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The Rebel Issue
Women in Science & Engineering
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The Secret Superpowers of Frog Skin
The slime coating frog bodies could hold the key to fighting infections, healings wounds and even curing cancer
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Orcas Giveth and Orcas Taketh Away
Killer whales divulge more of their private lives with never-before-seen images of a wild birth and gruesome hunts
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Visit Our Solar System’s Tallest Mountains
These extraterrestrial treks make Mount Everest look like an anthill
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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Why We Love Horror Stories
From ancient monsters to modern slashers, our fascination with horror may be an evolutionary gift
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What Happens in Space Matters on Earth
Dagomar Degroot’s three greatest revelations while writing Ripples on a Cosmic Ocean
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The Trees That Remember the Pyramids
Dendrochronologist Valerie Trouet on what tree rings reveal about climate, fire, and human history
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The Nautilus Reading List About the Cosmos
Our writers have read a universe of books on space and astronomy. Here are their favorites.
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Seeking Signs of Life on Venus
The first private mission to the morning star will sample for traces of biological activity in the planet’s clouds
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Naked Clams and Sunken Ships
A brazen plan to grow an animal that has been the bane of sailors for centuries—to feed the world
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The Problem with Farmed Seafood
We’re decimating the ocean to feed farmed fish. But an innovative solution has surfaced.
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How “Plant Math” Can Help Predict the Climate’s Future
Researchers are building equations for vegetation processes that might improve climate models
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The Hidden Landscape Holding Back the Sea
The fate of our planet’s coasts rests on Antarctic bedrock
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The Power Grid Is Struggling. Can AI Fix It?
Renewables, EVs, and AI itself are straining the grid. These researchers have ideas to evolve it.
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High-Tech Lollipops That Detect Disease
This researcher crosses disciplines for unexpected innovations
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A Pediatrician’s Lament
How the blustery rhetoric of Trump and Kennedy makes life harder for local physicians
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Will Trump’s Immigration Policies Hurt US Nobel Chances?
Drastic cuts to science funding and immigration restrictions could hobble the country’s research enterprise
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The Periscope: Book Weeding, Fact-Checking, and Imperiled Fruit Fly Data
What Nautilus executive editor Katherine Courage has been tuning into recently
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The Pretense of Political Debate
Grandstanding acts of persuasion restrict free speech and real learning. Just ask Socrates.
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What Is Intelligence?
At a church in Italy, we sought to shed an old definition for one that could save us
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What Is Your Brain Doing on Psychedelics?
Something is happening here, but neuroscientists don’t know what it is
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In the Land of the Eyeless Dragons
The cave-dwelling olm is a canary in the coal mine for environmental change
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Visit the 7 Most Extreme Planets in the Universe
From molten glass rain to oceans of lava, an intergalactic tour of the most terrifying and beautiful climates out there
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The Sean Carrolls Explain the Universe
Why are we here? Is there life on other planets? The renowned scientists who share a name share their answers to life’s big questions.
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The Soviet Rebel of Music
He composed on a computer in a dangerous time. His echo is still heard today.
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How Whales Could Help Us Speak to Aliens
Learning to decode complex communication on Earth may give us a leg up if intelligent life from space makes contact.
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Some Bacteria Have Evolved the Ability to Degrade Plastic
But can this make a dent in Earth’s plastic crisis? -
A Martian Mystery May Finally Be Solved
Scientists might have finally uncovered the origins of bold streaks on the Red Planet’s surface -
The Secret Lives of Tree Roots
A glimpse into the arboreal underworld tells us how trees will cope in a changing climate -
Is the Moon Worth Mining?
Lunar riches may lie in wait. But securing the bounty may be a logistical nightmare. -
Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Houseplants?
It might not be good for us to go overboard with indoor greenery -
The Secret of the Triangle Weaver’s Springy Web
The simple shape belies some complex chemistry that could be the key to advances in biomaterials -
The Worm That Survived Multiple Apocalypses
A riddle wrapped in a question mark -
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A Pretty Anemone Makes Space and Eats Waste
This newly discovered sea creature has built a “faithful” relationship with hermit crabs -
How Super Recognizers See What the Rest of Us Miss
The secret to their extraordinary ability lies not in the brain but the eyes -
Medieval Medical Misinformation Persists
A 14th-century tale still promotes dubious origins behind the deadliest known pandemic -
The Mystery of 111,000 Spiders Living in a Giant Subterranean Web
The first known supercolony of its kind -
Should Teenagers Take Psychedelics for Mental Health?
The potential risks are high, but scientists say we need to study the possible benefits -
Octopus Camouflage Could Give Us Better Sunscreen
A clever trick to churn out a natural color-changing pigment in the lab could lead to more effective SPF -
Can Lichen Light the Way to Dinosaur Finds?
The bold idea to enlist satellites in the search for fossils -
Fish Forensics Yield Surprising Results
New study fills in the gaps in our understanding of marine life -
When Do People Speak Out Against Tyranny?
What a mathematical model can tell us about self-censorship -
Have We Learned King Tut’s Lessons?
Just over a century ago today, British archaeologists discovered the entrance to the Ancient Egyptian monarch’s tomb … eventually scattering its treasures far and wide -
Are We Trashing Earth’s Loneliest Spot?
Point Nemo, the most remote location on the planet, is serving as humanity’s cosmic junkyard -
Chimps Can Change Their Minds. Why Can’t We?
New evidence that rationality is wider than humanity
