Ape Jokes, Vagus Nerve Hopes and a Mystery Planet

Ape Jokes, Vagus Nerve Hopes and Mystery Planet

Who Laura Helmuth

One of the things I enjoy the most American scientific it’s about knowing how scientists do their work: the inspirations, the questions, the insights, the collaborations, the “hmm, that’s weird” moments. Anthropologist Erica Cartmill tells how she came to be to analyze the evolutionary origin of the joke. We humans are all great apes, no matter what we dress up as, and he sees young orangutans and chimpanzees doing the same tricks and peekaboo games that we do.

Another thing I appreciate American scientific thus our writers distinguish between hope and expectation. With social media becoming increasingly fragmented and fast-paced and full of misinformation, it’s more important than ever to have trusted publications that share the best evidence for health claims. Research on the vagus nerve is now at an interesting point. It is the largest nerve in the human body, connecting the brain with most of our internal organs. Full Mesa Schumacher Chart it shows how elaborate his influence is. Charlatans with gadgets to sell will tell you that nerve stimulation can cure any disease. That’s not true…but a growing body of evidence suggests that the vagus nerve is a good candidate for treating a wide range of health conditions. Author Jena Pincott explains what we know, what we don’t know, and what it all means.

We should soon know if a hypothetical distant planet is orbiting the edge of our solar system. Planet Nine (also called Planet X), if it really exists, has five to 10 times the mass of Earth and has been distorting the paths of smaller objects. Volcanologist and science writer Robin George Andrews tracks the evidence and growing enthusiasm among some astronomers. soon we’ll have a ninth planet to replace poor Pluto. (One of these astronomers is the person who kicked Pluto out of the planetary pantheon and is hoping for forgiveness.)

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Because people can learn to control their dreams also communicate in dreams. Sleep researcher Michelle Carr details the dream adventures of people who have participated in research studies in her lab, along with tips for practicing “lucid dreaming,” which may help some people manage nightmares and improve sleep.

Bats carry many nasty viruses that don’t bother them but endanger other species, including humans. New research explains how their peculiar immune system is linked to the evolution of flight. Science writer Jane Qiu warns that deforestation and climate change are making us it is more vulnerable to outbreak pandemics. Photojournalist Doug Gimesy’s images of giant bats called flying foxes are stunning and surprisingly endearing. Read more about Gimesy in our Contributors column.

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission It set off on October 14, 2024 for one of Jupiter’s most interesting moons, with a brackish ocean that is one of our best chances of finding life elsewhere in the solar system. The space probe will arrive in 2030. Science writer Nadia Drake was there for the launch, and shares the excitement of the mission and the rich history of the search for life, guided in part by her father’s work. Astronomer Frank Drake.

Enjoy two new columns in this issue: a Crossword puzzle by Aimee Lucido which shows the tracks related to the articles in the issue and The Science of Parents. Please let us know at feedback@sciam.com If you have any parenting questions you’d like our experts to answer.