Issue_31
28 articles-
The Case for Common Sense Gum-Control
To walk the streets of New York and think about all the little black spots on the sidewalks is a little like pondering the stars in the night sky: How many people must have walked this way, deciding at just this moment to spit out their gum? It’s almost beautiful, except that gum attracts rats, […] -
The Oldest, Coldest Mammals May Be Some of the Best Prepared for Climate Change
Tim Melling/Getty Images The Arctic they grew up in is unrecognizable, but bowhead whales are oddly calm. They appear to be unexpectedly benefitting from the warmer, less icy climate that has emerged over the past decade. Last month, it was announced that the Arctic in 2015 reached the warmest temperatures ever observed, and that it is warming twice as […] -
Stress on Simulated Mars Was Not What I Expected
Welcome to sMars: Christiane Heinicke stands on a hillside southwest of the dome. The solar array that powers the habitat is to her right. To her left are the backup hydrogen fuel cells and the solar water heater.Photograph by Christiane Heinicke/Sheyna Gifford, 2015 For 6 crewmembers who have supposedly traveled 150 million miles—and were, beforehand, […] -
Here’s Where “The Walking Dead” Goes Wrong With Zombies
Bill Clark/Getty Images Rick Grimes is cornered. A walker shuffles toward him, thoughtless yet eager for flesh. Sweat drips through Grimes’ thick beard, grown in the hundreds of fearful days and nights since the dead started to roam the earth. He quickly reaches for his knife—a weapon he never used in his days as a […] -
You Have At Least This Many Identities
Liana Finck’s cartoons appear in the New Yorker. Her graphic novel, A Bintel Brief, was published in 2014. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now .
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A Real-Life Trader Talks About “The Big Short”
After watching The Big Short, I felt I had a decent grasp on the causes of the 2008 financial crisis. The film, which is being released across the United States today, is based on the book by Michael Lewis, and describes how a few prescient financiers bet against the debt bubble and made millions.Still, nothing […]
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Do You Actually Need More Stress?
PathDoc/Shutterstock There’s a New Yorker cartoon that shows a doctor telling the patient lying in bed, “I don’t think you’re getting enough stress.” Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . The cartoon is funny because it plays on the idea that stress is bad—how absurd is it that a doctor […]
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Your Speech Is Packed With Misunderstood, Unconscious Messages
Imagine standing up to give a speech in front of a critical audience. As you do your best to wax eloquent, someone in the room uses a clicker to conspicuously count your every stumble, hesitation, um and uh; once you’ve finished, this person loudly announces how many of these blemishes have marred your presentation.This is […]
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How Poverty Changes Kids’ Brains
Hill Street Studios/Getty Images When children grow up in poverty, their brains can take a different shape. That’s one of the stark and uncomfortable findings from the lab of Kimberly Noble, a pediatrician and cognitive neuroscientist at Teachers College, Columbia University. Noble has used MRI scans to study the brains of children and found that […]
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Why Living in a Poor Neighborhood Can Make You Fat
The sheer stress of an environment contributes to obesity and diabetes.
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When Plants Go to War
In the fight against insects, plants have evolved an arsenal of ingenious chemical defenses. -
The Volcano That Shrouded the Earth and Gave Birth to a Monster
Three years of darkness and cold spawned crime, poverty, and a literary masterpiece. -
10 Breaking Points
The pressure it takes to break everything from raindrops to stars. -
What I Learned from Losing $200 Million
The 2008 financial crisis taught me about the illusion of control, and how to give it up. -
Is Japanese Culture Traumatized By Centuries of Natural Disaster?
The effects of centuries of natural disaster may be most obvious in Japanese culture.
