Illusions
27 articles-
The Long, Hard Quest to Create Digital Smells
Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Of all of the wondrous feats accomplished by Willy Wonka in his candy factory, the most impressive may have been wedging an entire meal into just one unassuming stick of gum: Upon popping it in your mouth and chewing, you’d first taste tomato […]
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What to Do When Your Brain Insists You’re Always on a Boat
Zvonimir Orec via Shutterstock Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Last July, Chris Perry went on an Alaskan cruise with her family to celebrate her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. When she boarded the massive Norwegian Sun cruise ship, she felt “a little woozy and weird” from the boat’s […]
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The Last Word with Jonathan Weiner
The more science knows, the more rich and mysterious the world becomes.
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The New Way to Save Money: Playing the Lottery
Chris Goldberg via Flickr Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Lotteries have often been called a tax on the poor and, alternately, a tax on the innumerate. There is something to both claims: Lottery tickets are disproportionately bought by lower-income people, and in aggregate the players win back only […]
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When Does a Consciousness Test Not Test for Consciousness?
A pigeon looks at its reflection in the mirror. It sees a blue dot on the reflection’s breast. It reaches down and pecks at the dot on its own breast. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . This is the classic behavior required for passing the “mirror test,” an influential […]
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The Loneliest Genius
Isaac Newton spurned social contact but also relied on it for his greatest work.