There
is something beguiling about the possibility that the letters making up our DNA
are also used somewhere far away. On the other hand, the lack of any such
message may make the stronger point, telling us that the meaning we’re looking
for is scattered across a much broader canvas, and ours to discover.

Thought-provoking science stories.
No-brainer intro price.
Thought-provoking science stories.
No-brainer intro price.
The full Nautilus archive • eBooks & Special Editions • Ad-free reading
- The full Nautilus archive
- eBooks & Special Editions
- Ad-free reading

-
Celebrating the Relationship Between Science and Illustration
A conversation with Society of Illustrators executive director Arabelle Liepold -
The Extraordinary, Imperiled Science at the End of the Earth
Firing experts in Antarctica couldn’t come at a worse time -
Breaking a Cycle of Apocalypse
John Larison’s new novel The Ancients suggests some societies are built for cataclysm -
An Earthy Fallen Star
The strange mushroom that puffs life into forests around the world. -
Inside an Exploded Star
Cassiopeia A gets a close-up.