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The Reality Issue
The Rebel Issue
Women in Science & Engineering
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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 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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What Is Your Brain Doing on Psychedelics?
Something is happening here, but neuroscientists don’t know what it is
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Why Are Narwhals Messing with Hydrophones?
The unicorns of the ocean might also be the kitties of the sea
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How Moss Fights Crime
Even tiny bits of an unassuming carpet of plant matter can be enough to lead investigators to a suspect
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This Is a Laser Blast Straight to the Psyche
In a demonstration of long-distant space communication, NASA beamed photons to a receiver millions of miles from Earth
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 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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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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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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Childhood Friends, Not Moms, Shape Attachment Styles Most
A new study upends conventional wisdom about how we relate to those closest to us -
How the Spoils of an Infamous Heist Traveled the World
The Stone of Scone may have been returned, but bits of this sacred object were distributed in a hidden network -
From Deep Blue Mud, Unexpected Life Emerges
Surprise biology in deep-sea mud volcanoes -
Take a Trip Through the Milky Way in the Most Detailed Image Yet
The sheer magnitude of our galaxy, the Milky Way, is difficult for the human mind to fully grasp. Its 105,700 light-year width also makes it just about as difficult to capture with a camera. But recently, researchers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research achieved an important milestone in this gigantic effort. Nautilus Members […] -
Chameleon’s Eyes Have Been Hiding a Secret
Their wandering gaze results from a structural adaptation in their nerves -
Unique Puke Fossil Reveals New Pterosaur Species
Discoveries abound in an ancient predator’s upchuck -
These Spiders Build Doppelgängers to Stay Alive
Creepy crawlers turn detritus, silk, and prey carcasses into astonishingly realistic look-alikes -
Was This Mysterious Mountain Feature an Incan Tax Document?
Thousands of holes dot a mountain in Peru—they might have been used by the Inca to tally tributes -
Neanderthals: Do a Little Art and Take a Stroll on the Beach
Two recent discoveries about the extinct human species refine our understanding of our evolutionary kin -
Carl Sagan Shared a Shocking Space Secret
The legendary astronomer once unveiled a top-secret plan to detonate a nuclear bomb on the moon -
The Brain’s Hidden Drain
Newly discovered vessels may be key to flushing waste away from our brains -
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 -
Visit Our Solar System’s Tallest Mountains
These extraterrestrial treks make Mount Everest look like an anthill -
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
