Today in Science: An ancient seafloor discovered below the Pacific

Every story is a science story. October 17, 2024: How a Trump or Harris presidency would impact science and health. Plus an ancient seafloor is discovered beneath the Pacific, and language and thought are separate in the brain.  —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor TODAY'S NEWS The Nazca plate is located to the west of South America's Pacific coast and is where researchers discovered a sunken seabed. Naeblys/Alamy Stock Photo • Geologists have discovered an ancient seafloor beneath the Pacific Ocean that has hovered in Earth's mantle for more than 120 million years. | 3 min read • Presence of the bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum in the mouth was linked to colon cancer growth and progression. | 4 min read • You don't need words to think: language and thought are distinct entities that the brain processes separately. | 9 min read More News TOP STORIES Thomas Fuchs Science and Politics Are Linked Election Day is less than three weeks away. Science and politics are intricately linked. On the one hand, scientific discovery and research offer policy-makers evidence-backed insight needed to decide the best courses of action, at local and federal levels. And in turn, politicians and lawmakers impact science. The executive and legislative branches determine budgetary allotments for billions of dollars in medical research and technological innovation for the energy sector, military tools, health care, food security, national infrastructure, and education. Who we vote for matters because they will be guiding the nation's policies and how our tax dollars are spent. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris represent very different futures when it comes to science-related policy issues. Scientific American has rounded up the candidates' stances on some of the most important areas. I highlight a few below, and I encourage you to read the entire collection, which our editors have filled with robust data and expert commentary. Some readers may wonder if a science publication has the "right" to weigh in on political matters. If so, I invite you to read the top paragraph again. And by the way, Scientific American has a long history of commenting on political policy. In the 1950s we published an article that was critical of the development of the hydrogen bomb. When the federal Atomic Energy Commission learned about the article, agents stormed our offices and burned all 3,000 copies of the issue that contained the article. I'm serious. Climate and environment: Harris would continue the Biden administration's landmark climate efforts, chiefly the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), for which Harris cast the tie-breaking vote. In his first term Trump rolled back more than 200 environmental regulations and has said that climate change is "not our problem." His administration would return the country to more oil and gas production. | 6 min read AI innovation and regulation: Both candidates want the U.S. to lead the way in AI technology development. Harris supports the creation of the U.S. AI Safety Institute within the National Institute of Standards and Technology to help guard against misinformation and deepfakes. Trump issued two executive orders during his first term to foster innovation in AI, and he would likely make that the focus of his next term, rather than creating safeguards around the technology. | 6 min read Immigration and STEM workers: The U.S. has a dire need for STEM workers. Both candidates would likely impose stronger border policies that restrict illegal immigration. At the same time both have voiced support for new measures to promote legal immigration (ideally many would take up jobs in science and technology), though Trump uses strong anti-immigrant rhetoric and has said he would deport millions.  | 6 min read Health care: Both Trump and Harris pledge to make drug prices affordable and health care accessible. Harris says she will strengthen the Affordable Care Act. Trump has made repeated attacks on the ACA and slashed funding to federal health care insurance programs. | 6 min read More on how the election will shape future policies: How a Harris or Trump Presidency Could Affect Gun Policy | 7 min read The presidential candidates have vastly divergent records on and plans for protecting access to reproductive health care, including abortion and IVF. | 5 min read Whoever wins the 2024 presidential election will face heightened nuclear geopolitics, deadlines on nuclear deals with Russia and Iran, and decisions on a $2-trillion weapons-modernization effort. | 5 min read The presidential candidates differ on classroom censorship, school choice, federal funding for schools, and more. | 6 min read EXPERT PERSPECTIVES • About a third of working-age Americans struggle with simple numeric processes, and so-called math anxiety is quite common. But communication researchers Ellen Peters and David M. Markowitz found that the inclusion of numbers and data makes information feel more trustworthy, or grounded in expertise. But there's a catch: "people find numbers helpful, so long as there aren't too many of them," they write. "No hard-and-fast rule suggests how many is too many—it depends on the complexity of the topic, people's familiarity with the subject and their overall numeracy." | 5 min read More Opinion Science is everywhere. Wherever there is a question, science can help us find an answer. This applies to understanding the minuscule molecules that help our bodies survive, AND to measuring the disproportionate impact of climate disasters on people of color or of lower-income. This is why we at Scientific American say that every story is a science story. You can read more about this philosophy here. Thank you for being a part of our circle of science-curious readers. I love hearing from you: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow! —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters here. Scientific American One New York Plaza, New York, NY, 10004   Support our mission, subscribe to Scientific American here   Unsubscribe Email Preferences View in browser