February 3, 2025: Today, drones that buzz bears, a common and debilitating condition, and a nearby exoplanet may harbor life. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | An artist's concept of an exoplanet that might resemble HD 20794 d, a world orbiting a sunlike star about 20 light-years from Earth. Hypersphere/Science Photo Library/Getty Images | | | • A newly confirmed exoplanet around a nearby sunlike star might be astronomers' best chance yet to look for life beyond the solar system. | 6 min read | | | • For the first time in 25 years, the FDA has approved a new type of painkiller. Suzetrigine, sold as Journavx, is as effective as opioid medicines, but is not addictive. | 3 min read | | | Hazing grizzlies away from humans by using drones. Wesley Sarmento/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks | | | Brown bears, also called grizzly bears, have been a protected species since the 1970s, which has led many of their populations to recover and spread, even back into historic habitats like the prairie of the Great Plains. In 2017, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks hired Wesley Sarmento to be the first prairie-based bear manager. After chasing off bears with firecrackers and bear-hunting dogs to no avail, Sarmento began using a buzzing drone.
Why this matters: Grizzlies are omnivores and eat many of the same foods that we eat. They can kill livestock, people, and cause property damage (though attacks on humans are exceedingly rare). As more bears appeared on the prairie, locals worried about run-ins with these big animals.
What the experts say: "The unmanned aerial vehicle was exactly the magic tool that I had been needing," writes Sarmento. "Even at night, I could find bears from afar with the thermal camera, and then fly in closer to move them away from towns, homes, and livestock." The number of so-called hazing events declined over each calendar year–which Sarmento says is evidence that bears are learning to stay away from people. | | | Endometriosis is a painful condition that affects about 1 in 10 U.S. women. Menstrual blood (which contains uterine tissue) backs up and fills the fallopian tubes and pelvis, where the uterine tissue adheres to internal structures and grows. The growths can cause debilitating pain, infertility and often other concurrent conditions. Recent research shows that about half the risk of endometriosis results from genetic factors. One study of about 60,000 people found a link in the genes that cause endometriosis and other painful conditions like migraines and inflammatory diseases like asthma. Why this matters: Many doctors don't know how to spot the symptoms of endometriosis. It takes the average patient seven to nine years to get a diagnosis. Women younger than 60 have a low chance of heart problems, but in those with endometriosis, the relative risk of high blood pressure, stroke, angina or heart attack increases by 20 to 80 percent, depending on the study and condition.
What the experts say: Scientists cannot yet say for sure why endometriosis so often occurs alongside other conditions. "We think one of the key pathways is chronic inflammation," says Stacey Missmer, a reproductive biologist at Michigan State University. | | | • Tech giants are turning to nuclear power to fuel AI data centers. "Nuclear power is indeed a source of carbon-emission-free energy, but it is hardly a clean energy source, and it is definitely not renewable," writes Michael Riordan, a physicist and historian of science and technology. "The storage and containment of spent nuclear fuel is in fact the crucial unresolved challenge of the U.S. nuclear industry. Over 90,000 tons of these wastes are stored at 77 sites in 35 states—an amount increasing by over 2,000 tons a year." | 4 min read | | | Last week, a family in Altadena, Calif., returned to the home they had evacuated because of the Eaton fire and discovered a 525-lb. grizzly bear taking up residence in the crawl space under their house. Barry the Bear, as he's known in the neighborhood, was too big for tranquilizers to be effective, so an eight-person team lured him into a trap with apples, peanut butter, and rotisserie chicken. Rescuers gave Barry a wellness check before releasing him into the Angeles National Forest. A happy ending for all omnivores involved. | Thank you for being part of our circle of science-curious readers! Email me anytime: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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