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Crick and Watson Did Not Steal Franklin’s Data
Matthew Cobb’s 3 greatest revelations while writing his book Crick: A Mind in Motion
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The 3 Ways We Read Between the Lines
How humans infer meaning from spoken language is more complex than we thought
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Ancient Bee Nests Hiding in Regurgitated, Fossilized Bones
A cave in the Dominican Republic has revealed the first recorded instance of bee larvae tucked into fossils
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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What’s Your City’s Hoofprint?
A new study measures the impact meat eating has on the planet, one city at a time
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Could Virtual Reality Help Doctors Learn Empathy?
Medical schools are testing simulations to bridge the emotional gulf between physicians and their patients
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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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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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The Hidden Landscape Holding Back the Sea
The fate of our planet’s coasts rests on Antarctic bedrock
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Gaia’s Got a Fever
An aging Earth, like an aging body, is increasingly vulnerable to heat’s fatal strikes
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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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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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He Erased Memory in Mice. Then Thought About Erasing His Own
Sunk in grief and alcoholism, this neuroscientist discovered the power of memory in himself
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To Be More Creative, Immigrate
Creativity flourishes when people cross borders—and when those borders blur through deep, human connection
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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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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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An Ancient Fingerprint Among Clues to a 2,000-year-old Invasion of Denmark
Previously unexamined, “remarkable” evidence could help scientists track down the unsuccessful attackers whose boat was thrown in a bog -
Is Earth’s Core Like an Onion?
Chemical layering deep inside may explain weird seismic wave behavior -
Can True Love Help to Heal a Diseased Heart?
How robust intimate relationships affect cardiac patients -
The Fishy Inspiration Behind a Bold, Tandem Space Mission
Remarkable remoras get their time in the orbital spotlight -
Ancient Math Hidden in Oldest Known Floral Pottery
Bowls from the Halafian culture of Mesopotamia suggest people used art to enumerate their rapidly changing world -
The Emerging Science of Being Hangry
Your ability to tune into your body’s internal signals shapes hunger-driven mood swings -
Astronomers Observe Spacetime Whirlpool for the First Time
This theoretical phenomenon was discovered after being predicted by Einstein more than a century ago -
How Christianity Redrew Ancient Nubian Tattoos
Markings on remains unearthed from modern-day Sudan suggest that the religion’s rise influenced the design and application of body ink -
Italian Bears Softened by Centuries of Human Proximity
In a hotbed of culture, the animals evolved to be less aggressive -
Watch a Moth Drink Moose Tears
Researchers recorded the nocturnal insects sipping from the massive mammal’s ducts for the first time -
A Warming Arctic May Be Changing Polar Bears’ DNA
Polar bears in a warmer region of Greenland have shown some surprising genetic changes that may help them adapt -
You’re Probably Not Addicted to Social Media
Most of us overestimate how hooked we are -
Fearsome Marine Predators Prowled Ancient Rivers, Too
Mosasaur teeth discovered in North Dakota tell a surprising story -
This Hole Punch-Sized Patch Could Help Save Frogs
A new, non-invasive method to track amphibian hormones may reveal how the creatures weather rising threats in the wild -
Is the Secret to Long Life Freedom From Procreation?
A study notes marked lifespan increases in mammals that have been castrated or kept on contraception -
How We Changed Cat Sounds Forever
The soft rumbles seem to reveal more about a feline than their meows, and it’s probably thanks to humans -
Rabies Virus Helps Map Psilocybin’s Brain Altering Effects
The deadly pathogen is adept at jumping between neurons, making it an ideal tracer to reveal how connections change after a dose of psilocybin in mice -
Was the Earth Created by a Supernova Shockwave?
New model suggests cosmic rays from a supernova led to the formation of our planet -
This Tiny Neon Frog Dwells in the Clouds
Researchers recently discovered an extremely small frog species in Brazil -
Pop Music Is Getting Darker
The tunes that top the charts have been getting more negative for half a century