaren’t treatedas quasi mysticalcustodiansofarcane knowledge, but as an adaptable, conscientious community ‘moving with thetimes. ‘The Bakufacea huge risk from deforestation:not only hasitbrought them into hostile contact with neighbouring villages, ithas also forced them, toventure into areas where mosquitoes thrive. I'someone contracts malaria, the group can sometimes be four days way from medical care, meaning child mortality ratesare high Inthis firstleg, Reeve joined by Adams Cassinga,awildlife criminalinvestigatorwhoruns network of informers working {opprevent illegal forest clearances. He stealsthe show, especially hen he scrutinises African redwoods for llega felling. ‘Once Reeve andthe team cross Into the Democratic Republicof the Congo, they look forbonobos. Here, the show feels more likea ‘traditional travel series, all boiling heat andswarms of inseets. But despitethe dificult trek, Reeve provides an ebullient precis ofthe importance of these apes, one of our closest relatives. The peaceful largely female-dominated social structure ofbonobos hints atadifierent sideofhuman evolution compared with their cousins, the chimpanzees. Alltold, the irst episode is Informative andentertaining. [still havereservations about theimpact of such travelshows ‘on conservation, but theseries ‘makesa strongcasethat the fist step to preservingan ecosystem Istoseeits value. Wildemess with ‘Simon Reeve does that inspades. 8srQ’ www.srgtalent.com FIND YOUR NEXT JOB OPPORTUNITY AVR Tem are [Otinva (-1-Col-1eo 71a e\-1mClOBY--16) el specialising in the followir OTECH PHARMA CHEMICALS MEDTECH FOOD, DRINK & FMCG EXPLORE ALL OUR ROLES AND / Powering the Future of STEM EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR A MEDICAL WRITER Starting salary £34,450-45,050 depending on experience (mainly homeworking) HMR is one of Europe's largest Contract Research Organisations specialising in early phase clinical trials. ‘We have 3 wards containing 145 beds, a laboratory, a pharmacy and supporting services, all located on one site in premises in North West London, We seek high-calibre graduates, wit an MSc or PhO, candidates, thee be opportunites o gan expertise n other areas, who are highly organised with excellent wring skis such as regulatory affairs and pharmacokinetics Understanding of early drug development, and basic statistics, Fe een nen ones would be a distinct advantage; however, enthusiasm and commitment ee ne B ‘a careerin our innovative and dynamic company. Youl receive are more important than experience. i ea extensive training and work alongside experts in data management, ‘As a Medical Writer, youll be responsible for scientific interpretation ‘sates, nical pharmacology, and pharmacokinetic, of clinical trial data and writing study reports. You also support the project management department by preparing other key tial pce ese FOU Core 2 overage documents, such as protocols, patient information leaflets, and ai ana en oe applications to ethics committees. Attention to detall and proficiency ‘o: caveers@hmtonden.com in word processing are essential forthe position. For suitable NEB. applications without a covering letter wil not be considered. www.hmriondon.com DUT Ee ae ForRecruitment Advertising please email nssales@newscientist.com orcall 020 76111269Features Cover story MYSTERIOUS YOU The human body is incredibly complex, with the latest estimates suggesting we each contain some 400 different kinds of cells across 60 different tissues. Science has given usan intimate understanding of their intricate workings, revolutionising our understanding of, health and disease — and the evolutionary marvel that is you. But your body still contains mysteries. Over nine pages, we explore some of the most baffling of these and the extraordinary insights they are throwing up. We investigate the true purpose of blood types and the taste receptors in our hearts, We discover how the menopause may have evolved to ensure the survival of future generations and the remarkable roles that cells transferred from mother to baby, and vice versa, play in keeping us healthy. We even sniff around the latest thinking on the controversial idea that we give off secret chemical signals capable of influencing the behaviour of other people. 301 Now Scientist |27 January 2025AROUND the age of 50, women stop releasing eggs and.can no longer have children, We consider this menopause natural part of life, but none respect, itisreally rather unusual there are hardly any other species in which females experience reproductive shutdown when they typically still have decades of healthy life ahead, ‘So what isthe point of menopause? ‘Thelatest findings support the ideathat Itistodo with our uniquely demanding offspring and theneed to keep relatives ‘who could careforthem healthy and mentally sharp foraslong as possible. Classicevolutionary theory predicts that organismsshould only liveas long asthey can pass on their genes. This ‘mostly holds true across the animal kingdom:besides humans, only female ‘orcas, short-finned pilot whales, belugas andnarwhals tendto survive well beyond thelr fertileyears. The reason we have menopause may simply be because there are biological constraints on how longitis possible ‘tomaintain high-quality eggs, says Michael Gurven atthe University of California, ata Barbara, Theaverage ‘ageof the onset of menopause in humans has barely budged even as