SPECIAL REPORT The dramatic global impacts of shrinking sea ice The race to drill the deepest-ever ice core Why exploiting the Arctic won't lead to riches werxay 26 Agr 2025 RETHINKING PARKINSON'S Why it might be two conditions, not one - and how this radical idea could lead to new treatments 'No3540 £695 CANSS.99 LIFE ON AN EXOPLANET? What to make of the strongest hints yet of alien biological activityae 1G tos go. 1 = em —— = | 7 . | leHolland&Barrett Discover 100s of products to help you move better, feel stronger and recover quicker Shop in store, online and on the app Selected stores and online. Subject to aval Vitamin C contributes tothe reduction of ty. Protein contributes to growth and maintenance of muscle mass. 1d fatigue. Magnes butes to normal muscle function.tcs ZY A coopan OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE TCS LONDON MARATHON H] Use code DMGT2 to start a free trial and start your running Ces] ime aa D SstThis week’s issue On the 34 Features cover 14 Thecremate lobal “Evolution inact ofshrking saa ce sang 0 Rethinking Parkinson's can begin in Wryitmight betw conditions not one and haw hisradcal dea could Separoerereoe systems that we wouldn’t lead to new treatments 18Why eating he ‘cic wortiad tenes n ‘Life onan exopianet? ormally halo mate of he consider to strongestints yet of " atenbobookal acy bealive” Vol266 No3s40 Cover image: Sunn Rebecca Chol News Features 9 Computer etror 30 Unraveling Parkinsons “The Atiythara mechanism We havefreshhopeof eating may nothave worked ‘the wort fastest-growing rewological condition 10 Asteroid chase Space agenciesare preparing ‘follow space rock Apophis. 34 Solid, quid, gas..ite? Redefining fe asa strange state ‘of matter might finaly help us 13 Colossal close-up rasp whatitis~andis agin Alle colossalsquidhas been caught on camera 28 Lunar observatories focthe teste Wythe times pet buld telescopes onthe moon Views The back pages 21 Comment Weneeda TVeramato move 4 Debunking gardening myths thedialoncimate change, Shoudyou water your saysBethanéckeey chi wth ice cubes? 22Thecolumnist 5 Puzzles Istalosingbattietogooreen, Tiyourcossword, quckque asks Graham Lawton andiooicpuzze 24Aperture 46 Almost the tact word “Te beauty saarch When dd humans aur ancestors fst stato sing? 2sculture r Hunting the oiinof 7 Tom Gauldfor ew Scientist mary meder languages | Acatoons’ take onthe wold 2oLeters ss Feedback Lets earitforinrovers, J) Vegeta electron meroscopy some ofhistoy's eats 2 Wild atheartItertdalrveasthe nature hdden henna ea andthe tortured phrases 26 Aprll2035| New Selentit!3Elsewhere on New Scientist Podcast “Effective action against climate injustice will only be taken when we Online event Detecting black holes Despite thermysteriousnature of lacknoles,absenational levdence suggests they are Incredibly abundant nour universe ointheoretical physi Delilah Gates as che reveals hove back holes can be observed and studied using wave-rlated phenomena, including frequency shifting of ight andspace-time poles. This online event takes placeon 10 juneat pm 8ST pm er. eerie een ionerae Event horizon Ripples inspace-me reveal thenatur of backhoes Tour Inthe footsteps of von Humboldt: Ecuador Retrace pat of naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humoolats 1802 expeatton through Ecuador's Avenue the Volcanoes, ard head onwards Int ush cloud forests. Hurnbot vwasa ey infuenceon Charles Darwin theory of evolution This ‘ghi-day our stats on 21 My and costs £3349, Anextended L-day tour startson 14 August 2026 andcosts £4850. Mountaintoucan Gobinwatchng in pristine Andean dousorests newscientist.com/tours Podcast Video Newsletter Weekly Science of magic Health Check ‘Theteamarejonedby ‘Magicans nave ong exloted tisestmated thatmae than i cimatologists Friederike Otto and Quirks in our perception of the 10 million people worldwide Back in stock Joyce Kimutalto cscs the word tomake usexpeence the | haveBeenbomvaIVE. Reporter | By popular demand best-selling etenttowhichwecanblame Impossible. Now, atthe MAGICLab | Carssalengieoksat anew puzzles andmake-your-own climate change for extrome atthe UnierstyofPymouth UK, | -machinethatcoudmaeNFrun | ‘kilsare backinstock Comoe over weather eves Inabonus psjcholoisandmagican Gustav | moresrootyybyautomating | 40 co-fendly wooden paces episode the team unpack Kuhnisusingvckstorevealtresh | someotthestepsimched. But | torakeyourown waking the pupotedtnaingot Insghsintohawourminds work. | lager sudesare nendesto dinosaur or tackle one of our 2 chemical hich can atyba Using tracking technology, ‘gauge whether the technique Lmtd eatin saw pure. Froccedby feonanexoplanet | herevealshowsuenbindspots | would neease thats. Pus you favourte scence books WO ightyearsavaytom Eat. | atterourdecisons nevwectantist.com/ ayebackonusneves: newsclentist.com/nspod youtube.com/newsclentist |_health-check shop.newsclentist.com «New Sclentst|26 April2025The leader The cold, hard truth The race is on to mine the melting Arctic, but chasing riches there is a fool’s errand ‘THE Arcticisalandofriches~not just ints beauty, wildlife andcultural heritage, butin the kinds of commodities we value most: cil, gas, lithium, cobalt, gold and more. Yet those treasures areno goodtous. sour specialreporton polar science reveals (see pages 14 t019), extracting theabundant resources ofthe Arctic forcommercial gain is tricky. ‘Tryingto hauloiland gas fromthe region isan expensive business, even with the dubjous tailwind of melting sea {ce helping to lear new patches ofocean fordrlling.Asindustry and transport gradually sift to electricand hydrogen power, oll demand will fall, making. the expense ever harderto justi. Itisa similar story for minerals, too. Greenlandisahotspot for in demand PUBLISHING & COMMERCIAL qelifonesased smalgineeiae en Beran aden ‘ge lew ‘etatment snes dein ey acu manage ee ‘ra (onget it ima erat a Meatofrent pfoducon sins veoolpdatinagenct ut cose ‘ebmmendal rece ny ci Mantng manage Mra ‘mtr snd poe emetee oni "pent tamaecstn osu Brentcomnner sepia et ae cana Fru statig dors eget cpl gn Digi reget ‘nd castomer Seperienc rin cna entice del te Scien ae amid ete sino gg ae cn oe Biren ee ce uno rntend ete nes conetan ernie ‘materials, perhaps one reason why US President Donald Trump is aggressively pursuingits takeover. But even leaving aside Greenlandlslack of infrastructure roads are hardto come by onthis cy Island-thisis risky place toinvest. ‘Thelandscapelischanging fast as glaciers “For a hard-nosed business executive, there are easier, less hazardous places to mine” ‘melt, revealing new, precarious coastlines that threaten landslides and tsunamis. Across the terrestrial Arcti, melting permafrost is destabilising existing roads, Dulldingsand industrial sites. Fora hard-nosed business executive, there are easier, less hazardous places o mine. NewScientist atewscertis_ So od eftnanse Cn Lon nae nn ian ova ness pre is eos, contactus noweentietcomentct General mada ncn hp ng er 66 ‘Ukhewectand arts Utes mal comcast “unecontent en Bls OE8 "pmatsreaieeeripuban Suction: sewacenetcom/nteripton omen tn Ue malt atcporseremccrestcom ‘Poste Sea ctw ue eau and, Thyra West sss Ss et gd eta wy ensauet ex wee a) olsen etree eenscgnyoaane Viewingthe Arcticasaticket