Bizarre Nearby Star Offers Clues to Origins of Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts

Trouble viewing? View in your browser. View all Scientific American publications.

             

June 11, 2020

Dear Reader, Scientists say the first fast radio burst detected in our galaxy comes from a magnetized star. This could help to explain one of astronomy's biggest puzzles. Our lead story has the details. Next up, ancient tracks left by a previously unknown creature from the Age of Dinosaurs resolve one mystery—but open another. In tech news, doctors are using portable ultrasound devices to quickly diagnose and monitor severe cases of COVID-19. And lastly, read about how researchers are drastically rethinking theories of how our brains go wrong.

Space Bizarre Nearby Star Offers Clues to Origins of Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts The first fast radio burst detected in our galaxy comes from a magnetized star, and could help to explain these cosmic enigmas By Alexandra Witze,Nature magazine

Evolution Fossil Footprints Help Uncover the Mysteries of Bipedal Crocodiles   Ancient tracks reveal a previously unknown creature from the Age of Dinosaurs—answering one question but raising more   By Riley Black

Environment Thousands of Tons of Microplastics Are Falling from the Sky New research helps unravel how vast amounts of plastic particles travel—both regionally and globally—on the wind By Scott Hershberger

Medical & Biotech Handheld Ultrasound Devices Are Speeding Diagnosis of COVID-19 Doctors can triage and monitor patients faster—and sometimes more accurately—with the aid of the pocket-size machines By Lina Zeldovich

Mental Health Roots of Mental Illness Researchers are beginning to untangle the common biology that links supposedly distinct psychiatric conditions By Michael Marshall,Nature magazine

Environment Firefighters Will Attack Blazes Quickly to Avoid Coronavirus A fast fire response will limit the need for mass evacuations and encampments By Thomas Frank,E&E News

Behavior & Society Religion and Science in a Time of COVID-19: Allies or Adversaries? Despite what some believe, they can work effectively together By Sima Barmania,Michael J. Reiss

FROM THE STORE Mind Over Mood: Understanding Anxiety and Depression Anxiety and depression are two of the most common conditions affecting mental health and overall quality of life, but there are tools for managing them. In this eBook, we'll explore how depression shows up in the brain, different manifestations of depression and anxiety, various talk therapies, technological innovations, lifestyle interventions and more.

ADVERTISEMENT

FROM THE ARCHIVE Flashes in the Night: The Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts Astronomers are racing to figure out what causes powerful bursts of radio light in the distant cosmos By Duncan Lorimer,Maura McLaughlin | April 2018

QUOTE OF THE DAY "I wouldn't say it's the nail in the coffin that we've figured out that fast radio bursts come from magnetars. But it's by far the most promising piece of evidence that we've found." Emily Petroff, astronomer at the University of Amsterdam

LATEST ISSUES

Questions?   Comments?

Download the Scientific American App

To view this email as a web page, go here. You received this email because you opted-in to receive email from Scientific American. To ensure delivery please add news@email.scientificamerican.com to your address book. Unsubscribe     Manage Email Preferences     Privacy Policy     Contact Us