Read our April 2024 Issue on AI!

Dear Friend of Scientific American, We've all heard a lot of hype, hope and fear about artificial intelligence in the past year. Our special package on AI in the April issue of Scientific American highlights some of the most interesting examples of how AI is actually being applied (including God chatbots, seriously). One of my favorites of the bunch is this story about a competition to train AI to read charred scrolls that were buried by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 C.E. Thanks to AI, and many clever volunteer and professional decoders, we now can now read for the first time part of a millennia-old tract on pleasure. Many parents of children who are LGBTQ+ are desperately trying to protect their kids from discrimination and moral panics, and provide them with proper health care, safe communities and welcoming schools. Research overwhelmingly shows that supportive parents help non-conforming kids thrive, as our story in this month's issue shows. It's a hopeful story about parents learning from and for their kids, and supporting other families in creative ways. A newly discovered class of materials aptly named "strange metals" are bending the rules of physics. Physicist Douglas Natelson explains how their electrons act like a soup of quantum entanglement – which is all fascinating and could have unpredictable practical applications. One of the things I enjoyed about this story is the clever metaphors, which along with some gorgeous graphics makes it fun and easy to appreciate the weirdness in strange metals. Our Science of Health column is always full of practical, evidence-based advice. This month's article explains why and how strength or resistance training can add years to your life. And coming back to volcanoes, I hope you enjoy this stunning photo of a lenticular cloud above Chile's Villarrica volcano. We hope you enjoy the April issue of Scientific American and the rest of our stories, graphics, videos, podcasts and more on our website. I am wishing you clear skies for the April eclipse! Laura Helmuth Editor-in-Chief Scientific American Read the Issue April Issue Highlights Inside the AI Competition That Decoded an Ancient Herculaneum Scroll The Herculaneum scrolls, charred and preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, were unreadable—until now. Read More   Families Find Ways to Protect Their LGBTQ Kids from Serious Harm—Physical and Mental—after a Flood of Discriminatory Laws Hostility toward LGBTQ kids, enshrined in hundreds of new bills, has put families with such children under unprecedented threat, raising risks of suicide and physical attacks. Read More   Quantum Weirdness in New Strange Metals Bends the Rules of Physics Electrons swarm in a soup of quantum entanglement in a new class of materials called strange metals. Read More   Simple Resistance Exercises Improve Overall Health and Reduce Death Risks Weight training turns out to be as important as aerobic activity for warding off disease. Read More   Lava-Lit Lenticular Cloud Crowns Volcano in Spectacular Photo These bizarre-looking clouds form in stable atmospheric eddies. Read More

Read the latest issue! How to decode ancient scrolls, prove theorems and study intelligence itself. Read Now

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 chiefeditor@scientificamerican.com to your address book.

Unsubscribe    Email Preferences    Privacy Policy    Contact Us