February 21, 2024: What causes many lost pregnancies, why some people commit spontaneous crimes, and astronomers spot the brightest quasar ever. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Scientists analyzed about 1,000 embryos from in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures using time-lapse video and a microscope to record the embryos' first cell divisions. Then they tested for abnormalities among both the surviving embryos and those that failed (usually due to errors in division). They discovered that cell division-related errors are equally common among embryos with eggs from women of all ages, whereas egg and sperm abnormalities increase as people age. "There is a lot of evidence that during the first cell divisions, human embryos make a lot of mistakes," says Claudia Spits, who studies related problems of reproduction and genetics at the Free University of Brussels.
Why this is interesting: Human procreation is highly inefficient. Fertilized human eggs fail relatively often in early stages of cell division. Abnormal cell division leads to chromosomal abnormalities, which can disrupt embryonic development.
What the experts say: The results of this study could indicate how to improve IVF. For example, changing the cells' environment before implantation might reduce the likelihood of dividing errors, says Michael Summers, a reproductive medicine consultant at London Women's Clinic. "You could potentially rescue a lot of embryos for IVF purposes because those errors are happening in the dish." | | | What causes people to commit spontaneous crimes? A group of researchers used virtual reality headsets to simulate emotionally intense situations and monitor how participants reacted. In an experiment, male participants were immersed in scenes from a bar with an annoying drunk man, or an attractive woman, while the researchers monitored their vital signs like heart rate. They interviewed the participants about how their emotions changed during the various scenes. The researchers discovered that emotions can distort a person's rational consideration of their actions in the heat of the moment.
Why this matters: "We use intuitions, emotions and other visceral cues in the environment, and they actually affect our judgements," Greg Pogarsky, a criminologist at the University at Albany and former public defender, said at a recent conference. Using VR technology could help criminologists understand how powerful emotions reorient risk-reward evaluation and skew normal behaviors toward the criminal.
What the experts say: "Sometimes people can be very moral or have all these prosocial personality characteristics, and yet they will commit a crime," Herman says. "Emotions could explain why that is." | | | • Astronomer's have spotted the brightest quasar ever observed. At its heart is a supermassive blackhole with a mass 17 billion times that of our sun, and it consumes an entire sun's mass of material per day. | 4 min read | | | • The decimal point was invented around 150.0 years earlier than previously thought, according to an analysis of astronomical tables compiled by the Italian merchant and mathematician Giovanni Bianchini in the 1440s. | 5 min read | | | • Dog poop on the ground and street is not only unsightly (and rude), it can transmit dangerous parasites like hookworms, roundworms, coccidia and whipworms. | 5 min read | | | • Archeologists have discovered a low wall, composed of more than 1,500 granite stones, running for nearly a kilometer, 21 meters below the Baltic Sea. It could be Europe's oldest human-made megastructure. | 5 min read | | | Artist's impression of the Blinkerwall: the ancient stone wall used as a hunting structure. Credit: © Michał Grabowski | | | • Psychological conditions characterized by violence and aggression are more common than schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or anorexia. And yet, such disorders of aggression are underdiagnosed, undertreated and underrecognized, writes Abigail Marsh, a psychologist and neuroscientist at Georgetown University. "But these disorders are terribly stigmatized, leading well-meaning clinicians to avoid diagnosing them and many patients and parents to refuse to accept them," she says. | 6 min read | | | • How scammers wage psychological warfare on even the savviest targets and get their money. | New York Magazine | | | • The strongest farmworker protections in the country were put in place by the farmworkers themselves. | The Washington Post | | | • Can you improve your sense of direction? | The BBC | | | Research has shown that knee-jerk reactions to intense circumstances can be pretty difficult to reprogram, so to speak. But I'm reminded of a fascinating article we published several years ago that detailed five key ways to regulate powerful emotions, from "situational selection" to employing "cognitive change." Over time, new habits can replace old ones, even in the most stressful circumstances. We don't have to be beholden to our emotions. | Reach out any time and let me know how you like this newsletter: 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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