Envy is green, anger is red, and exoplanet artist
renderings are usually swirly brown. Purple used to mean royal, until the
chemists figured out how to make it cheaply. Blue is usually the last color to
be introduced into a language. And for the philosopher? It’s all qualia.

Thought-provoking science stories.
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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

Fuel your wonder. Feed your curiosity. Expand your mind.
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-
If Oaks and Orchids Could Talk
Lucas Gutierrez wants to turn plant frequencies into a language humans can understand -
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.