tobountiul ‘economic growth isa fools errand. Instead ‘of seeingitasa region ripe for exploitation, we should treat tas scientifiewonder, ‘hile also respecting the people who live ‘there. Afterall asthe fastest-changing region on Earth, itisat the vanguardofour climate future. And there isso much stillto learn: how quickly might the ice disappear? How fast wil sealevelsrise? Andwhat happensifand when theice is gone? ‘Onamore positive note, researchers are pioneeringever more inventive ways, tounlock these mysteries froma new “drifting” laboratory toultra-deep ice drills andstate-of the-art submarines. The Arctic Isoverflowing with opportunities for ‘exploration and discovery. We ust need toletgoofthe idea of monetising them. EDITORIAL Sar emattionace aera ‘Rise ames Wood. Dig eadofauice Vist iy Mode odor stOgndssapeis tanger once ‘Social media manage el alin ‘ies producer Set eae enotten cn car ‘elnom Aa! a nacram sol Ae eo ha Feature wie’ Gham awion ‘comment andcatae eon ood "enor eniureciter se Mapine te Hetoc ans seiatfengcinecikorvtac ton ean ke fra ke on sorter Fhe Wats Pare T Boy sss pcre) Cun ‘dation mange nts gh ee ss a gz aioe [ares 26 April2035|NewScentitsSlices of wood could make effective Using digital devices canpredicta puppy's mayhelpwardoff personality cognitive dectine waterfters Sl cere] cake andeatit Sd eae) Sey OTe Ce ea eas ee eee i De ee) Beene poe ener ey Pe eens enn cd ee ieee) Ancient humans may have faced high levels ofsolarradiation 26 Apil2oas|NewSclentist7News Strongest evidence yet of alien life Ona distant planet, the James Webb Space Telescope has picked up signs of molecules that, on Earth, are produced only by life - but researchers urge caution, finds Alex Wilkins ASTRONOMERS claim tohave seen the best evidence so far of lifeon another planet. Butother researchers have urged caution until the findings can be verified andalternative, non-biological explanations ean be ruled out, "Thesearethe first hints we areseeing of an alien world that Ispossibly inhabited” Nikku Madhusudhan at the University of ons April Astronomers first discovered ‘theexoplanet K2-48bin2015. About eight times as massiveas Earth and orbiting astari2q light years away fromus,theplanet sits inthe habitable zone of its sta, Where liquid water canexist Further observations in 2019 found evidence of water vapour, which ledto suggestions thatthe planet maybe covered in oceans sitting uundera hydrogen-rich atmosphere, though notallastronomers agreed In2023, Madhusudhan and his colleagues used the instruments ‘on heJames Webb Space Telescope (WSI) to lookat K2-18b's atmosphere in near-infrared light, ‘andagain found evidence of water ‘vapour, as wellas carbon dioxide and methane. But they also found ‘atantalisinghint of dimethyl sulphide (OMs),amolecule that, ‘on Earth, is produced only by living organisms, mainly marine phytoplankton. The signs forDMS ‘wereextremely weak, however, and many astronomersargued that wewould need muchstronger evidence tobe certain about themolecule's presence. Now, Madhusudhan and his colleagues have used adifierent instrument from ]WST, the mid infrared camera, toobserve Ka 18b. They founda much stronger signal for DMs,as well sa possible related molecule called dimethyl disulphide (DMDS), which, on Earth, isalso produced only by ‘|New Sclentst|26 April20n5 life(he Astrophysicalfournal Letters, dokorg/phnd) Theteam claims that the detection of DMS and DMDS isatthethree-sigma evel of statistical significance, which is equivalent toa in-too0chance thata patter of data ike this ends upbeinga luke. tn physics the standard threshold for accepting Cambridgetolda pressconference “We have a boy-who-cried- wolf situation for K2-18b, where previous detections vanished under scrutiny” something asatruediscovery is fivesigma,which equates toa r-n-35 million chancethat the data isachance occurrence. Nicholas Wogan atthe NASA, [Ames Research Center in California saysthe evidence ismore convincing than the 2023 results, ‘butitstill needs o be verified by other groups. Once thedatais made public~ which, as New Scientist went to press, was expectedtobethis month-other researchers can starttoconfiem, therindings, butthis could take weeks or months duetothe dificult of interpreting IWST data, "Its not just likeyou download the data and yousee ifthere's DMS-~isthissuper complicated process,’ says Wogan. Others are more sceptical Thesenew JWST observations donot offerconvincing evidence that DMS or DMDSare present in K2-18b'satmosphere” says Ryan MaDonaldat the University of Michigan, "Wehaveaboy-who- cried. wolf situation for K2-18, where multiple previous three. sigma detections have completely vanished when subjectto closer scrutiny. Any claim of life beyond, Earth needstoberigorously checked by other scientists, and unfortunately many previousexeiting claims for Keasbhaven'twithstoodthese Independent checks” ‘Madhusudhan and is team, estimatethat between 16and 24 hours of further observations Doesexoplanet K2-18b, shown herein anartis's impression, host with ]WsTeould help them reach the five-sigma level, but the dificult of observing he planet’satmospheremeans ‘they can't guarantee this. Lost in space “Therelative sizeofthe atmosphere compared tothe size ofthe planetis pretty closetothe thickness ofan apple skin on top (ofanapple. That's what we're trying to measure,’ says Thomas Beatty atthe University of Wisconsin-Madison, who wasnt part ofthe study team. Madhusudhan and his colleagues calculatethat the possibleconcentrations of DMS and DMDS on Ka-i8bappear tobeover10 parts permillion, thousands of times greater than the concentrations in Earth's atmosphere. This could indicate ‘afargreateramount of biological activity than on Earth ifthe signal provestobe correct, but establishing thatthe chemicals have biological origin willtake more work he says "We have to be extremely careful” said Madhusudhan. “We cannot, at this tage, makethe claim that, even if we detect DMS and DMDS, that itis duetolfe. Let me be very clear about tha. But if youtake published studies sofa, then there isnomechanismthat canexplain what we ae seeing without life Theedifficulty in proving that itcouldn’thave anon biological explanation could put Kaa8b inthe category ofa viable Dlosignaturecandidatefora Tong time, says Sara Seager at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It may remain in that category for decades, since ‘the question may never be fully resolved with thelimited data cexoplanets offer” she says. 1Archaeology Ancient device thought to be atype of computer may not have worked Alex Wilkins THE Antikythera mechanism, a iysteriousancient Greek device that isoften called theworld’s first computer, may not have functionedat all accordingto aasimulation ofits workings. ‘incethe mechanism was discovered in 190, n ashipwreck thought todateto around 60BC, researchers have struggled to work ‘out exactly why itwas built X-ray. scans and digital reconstructions show that it wasoriginally a 3o-centimetre box containing interlinked systems of bronze .geats. These appear ableto track thepositions ofthe moon, sun ‘and future eclipses ona large circular dial, as wellas other features such as acalendar that {includes the dates of Olympic