September 7, 2023: A comet in the solar system is getting blasted by solar storms, what happens when people with dementia commit crimes and how algorithms can skew over time. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | An intriguing new celestial object known as Comet Nishimura is enduring a bumpy ride through the inner solar system despite having its tail torn off by an outburst from the sun. A few days ago, a solar storm sent surges of charged particles called a coronal mass ejection (CME) barreling through the comet's tail, briefly blowing it to smithereens. And more CMEs may be on the way, say astronomers.
Why this is so cool: The comet might be the source of a small meteor shower called the Sigma-Hydrids, which occurs in mid-December (meteor showers are the remnants of comet tails hitting Earth's atmosphere). Researchers initially presumed that this comet was on its first swing through the inner solar system, but these more recent observations suggest that the comet may orbit the sun every 435 years and has passed through the solar system several times.
How to see it: Comet Nishimura is currently passing through the constellation Leo, and by mid-September it will drift among the background stars of the constellation Virgo. Because it's so close to the sun, it'll be tough to spot, but try looking toward the horizon at dawn and sunset. | | | Comet Nishimura gets close to the sun, where a solar storm rips off its tail on September 2, 2023. Credit: Michael Jäger | | | People with Alzheimer's can be disoriented, experience memory loss or struggle to find words. Those with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) may lose their impulse control or ability to sympathize. When individuals with cognitive impairment commit crimes, they may end up incarcerated, leading some scientists to ask how well the criminal justice system grapples with these cases. According to the Sixth Amendment, every criminal defendant is entitled to a fair trial, which includes being able to comprehend the trial proceedings AND any sentencing. While defendants with psychiatric illnesses may plead not guilty by reason of insanity, there are no such protections for people with neurodegenerative disease.
Why this matters: Nearly 10 percent of U.S. adults age 65 and over have some form of dementia, and another 22 percent have mild cognitive impairment. A study by the University of California, San Francisco found a high rate of criminal behavior among people with dementia–the highest among the subset with FTD.
What the experts say: If prisons are meant for rehabilitation, then why keep people locked up when they no longer understand why they are even there, asks Jalayne Arias, who studies health policy and behavioral sciences at the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. "Is there a willingness to concede that incarcerating someone with dementia is, maybe, questionable?" | | | • Why do cats knead like they're making biscuits? Science says it's a good sign that your cat is happy. | 3 min read | | | • Seemingly trivial differences in training data can skew the judgments of AI programs—and that's not the only problem with automated decision-making. | 8 min read | | | • Lise Meitner, an Austrian-born physicist, cracked the mystery of how to split the atom, but someone else got the Nobel Prize for her discovery. | 26 min listen | | | • Dogs have lived alongside humans for tens of thousands of years, and gave them advantages that aided survival, writes paleoanthropologist Pat Shipman. "Domesticating wolves into dogs may have helped the first modern humans to outcompete other hominins like Neandertals," she says. | 5 min read | | | This has been back-to-school week in many parts of the country. Whether your kiddo started school in August or grew out of school years ago (or you're childfree!), check out our great collection of articles on the science of school and education. | It's great hearing from you, feel free to send suggestions and feedback anytime: 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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