💡 The Woman the Mercury Astronauts Couldn’t Do Without

The latest from Nautilus, the best things we learned, the quote of the day, and more. [View in Browser]( | [Join Nautilus]( Did a friend forward this? Sign up here Together with: Hello Nautilus readers, and thanks for stopping by. I’ll be filling in while my colleague Brian is out with his new baby, but never fear—we’ll keep the same format you know and love. Today we consider the moral implications of trying to control invasive animal populations. Plus, why are we so bad at predicting our futures, even with AI? Also, some of the best things we learned—about wildcats, the length of a day, sharks with cocaine in their systems, and more. Until next time! — Liz Greene The latest from Nautilus There Will Be Blood Confronting the ethical and ecological dilemma over culling animals for conservation. [Continue Reading→]( The Unpredictability of Life Why academic outcomes resist machine learning. [Continue Reading→]( The Elegant Math of Machine Learning Anil Ananthaswamy’s 3 greatest revelations while writing Why Machines Learn. [Continue Reading→]( Don’t limit your curiosity. Enjoy unlimited ad-free Nautilus stories every month for less than $5/month. [Join now]( This Toilet Paper Just Might Save the Planet Every day, 27,000 trees are destroyed for toilet paper. That’s far too many, so this brand created luxury 3-ply from bamboo. It feels like regular high-end toilet paper, but doesn’t harm trees. Why bamboo? Not only does it grow 3 feet every 24 hours – it’s the fastest growing plant in the world! – but its short fibers are perfect for creating soft toilet tissue you can feel good about. Nautilus readers get 30% off their 1st shipment for the next 24 hours. Use code NAUT30. [Try Bamboo]( *Thank you for supporting our sponsors. The best things we learned today - The Scottish wildcat is one of the most endangered feline carnivores in the world. The biggest threat they face is through breeding with feral cats. [Read on Nautilus→]( - Given the right instructions, a machine learning algorithm can generate a 10,000-dimension image of a cat. [Read on Nautilus→]( - The large seabird the northern gannet can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour and depths up to 70 feet when they dive for food. [Read on Nautilus→]( - The melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica is causing our days to become longer. [Read on The Guardian→]( - Thirteen sharks off the coast of Rio de Janeiro were found to have traces of cocaine in their liver and muscle tissues—at as much as 100 times the levels previously recorded. [Read on The New York Times→]( “My thinking was this. If we could understand what leads people to want to help lions survive and flourish in the wild, maybe we could understand better how to help humans help each other.” — Anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse talks about the surprising circumstances that bond humans together, in his feature “The Lion Who Would Save the World.” [Read on Nautilus→]( Mellow Out with Sharks Sit back, relax, and let Victoria Mordoch of Floreana take you on a journey through the fascinating life of [“The Shark Whisperer.”]( [Watch]( Today’s unlocked free story HISTORY The Woman the Mercury Astronauts Couldn’t Do Without Katherine Johnson negotiated the dynamics of both race and space. BY MARGOT LEE SHETTERLY It had always been Katherine Goble’s great talent to be in the right place at the right time. [Continue reading]( P.S. Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya became the first woman to perform a spacewalk on July 25, 1984. A feat that wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work, perseverance, and [brilliant mathematical mind of Katherine Johnson](, who worked on the calculations of orbital mechanics that were crucial to bringing the first crewed spaceflight—and subsequent spaceflights—home safely. Thanks for reading! What did you think of today's note? Inspire a friend to [sign up for the Nautilus newsletter](. Copyright © 2024 NautilusNext, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from [nautil.us](. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext 3112 Windsor Rd, Ste A-391 Austin, TX, 78703 Don't want to hear from us anymore? [Unsubscribe](