competitions, which wererrelated toastronomicalevents. ‘Much ofthe devicehas been corroded and damaged from centurlesspent underwater, ‘makingit hardto measure exactly how thegearteeth may have functioned. In2006, Mike Zoology Puppy intelligence tests can predict behaviour as adults ASET of cognitive tests for puppies can predict how selfcontrolled and trainable they willbeas adults. Knowing thiscan help owners tallor teaching styles and better Understand their pets abilities and limitations, says SaaraJuntiia at the University of Helsinklin Finland. “These traits are not necessarily ‘900d or bad, and they don't [show] whether a puppy is smart ornot" shesays. “These testsjust help know what kind of exercises ‘each puppy needs.” Jutta and Katrina Tira at Apartofthe Antikythera mechanism ondieplay Indthens, Greece Edmunds at Cardiff University, Uk, andhis colleagues used CT scanstotry to estimatethe aceuracy ofthe device. They found ‘that errors would be relatively largeand render its predictions rly inaccurate~suggestingthe ‘Antikythera mechanism may have been for educationaluseor display ‘smatDOG Ltd in Hyvink’s, Finland, previously discovered they could Classify dogs’ intelligence and personaltiesby breed using a battery of cognitive tests. They ‘wondered whether an adaptation ‘of those same tests might work ‘on puppies ~ and predict how they ‘would behave as they grew olde. Tofind out, Junttila, Tira and their colleagues evaluated hundreds of ‘dogsaged between 3 and 7 months based on seven tests. Some of them looked atthe puppies’ problem solving skills orhow they responded ‘when they encountered anew person or place, for example. (Over the next fow years, the team tested 99 these dogs as adults upto the ageot 8 and raths thana working tool Now, Esteban Szigety and Gustavo Arenas atthe National University of Mar del Platain Argentina have developed atwo: dimensional computational model that simulates how the triangular eeth ofthe gears meshed together, incorporating previous errors measuredby Edmunds and others. I'those earlier measurements arecorrect, then the device wouldn't have worked, the model suggests (arXi, doLorg/phjs). "The mechanism would not have even been able tomove, because it would have jammedoralso the teeth would have disengaged!” says zigety. “One tooth would rotate and theother wouldn't rotate.” However, he ays that this conclusion isunlikely:"How could itbe that someone investedso ‘much timeandsomuch effort {or itto not workin theend?” The obvious alternative, says Sziget, is thatthe past errorestimates weretoo ‘assessed behaviours in 227 of them based on detailed oviner surveys. ‘Theresearchers found that, ‘generally, test performance stayed essentially the same overthe years. ‘The puppies results also frequently aligned with ther behaviour and sillslaterin life (Applied Animal Behaviour Science, dotorgiphne). Young dogsthat are quickto follow pointed fingers, for example, will probably be faster to understand ‘wicks and tllet training. Thisis ‘because they may be more attuned tohuman cues, the researchers say. “Young dogs that are quick to follow pointed fingers will probably be fasterto understand toilet training” pessimistic, andthat thedevicein fact worked more accurately than, previous research has suggested, However, Edmunds disagrees that smaller errors would mean thedeviee could have been an accurate calculator. “Even ifyou docome back down tosmaller errors that allow ittowork, then the majorconclusion of my paper {sn’taltered”" he says Time spent underwater converted the bronze parts of. themachine into a mineral called atacamite, which cracked and shrank when itwas removed fromtheocean, changing its dimensions, says Aristeidis Voulgaris at the Thessaloniki Directorate of Culture and Tourism in Greece. "Therefore, any attempt to apply precision ‘measurements on the current conditionof the gears, axes, includes the effect of the deformation. In this way, we cannot say that ‘according to ‘our precise measurementsthe ‘mechanism never functioned?” # But, paradoxically, puppies that gaze at humans to ask for help may end up more fearful of strangers as adults junta and Tira suspect that ‘this reflects alack of confidence in problem-solving combined witha ‘tendency to pay more attention to their surroundings, including people. Sophie Jacques at Dalhousie University in Canada saystthe findings echo similar trends. inpeople. “Developmental scientists have repeatedly found ‘that young children’s ability to control their behaviours improves. substantially ver development, but their temperamental traits lke extraversion or shyness, stay fait stable!” 1 Christa Lesté-Lasserre 26 April2025|NewScentit9News Insight The race to visit near-flying asteroid Anastetoid’s extremely close flyby of Earth offers us the chance to learn more about these space rocks - including how to deflect others like it, finds Robin George Andrews INFOURyears,on 13 April2029 tobeexact,alarge asteroid named Apophis wll ly by Earth just 32000 klometresabovethe surface. Apophis, ke the recently identfiedasteroid known as 2024 ‘YR4, was once thought tobe on crash coursewithourplanet Afters likelihood of hitting us was lowered to ero,and some presumed sighs of reli, astronomersbegan planning forthe day itwould make ts exceptionally close yy: Whenit does aflet of spaceeraft—featuring missionsby NASA, the European Space Agency (€5A)andtheJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency (AXA) isgoingto chaseit down. “Thiskind of approach ofa body 3 ‘of Apophis’ size occurs only once every few thousand years says Patrick Michelat Cote dAzur University in France, member Cf ESAs Apophis-hunting projec. “this isextraordinary.” To prepare for this moment, astronomersand planetary defence researchers from aroundthe world gathered atthe University of Tokyofrom7ton Aprilfora very unusual workshop, Fach spaceagency sharedits mission’ objectives while making sure that they would coordinate with one another to get the most ‘utof this opportunity ‘Although multiple spacecraft willetlectively beracingto getto Apophis fst, nobody is winning corlosing’ says Michel. ithe historicteam-up goes accordingto plan, everybody willhavea better “understanding of howto defend the planet from kllerasteroids Shortly afte Apophis was Aiscoveredin 2004, tcaused abitofafright. According to carly orbital calculations, this 4450-metre-longasteroid-big fenoughtocause damageon continental scale~stooda sol NewsSclentist|26Aprilacas 27percent chance of striking Earth in2029. Thankfully, follow-up observations ruled ‘outthis calamitous posstbility, Instead showing thatit wil safely pass by Earth, However, it willget extremely close to theplanet, passing below theheight ofgeostationary satellites, Weather permitting, peoplein Europe and Africa willbe abletosee it with thenaked eye, as ‘ahastly moving glimmer. "I [will be}eveningtwilight skies when Apophisis brightest,” says Richard 450 Length of theasteroid Apophis, inmetres 5 million How far the OSIRIS-APEX craft willbe from the asteroid whenit starts observing, in kilometres 6 ‘Number of months the RAMSES. craft will fly alongside Apophis Binzelat the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Thereare thousands of asterolds just like