This article is an adaptation of our weekly Science newsletter that was originally sent out on April 7, 2021. Want this in your inbox? Sign up here.
By Victoria Jaggard, SCIENCE executive editor
One of the things I love about particle physics is how much scientists really want to find cracks in some of their most widely accepted theories. Doing science means coming up with a hypothesis, testing it, and seeing if the results match your predictions. The more times you come up with the same answer, especially via different types of tests, the more likely it is that the hypothesis is correct. Gather enough evidence for related hypotheses, and you are on the path to developing a theory.
In most fields, having observations match your theory is a big win. But for particle physicists, finding a result that does not match predictions is when things really get interesting.
Specifically, physicists have been hoping for such a mismatch in the foundational theory of particle physics, called the standard model. This is the mathematical framework that describes the subatomic particles and forces that make up the universe. So far, test after test shows particles behaving exactly as the math predicts, and in 2012, experiments at the Large Hadron Collider added another entirely expected brick to the standard model in the form of the Higgs boson. That’s a problem, because the math we have can’t account for a few key components of the universe, including a little thing called gravity. Clearly, something somewhere is off, but we have not been able to put our metaphorical finger on it for decades, and that means our basic understanding of everything around us is flawed.
Now, at last, the latest test at Fermilab in Illinois (pictured above) reveals one particle, the muon, acting funny enough that it has scientists on the edge of their collective chairs. As our Michael Greshko puts it, this odd muon behavior “is a major hint that the universe contains unseen particles and forces beyond our current grasp.” Future tests may not only strengthen the case, but they may also finally show scientists how to get multiple cosmic theories to align and merge.
“This has been a long time coming, this result. Many of us have been working on it for decades,” University of Manchester physicist Mark Lancaster tells Greshko. “It’s more a feeling of relief than anything else.”
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TODAY IN A MINUTE
The origins of the pandemic: How did the coronavirus make the leap from animals to humans, ultimately killing hundreds of thousands of people? We still don’t have the answers on the origins of the virus that caused COVID-19, but Nat Geo’s Amy McKeever explores four theories and the evidence for each.
Can an app predict the next pandemic? It’s unfortunate but another one is coming at some point. The question is not if, but when. That’s why a team at UC-Davis created a tool that examines public records and data from nearly 75,000 animals to rank the potential of wildlife viruses kicking off another pandemic. By flagging so-called viruses of concern, the public database is intended to serve as a watchlist for scientists and policymakers, Sarah Elizabeth Richards writes for Nat Geo.
Another case for prenatal care: A long-term study finds that children of mothers who experienced stressful events during pregnancy regulate stress differently in the brain 45 years later. Researchers found that abnormal levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines produced in mothers during pregnancy, and the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, affect brain development differences in their offspring that continue throughout life, the Harvard Gazette reports.
A more accurate view: For generations, many reconstructions of hominid faces have relied on a mix of science and artistic intuition. However, a growing number of researchers worry that certain representations may be misleading, and they are calling for standards that may give more accurate and reproducible portraits of species known only from fossilized bone. For instance, reconstruction artists may lighten skin or portray hair color and care in ways that have little to no DNA evidence, and those artistic choices can send the wrong message, Science News reports.
INSTAGRAM PHOTO OF THE DAY
Last resort: Architect Igor Molitor was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease a month after his 49th birthday. Now 57, he’s tried to manage the disease’s progression and its toll on him with increasing difficulty. He’s suffered from incapacitating motor symptoms, such as rigidity, tremors, slowed movement, and fatigue. His neurologist suggested deep brain stimulation. First, electrodes are inserted deep in the brain to reach the targeted stimulation areas—while the patient is awake. Then a battery-operated device, similar to a pacemaker, is implanted in the chest. The technique helps manage symptoms with fewer medications. (Above, a portrait of Igor at his home in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, Australia, as he awaits life-changing brain surgery.)
Parasites and Parkinson’s: How wasp venom can help future research
THE NIGHT SKIES
Hello, Spring Triangle! Spring in the Northern Hemisphere heralds the rise of three bright stars in the evening sky. Like the Big Dipper, the Spring Triangle (shown above) is not a recognized constellation, but an asterism—an eye-catching pattern of stars formed by bright members of multiple constellations. The triangle consists of the bright blue star Regulus, the first to rise and highest in the southern evening sky in early April. Next to rise is orange-hued Arcturus, the herdsman. The last is Spica in Virgo, the maiden constellation. — Andrew Fazekas
Want more stars? Check out these free astronomy events in April.
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THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Heated debate: Gas heat and stoves are warming the climate. Should cities start banning them? Berkeley, California, banned most gas hookups in new construction after discovering that natural gas in buildings made up 37 percent of the city’s carbon footprint. Forty California communities have followed suit, and similar bans, which would favor cleaner electricity usage, have been proposed in Colorado, Washington State, and Massachusetts, Nat Geo’s Alejandra Borunda writes. The gas industry, as well as some chefs who swear by gas stoves (pictured above), are opposed to the move.
What you can do: If you’re thinking of converting a home from gas to electrical power, learn about the cost of an all-electric home in different regions—and check out state programs that help with conversion.
IN A FEW WORDS
The dinosaur extinction was also a massive reset event for neotropical ecosystems, putting their evolution on an entirely new path leading directly to the extraordinary, diverse, spectacular and gravely threatened rainforests in the region today.
Peter Wilf, Geoscientist, Penn State, From: The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs created the Amazon rainforest
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On Thursday, Rachael Bale covers the latest in animal news. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to also get Whitney Johnson on photography, Debra Adams Simmons on history, and George Stone on travel.
THE LAST GLIMPSE
Explosive research: Scientists are piecing together tiny particles from 430,000 years ago for some insight into what might have happened when a meteor exploded over Antarctica. “We know asteroids are dangerous, and recent studies have suggested that airbursts are more dangerous than large asteroids, because larger asteroids are very rare,” says Matthias van Ginneken, a planetary scientist at the University of Kent. (Above, an artist's depiction of a "touchdown" meteor impact over Antarctica.)
This newsletter has been curated and edited by David Beard and Monica Williams, with photo selections by Jen Tse. Have an idea, a link, a story about meteors? We'd love to hear from you at david.beard@natgeo.com. Thanks for reading, and have a good week ahead.
