Scientific American 2023 06.pdf

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JUNE 2023
SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM
The World’s Most
Boring Number
Treating Multiple
Personality Disorder
Weather Disasters
and Climate Change
Star
Power
What is the future of fusion energy?
© 2023 Scientific American
June 202 3
VO L U M E 3 2 8 , N U M B E R 6
52
ENERGY
LINGUISTIC S
28 Star Power
Does fusion have a future after all?
By Philip Ball
P S YC H O LO G Y
62 Whispers
from Deep Time
An endangered language family
suggests that early humans used
their bodies as a model for reality.
By Anvita Abbi
E P I D E M I O LO G Y
36 The Community of Ella
A young woman with multiple
personalities gets better without
losing her “parts.” Instead they
learn to work as a team.
By Rebecca J. Lester
C L I M AT E
70 Dead Heat
The greyhound racing industry
has been implicated in the
evolution of drug resistance
in hookworms—which can infect
dogs and humans.
By Bradley van Paridon
M AT H E M AT I C S
44 Blame Game
How scientists got confident
attributing disastrous weather
to global warming.
By Lois Parshley
PHYSIC S
76 The Most
Boring Number
Prime numbers and powers of  2
are considered fascinating,
but in fact all numbers can be
split into two camps: interesting
and boring.
By Manon Bischoff
O n THe C OVe R
Recent advances in nuclear fusion have
renewed hope that this sustainable form
of energy may help power our future.
Although the technology is unlikely to be
ready in time to stop climate change, it could
offer an abundant source of clean energy
in the second half of this century.
Illustration by Mark Ross.
52 Mimicking Matter
with Light
Experiments that imitate materi-
als with light waves reveal the quan-
tum basis of exotic physical effects.
By Charles D. Brown II
Photograph by Spencer Lowell
June 2023, ScientificAmerican.com
1
© 2023 Scientific American
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team
Katie Thomas
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20
84
4 From the Editor
6 Letters
8 Science Agenda
We need to better regulate nutra-
ceuticals, products that promise
benefits—often unverified—to
health.
By the Editors
22 Meter
An ode to the lyrebird.
By Laura Reece Hogan
84 Reviews
Wildfire meets the Alberta tar
sands. An alien arrival in
the meme age. Hope and hype
for MDMA. Poems and parables
about plastic.
By Amy Brady
23 The Science of Health
Too much “good” cholesterol
can be quite bad for you.
By Lydia Denworth
86 Observatory
Nuclear fusion is not the solution
to the climate crisis.
By Naomi Oreskes
9 Forum
Chronic pain is as much psycho-
logical as biochemical, and
treatment must take both into
consideration.
By Haider Warraich
24 Q&A
A U.S. program has changed
the course of HIV/AIDS worldwide.
By Lauren J. Young
87 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago
By Mark Fischetti
80 Mind Matters
The core belief behind the conser-
vative-liberal divide.
By Jer Clifton
10 Advances
The rarest of planetary systems.
Fascinating numerals developed
by schoolchildren. Mice with
two fathers. Dazzling space dust.
88 Graphic Science
A little magnetic field can
slow a star’s spin down a lot.
By Clara Moskowitz and
Lucy Reading-Ikkanda
82 The Universe
Lamenting the dimming stars
above.
By Phil Plait
Scientific American (ISSN 0036-8733), Volume 328, Number 6, June 2023, published monthly by Scientific American, a division of Springer Nature America, Inc., 1 New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, N.Y. 10004-
1562. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Publications Mail (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 40012504. Canadian BN No. 127387652RT;
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Scientific American, June 2023
© 2023 Scientific American
London Ladd

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