Scientific American - 09.2019

4 Scientific American, September 2019 Illustration by Nick Higgins

FROM

THE EDITOR Mariette DiChristina is editor in chief of IY_[dj_ÒY7c[h_YWd$

Follow her on Twitter @mdichristina

BOARD OF ADVISERS

Leslie C. Aiello

President, Wenner-Gren Foundation

for Anthropological Research

Robin E. Bell

Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty

Earth Observatory, Columbia University

Emery N. Brown

Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medic al

Engineering and of Computational Neuro-

science, M .I .T. , and Warren M. Z apol Prof-

essor of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical

School

Vinton G. Cerf

Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

Emmanuelle Charpentier

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for Infection Biology, and Founding

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for the Science of Pathogens

George M. Church

Director, Center for Computational

Genetics, Harvard Medical School

Rita Colwell

Distinguished University Professor,

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of Public Health

Kate Crawford

Direc tor of Research and C o-founder,

AI Now Institute, and Distinguished

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and Principal Researcher,

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Drew Endy

Professor of Bioengineering,

Stanford University

Nita A. Farahany

Professor of Law and Philosophy,

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Edward W. Felten

Director, Center for Information

Technology Policy, Princeton University

Jonathan Foley

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Gretchen B. K imball C hair, C alifornia

Academy of Sciences

Jennifer Francis

Senior Scientist,

Woods Hole Research Center

Kaigham J. Gabriel

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Harold “Skip” Garner

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Bioinformatics and Genetics, Edward Via

College of Osteopathic Medicine

Michael S. Gazzaniga

Director, Sage Center for the Study of

Mind, University of California,

Santa Barbara

Carlos Gershenson

Research Professor, National

æÜ«§«¡«æÒ7§”èrÍҔÜë«{$rê”Z«

Alison Gopnik

Professor of Psychology and

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Lene Vestergaard Hau

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of Applied Physics, Harvard University

Hopi E. Hoekstra

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Harvard University

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Founder and CEO, Ocean Collectiv

Christof Koch

President and CSO,

Allen Institute for Brain Science

Morten L. Kringelbach

Associate Professor and

Senior Research Fellow, The Queen’s

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Robert S. Langer

David H. Koch Institute Professor,

Department of Chemical Engineering,

M.I.T.

Meg Lowman

Director and Founder, TREE Foundation,

2DZr›DÍÒ«§r››«éd"æf锆$Dꔡ”›”D§

University Munich, and Research

Professor, University of Science Malaysia

John Maeda

Global Head, Computational Design +

Inclusion, Automattic, Inc.

Satyajit Mayor

Senior Professor,

National Center for Biological Sciences,

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

John P. Moore

Professor of Microbiology and

Immunology, Weill Medical College

of Cornell University

Priyamvada Natarajan

Professor of Astronomy and Physics,

Yale Univer sit y

Donna J. Nelson

Professor of Chemistry,

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Robert E. Palazzo

Dean, University of Alabama at

Birmingham College of Arts and Sciences

Rosalind Picard

Professor and Director,

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Carolyn Porco

Leader, Cassini Imaging Science Team,

and Director, CICLOPS, Space Science

Institute

Lisa Randall

Professor of Physics, Harvard University

Martin Rees

Astronomer Royal and Professor

of Cosmology and Astrophysics,

Institute of Astronomy,

University of Cambridge

Daniela Rus

Andrew (1956) and Erna Viterbi Professor

of Electrical Engineering and Computer

Science and Director, CSAIL, M.I.T.

Eugenie C. Scott

Chair, Advisory Council,

National Center for Science Education

Terry Sejnowski

Professor and Laboratory Head of

Computational Neurobiology Laboratory,

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Meg Urry

Israel Munson Professor of Physic s

and Astronomy, Yale University

Michael E. Webber

Co-director, Clean Energy Incubator,

and Associate Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engineering,

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George M. Whitesides

Professor of Chemistry and Chemical

Biology, Harvard University

Amie Wilkinson

Professor of Mathematics,

University of Chicago

Anton Zeilinger

Professor of Quantum Optics, Quantum

Nanophysics, Quantum Information,

University of Vienna SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

Science Communication 101

5šx äžx³îž‰ Çß ̧`xääj as I have often said, is an engine of
human prosperity. For centuries it has been a driving force
behind the advances in knowledge and well-being that we’ve
enjoyed as a species. But none of us can ben-
efit from that evidence-based engine if we
don’t first communicate well with one an-
other. We need to be able to share new ideas
and the products of research. The recipients
need to be able to trust that the information
is true and to understand an innovation’s
possible advantages or drawbacks so that
we can make sound decisions as a society
about what to do with it. If we cannot impart
what we are learning to one another in this
foundational way, we simply won’t continue
to progress.
Today, unfortunately, we live in a world
where this exchange of information can
be fraught. Opinions based on false claims,
misunderstandings and actual scientific
uncertainties sweep over social media unremittingly. Counter-
ing the miasma of dreck feels more important than ever. Fortu-
nately, research can provide helpful insights on that effort,
too, as you’ll learn in this single-topic issue on “Truth, Lies
and Uncertainty.”
The stories in the feature well run from what physics can tell

us (and not tell us) about the reality and the fundamental laws

of the universe to the innate deceptions of a wide variety of ani-

mals (not just humans) to how we can productively confront ac-

tual unknowns. We hope you will find this special edition

as thought-provoking and fascinating to read as

we found it while creating it.

Supporting better communication

isn’t just something that’s nice to do. It’s

vital to ensure a better future for hu-

manity. And it seems fitting that this is-

sue’s theme should be my last, after 18

years on staff at Scientific American,

the past 10 as its editor in chief. By the

time you read this, I will be just start-

ing my new role as dean of the College

of Communication at Boston Universi-

ty, my alma mater. If I am successful at

all in supporting my new colleagues—

and, more important, the students who

will form the next generation of communicators—it

will be because of my good fortune in having served at the

174 -year-old national treasure that is Scientific American.

Working with the editorial and business teams, collaborating

with our researcher and journalist authors and board of advis-

ers on articles, and interacting with all of you—our readers—has

been amazing. You’ve all taught me so much, and I thank you.