💡 The Curious Life of a Singing Fish

The latest from Nautilus and the wider world of science. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( Together with Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( Hello there Nautilus readers, and thanks for dropping in. Today we consider the curious life of a singing fish. Plus, there’s a stimulating selection of science news to review. (What does falling into a black hole look like? Can AI be like a baby?) Your question today is on blacking out, and I hope you find your free story below (on revolutionizing space travel) an exciting read. Have a lovely day! —Brian Gallagher The latest from Nautilus [ZOOLOGY]( [The Curious Life of a Singing Fish]( Plainfin midshipman fish migrate from the deep sea to spawn—and then things get weird. BY SARAH GILMAN The world of larval plainfin midshipman fish may look alien, but it could be as close as the cobbles beneath your feet, if you walk the rocky shores found along much of the North American West Coast. Adults of this species swim each spring from the ocean depths—up to 1,200 feet beneath the surface—to the intertidal zone to spawn in the shallows, where males excavate nests beneath large rocks. There, they set about trying to attract females and, if successful, rear young like those pictured in this award-winning image by Shane Gross. [Keep on reading]( DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week [Why Venus Dried Up]( Despite the planet being roughly a twin of Earth, in terms of size and mass, our planet boasts 100,000 times more water than Venus. How come? [Nature→]( [Plunge into a Black Hole]( Supercomputer visualization shows what it would look like to cross the point of no return. [NASA→]( [“Scientists Believe…” “Researchers Know…”—What’s the Difference?]( Epistemic language in news headlines shapes readers’ perceptions of objectivity. [PNAS→]( [From Baby Talk to Baby A.I.]( Could a better understanding of how infants acquire language help us build smarter A.I. models? [The New York Times→]( [Why the World Is Getting Wetter]( From East Africa to southeastern Australia, large parts of the planet are underwater after unusually heavy rains in unexpected areas. [The Wall Street Journal→]( [“I See Cocaine in Wild Shrimp”]( Meet the scientist who analyzes London’s wastewater. [The Guardian→]( [NASA’s Chief Is Worried About China Getting Back to the Moon First]( “I don't want them to get there and say, ‘This is ours. You stay out.’" [NPR→]( [The Big Idea That Our Universe Is a Hologram]( Holograms preserve all of an object’s 3D information, but on a 2D surface. Could the holographic Universe idea lead us to higher dimensions? [Big Think→]( Discover Your Ancestry Together This Mother’s Day Give your mom the gift of discovering her genetic history this Mother’s Day with the [23andMe Health + Ancestry kit](. 23andMe will [test your mom’s DNA](—including her mitochondrial DNA passed down from all her maternal ancestors—and tell her where she’s from and what maternal haplotype she belongs to. Journey into your past together this Mother’s Day and [save 35%](. Get 35% Off WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... What is the most interesting or surprising way you have lost consciousness? Let us know! Reply to this newsletter with your response, briefly explaining your choice, and we’ll reveal the top answers. (This question was inspired by [“Insects and Other Animals May Have Consciousness.”]() Top Answer to Our Previous Question(On Whether You Can Describe Being Hypnotized) • Most of you Nautilus readers must be robust against the power of hypnotism because this newsletter question didn’t inspire any responses! Which is fair—I can’t say that I remember being put under hypnosis, either. My friend, a magician, has tried it on me to no avail, and I’ve witnessed him hypnotize others, so I know he can do it. It’s interesting to consider what might make people susceptible to the technique or not. If you have a guess, feel free to let me know. – Brian Gallagher Your free story this Tuesday! [TECHNOLOGY]( [The Profound Potential of Elon Musk’s New Rocket]( An aerospace engineer explains why SpaceX’s Starship will change everything. BY ROBERT ZUBRIN In the late afternoon of May 5, SpaceX’s Elon Musk tweeted, “Starship landing nominal!” [Continue reading for free→]( The Rockstar and the Squid Coming from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in western Washington, musician Katherine “KP” Paul, of Black Belt Eagle Scout, has a deep personal connection to the ocean. That’s why she was the perfect choice to read Alex Riley’s special [story]( about the search for a giant, mysterious, luminous squid—Taningia danae. We love this story because it shows how little we know about our deep oceans, and how even an animal sporting giant, flashing lights, can remain virtually unknown…until now. For the first time, you can listen to a Nautilus story on [YouTube]( or [Spotify](. Check it out and let us know what you think. [WATCH]( [LISTEN]( P.S. The rocket, spacecraft, and satellite communications company SpaceX was founded yesterday, May 6, in 2002. Elon Musk started the organization “fresh off the sale of his digital payments company PayPal, for no less of a purpose than getting humans to Mars,” wrote Robert Zubrin. “If he wanted more money, he knew plenty of easier ways to get it than to start, of all things, a rocket company, a notoriously difficult venture with little chance of success. [He was looking to do things of immortal importance.]( Colonizing Mars (along with electric cars and solar energy) made the cut...and the impact [the huge Starship rocket] very well may have on science is extraordinary.” Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher Thanks for reading.[Tell us](mailto:brian.gallagher@nautil.us?subject=&body=) your thoughts on today’s note. Plus, if you find our content valuable, consider [becoming a member]( to support our work, and inspire a friend to sign up for [the Nautilus newsletter](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2024 NautilusNext, All rights reserved.You were subscribed to the newsletter from [nautil.us](. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext360 W 36th Street, 7S,New York, NY 10018 Don't want to hear from us anymore? [Unsubscribe](