Scientific American Magazine Vol 329 Issue 2

Scientific American

Volume 329, Issue 2

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Features

Rare 'Pinwheel' Stars Are a Beautiful Astronomical Puzzle

The doomed class of stars named Wolf-Rayets produce mysterious pinwheel shapes

How AI Knows Things No One Told It

Researchers are still struggling to understand how AI models trained to parrot Internet text can perform advanced tasks such as running code, playing games and trying to break up a marriage

What Is Narcissism? Science Confronts a Widely Misunderstood Phenomenon

Researchers debate whether grandiosity always masks vulnerability

Deep-Sea Mining Could Begin Soon, Regulated or Not

Mining the seafloor could boost global production of clean energy technology—and destroy the ocean in the process

How Sauropod Dinosaurs Became the Biggest Land Animals Again and Again

New research hints at how sauropod dinosaurs got to be so gargantuan

What Happens when People with Dementia Commit Crimes?

When criminal behavior overlaps with degenerative cognitive disease, the justice system often falters

RSV Vaccines Are Finally Here after Decades of False Starts

Decades of failed attempts have given way to several successful vaccines and treatments for the respiratory disease RSV

Departments

From the Editor
Narcissists, Dinosaurs, Deep-Sea Mining, and More
Meter
Poems: 'Water Striders' and 'Fallowing'
Advances
AI Could Smuggle Secret Messages in Memes
Scientists Find a New Spin on Winning the 'Bottle Flip' Challenge
New Soft Electrode Unfolds inside the Skull
Two New Toxic Birds Discovered
Biodiversity Flourishes in Historic Lawn Turned Wildflower Meadow
Science News Briefs from around the World: September 2023
A Beautiful Newfound Fungus Mummifies Its Spider Prey
After 'Absurdly Long' 100-Day Freeze, Rat Kidneys Were Successfully Transplanted
Can Your Body's Response to Music Predict Hit Songs? A New AI Study Claims It Can
Deepest Fish Discovered More Than Five Miles below the Sea Surface
Black Holes Evaporate--Now Physicists Think Everything Else Does, Too
Graphic Science
See How Stress Affects Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Reviews
Lessons from Antarctica about Raising Kids in the Climate Crisis
The Science of Health
Hearing Aids May Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia
Letters
Readers Respond to the April 2023 Issue
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: September 2023
The Science Agenda
Safeguarding AI Is Up to Everyone
Outlook
African Countries Fight for Tobacco Control as Smoking Surges
Quitting Smoking Is Hard. New Brain-Zapping Tech Could Help
Is the Nicotine in E-Cigarettes Harmful for Your Health?
These Graphics Show Why Smoking Is an Avoidable Health Disaster
More Work Is Needed to End Tobacco Smoking
Q&A
This 19th-Century Obscenity Law Is Still Restricting People's Reproductive Rights
Observatory
Attacks on Child Labor Laws Are a Dangerous Throwback to Social Darwinism
Forum
Quantum Computing Is the Future, and Schools Need to Catch Up
Mind Matters
A Rare Form of Dementia Can Unleash Creativity
The Universe
Is E.T. Eavesdropping on Our Phone Calls?