Scientific American - USA (2020-12)

Scientific American (ISSN 0036-8733), Volume 323, Number 6, December 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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4 Scientific American, December 2020

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6 From the Editor

8 Letters

12 Science Agenda

Tools used in health care are harming people of color.

It’s time to fix this. By the Editors

13 Forum

We need to commit to protecting 30 percent of U.S.

lands and waters from development by the year 2030.

By David Shiffman

14 Advances

Probing electricity-conducting bacteria’s strange nano-

wires. Radiation’s impact on Chernobyl animals. Decoding

fast radio bursts. A DNA-based water-contaminant test.

24 Meter

The poetics of an astronomer who takes the time

to stop and stare into the universe. By Wyatt Townley

25 The Science of Health

How to maintain mental equilibrium in challenging

times. By Claudia Wallis

80 Recommended

The grim politics of Ebola. What would happen

if the arrow of time flew backward? Racism and

organ transplants. By Andrea Gawrylewski

81 Observatory

Rejection of expert evidence and promotion

of disinformation have roots in the history of tobacco.

By Naomi Oreskes

82 Anti Gravity

On aging, the passage of time and learning to love chitin.

By Steve Mirsky

83 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago

By Dan Schlenoff

84 Graphic Science

COVID-19 lockdowns calmed seismic activity on

(^81) a global level. By Mark Fischetti and Shirley Wu
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