Apophis innear Earth orbitsyet to be discovered. one's foundto bbe heading our way,any mission attemptingto deflector destroy ‘twould greatly benefit from knowing what theirstructure {slike, Arethey rigid objects that couldabsorb the impact of a ram-like spacecraft or rubble ples prone tochaotic fragmentation? Apophis won't just passively pass by the planet. tis likely toshifttoa slightly different orbit, whileits surface geology and interior structure willbe disturbed, “There isgoingto be seismicshaking on Apophis’ says Dani DellaGiustina at the University of Arizona. These asterold quakes wll hintat its geologic make-up. ‘Throughoutthe dose encounter, bevy of ground-based ‘observations, including those using radar, willgiveus a precise measureofthe asteroid’ size, shape and trajectory. But planetary Anartist’simpression fof the RAMISES mission toApophis defenders havemoreambitious hopes:they want tosend several spacecraft after Apophis o get thebest look possible before, duringand after the Earth flyby. Thetitst ofthe fleet isthe successor to NASAS OSIRIS-REX mission. This spacecraft extracted pieces ofrock from the asteroid Bennuin 2020, before returning toFarth in 2023 to drop acapsule containing them. This mission 1was primarily scientific, with those stolen shards being studied tounderstand the origin of planets and ife itself. But OSIRIS RExalso helpedanttasteroid research efforts:itstudied the geology oftheasteroid and helped usbetter understand how this was being affected by sunlight, which ‘ean very gently but significantly alter an asteroid orbit Planetary defence OSIRIS-RExhas since been repurposed for planetary defence. While thespacecraft wason its way back from Benny its ‘operators realised they could pilot itin such away that tcould also rendezvous with Apophis. Itcan no longergather samples with itsextendable arm, but it could examine theasteroid with ts sulteof cameras and sensors So,20 minutes after the sample capsulewas jettisoned towards Earth, thespacecraft fired its thrusters,sendingit ‘onacitcultous trajectory around thesolarsystemtocatch upto Apophis in 2029.The mission, now named OSIRIS-Apophis Explorer, or APEX, istaking a gamble: itwasn’t designedto get aasdlose tothe sunasit hasbeen, Fortunately, isinstrumentsare‘More Insight online ‘Your guide toa,apidly changing world newscientist.com/insight holding up tothe scorching - . heat. “Everything appears go ‘Smashingasteroids for Apophis” says DellaGiustina, theprincipalinvestigator ‘The Apophis flyby projectisthe mission ideas were floated by for OSIRIS-APEX. latestina series ofplanetary ___insttutions and universities. ary satelite The craft willbegin observ defenceetforts Like OSIRIS-REx, Themast eye-catching wasthe so Apophis on 2 April 2029, from Japan’sHayabusa 2mission also Apophis Cratering Experiment, Smilion kilometres away,closing _returnedsamples ofan asteroid, oF ACE."Our mission concepts thegaptojustso,000 kilometres named Ryugu, back toEarthin pretty simple: we impact Apophis, duringthe x3 prilEarth 2020.Andin2022,NASH's and OSIRIS-APEX watches and encounter. {twill finally arrive Double Asteroid Redirection _studiesthe way the impact makes slongsidetheasteroidon sjune, Testor DART, was thefirst ever the crater and deflects its orbit" and fly information with into’ __deep-spaceplanetary defence says KevinWalshat he Southwest 2030, mapping out its surface ‘experiment: the spacecraft Researchinsttutein Texas,one of InSeptember2030, the craft rammedinto the(harmiess) __ the proposersot ACE. willapproach Apophisbefore asteroid Dimorphos,delleting it _Althoughit sounds ke a firingits thrusters at therock ‘and proving that space rocks can miniature version of DART, ACE KnownastheSpacecraftThruster be diverted away fromEarthin ist going to majorly change the Investigation of Regolith, orSTIR, _anemergency. ESA's Heramission, asteroid’ orbit. By smashing into manoeuvre, this isdesignedto launched in 2024, iseurrently Apophis and watching it respond, expose the pristine geology just heading towards Dimorphosto the project would measure the underthesurface oftheasteroid, _examineitpost-DARTimpact. asteroids internal structure OSIRIS-APEX's mission ends AtAprits Tokyo workshop (see and mechanical strength ~ albeit inDecember2030.Whathappens __mainston) several other Apophis ina fairy dramatic fashion. then? "We're pretty interested in trying some daringthings” says DellaGiustina. They may prod cameras, RAMSESwill deploy __-RAMSESand APEX spacecraft, Apophis with OSIRIS-APEX's twominiaturesatelitescalled says Tomoko Araiatthe Chiba extendablearmoreven try CubeSats.Onewilluseground- _Instituteof Technology in Tandingon the surface."We penetrating radarto probethe _japan,the principalinvestigator would love todosomething interior of Apophis,whileanother _of DESTINY*. crazy, but right now, we're maylandaseismometeronthe _Assumingboth RAMSESand justhopingtogetthroughour asteroid, says Michel DESTINY+ makeit offthe launch nominal mission plan” (See pad, the three-piece Apophis ‘Smashingasteroids’ above) “This kind of approach of squadron mustensureitavoids ESwscontribution‘othefleet — abody of Apophis's size _an inadvertent destruction derby isthe Rapid ApophisMission occurs only once every “Onecoordination tasks collision forSpace Safety, or RAMSES, few thousand years” avoidance between spacecraft; spacecraft. Unlike OSIRIS-APEX, says Michael Kiippers, an ESA thisisaworkin progress. The Wecantakemoreriskswith planetary scientist. preliminary design workhas _CubeSats,whiethe mother ‘But they succeed, NASA, already been funded butawaits spacecraft remains atasafe EsAandIAXA will get to watch actitical go-ornogodecision _ position” says Michel Apophis transform sit wrestles atanESA gatheringinlate202s. Beating OSIRIS.APEX and with Earths gravity revealing 2 Butthere was considerable RAMSEStothe punch-ifit vita secretsto planetary optimism in Tokyo that Jaunchesin2028,aspplanned~ _defendersin the process. RAMSES would be green willbelAXA’ DESTINY+ mission. “Wehave spent years Paolo Martino at ESA, the Although its primary target considering what happensto { mission’sproject manager, says _isanother asteroid named anobject when it makes such a |RAMSESwillrendezvous with Phaethon, whichitwillreach__closeapproachtoa planet” says, Apophisin February 2029, flying in2030, twillmakeaflybyof Cristina Thomasat Northern { alongsideit foratleastsixmonths. Apophisinearly2029,taking Arizona Universit. “We finally 4 Aswellasmonitoring it with photographstoaidthe incoming _havethe opportunity to see” ¥ 26 Apllaoa5 | New lenis ssNews Digital devices may help ward off cognitive decline in older people Michael LePage THERE s much concern about the notion of “digital, dementia” -theidea that relyingonsmartphonesand theintemetreducesa person's cognitive abilities. But among thoseover 50 at least, these technologies appear toactually havethe oppositeetfect. Ananalysis of nearly 60 studies involving 410,000 people inthis age group has Toundthat those who spend, moretime using smartphones, ‘computers andthe internet areless likely (ohave cognitive impairment -and more likely tohaveslower cognitive dediine=than people who spendless timeusing these technologies (Nature Human Behaviour, dotorg/gothw4). Whilethis