Readers respond to the May 2026 issue
Letters to the editors for the May 2026 issue of Scientific American
The May 2026 issue of Scientific American received responses from readers.
In "Discerning Chicks," Cody Cottier discussed the bouba-kiki effect, which involves people perceiving "bouba" as round and "kiki" as spiky. Readers pondered whether language or spatial frequency perception might be the cause. In response, Phil Plait explained that the big bang happened everywhere, not in a specific location in space. He emphasized that the universe can expand without needing space to expand into, thus there's no one place where the big bang occurred.
Cody Cottier's piece "Making Faces" was critiqued by David William Brown, who disagreed with the example he used to explain tailored facial expressions. Brown questioned whether everyone had the experience of trying not to smile while holding a royal flush.
The May issue's online Discussions section asked readers about the role the U.S. government should play in science. Many responses emphasized the importance of the government returning to its support for scientific research, as it did after World War II. The concern was raised that the public has become increasingly distrustful of academic scientists due to their perceived politicization.
The writer believed a return to the previous partnership between the government and research institutions was vital for the U.S. to continue leading in research and advancing technology for the betterment of humanity.
Written by urgent.news from Scientific American's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
