Today in Science: See this stunning new map of the cosmos

A newsletter for unflinching, ever-curious science-lovers. ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

December 19, 2025—Tantalizing molecules found in the plumes of Enceladus, 20 new calls of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, and a stunning new map of the cosmos.  —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor TODAY'S NEWS NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA's newest space telescope SPHEREx has unveiled a stunning map of the cosmos in infrared. | 2 min read Here's how much practice you need to become the best in the world at something (Hint: It's not 10,000 hours). | 3 min read Listen: Scientists have recorded 20 new calls of the endangered Hawaiian monk seals. | 21 min listen Earth's orbit is cluttered with old spacecraft debris, space junk, and a megaconstellation of satellites. Spacecraft operators now have a narrow window of time to avoid a collision. | 3 min read  In an exclusive excerpt of her new book The Great Shadow, historian Susan Wise Bauer explores how sickness is distinct from injury and has shaped the way we think about ourselves and our world.  | 4 min read More News Explore the universe with a subscription to Scientific American. Feel the awe of science this holiday season.​ WATCH THIS Jeffery DelViscio/Scientific American Earlier this week I wrote about a weeklong journey our senior multimedia manager Kelso Harper took to join researchers as they tracked southern resident killer whales off the coast of Oregon. On board their vessel, scent-detection dog Eba helped the researchers locate floating killer whale poop for collection and analysis. What a good girl! Watch a documentary about the research here.   TOP STORIES Artist's depiction of Cassini sampling plumes from the subsurface ocean of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Fascinating Plumes Plumes of water spray up from the south pole of Saturn's moon, Enceladus. But unidentified substances make up about 2 percent of the slushy blast. Evidence of these ingredients arose from data that NASA's Cassini orbiter captured from 2005 to 2017. Scientists revisited data from the Cosmic Dust Analyzer on the spacecraft, which parsed the chemical composition of puffs of dust from ice grains striking its detectors each time the spacecraft swooped through a plume. They found other ingredients: complex organic molecules such as esters, ethers and compounds with oxygen and nitrogen.  Why it matters: Enceladus remains one of the most alluring destinations in the search for extraterrestrial life. In this most recent discovery, scientists suspect these compounds are intermediates that could make further complex organic molecules.    What experts say: "But maybe those compounds originated from even larger compounds. What exactly would we find if we dove into the ocean below? Are the compounds reported here just the tip of the astrobiological iceberg?" says Kevin Hand, a planetary scientist and director of the Ocean Worlds Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who was not involved in the study. —Andrea Tamayo, Newsletter Writer

PLAY NOW If you've been reading Today in Science this week, this first question of today's science quiz should be a slam dunk. Plus, here's today's Spellements puzzle and our Killer Sudoku, which is a mind-bending mashup of Sudoku and KenKen. More Games MOST POPULAR STORIES OF THE WEEK New Flu Variant May Be Triggering Spike in Severe Disease | 3 min read How to See Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as It Swings by Earth One Last Time | 2 min read The Hype behind Probiotics | 4 min read  Thanks to everyone who emailed me about their fitness trackers! I loved reading about how you all incorporate this daily data into your lives. Some told me they use their stats to help them monitor caffeine intake (if their sleep is restless) or get closer to 10,000 steps every day. I'm impressed by these metrics help you to assess your stress levels and, as one reader told me, advocate for yourself when you're at the doctor's office. I don't think I'm the only one who isn't quite ready for a fitness tracker just yet, but you all inspire me! I love hearing from you, reach out any time: newsletters@sciam.com. Happy weekend.   —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    Preferences     View in Browser