Scientific American 2024 11.pdf

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CONTENTS
NOVEMBER 2024
VOLUME 331, NUMBER 4
FEATURES
EVOLUTION
22
50 YEARS OF LUCY
Half a century after its discovery, the iconic fossil remains central
to our understanding of human origins.
BY DONALD C. JOHANSON AND YOHANNES HAILE-SELASSIE
MEDICINE
34
NO MORE NEEDLES
Gentle nasal sprays are being tested as vaccines against COVID, the flu,
RSV, and more. They may work better than shots in the arm.
BY STEPHANI SUTHERLAND
COSMOLOGY
42
COSMIC CONFUSION
Measurements of the universe don’t agree on how fast it’s expanding.
Could an extra ingredient in the early cosmos explain the gap?
BY MARC KAMIONKOWSKI AND ADAM G. RIESS
TIME
50
SHOULD WE ABANDON THE LEAP SECOND?
We have been adding “leap seconds” to time kept by our atomic clocks,
but soon we may have to subtract one. Are the tiny adjustments worth
the bother?
BY MARK FISCHETTI AND MATTHEW TWOMBLY
SPECIAL REPORT
S1
INNOVATIONS IN SOLUTIONS FOR HEALTH EQUITY
S3
BETTER MEASURES BY
CASSANDRA WILLYARD
S6
RURAL PRESCRIPTIONS BY
CARRIE ARNOLD
S10
THE STAGGERING SUCCESS OF VACCINES BY
TARA HAELLE
S16
OF HOPE AND JUSTICE AS
TOLD TO ANIL OZA
S18
CULTURAL COMPETENCY BY
ROD MCCULLOM
S21
DEFOGGING DATA BY
JYOTI MADHUSOODANAN
S25
HISTORY LESSONS BY
CHARLES EBIKEME
Photograph by David L. Brill
NOV E M BER 2 02 4
ON THE COVER
Fifty years ago an
extraordinary fossil
skeleton was discov-
ered in Ethiopia.
Nicknamed Lucy, the
skeleton came from a
small-brained, upright-
walking human ancestor
who lived nearly
3.2 million years ago.
Today Lucy’s species,
Australopithecus
afarensis,
is the best-
known early human
ancestor on record,
thanks to the wealth of
additional fossils that
have been recovered.
Illustration by
John Gurche/
Created for the Institute
of Human Origins/
Arizona State University
SC I E N T I F IC A M ER IC A N.COM
1
© 2024 Scientific American
CONTENTS
NOVEMBER 2024
VOLUME 331, NUMBER 4
4
FROM THE EDITOR
6
CONTRIBUTORS
8
LETTERS
10
ADVANCES
56
SCIENCE AGENDA
Presidential candidate Kamala Harris
promises a better future for our nation.
BY THE EDITORS
58
FORUM
A play raises climate hopes while celebrating
how science influences politics.
BY BEN SANTER
59
THE SCIENCE OF HEALTH
10
Kids with ADHD may still have symptoms
as adults.
BY LYDIA DENWORTH
62
MATH
How a teenager cracked a 2,100-year-old
math problem.
BY JACK MURTAGH
64
THE UNIVERSE
Why UFOs and UAPs really aren’t aliens.
BY PHIL PLAIT
66
Q&A
Research on basic income shows wide benefits.
BY ALLISON PARSHALL
68
MIND MATTERS
To beat procrastination, think about the positives.
BY JAVIER GRANADOS SAMAYOA
AND RUSSELL FAZIO
70
OBSERVATORY
Tomekbudujedomek/Getty Images
Earthquakes producing gold nuggets.
Bizarre taste-bud locations. The sounds
of bird dreams. Sudden spikes in aging.
Contrary to the popular maxim, the simplest
explanation is often not the best one.
BY NAOMI ORESKES
71
METER
The poetic motion of plate tectonics.
BY DANIEL GALEF
72
REVIEWS
64
Scientific American (ISSN 0036-8733), Volume 331, Number 4, November 2024, published monthly, except for a July/August 2024
issue, by Scientific American, a division of Springer Nature America, Inc., 1 New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, N.Y. 10004-1562.
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Copyright © 2024 by Scientific American, a division of Springer Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.
Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific
publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy
of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard
to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Economies that value nature. The timelessness
of Ursula K. Le Guin. Treasured trees. The costs
of electric power. A history of citrus.
BY AMY BRADY
74
GRAPHIC SCIENCE
Universal patterns in folk songs hint at
the origins of music.
BY ALLISON PARSHALL,
DUNCAN GEERE AND MIRIAM QUICK
76
HISTORY
BY MARK FISCHETTI
2
SCI E N T I F IC A M ER IC A N NOV E M BER 2 02 4
© 2024 Scientific American
U.S. Department of Defense

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