life ‘expectancy has soared, he says." definitely seem tobe hittinga wal: ‘Men may not experience thesame dear-cutendto thei fertility because ‘they can keep creating new sperm as they age, albeit with declining quantity, and quality, whereas women reborn with all their eggs, which accrue DNA damage overtime, says Gurven. Indeed, “the thing to really explain is not why women have menopause, but why they liveso longafter menopause”, he says, Over the past decade, evidence hhas been building to explain this unique ‘characteristic~and the benefits ithas, or our evolutionary success. ‘Ourbest ideas are based around the “grandmother hypothesis"-the notion thatonce women can no longerhave children oftheir own, they canhelp Tookafter any grandchildren, whoeach ‘carry 25percent of thelr genes. This ‘maybe particularly relevant for humans because we have unusually helpless ‘young, says Gurven.“Ifyoulookat ‘ourneatest relatives, chimpanzees, they can largely feed themselves by the time they re6 [years old] he says. "With humans, itoften takes upto two decades for ustobe self-sufficient” Grandparents can cometothe rescue by providingextra food for thelr ‘grandchildren or takingeare of them. ‘while their parents are out foragingor nursing younger children, hesays. Recent evidence suggests weare ‘onthe right track A study Gurven published in 2022 with Raziel Davison, also at Santa Barbara,showedthat Inmany hunter-gatherer groups, ike ‘the Hadzaof Tanzania and the Aché of Paraguay. adultsoverthe age of so boost ‘thesurvival and fertility of younger ‘generations by sharing resources, Thiscontribution ultimately allowed ‘grandparents to passon more oftheir ‘genes. “Our modelling suggested it was ‘equivalent to having up tothree more children says Gurven, > ‘january 2024 Now Scents 52Orcas and short-finned pilot whales also have highly dependent young, which may explain why females have similarly ong post reproductive Ilfespans. studies of wild orcashave found that post-reproductive females lead expeditions tofind sustenance ‘and increase the survival of their {grand.offspring by sharing foodand knowledge of where toforage. Male offspring also suffer fewer socially inflicted injuries inthe presenceot their post-reproductive mother. Ajit Varkiat the University of California, San Diego, believes he andhiscolleagues havealso found ‘genetic evidence to bolster the {grandmother hypothesis.In 2015, hisgroup found variant of animmune ‘gene called CDs; that i protective against late life Alzheimers disease ands ound in 20 per cent of modern. ‘humans, but not in chimpanzees ‘orourclasest extinct relatives, Neanderthals and Denisovans. ‘Thisvarlant may have been selected forasourperiod of infancy evolvedto become longer, says Varki By protecting people from Alzheimer's disease, the ‘new CDs3 variant may havehelped keep ‘them healthy for longer sothey could pitch in with providing food and care Torhelpless grandchildren, he says “Women play such an important role after menopause that genes evolved to protect their minds” Sincethen, Varkland his colleagues haveuncovered more than 10 additional ‘genetic variantsthat appear to protect against cognitive decline. This suggests that women play such an important role after menopause that we even evolved ‘genes to protect their minds, says Varkl ‘Whilethese findings may not help withenduringthe hot flushes and night ‘sweatsthat can accompany menopause, itmaybesome comfort to know that ‘these unpleasant symptoms markthe beginning ofan important life chapter ‘that probably helped shape our ‘evolutionary success, Alice Klein. sal New Sclntlt|27 January 2024 WHAT ARE ALL THOSE FUNGI DOING IN OUR GUTS? rc * "WEAREallabitmouldy literally. Our bodies arehometoa great many fungl ‘They are scattered on our skin, inside ‘our mouths and in our guts.some ofthem have adapted so wel tolife inthe human body that they can't survive anywhere else. But weknow ‘very litte about this “mycobiome’ andwhat itis doing ‘We know the fungi are there and wehaveread their DNA, but inthe pastithasn’tbeen clearifthey offer "usany benefits orare mainly passive hitchhikers, with the odd infection- causing nterloper. Now, though,aboom ininterest in the bacteriathat reside nour gutshas spurred researchers to ‘ake anew lookat fungitoo, with an eye to unravelling thesecrets they hold ‘What they are finding isthat our fungalresidents can havea significant Influenceon ourhealth, raising the prospect that we could manipulate them toboost our resilience against disease ‘Thegood news isthat wearen't starting from scratch. Fora star, we now that the fungi inourbodies are less diverse than the bacteria within us, probably by arounda factor fo, says Lindsay Kalan at MeMaster University, {in Ontario, Canada. We also know that certain fungi crop up consistently. Forinstance,a genus of yeast called ‘Malassezia makes up the majority ‘ofthespecies on our skin, says Kalan, Until recently, the extentto which ‘our mycobiomes differed was largely ‘unknown. But new evidencesuggests they can vary toa significant extent, particularly as weage, with implications forourriskof certain diseases. A2023 study examined samples of gut fung! taken from 3363 people across three continentsand found they could be clustered into four groups. Certain ‘groups of fungi hada strongage preference for instance, one group dominated by Candida was more likely tobefound in older people, where it