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SPONSORED BY  | | | | September 10, 2024: A classic video game improves reading skills, dangerous nicotine analogs have hit the market, and the quiet hurricane season ramps up. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | The classic Space Invaders. Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images | | | Researchers assigned 79 prereading children with family histories of dyslexia into one of the following groups: One group played Space Invaders Extreme 2 four times a week, a second played a nonaction video game for the same amount of time, a third attended speech therapy for language disorders twice a week, and a fourth received no intervention. After four months, more than 80 percent of the children who played Space Invaders were statistically better at listening for differences in made-up words—a task that can be challenging for dyslexic people.
Why this is interesting: Past research has shown that action video games that require quick reactions and motor skills to master activate "attention-controlling" parts of the brain that process memory. Why Space Invaders Extreme 2 elicits such marked improvement in this particular reading skill remains a mystery.
What the experts say: "If we can target these small cognitive functions before children are older and lose some brain plasticity, then perhaps we can treat [aspects of dyslexia] before they've fully formed," says study co-author Simone Gori, a neuroscientist at the University of Bergamo in Italy. | | | Nicotine by any Other Name | Since 2023, modified versions of nicotine have been appearing in cigarette products, vaping liquids and oral pouches. These new molecules are structurally similar to nicotine, but they can be more addictive and are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration since they do not fall under the narrow definition of "nicotine." The addition of one chemical structure called a methyl group to nicotine allows companies to market the analogs as indistinguishable from traditional vaping products' nicotine while avoiding any regulatory scrutiny. Why this matters: Nicotine analogs have undergone limited research and zero regulation, in most cases. For example, the analog 6-methylnicotine, also called Metatine and found in vaping products, may be more potent than nicotine. In rodents, the lethal dose for 6-methylnicotine is smaller than for nicotine. Studies have shown that less 6-methylnicotine is required to elevate blood pressure and other physiological and behavioral responses. Metatine has even been shown to bind more strongly to nicotine receptors than nicotine itself and is more toxic to airway cells.
What the experts say: The FDA responded to a Scientific American request for comment, saying that the agency was aware of nicotine analogs in the market and that while more research is required, it is also aware of data that show such analogs may be more potent than nicotine. This is a clear-cut case for authorities to follow the precautionary principle and act before these products get a greater foothold in the market, says Lauren Kass Lempert, a public health researcher at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco. | | | Tropical Storm Francine as it formed over the Gulf of Mexico on September 9, 2024. CIRA/NOAA/NESDIS/STAR | | | • Weeks of eerie quiet in the Atlantic Ocean basin are over: Tropical Storm Francine in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to hit Louisiana as a hurricane tomorrow. | 3 min read | | | • Polaris Dawn's astronauts launched this morning from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The astronauts will travel farther from Earth than anyone since the early 1970s and the crew will attempt the world's first private spacewalk. | 4 min read | | | • Wildfires produce severe weather like thunderstorms. Here's how it works. | 4 min read | | | SPONSORED CONTENT BY CCHCS | Come Join a Community of Colleagues | With increased salaries and bonuses, there's never been a better time to join CDCR/CCHCS. Learn more. | | | • Research data show that enthusiasm for a political candidate plays a large role in determining whether or not people will exercise their right to vote. By that metric Kamala Harris's rise to Democratic presidential candidate has been a success, writes Brianna Zichettella and Josh Pasek, a Ph.D. candidate and professor, respectively, in communications and media at the University of Michigan. The Democrats appear to have used good data "to make an informed choice that traded conventional wisdom about incumbent candidates for an incredibly enthusiastic start to the Harris campaign," they say. | 6 min read | | | How many words can you find in today's Spellements puzzle? If you spot any science words missing from the answers, send them along to games@sciam.com and you may get a shoutout from us in a future edition of Today in Science. Enjoy! | | | I never played Space Invaders as a kid; I was more of a Super Mario girl myself. Video game play has been shown to boost all sorts of cognitive performance, for example improving the ability to focus on visual details and the ability to visualize objects in three dimensional space. If you or your kid has spent hours (and hours) gaming, happily there are some benefits (but I recommend prioritizing time in nature, too). | What are or were your video games of choice? Let me know and send any other feedback to: newsletters@sciam.com. Same time tomorrow! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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