My Favorite Stories of 2023

Over the past year, Scientific American editors and experts crafted stories that showed the joy and beauty of science as well as the often complex and nuanced world it reveals. These are some of the stories that have stuck with me. We answered important health questions—explaining how long COVID, which impacts millions, seems to originate in the central nervous system, and what are the side effects of the ultra-popular weight-loss drug Ozempic. The science of how our bodies burn calories (our metabolism) is far from settled, according to new research that pretty much upends what everyone thought about changes in metabolism over a lifetime. On a lighter note, we answered the pressing questions about why dogs tilt their heads endearingly at us (really, they're trying to process what you're saying), and whether time travel is feasible (don't hold your breath for a wormhole into the summer of 2024). Our editors continued to showcase the wondrous eye candy from the James Webb Space Telescope, whose first year of science saw hints of what might be the universe's very first stars and a crystal-clear view of the rings around Uranus. See below for more of our favorite stories from 2023. We hope you enjoy the selection from the past year. Scientific American has lots in store for the new year, including games and more improvements to our website's look and useability. I can't wait for 2024! Jeanna Bryner Managing Editor Scientific American Top Stories of the Year See How Humans around the World Spend the 24 Hours in a Day A new study calculated the average "global human day," revealing which activities take up most of our time. Read More   Why Do Animals Keep Evolving into Crabs? Crablike bodies are so evolutionarily favorable that they've evolved at least five different times. Read More   Grammar Changes How We See, an Australian Language Shows An Aboriginal language provides unexpected insight into how language influences perception. Read More   A New Therapy for Multiple Personality Disorder Helps a Woman with 12 Selves Therapy for dissociative identity disorder has aimed to meld many personalities into one. But that's not the only solution, a caring therapist shows. Read More   Cats Are Perfect. An Evolutionary Biologist Explains Why Cats have attained evolutionary perfections. Read More

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