💡 The Reality Issue

The latest from Nautilus, the best things we learned today, and more. [View in Browser]( | [Join Nautilus]( Did a friend forward this? Sign up here Together with Hello Nautilus readers and welcome to The Reality Issue! Today we begin our special series that explores the very fabric of the universe, written by amazing thinkers and journalists. We begin with an essay on computation that may change your view of life and evolution forever. We take you into the unreal world of elementary particles and introduce you to a modern hermit searching for transcendence in the Italian Alps. Stay tuned for more reality over the coming weeks. Also, some of the best things we learned this week and your free story (on astrobiology’s origins) below. — Brian Gallagher The latest from Nautilus The Reality Issue What’s behind the curtain. [Continue Reading→]( In the Beginning, There Was Computation Life is code, and code is life, in nature as it is in technology. [Continue Reading→]( A Hermit’s Reality In solitude, this modern priest is meditating on timeless questions. [Continue Reading→]( Don’t limit your curiosity. Enjoy unlimited ad-free Nautilus stories every month for less than $5/month. [Join now]( What THIS Solo Vitamin Does for Your Brain, Bone, & Heart Health Is calcium actually good for your bone health? Bad news… In one of the largest bone health studies ever, women who took calcium and vitamin D every day did not see a difference in bone health risks. Meanwhile, a recent study found that women who ate [THIS protein]( for 6 months gained 7% more bone density… Which is how much density the average person loses in SIX YEARS! Here are 7 reasons everyone over 50 should be taking a particular kind of protein. ⇒ [Read this short article]( before you spend another penny on Calcium supplements… (You are probably being misled). [Read more]( *Any scientific claims made in advertising content are not researched, verified, or endorsed by Nautilus. Thank you for supporting our sponsors. The best things we learned today - Any number of “bosonic” particles can be in the same place at the same time, but no two “fermionic” particles can be in the same place at the same time—and yet it turns out that lumps of bosons can act like fermions, and vice versa. [Read on Nautilus→]( - Just as “magic spells” use special rhymes and archaic terms to signal their power, the convoluted language of legalese acts to convey a sense of authority. [Read on MIT News→]( - Our planet is a palimpsest, with much of its past still visible in the present—even the black smokers that may have given rise to proto-life are still bubbling away on the ocean floor. [Read on Nautilus→]( - Fusarium wilt of banana, popularly known as Panama disease, is one of the most damaging plant diseases known. [Read on Nature Microbiology→]( “I contend that a life is extraordinary only in as much as the ordinary things are done with an extraordinary amount of love.” In a YouTube series, priest Johannes Schwarz shared insights he had after living as a part-time hermit in the Italian Alps. [Read on Nautilus→]( Sign up for the Imagine5 newsletter Join sustainable change. Every other week you receive our [newsletter]( packed with positive stories, hands-on tips and climate news. [Sign up now]( Today’s unlocked free story HISTORY How the Cold War Created Astrobiology Life, death, and Sputnik. BY CALEB SCHARF Astronomy and biology have been circling each other with timid infatuation since the first time a human thought about the possibility of other worlds and other suns. [Continue reading]( P.S. NASA’s Viking 1 spacecraft, built to explore the surface of Mars, was launched on this day in 1975. The lander’s attempts to spot microorganisms, or any sort of organisms, didn’t pan out (and it was the same story for its counterpart, Viking 2, launched shortly after). “The biological tests gave confusing and unexpected results, now generally considered to be a consequence of the rather fearsome chemistry of the upper soil—full of nasty oxidants akin to substances used in rocket fuel,” wrote Caleb Scharf. “Viking made it clear that finding life beyond the Earth was going to be [vastly more challenging than hoped—or feared](.” 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](