Skip to Content

Latest Stories

Watch How Water Bears Can Survive in Martian Dirt

There’s a way for the tiny resilient creatures to thrive even on the red planet

Laughing Off Your Mistakes Makes You Seem More Competent

“People often overestimate how harshly others judge their minor social mistakes”

What Grief Has to Do with Love Addiction

People who have enmeshed attachments may be more vulnerable to prolonged grief

Is a Strictly Enforced Fishing Ban Saving the Yangtze?

Ecologists detect promising, early signs of river recovery

The Long, Dirty History of Our Capitol’s Waters

The recent Potomac River disaster follows centuries of pollution—but things are looking up

Get unlimited, ad-free Nautilus. Become a member today.

The Thrill of Science in 2042

A science historian explains how science got its groove back. A fictional dispatch from the future.

How Energy Politics Played Out on the White House Roof

The quick removal of Jimmy Carter’s futuristic solar panels echoes more recent feuds over renewables

The Missing Pieces of the Donner Party Narrative

People have only recently included Indigenous voices in the story

Reality Exists Without Observers? Boooo!

Why I don’t root for the Many Worlds team

No More Tears? Scientists Take a Keen Eye to Onion Slicing

New research sheds light on a familiar problem, with important implications for food safety

Can We Protect Science?

It was a burning question at the World Economic Forum last week

What Would Richard Feynman Make of AI Today?

The scientific sage was always suspicious of grand promises delivered before details were understood

The Vibes Have Been Off in the US for Decades

New survey analysis reveals a sense of national deterioration

Does Belief in God, not Political Party, Drive Conservatism?

Religious “nones” may be less socially liberal than they used to be

Parachute Science Continues to Prevail in Global South Biodiversity Studies

The privilege of describing new species is skewed to Global Northerners

How Human Is Human?

The robot pioneer who gets under our skin

More recent posts

See all posts

Doing Science and Philosophy On Drugs

Justin Smith-Ruiu takes a philosophical and first-person look at psychedelics

Early Exposure to Junk Food Has Brain-Altering Effects

That first hit of burger and fries can leave quite the impression

What Do You Get When You Cross a Tardigrade with a Space Pioneer?

A little genetic engineering could help future space settlers survive the challenges of off-world living

Do These Centenarians Hold the Key to Long Life in Their Blood?

New research identifies key proteins linked to longevity

How Horses Make Two Sounds at Once

And what that says about their prowess as communicators

How Poop Could Save the Giraffe

Their tiny scats are research and conservation gold

Mosquitoes Developed a Taste for Human Blood Before We Existed

About 2 million years ago, they evolved to feed on <i>Homo erectus</i>