Marijuana May Not Lower Your IQ

May 07, 2020

Marijuana May Not Lower Your IQ

View all Scientific American publications.

May 07, 2020

Dear Reader,

Here are highlights from today's top stories: Antigen tests for the new coronavirus could be cheap to produce and simple to use, but high false-negative rates and limits of detection are still an issue. Next up, read about high school students practicing gene editing with a DIY tool. Then tune in to the latest episode of 60-Second Science to learn how horses can recognize individual people in photographs. And don't forget to check out our featured story on new research that could settle the debate over linking teenage marijuana use to changes in cognition.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement
@sunyaaa

Cognition

Marijuana May Not Lower Your IQ

Rigorous new studies should be able to settle the matter

By Godfrey Pearlson

Public Health

'Breakthrough' COVID-19 Tests Are Currently Cheap, Fast--and Not Very Accurate

Antigen-based assays could be used in the home, but critics say their error rates are still an issue

By Jim Daley

Medical & Biotech

DIY Tool Lets High Schoolers Practice Gene Editing

With a few dollars, researchers replicated an instrument that typically costs thousands

By Sophie Bushwick

Behavior & Society

The COVID-19 Response Is Failing Communities of Color

To build trust with traditionally underserved groups, health officials need to craft their messaging in a much more culturally sensitive way

By Margaret S. Pichardo,Briana Christophers,Gezzer Ortega

Climate

Cleaner Air Courtesy of Coronavirus Provides Window into a Car-Free Future

With cars off the roads, scientists can study how smog and other types of pollution change

By John Fialka,E&E News

Cognition

Horses Recognize Pics of Their Keepers

Horses picked out photographs of their current keepers, and even of former keepers whom they had not seen in months, at a rate much better than chance.

By Susanne Bard | 03:00

Environment

To Prevent the Next Pandemic, End Unequal Access to Natural Resources

Safeguarding public health requires rethinking our relationship to the environment and the inequities that drive its destruction

By Kelly Austin

Policy & Ethics

Scientist Mothers Face Extra Challenges in the Face of COVID-19

The pandemic is amplifying nearly every disadvantage that women in STEM already face. But institutions and the scientific community can help

By 500 Women Scientists

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