July 31, 2024: Bioluminescent creatures from the ancient world, why we get attached to fictional characters, and NASA retires its asteroid-hunting telescope. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Soft coral off the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. NOAA | | | Bioluminescence is the seemingly near-magic talent of life to create light, and it's common among deep-ocean critters. But scientists don't know how the ability became so widespread. In recent research, a team analyzed a variety of octocorals called soft corals, (gently) poking individuals with tweezers to see if they lit up, and mapping which species did and didn't display luminescence. Then, they overlaid the data on an octocoral family tree. The results indicate that bioluminescence arose perhaps 540 million years ago—far longer ago than previous calculations suggested.
Why this is interesting: The new date places the rise of bioluminescence just before or during the period called the Cambrian explosion. It was likely also around the time when animals first moved from the shallow oceans into the depths where sunlight doesn't penetrate, so self-lighting may have evolved to startle or confuse predators.
What the experts say: "I think our study really points to the fact that it's one of the earliest forms of communication in the oceans—maybe one of the earliest forms of communication on Earth, really," says co-author and zoologist Andrea Quattrini, curator of corals at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. --Meghan Bartels, Senior News Writer | | | A deep-sea bioluminescent octocoral of the genus Iridogorgia.NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research | | | Researchers asked people to think about the personalities of people they are close with while monitoring their brains with fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). Then they instructed the participants to think about the personality of a fictional character (e.g. from a TV series). Overall, thinking about fictional characters activates the medial prefrontal cortex far less than thinking about real people. But some participants had a much stronger response to fictional characters than expected. Why this is interesting: Some people have high levels of so-called trait identification, a measure that combines how likely you are to identify with fictional characters and how transported you are by a story. This trait forms the basis for strong "parasocial" relationships—one person feels close to someone, like a celebrity, social media star, imaginary friend or fictional characters, but that character is incapable of knowing the person feeling the connection.
What the experts say: As more human interaction shifts away from in-person to digital, how the brain responds to its closest relationships may shift, surmises social neuroscientist Dylan Wagner of the Ohio State University. "If a lonely person's real friends and acquaintances are less physically present in their life because they primarily connect online, that may push them into the realm of a parasocial relationship." | | | • NASA retired its NEOWISE telescope, the 10-year mission that has searched for asteroids, brown dwarfs and luminous galaxies. The spacecraft will soon burn up in Earth's atmosphere. | 6 min read | | | • Ice baths and other ready-to-deploy heat illness treatments will become standard at summer Olympics in a warming future. | 5 min read | | | • During the early days of the COVID pandemic, with his young family spending so much time isolated from the world, writer Michael Ventulo-Mantovani and his wife frequently gave small gifts to their toddler son to soothe him if one parent left the house. Several years later, Ventulo-Mantovani wonders how much that indulgent behavior may have affected the child's personality. "Is our son forever changed because of the pandemic lockdown or is he now just an average six-year-old; a kid who is figuring out the world around him while displaying some very standard selfishness?" | 5 min read | | | Find as many words as you can in today's Spellements puzzle! Remember, if you spot any science words that aren't in the puzzle, reply to this email or email the words to games@sciam.com. Want a hint? Read this article for a clue. | | | • Learning to identify local trees and plants in your area could help you feel grounded and connected to your home. | The Guardian | | | • Solar companies are using pickup-truck-size robots to install panel arrays. | New York Times | | | • Cheetahs are the fastest land animal on the planet. Elite runners could learn a thing or two from them. | BBC | | | I had the good fortune of swimming among bioluminescent marine plankton many years ago in Mosquito Bay on the south coast of a little island called Vieques (next to Puerto Rico). With the stars sparkling in the sky and swirls of blue light from the self-lit dinoflagellates streaking around me like stardust in the black water, it was probably the closest I'll get to floating in the vacuum of the cosmos. | Tell me about your encounters with bioluminescence and any other thoughts by emailing: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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