analysis can't establish causation, it suggests ‘that digital technologies ‘encouragebehaviours that help preserve cognition in the first ‘generation of peopleto have accessto them at an older age, says Jared Bengeat the University of Texas at Austin, ‘There has long been concer abouthow theuse ‘oftechnologiesis affecting ‘our brains. ToJeam more, Benge andhiscolleague Michael Scullin at Baylor University in Texas searched the literature for studies involvingthe use of digital technologies in people verso. Among other criteria they excluded those focusing ‘on gaming or brain training. “"Wewere moreinterestedin theeveryday kind of experience ‘of dealing withdligital technologies” says Benge. ‘Thisleft 57studies, most from Europeor North America, ‘but there were papers from all around the worl, says Benge. “And theeffects seem tobe fairly consistent” s2New Scents |26 Aprll2oa5 Sharing yourholiday ‘snapscould be good forthe brain Itishardtoboil down, the resultstosimpienumbers, says Benge, “but theeffect sizes seem comparable to other established protective factors ~ things lke education and blood pressurecontrol~ that we know are good for brain health”. ‘Oneexplanation could be that people with better education, healtheareor incomes are more Likely touse digitaltechnologies, asthese factorsare also linked With lowerrates of dementia, Butsome ofthe studies controlled for these and till, foundthe sameeetfect. Thereare three reasons \why digital technology might slow cognitive decline says Benge. hetirstisthat digital activities are more complex and interactivethan just Watching TV.Thesecond isthat itcanhelp people connect with cothers-for instance, via video cals. Thethiedisthat it might help peoplestay independent forlonger, with satellite navigation ensuring they don’t get osteveniiftheir wayfinding abilities dectne, for example. ‘engealso points out that the people inthese studies didn't have smartphones or Internet accessas children, "Does this play out for digital natives? Thisisasnapshot that'sencouraging, butthe story is not done being to. “Current middle-aged people have heen exposed oa very ‘widerange of technologies since theturnofthemillennium, and ‘most ofthefocus of concern is “This provides a counter forthe usual knee-jerk stance that ‘technology equals bad! for the brain” onsmartphones and/or social ‘media, whieh haven't been, around that long,’ says neuroscientist and science writer Dean Burnett. ‘That said, whilethe results ofthe research areinconclusive, they suggest that long-term technology use can be beneficial forthe brain and cognition, says Bumett."Itcertainly provides strong counter forthe usual knee-lerkstance that “technology equal bad’ inter ofbrainand mentalhealth’ © Technology Simple wooden discs could be effective waterfilters ‘Matthew Sparkes SLICES of wood can act as water filters that remove bacteria and rmicroplastics with more than ‘99 per cent efficiency. Previous research has westigated more complex methods to make wooden filters Involving complicated chemical treatments, but these would be Impracticalinlower-income countries where water-bome Iilvesses cause hundreds of thousands of deaths a year, aii Imperial College London Faculty of Natural Sciences PHOTOGRAPHS accompanying ‘most scientific papers might politely becalled “functional”. But this collection of images fromimperial College London's research photography research can be beautiful. The far-left image, by Harsh Ratheeot the physics department, shows an optical fibre connected toadilution refrigerator, a device that createsatemperaturea thousandth thatof the vacuum ofspace. By observing how light {interacts with sound waves at this incredibly low temperature, researchers can explore the ‘unique properties ofmatterat ‘the quantum lev The uppernear let entry fromAnna Curran ofthe math department, who won a judges cholce prize inthe PhD student category. Curran’s research focuses ‘on mathematically modelling theeffect of molecules calle surfactants, which reduce surface tension in fluids.Itisthis phenomenon that allows bubbles tohold their shape within the ring ‘Surfactants areal around us nour soaps and detergents, hey are responsible for bres dirtand bacteria, but their effects alsounderpin many biological, ‘medicaland engineering processes, from inkjet printing toself-cleaningsurfacesto thetreatment of premature babies’ lungs” says Curran, At lower near left san image from Alex Kingston of thellife sciences department. It depicts partofacerebral organold, also known as a“mink-brain These lab-grown collections ofcells area microcosm of the earliest stages of human brain development. # ‘Matthew Sparkes 26 Apil2oas|NewSdentit|25,Views Culture Ancestral voices Hunting the origin of many of our modern languages is a huge feat, but anew book makes an excellent and elegant job of g Book Proto Laura Spinney HarperCollins (UK) Bloomsbury Publishing US, 3 May) ANEW-book by Laura Spinney is rather tantalisingly called Proto, beggingthe question: proto-what? Prototype, the earliest version of technology? Protoplasm, thestuff ‘four cells? Or even protoplanet, ‘asmall hunkofspacerock with abigfutureahead? The answer infact, sits above andacross those words: Proto: Indo-European. This isthe great ‘original anguage from which English, among many other tongues, both aliveand dead, derives. As Spinney puts “Almost every second person ‘on Earth speaks Indo-European” ‘Andthe task shehas set herselfin Proto;Howoneancient language went globalis toexplain how. ‘Thestory sheends up telling, througha mixture of reportage and beautiful prose, is one that spans millennia, dozens of clvlisations andthousandsof kilomettes.It isa magisterial feat. Itstartsaroundtheswirling ‘waters ofthe BlackSea, about 6000107000 yearsago, where ancient peoples started meeting, mergingandmimicking_ “The Yamna, thought asis the language they spoke, They belong to prehistory, before written records began. This makes theearly chapters of Proto a model ofeducated imagination. Here, drawing on the available evidence, Spinney allows the Yamnato live again. They aren'tjust skeletons, ‘but fully fleshed people who stood around 18 metres all, drank milk and smoked cannabis. They had, itisthought, a word for“wheel” ((e"6b*Ios) and another for “honey” (méit Iallthat makes Proto sound toomuch like ahistory book, then rest assured: theresalot eachother’ vocabularies to ‘pe theseeeeael achleve goals suchas trade z Encompassingmodern-diy _-‘Proto-Indo-European, countriesstichas Ukraineand «ar long gone, but live Bulgariathisareawasandisso _againin thisbook” rich inresourcesthatitbecamea foundry forthe Copper Age and many other developments. tis fromherethatthe steppe folk reckoned to bethesource of Proto Indo-European -knownas ‘theYamna in Ukrainian andthe ‘Yamnaya in Russian-struckout ‘The Yarmnaare long gone, ofsclencegoingon. Spinney, who has written features for New Scientist, explains that thestudy of Proto-Indo-European and its proliferation isa multidisciplinary pursuit. Theres linguistics, enabling researchers to work backwards through various 26| New Sclentst|26Aprilaons it, says Peter Hoskin languages, grabbingon to roots oftoots of roots, before having ‘ago at reconstructing