💡 The Top Science News

The latest from Nautilus, the top science news, and more. [View in Browser]( | [Join Nautilus]( Did a friend forward this? Sign up here Hello there Nautilus readers, and thanks for dropping by. Today we learn how to solve the drone traffic problem. Plus, who’s smarter? AI or a 5-year-old? And in the news: where did the dino-killing object come from, and is wisdom understood as the same thing cross-culturally? And more. Check out the quote of the day (on a child’s mind) and free story (on changing the hero) below. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! — Brian Gallagher The latest from Nautilus How to Solve the Drone Traffic Problem For a clear path, follow the birds. [Continue Reading→]( Who’s Smarter: AI or a 5-Year-Old? A faceoff between the most advanced large language model and a regular kid. [Continue Reading→]( Don’t limit your curiosity. Enjoy unlimited ad-free Nautilus stories every month for less than $5/month. [Join now]( Win a Chance to Have Your Nature Photos Featured in Nautilus—and More! If you’re a photographer who’s passionate about preserving the environment, submit your best nature snapshots to “[Biodiversity: Through the Lens](,” a powerful exhibition celebrating the biodiversity of life on earth. Winning photos will be featured during Art Basel Paris, in Nautilus online, and on Discover Earth’s Instagram account. Entries will only be accepted through August 31st, so get [your submissions]( in soon! [Enter here]( The top science news this week • What offed the dinos 66 million years ago was likely an asteroid, not a comet, that, oddly, came from beyond Jupiter. [Read on NBC News→]( • Check out this dazzling photo of the Perseids meteor shower’s “ancient fireworks” falling over Stonehenge. [Read on CBS News→]( • A rock formation spanning Ireland and Scotland may be the world’s most complete record of “snowball Earth,” the unlikely period when the globe was covered in ice. [Read on UCL News→]( • Scientists have sequenced a junk-DNA filled genome 30 times larger than ours, belonging to a lung fish. [Read on Ars Technica→]( • How do people perceive who’s wise? Data from 12 countries on five continents show how diverse cultures see wisdom. [Read on Nature Communications→]( “The 5-year-old mind is a limitless playground. They invent invisible friends who speak in rhymes, and worlds where every animal wears a hat and glasses.” Computer scientist Erik J. Larson sizes up the brains of a child against an AI chatbot’s. [Read on Nautilus→]( Fungi Can Be High Fashion Show off your love of mushrooms with this [handcrafted glass ring]( created by artist and designer Bella Lalonde in collaboration with Nautilus. [Buy now]( Today’s unlocked free story PSYCHOLOGY Video Games Are Changing the Hero This is what happens when we can occupy our heroes’ bodies. BY JON IRWIN Whenever the Kingdom of Hyrule has been in danger, a young boy named Link has risen to the challenge of saving the land from all manner of pixelated evil. [Continue reading]( P.S. The American psychologist and social philosopher B.F. Skinner died on this day in 1990. He developed what’s come to be known as “Skinner boxes,” or operant conditioning chambers. They’re used in experiments to provoke an animals’ interest in seeking out reward and avoiding punishment by making each unpredictable. In a way, some video games have become an evolution of the Skinner boxes, wrote Jon Irwin. They teach an essential lesson, a developmental psychopathologist told him: “[Persistence in the face of failure reaps valued rewards](.” 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](