💡Are You Psychic? Nudge, Nudge; What Volcanoes Tell Us; Studying AI Behavior; and More

The latest from Nautilus, the top science news, and more. [View in Browser]( | [Join Nautilus]( Did a friend forward this? Sign up here Together with: Hello there Nautilus readers, and thanks for dropping in. Today we see what’s behind the illusion of telepathy, and listen to what volcanoes tell us. Plus, in the news: Can we spot evidence of Earth’s slowing spin millions of years ago, and what more can we learn from the music of J.S. Bach? And more. Your responses to the last question pointed me toward some great music—a few of my favorites and several I’d never heard. Much appreciated. If I ever take a ride up into space, I want to be listening to “The Birth and Death of the Day," by Explosions in the Sky. Check out today’s question (on the uncanny) and free story (on AI behavior) below. Oh, and can Steph Curry shoot or what? Just an incredible gold-medal performance yesterday for USA basketball against the home team, France. — Brian Gallagher The latest from Nautilus Are You Psychic? Nudge, Nudge A phenomenon called “population stereotypes” helps explain how predictable human responses create the illusion of telepathy. [Continue Reading→]( What Volcanoes Tell Us Tamsin Mather on her 3 greatest revelations while writing Adventures in Volcanoland. [Continue Reading→]( Don’t limit your curiosity. Enjoy unlimited ad-free Nautilus stories every month for less than $5/month. [Join now]( Restore the Planet, One Mission at a Time [Planet Wild]( is a community of people who finance efficient projects aimed at saving animals, oceans and forests. Every month, [Planet Wild]( pools member contributions and funds nature restoration where it really matters. This is all documented in monthly videos, so you regularly get to see what impact your support creates. No contribution is too small. Start from just $6/month and cancel anytime you want. If you care about nature, you can now do something to protect it. [Join Planet Wild]( and get your first month for free! The first 150 people to sign up via [the link]( (coupon code automatically applied) will receive the first month for free as a special offer from us. [Join Planet Wild]( *Thank you for supporting our sponsors. The top science news this week - Days on Earth have long been getting longer (thanks, Moon), and now geological evidence—particularly features of sediments linked to astronomical cycles—is revealing how changes in the pace of Earth’s slowing spin have evolved over time. [Read on PNAS→]( - Regions of the ocean that get hit more often with heat waves have less oxygen, making it harder for them to “breathe.” [Read on Nature Communications→]( - “We now have a treasure trove of rocks that will let us systematically study the processes that people believe are relevant to the emergence of life on the planet.” [Read on The New York Times→]( - Astronauts who docked with the International Space Station in June, for an eight-day mission, may now be stranded in space until 2025 due to issues with their Boeing capsule. [Read on The Guardian→]( - The music of J.S. Bach is captivating scientists after they discovered hidden structures in his compositions using “network science, information theory, and statistical physics.” [Read on Physical Review Research→]( *Indicates sponsor/partner content. Thank you for supporting our sponsors. WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... What is the most uncanny thing you’ve experienced? Send us your answer! Reply to this newsletter with a brief explanation of your response, and we’ll reveal the top answers in a future newsletter. This question was inspired by “Are You Psychic? Nudge, Nudge.” [Read on Nautilus→]( Top answers to our previous question: On Music for a Rocket Launch • “I Want to Take You Higher” by Sly and the Family Stone—because there are many ways to get higher, music and dancing being my favorites. Throw in a rocket to space? What's not to like? – L.M. • “Wild Blue Yonder”—my father was an Air Force pilot and hummed the branch’s official song a lot when I was growing up. – Debbie U. • I would want to be listening to Also sprach Zarathustra. If it was good enough for the soundtrack of the movie 2001, it's good enough for me. – Sue F. • “Space Oddity” by David Bowie – Karen C.; Nick P.; Craig B.; Wendy L. • Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” in the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, including the change recorded by Leonard Bernstein. – Bob G. • “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra (ala the movie Space Cowboys) of course! – Janine C. • “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. – John G.; Lynn D. • “Rocket Man” by Elton John. – Barbara S.; Carl C. Take a Walk Through Your Faulty Memory [Watch]( or [listen to]( indie-pop artist Dent May explain how your memory’s faulty—and why that’s a good thing—on [YouTube]( or [Spotify](. [Watch on YouTube]( Today’s unlocked free story TECHNOLOGY Machine Behavior Needs to Be an Academic Discipline Why should studying AI behavior be restricted to those who make AI? BY IYAD RAHWAN & MANUEL CEBRIAN What if physiologists were the only people who study human behavior at all scales: from how the human body functions, to how social norms emerge, to how the stock market functions, to how we create, share, and consume culture? [Continue reading]( P.S. The American mathematician Alonzo Church, a founder of computer science, died on this day in 1995. His work still informs how we understand the unpredictable ways AIs behave today. With Alan Turing, a doctoral student of his, Church showed the “fundamental impossibility of ensuring an algorithm fulfills certain properties without actually running said algorithm,” wrote Iyad Rahwan and Manuel Cebrian. “There are fundamental theoretical limits to our ability to verify that a particular piece of code [will always satisfy desirable properties](, unless we execute the code, and observe its behavior.” Thanks for reading! What did you think of today's note? 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