Proto- Indo-European tself(and those words for wheel and honey are reconstructions). Then thereis archaeology, which enables usto seethe Yamna’s Journeys through time and space. ‘And theres genetics, by which we cantracktheiradvances through other populations. Accordingto cone study Spinney cites,“migrants had radiated east and west from thesteppearoundfivethousand yearsago,and in Europetheir ancestry had replaced up to ninety per cent ormore ofthe gene poo!” “Migration isa huge part of Spinney’ story. After the initial explications of Proto-Indo: European and the Yamna, the bookeffectively becomes a chapter-by-chapter account of migrations, argeand small, violent and peaceful, by which the original language spread and split. ‘There are 12 main branches, ofProto-Indo-European from Greek toGermanig,Italicto Indic~ allofwhichdivideintobranches ofthelrown. Some ofthosehave withered anddied. AsSpinney ‘Thenow-extinet Tocharianlanguage ona scrap of parchment recounts in oneofthe most evocative passages of Proto,the isappeared Tocharian, found alongthe routes of China's Silk Road, may have been the result ‘ofanambitious, one-off trek by the Yarna centurles before. inthesechapters that Protocan getalittleknotty. You need to keep your brain switched ‘onto distinguish between Hittites and Fattians or between one chromosomal group and another. Spinney shares every side of every aargumentto a fault: sometimes youare ust getting to grips with ‘acomplicated idea when another issuddenly thrust upon you. Yet such are thedemands of thevanished past andits vanished languages. Any book that offers certainty on prehistory ought to bedisregarded. Proto doesn't do that. [tis clever, careful, expansive, insightful and host ofother fine Indo-European adjectives. & Peter Hoskinis books and culture editor at Prospect magazineExistential Groundhog Day Anunusual speculative novel uses an old trope tonew effect, urging us to be truly alert to the world, finds Gerardo Bandera g Book Onthe Calculation of Volume (parts fand) Solve) Ball, translated bbyBarbara}-Haveland Faber Faber (UK, Now Directions (U5) ONHIS 70th birthday, Albert Einstein receiveda manuscript from his frien, the logician Kurt Gel, demonstrating mathematically something Einstein had conjectured, but never proven. According to his genera theory of relativity, space-time could bend and cose in Conitsetf,creating aloop tothe past. Itwasan extraordinary development, but one that troubled ‘many physicists ~ somuch sothat, years later itled Stephen Hawking tomakehis "chronology protection conjecture“ according to which the laws of physics prohibit time travel. This meant that time loops. wore relegated to philosophical experiments and science fiction, where they became atired trope burdened by predictable plots and Couldrevingasinge day ‘ver andewer alr ustothe numbing effectsof time? cheesy grandfather paradoxes. ‘On the Calculation of Volume, Solve] Ball's seven-part nove, is a ‘welcome change of pace that slows ‘down the temporal experiment and ‘creates a meditative space where ‘we an explore theillusory effects ‘oftime, The fist two parts of the Danishnovel arenow available in English, with part shortisted forthe 2025 international Booker prize. For Balle’ protagonist, Tara Setter, an antiquarian book dealer inFrancethe arrow of timeis broken, Each day, she wakes up to ‘LBNovember, which repeats with noendinsight. By the timewe meet Tara, she has lived 120 iterations ‘ofthe sameday, and the novelty has become claustrophobic ennui. Unlike many time-loop ‘experiments, Tara isn’t subject to.adally reset ~ shecan travel, begin the day indifferent places, repeat the same routine or change itstightly, and remember what ‘shedid on each 18 Novernber. Everybody ese, however, ives the day forthe frst - and only ~ time Balle’s innovative set-up isolates her character ina confounding, introspective experience while ‘granting her enough agency to change her course ~ifshe chooses. Thenover'scontemplative prose (lucily translated by Barbara), Haveland) and slow, structureless Plot ulthe reader with thie repetiiveness- but this is intentional done to immerse usin Tara's stagnant world. For most of the irs prt Tara spends her days observing detail finding patterns and writing them down with the dimope of discovering a way out Ordinary events become a choreographed performance: she comes to know exactly when the birds wil sing, the rai wil all orthe tap willrun Sensory detalis turnintoachythm she memories and anticipates. *findmy way into predictable word, pattern that acquires more and more detail” shereflectsinher journal Like thenarratorin Marcel Proust's InSearchof Lost Time habit begins torwmd perception andimpede the protagonist's slf-discovery. By the end of part we ind Tara ready to break ut ofthis monatony and take contol ot her days, event whatever futile change she achieves willbe reset the next morning. Inpartt Taraattemptstorecreate the sensation of time by traveling toplaces where the cimatematches herinterna calendar. On what feats ike 25 December fr he sherecruitsher famityto celebrate Christmas evenititis only mid- November fr them. The sensation 4 oftime passing, alle reminds us, 4 scrticalto a sense of sett. 5 Onthe Caleulation of Volume { calsour attention tothe illusion | oftime' duling effects. Asa + prediction machine the brain = auickly becomes habituated to | repeated stimuli expecting their “recurrence while diminishing our | emotional response other. By ‘making usaware ofthis numbing | process alleencouragesus to + hamess our powers of observation 4 andremainalertto the word which 5 Isnever truly as constant as our 4 minds would have us belive. New Scientist recommends Madeleine Cuff Reporter London. I skirt the river Thames ‘most days usuallyin ‘packed tran, though ‘occasionally stall along itsbanks and admire the Gleam ofits water But itis whatlies beneath the river's waves tat is v. ‘most fascinating ast dscoveredatthe London ‘Museum Docklands exhibition, Secrets of ‘the Thames, The shows devotedton ‘muclarking, he popular hhobby that sees people scourthe Thamesat low tide for hidden treasures From musky beginnings ~ talesofthievery and scams openthe show= rmudlarkingisreveated ‘asavita archaeological resource, AndLandan's tiverbedhasichpickings. Fromfalseteethtolron Agehelmets each cabinet holds fresh wonders, disgorged innear-prsine condition, Ondispay are loaded dice, hunting knives, Viking brooches, cel spears and more, shed bythecty‘sresdents ver thecentures ‘Theseobjectsarea Journey hroughLondon's history taling storiesof therichandthedestitute, warriors andensiaved Itmademewantto hunttreasuremyset, 26 April2on5| New Sclentit 27Views Culture Nature’s power to transform From clams to crimson rose butterflies, a poetic account captures the rich wildlife that offsets the urbanity of Chennai, India, says Graeme Green g Book Intertidal Yuvan Aves Ithaka WHEN Yuvan Aves wasaboy, ‘search party had to besent out afterhewent missing. turned ‘outhe had been soenthralled, sitting by apond, watching asmall bird of prey leap acrossthe water tocatchhovering dragonflies that he had lost trackoftime. Decades later, the adult Aves isanaturalist, author, educator andenvironmental activist. He siillspends hours