Our 2023 faves from science + tech

+ 7 questions about belly buttons US Edition - Today's top story: Immune cells that fight cancer become exhausted within hours of first encountering tumors – new research [View in browser]( US Edition | 27 December 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( One of the best things about working on The Conversation’s Science and Technology desk is the wide range of topics we get to cover. Looking back over what we published in 2023 really drives home the fact that our beat encompasses so much and has tendrils connecting us to ethics, politics, health and more. Here are four of our favorite stories from the past year. Editor Mary Magnuson covers space, which often has her helping researchers describe high-tech spacecraft instrumentation or tricky astrophysics. Her favorite article, though, was by UCLA world arts professor David Delgado Shorter, University of Alberta native studies professor Kim TallBear and Bowdoin anthropology professor William Lempert. They were part of an Indigenous studies working group advising scientists searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. After studying “centuries of culture contacts and their outcomes from around the globe,” these scholars sounded a cautionary note about [what first contact with any alien life-forms]( could and should look like. “The history of imperialism and colonialism on Earth,” they write, “illustrates that not everyone benefits from colonization.” Technology editor Eric Smalley probably could have published a story on artificial intelligence every day of 2023 as ChatGPT and generative AI took the world by storm. For his favorite article, he chose one by Harvard Kennedy School political scientist Archon Fung and Harvard legal scholar Lawrence Lessig. They paint a chilling picture of an AI targeted at changing people’s voting behavior – at any cost. By imagining what is already possible with today’s technology, they describe how “the path toward human collective disempowerment [may not require some superhuman artificial general intelligence]( … [but rather just] overeager campaigners and consultants who have powerful new tools that can effectively push millions of people’s many buttons.” After the Nobel Prize announcements in October, biomedicine editor Vivian Lam commissioned their favorite piece of the year about the benefits of basic research. These are the fundamental investigations scientists undertake to answer the question “why?” – and not necessarily with a practical application in mind. “Because any immediate use for basic science can be very hard to see, it’s easy to think this kind of research is a waste of money or time,” writes Rochester Institute of Technology biochemist André Hudson. But his article – and a bunch of Nobel Prizes over the decades – [makes the case for why that’s not true](. And for my own favorite, I stuck with a true curiosity story by University of Maryland, Baltimore County biologist Sarah Leupen, who answers seven questions about belly buttons. As I selected the photos to illustrate this article, I had to fight through my own belly button-triggered disgust. I learned I’m not alone in finding [these little remnants of our time in the womb]( rather gross – and at least I don’t suffer from straight-up omphalophobia. See you in 2024! But before you ring out 2023, please consider a year-end donation to support journalism like this in the new year. Right now, [the next $12,500 in donations we receive will have its impact tripled](, with a generous match from reader and tech pioneer Guy Kawasaki. Thank you. Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor Readers' picks This microscopy image shows a cytotoxic T cell (blue) attacking a cancer cell (green) by releasing toxic chemicals (red). Alex Ritter and Jennifer Lippincott Schwartz and Gillian Griffiths/National Institutes of Health via Flickr [Immune cells that fight cancer become exhausted within hours of first encountering tumors – new research]( Mary Philip, Vanderbilt University; Michael Rudloff, Vanderbilt University T cells recognize and kill cancer cells but quickly lose their effectiveness. This fast dysfunction may help explain why immunotherapy doesn’t lead to long-term remission for many patients. What if prehistoric men and women joined forces in hunting parties? gorodenkoff/iStock via Getty Images Plus [‘Man, the hunter’? Archaeologists’ assumptions about gender roles in past humans ignore an icky but potentially crucial part of original ‘paleo diet’]( Raven Garvey, University of Michigan If hunter-gatherers went beyond nose-to-tail eating to include the undigested plant matter in a prey animal’s stomach, assumptions about gendered division of labor start to fall apart. A Chinese surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace before it was shot down by the U.S. military. Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images [Chinese spy balloon over the US: An aerospace expert explains how the balloons work and what they can see]( Iain Boyd, University of Colorado Boulder A Chinese high-altitude balloon violated U.S. airspace, a serious enough breach to nix a high-level diplomatic meeting in Beijing. The balloon itself, however, was not much of a threat. The Earth’s magnetic field deflects particles emitted by the Sun. Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library via Getty Images [Earth’s magnetic field protects life on Earth from radiation, but it can move, and the magnetic poles can even flip]( Ofer Cohen, UMass Lowell Ever seen the northern lights? You have a magnetic layer in Earth’s atmosphere to thank for those beautiful displays. But the magnetosphere does a lot more than create auroras. Editors' picks SETI has been listening for markers that may indicate alien life – but is doing so ethical? Donald Giannati via Unsplash [First contact with aliens could end in colonization and genocide if we don’t learn from history]( David Delgado Shorter, University of California, Los Angeles; Kim TallBear, University of Alberta; William Lempert, Bowdoin College Three Indigenous studies scholars draw from colonial histories and explain why listening for alien life can have ethical ramifications. An AI-driven political campaign could be all things to all people. Eric Smalley, TCUS; Biodiversity Heritage Library/Flickr; Taymaz Valley/Flickr [How AI could take over elections – and undermine democracy]( Archon Fung, Harvard Kennedy School; Lawrence Lessig, Harvard University Artificial intelligence looks like a political campaign manager’s dream because it could tune its persuasion efforts to millions of people individually – but it could be a nightmare for democracy. Basic research often involves lab work that won’t be appreciated until decades down the line. Sebastian Condrea/Moment via Getty Images [Tenacious curiosity in the lab can lead to a Nobel Prize – mRNA research exemplifies the unpredictable value of basic scientific research]( André O. Hudson, Rochester Institute of Technology The winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine made a discovery that helped create the COVID-19 vaccines. They couldn’t have anticipated the tremendous impact of their findings. Your genes determine the look of your navel. Mike Kemp/Tetra images via Getty Images [Innies, outies and omphalophobia: 7 navel-gazing questions about belly buttons answered]( Sarah Leupen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County All mammals who get nutrients from their parent via a placenta before birth are left with a belly button. It’s a visual reminder of this original connection. - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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