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July 9, 2025—Older brains can generate neurons. Plus, scientists put on a science fair for Congress, and Japan completes a new earthquake warning system.
—Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Aerial view of the devastation along the northeastern coast of Japan following a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 25, 2011. DOD Photo/Alamy Stock Photo | | Yesterday, a few dozen scientists from across the nation convened in a D.C. congressional building to host a science fair for Congress members. But rather than share new discoveries, the researchers spotlighted knowledge the U.S. will never gain. Researchers whose grants had been terminated brought in posters to explain what the U.S. is losing by defunding their projects. The event was called "The Things We'll Never Know: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants," and it was hosted by the Democrats in the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Why this matters: Without funding to support researchers and their work, we may miss out on important scientific discoveries. Starting in February, the Trump administration has terminated approximately 2,482 NIH grants worth $8.7 billion, and 1,669 NSF grants worth $1.5 billion, as of mid-June, according to Grant Watch. In response to these attacks, scientists have rallied around the country to protest the administration's cuts. "People are admitting less graduate students because they just don't have the funding to support them long term," said Jane Yi-Simko, a neuroscience post-doc we talked to in March at a "Stand up for Science" rally. "This is gonna mean less students, less scientists in the future, less research, less progress, less cures."
What the scientists say: Jessica Rosenberg, a physics and astronomy professor at George Mason University, attended the event yesterday. Rosenberg brought a poster to highlight her own terminated grant. The goal of her project was to support the development and training of future STEM education researchers. She spoke with a variety of staffers on congressional teams at the event who seemed enthusiastic about her project. Unfortunately, the people who express support aren't the same people who are defunding science, she says. For that reason, "we need to keep talking about why these [grants] were important and why we need to continue to do this work." —Andrea Tamayo, newsletter writer
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Neural precursor cells (green) have been difficult to identify in human brains. Carol N. Ibe and Eugene O. Major/National Institutes of Health/Science Source | | Researchers recently found immature neurons and the cells preceding them in adult human brains, suggesting we create new neurons throughout our lives, even into older age. The team examined the RNA of more than 100,000 cells in the hippocampi of postmortem brains from individuals aged under 1 to 78. They used machine learning to identify the cellular hallmarks of neural precursor cells and immature neurons. Only a handful of adult brains lacked these cells, and a couple adult brains had way more than the rest. Why this matters: These new findings settle a decades-long debate. For at least 60 years neuroscientists have been arguing about whether adult brains make new neurons. This process of "neurogenesis" had been shown in other adult animals, but its evidence in humans was lacking until now. Understanding the process of adult neurogenesis could potentially lead to insights into conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and depression; disruptions to the process of making new neurons is thought to play a role in those disorders. What the experts say: "Now we have very strong evidence that the whole process is there in humans, from the precursor cells to the immature neurons," says Gerd Kempermann, a neurobiologist at the Dresden University of Technology, who was not involved in the study. — Nora Bradford, news intern | | - Spreading conspiracy theories about a "weather weapon" and cloud seeding following the Texas floods fueled death threats. | Wired
- Sudan is experiencing widespread famine. Many people are turning to local sweet potatoes for sustenance. | The Xylom
- It's Paris Couture Week. A Dutch designer showed a dress animated by millions of bioluminescent algae. | AP
| | For nine years, Scientific American's parent company, Springer Nature, has put on an annual event called Science on the Hill. Taking place near the halls of Congress, SciAm editors join experts to host panel discussions on topics ranging from climate change and quantum research to space junk and weather prediction (you can read more about these events here). Policy makers from both sides of the aisle attend, ask questions, and return to their offices with new insights about pressing topics in science. In the competition for law makers' attention, scientists and science journalists need to step up. | | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | | |
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