watching wild creatures, and his observations ofthe natural world andthe ideas they spark illhis new book, intertidal: The hidden world between landand sea. ‘diary account, recorded over two yeats from 2020 t02022, tis. aforensiclookat the coastal city Anegret takes off at Pallikaranal marsh inChennai India i ; i 28] New clentst|26aprtiaoas ofchennai,whereheliveson po ryand science, history and the Bay of Bengal'sCoromandel present, personal and poitieal Coast inthestate of Tamil Nadu. _Aves's writing is captivating, The"intertidal” of his title Horehe iswalkingon Urur {sdefinedas “the part ofthe Kuppam beach: “Early Aprilwind shoreline that appearsduring blows feebly from the southeast. lowtideandishiddenduringhigh Crows sit airy alongthesterns tide"anareabetweenlandand —_ofboatsfacingthe sea as ifthere ‘ocean, Such transition zones are isnothingforthemtodothat often populatedwithabundant day. Waves curl south to north, lifeand diverse species.Readers stooping into question marks.” are given aguided tour of beaches, rivers, wetlands and forests “aves is hopeful that amidChennals“uterurbanty’, more young people Whereweareintroducedto all kinds ofresidents fromclams 72 movingaway from tocrimson rose butterflies. values that proved ‘Accordingtonaturewrer ecologically disastrous” Robert Macfarlane, who wrote theintroduction,Aves"Isflatout—_Ipartculary enjoyed aves on andhands down the bestall-round _ ghost crabs, which lve “on the naturalist with whomThave ever fogay cusp ofland, sea,sandand spent time inthe field Fungi, sky. They can hearand drinkwith protists plants, snakes, birds, fish, thesetae hair) on their feet, speak insects, mollusc, lichens, humans: in pincer signs, stridulationsand hisknowledgespansthemany gut rumbles. They have panoramic kingdoms and phylaoflife” 360-degreevision, andthe Thebookisalsoaboutother _cylindricaletinas atop thelr eerie in-between zones whereelements ghostly periscope eyes can see you ‘meet or overlap: human and coming from so mettes away” Wwildlife,natureanddevelopment, They alsohavea very clear role as“theprincipalelean-up squad ‘and public health officers of sandy shores beaches would beless liveable and hygienic places for ‘numerous life forms, including us" Their burrowing also reworks thesoil, making he subsoil more inhabitable or other species ‘Aves’ relationship with nature {s intensely personal. Growing up witha violent, uncaring father in a low-income household, then with ‘astepfatherwhobeat him so badly hisblood spattered the walls, the youngnaturelover’s spirits would belied by the sight ofa peregrine falcon, mongoose or snake. Later, Aves recounts astory from when he was14 anda wolf snakecame in the house. His stepfather asked him to Kili Instead, Aves left itsafely outside inthe grass, and ended up beaten until dawn, “thrashed with every pleceof furniture in the house” ‘Aveshas continued totakea stand againstviolenceandto defend naturein India, one ofthe ‘most dangerouscountriesinthe world forenvironmental activist. He isthe founder ofthe Palluyit Trust forNature Education and Research, which provides outdoor, nature-based learning forthe public,especially childrenand young people. Aves also supports tenvironmentalcampaigns and conservation across TamilNadu, work detailed in Intertidal, including documentingthe wildlife of Pulicat lagoon, ‘While the book's focus ison section of India's east coast, itsissues are global. Aves is hopeful that moreyoung people removing away fromthe old political religiousand cultural values that have proved tobe ecologically disastrous", His ook will make that shift more likely. © Graeme Greenisa journalist and \witerbasedin Derbyshire, UKViews Your letters Editor's pick Let’s hear it for introverts, some of history's greats 22March, p27 From Dominic wens, Cambridge, Uk Asalife-ong introvert, wastaken aback bythe advice in the book ‘Me, But Better, which was reviewed inyour pages. Forcing yourself to conformto perceived societal expectations around sociability is recipe for disasterin the long term. ‘Accepting yourself onthe other hand, fosters self-compassion that bringsiong-termhappiness and, ironically the change that many of usintroverts desire. | would keto point the interested reader to Quiet: The power of Introverts ina world that con't stop fetking,by Susan Cain. A git from ry university supervisor, that book helped me to understand and accept myself ~ and taught me that many of society's most celebrated figures, including Albert Einstein and Rosa Parks, were introvert. Net carbon by banning fishing globally 29 March, p39 From John Kitchen, Kettering, Northamptonshire, UK researcher Oswald Schmitzis, conect about fishstoringsuch largeamounts of carbon, then we need to stop commercial ishing Immediately. We know that world stocks of largerspecies have dippedto ess than 10 per cent of what they were before industrial fishing took over. Wecouldtackle theproblem of excessive carbon dioxidein the atmosphere simply bybanningcommercil fishing. Little natural landscape left, even in countryside 29 March, p21 FromSam Edge, Ringwood, Hampshire, UK Moved Mennoschilthuizen’s take on the (relatively) new urban, natura history discoveries to emade.Unfortunatey,hefalls __‘Theolder cohort wereborn in intothetrap of thinkingthat only _ 1952and the younger cohort in urbanitesareliving in landscapes 1960. Post-warausterity probably thatare“completely different _affectedthe health ofthe older from naturalhabitats":The rural group (andtheir mothers during landscapes of Europe(especially conception nd pregnancy) theUX},NorthAmericaand because ofpoor nutrition and many otherplaces arearifial housing ationinginthe UK Too andalsoalmostexcusvely didnttotallyenduntiigs4, createdby Homo sapiens and theClean Ai Actin 1956 wil alsohave benefitedthe younger soup. Thesefactorscould also ia tiins free meas te) +help account forthe higher reuse our own waste socioeconomic status ofthe 1960 29 March, p22 group whichtendstocorreate Fromchery tie, ‘wth betteroverall health, Cribyn, Dyfed, UK GrahamLawtons arte on the : recovery ofusefulchemicalsfrom We give cows their sewagewasexcellent Ihavelong OWN medicine cabinet advocatedformalnsreamuse — 22March, p34 ‘ofcompostingtollets-whichcan From fain Gordon, Townsville, makeuseofourwasteinsitu-so Queensland, Australia itishelpfultoputavalueonthe Tread with interest yourinterview ‘commodities we flush away, with Jaap de Roode on self- Extractingchemicalsatthe _-medicationin animals. My sourceusingcompostingtollets research focuses on domestic could cutwater-treatmentcosts livestock self medicating against anddomesticwateruse,making _gutparasites using medicinal usmoreresilienttodrought,aswell _plants.DeRoode mentions that as preventingsewagespillsinto. _farmanimalslackavarieddliet riversand{flood water.Commodily _forbetterhealth.At Lincoln, theresources in sewageandyou University’s Integral Health also potentially reateemissions Dairy Farm in New Zealand, we from their transport,whichisa introduced woodland strips with really strongargument tolocalise herbaceous plants, shrubs and theprocessofdealing withthem. —trees,allowinganimalsto feed ‘onaromaticplants for medication. ‘Maybe dementia reduction hadother factors at play Uncertainty in science 