Scientific American (ISSN 0036-8733), Volume 323, Number 4, October 2020, published monthly 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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October 2020, ScientificAmerican.com 36 From the Editor8 Letters12 Science Agenda
The U.S. November election is literally a matter
of life and death. Vote for health, science and
Joe Biden for President. By the Editors14 Forum
Digital listening devices are linguistically biased.
By Claudia Lopez-Lloreda16 Advances
A slice of supernova in the lab. A new trick to finding
metal deposits. Freeze-proof concrete inspired by nature.
Fossilized remains inside a precious gem.26 Meter
The poetry of spinning black holes and gravitational waves.
By Kip Thorne and Lia Halloran28 The Science of Health
A mouth bacterium can drive some deadly metastatic
cancers. By Claudia Wallis80 Recommended
A mustard gas disaster led to curative chemotherapy.
Embracing the randomness of the world. The glory and
tragedy of spaceflight. By Andrea Gawrylewski81 Observatory
Sexism and racism in science won’t miraculously go away.
By Naomi Oreskes82 Anti Gravity
The hellscapes of a pandemic summer.
By Steve Mirsky83 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago
By Dan Schlenoff84 Graphic Science
Lead pollution tracks dramatic world events.
81 By Mark Fischetti and Nadieh Bremer1612© 2020 Scientific American