This Lion-Like Nebula Has Cosmic Dust for a Mane and a Dying Star for a Face
A portrait taken over 5,000 light-years
How Our Attraction to Natural Fixes Can Stymie Climate Progress
Does a human-made problem need a natural solution?
The Soviets Drilled the Deepest Hole Ever
What on Earth for?
“We Wanted to Create An Experience of Microscopic Awe”: A Radical New View of Sacred Plants
Fluorescent visions of the guts of living sacred plants from all over the Americas
An Astrobiologist’s Guide to the Best Sci-Fi Reads
Cosmic lesbian necromancers, cyberpunk Canterbury Tales, and so much more
Latest Stories
Who Keeps Spreading the Seeds of This Parasitic Plant?
Cockroaches are just the half of it
Researchers Return to a Forgotten Forest Experiment 30 Years Later—With “Astounding” Results
A new look at the trees revealed an overlooked “win-win-win” scenario for forest maintenance
Why the Perseids Are the Most Famous Meteor Shower
The past, present, and future of this brilliant display
Read Stories from Our Newest Print Issue: The Stupid Issue
See moreAI Made Me Look Foolish. Then I Learned
Ancient alchemy has a lot to teach us about chatbots
The Virtue of Being Simple
A surprising number of creatures don’t benefit from greater intelligence
Why We Think We Know More Than We Do
Breaking down the famous “Dunning-Kruger effect” with David Dunning himself
Get the Nautilus newsletter
Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more AstronomyHere’s the Crater SpaceX’s Rocket Left on the Moon
The crater could measure 100 feet in diameter
This Supernova Death of a Star Broke All the Rules
An unexpected way to go for a star 20 times the size of our sun
New Observatory Captures More Than Half a Million Galaxies in a Single Image
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is off to a fantastic start
History
See more HistoryWhen Stupid Was a Diagnosis
A dark history that is in danger of returning as support for people with disabilities withers
How Hannibal’s War Elephants Helped to Determine His Route Through the Alps
When you go into battle with nearly 40 gigantic pachyderms, you need to take the shortest path possible
The Rabies Vaccine Debuted Nearly 150 Years Ago Today
Pioneering microbiologist Louis Pasteur helped save the life of a dog-bitten boy
Psychology
See more PsychologyHow Much Do We Really Want to Know About UFOs?
What disaster psychology research, a few Cold War UFO files, and a Spielberg movie say about how we might handle first contact
Better Posture Linked to Better Decision Making and Mood
Sitting upright can influence your mind
Get unlimited, ad-free Nautilus. Become a member today.
Environment
See more EnvironmentThis Paradoxical Desert Landscape Is Filled with Fresh Water
Dunes and lakes as far as the eye can see
A “Hellish Cloud” Descended on Los Angeles in 1943
It marked the city's first smog incident. Here’s what it looked like—back then and over the years that followed.
Zoology
See more ZoologyInside the Not-So-Dumb Head of the Dodo Bird
Cranial scans reveal a brain with clever sensory adaptations
What Happens When You Put an AI-Powered Banana Casino in a Monkey Reserve?
AI really is everywhere these days
Philosophy
See more PhilosophyWhat a Picture of a Dog Has to Do with Reason and Logic
People who can’t see images in their minds challenge an old philosophical standby
What Makes Humans Stupid
It takes intelligence to get things spectacularly wrong. An essay on our undoing.
The Inventor of the Thinking Machine Didn’t Worry. Neither Should You
In this age of AI anxiety, listen to your heart
Why Doctors Telling Patients Their Symptoms Are “Normal” Can Backfire
It can discourage patients from pursuing treatment
Read more
See all postsTurtle Sex Determination Just Got a Lot Weirder
Tiny antenna-like cell appendages play an outsized role
30 Minutes, 3 Exercises: A Routine for an Aging Brain
And you thought you were done with the three Rs
When Dreaming Gets Your Heart Moving
Deep dreaming may be more in tune with the body than we thought
Taxi Drivers Rarely Die of Alzheimer’s—How Complex Mental Maps and Spatial Reasoning Protect Your Brain
Working with and living in spatially complex environments may help delay cognitive decline, though more research is needed
Depression Linked to Shrinking Brain Region in Older Adults
The memory center of the brain show signs of decreasing volume
Could Physics Help Us Solve the Mystery of Aging?
Some scientists say the answers may lie in thermodynamics and other mathematical principles
Pesticide Exposure at Work May Increase Motor Neurone Disease Risk
A new review looked at 1,734 people with ALS. But it couldn’t separate pesticide from other risk factors, such as head trauma.
Financial Struggle Can Age Your Brain
Persistent poverty can accelerate cognitive decline starting in your 50s