15March, pg isagreat source ofjoy From Paultfolt, 2aMarch, p26 Pitlochry Perthandinross, UK FromByron Righy, ‘Thereisanalternativeexplanation Melbourne, Australia otherthanextraeducation forthe — Yourreview of Adam Kucharski's reduced incidenceofdementia book Proofrefers to “truth” and inUKadultsbornfouryears after “truth-seeking”insclence.Idon't thecut-offbirthdateforthe1972 know if Kucharskis bookuses Increasein theschool-leaving age, these terms much, but perhapsit from 5to16,comparedwiththose should beadded that indisputable bor four years prior. ‘ruth sn‘t available in science, Want to get in touch? Send letters [email protected]; see terms at newscientist.com/letters Letters sent to New Scientist, 9 Derry Street, London, W8 SHY willbedelayed andthatseeking evidence for somethingisless important than seeking evidence againstit. Nowhereis this better illustrated than in Isaac Newton'stheories ofmotion and gravitation being refuted fromthe beginning byanomalies in Mercury’sorbit. ‘Onceyouget used toit, the perpetualuncertainty of science canbea great source of oy. ‘Theres no dead end; the Journey is perpetual, Has population really been underestimated? 29 March, p37 FromScott McNeil Banstead, Surrey, UK Inthetr study on world population, theresearchersused data from ddam projectsas the bass fortheir assertion that rural populations had been significantly underestimated, Couldthere bbeanother explanation for theapparent discrepancies? Nodoubt in many cases, people living nthe areato be flooded were offered compensation. This, could encourage alse claims ranging from exaggeration and embellishment to outright fraud. An unfortunate case of nominative determinism 29 March, p10 From Dyane Silvester, ‘Amside, Cumbria, UK Reading’A wobbly starttoradio astronomy onthe moon” got ‘mewondering:did NASA, In spectacular case of nominative determinism, sealthe lander's fate by namingthe telescopemounted conit ROLSES-1? Perhaps someone should warn the agency nottouse thename"Cosmic Radiation and Associated Solar Heating Interstellar Energy Sensor” (CRASHIES)foranything, t Forthe record | AndreasHeinolisat Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany (5 April, p13). 26 Apil2o2s| New Sdlentist 29Features Cover story Rethinking Parkinson's We have fresh hope of treating the world’s fastest- growing neurological condition - thanks to the surprising discovery that the disease might exist in two types, says Alexandra Thompson ER BORGHAMMER'S “aha moment came nearly 20 yearsage. ‘Theneuroscientistwas readinga paper from researchers who were examining ‘Whether REM sleep behaviour disorder(RBD), condition that causes peopletoact out thelr dreams and is often found in people who later develop Parkinson's disease, could bean early {form of theneurological condition. Ratherthan starting withthe brain, however, ‘theteam instead looked for nerve cell oss in theheart-Though Parkinson’ ishistorically associated with nerve cell depletion in the brain, italsoaffects neurons inthe heart that manageautonomicfunctionssuch as heart rateand blood pressure. And, says Borghammer, “In allofthese patients, theheartisinvisible;itisgone” Not literally, ofcourse. But in these people, theneuronsthat produce the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which helpscontrol heart rate, were so depleted that theirhearts didn’t show up onscansusing radioactive tracers. Thiskind of neuron lossis associated with Parkinson's butt thetime, none of the people had been diagnosed with thediseaseandthelr brain scans seemed normal What strudkBorghammer was that Parkinson's didn't seem to follow the same ‘trajectory in everyone itaffected: RBD strongly predicts Parkinson’ but not everyone with, Parkinson's experiences RBD. {realised that Parkinson's must beat least 30 New Scents |26 apell2on5 ‘wo types; says Borghammer-when neuron lossstarts outside the brain, eventually ‘working its way in,and when neuron loss 1s largely estrictedtothe brain fromthe beginning. By 2019, Borghammer,at Aarhus University in Denmark, had gathered enough evidence to formally propose his theory of “brain-fitst" and “body-first” Parkinson's. Now, with 1 published studies and more onthe way, the idea isstartingto gather steam. Andif Borghammeris right, reframing the iseaseas existing intwodiscrete forms could dramatically transform how wetreat oreven prevent it “think that we are getting tothe heart of ‘what causes Parkinson's disease,” says Timothy Greenamyre, a neurologist atthe University ‘ofittsburgh in Pennsylvania. “That willbe ahuge home run.” Gettingto grips with thecauses of Parkinson's disease can't come soon enough, Casesare skyrocketing, witha recent study estimating that by 2050, 25. million people willbe living with Parkinson's disease ‘worldwide, morethan double the nearly xamilion people with it in 2021. Some researchers are even calling it“pandemic” (see Parkinsonison the rise’ page 32). ‘Meanwhile, the search for moreeffective ‘treatments, not tomention acure,has been littered with disappointments. Parkinson's symptoms tremors, unstable galt, muscular rigidity -were documented as farbackas 600 BC. Butit wasn't untilthe 19th century that the condition became knawn as Parkinson's, after London physician James Parkinson described six people's “involuntary tremulous motion” in his1817 An Essay on the Shaking Palsy-Parkinson’s wasthen rare, ‘and it would take 10 years before the brain structures involved were identified Losing dopamine Wenow know that Parkinsonsis associated with thelossofnerve cel in partsothe bain thathelpcontrol movement, suchasthe substantia nigra. Someofthese neurons produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, nd thereduction in dopamine disrupts the normal signalling pathways that control motor function, leadingtothe tremulous motion” Parkinson observed. This neuronal die-offappearstobecaused bythe proliferation ofa misfolded form ofthe protein alpha-synucein.Alpha-synucteinis found throughout our bodes andplysa ertlal role in controling therelease of neurotransmitter, incding dopamine, at synapses, thejunctions between neurons wherecommunication happens, But for proteinsto unctionwithincels correctly, they heedtoassume the right shape. When alpha synuclein isfolds,tean form clumps called Lewy bodies inside neurons. TheLouy bodies slowly killthe neurons, whetherby disrupting signalling, puncturing cell or accumulating inthemitochondsa niibtingcell ably to produce energy What causes alpha synuclein tomisfldis still unclear, butthe regular proteins seem to then spread the dlseasefrom celltocell One ofthemechanisms that cellshaveto defend themselves gainstbad proeinsistogetridot itby kicking tout ofthecell with exosomes ~ asmall balloon ofad materia says Borghammer.‘Andthen the neighbour stupld enough to import andthen you havekick started the process inthe next col” Tryingtounderstandvwyandhow alpha synuclein goes wrong, researchers began to search or the laces in the body wherethe inisfoldingcouldoriginate.Inthe19908, neuroanatomist HelkoBrakat Goethe University Frankfurtin Germany observed that the proliferation ofthe Lewy body clumps resembled falling row of dominoes” This Jedhimto suspect that thedisease might originstoutsidethecentralnervoussystem >