💡 Reality’s Undoing, Medieval Placebo Science, Clever Crows, and More

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 there Nautilus readers, and thanks for being here. Today we take you back 100 years, to a time when a circle of physicists shook the foundations of science and made the world seem like a lawless, arbitrary place. Plus, we hear about smart crows and how placebo science arose from fake witch exorcisms. Also, some of the best things we learned—bacteria for batteries, entanglement’s “sudden death,” and more." And to answer our question about go-to nature walks from last time, for me, nothing beats a stroll along the long, winding, tree-shrouded trails in Tilden Regional Park, where I live in Berkeley, CA. Check out your question today (on learning from your parents) and your free story (on animal feelings) below. You have my best! — Brian Gallagher The latest from Nautilus When Reality Came Undone 100 years ago, a circle of physicists shook the foundation of science. It’s still trembling. [Continue Reading→]( Crows Are Even Smarter Than We Thought New evidence suggests the corvid family has surprising mental abilities. [Continue Reading→]( Placebo Science Is Rooted in Witch Hunts How we learned to sort true from false in medicine. [Continue Reading→]( Don’t limit your curiosity. Enjoy unlimited ad-free Nautilus stories every month for less than $5/month. [Join now]( How to Improve Your Brain Health in Just a Few Minutes a Day [Muse](, your personal brain training coach, helps you take control of your mental states, leading to better focus, reduced stress, and enhanced sleep quality. A study on healthcare practitioners showed that a regular neurofeedback practice with [Muse]( reduced burnout by 54% over average session lengths of just 6 minutes. With over 1 billion minutes of brain data and endorsements from Harvard and NASA, [Muse]( is trusted by over 500,000 users worldwide. Muse is giving Nautilus readers an exclusive 15% off their devices. [Shop now]( and learn more about how Muse can improve your brain health. [Shop Muse]( *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 - Bacteria can extract lithium, cobalt, manganese, and other minerals from old batteries and discarded electronic equipment. [Read on The Guardian→]( - The 16th-century French royal physician Michel Marescot used real and sham religious objects to discern a possible case of demon possession—one of the first ever placebo-controlled trials centuries before we had a name for them. [Read on Nautilus→]( - Since landing on Mars in 2021, the Perseverance rover has collected 22 rock core samples from the floor of Jezero Crater, which was once filled with water. [Read on AP→]( - His disagreements with Erwin Schrödinger about what electrons are almost reduced Werner Heisenberg to tears. [Read on Nautilus→]( - Quantum entanglement doesn’t just weaken as temperature increases—it evaporates in a “sudden death.” [Read on Quanta→]( WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... What’s one memorable thing you learned from your parents? 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 “Crows Are Even Smarter Than We Thought.” [Read on Nautilus→]( Top answers to our previous question: On Your Go-to Spot for a Nature Stroll Our go-to place for a nature stroll is Reedy Creek Park in the Charlotte, NC, area. There are many hiking trails taking you into pristine wilderness. Our favorite times here are spent sharing a picnic lunch sitting beside a babbling brook listening to the birds, watching the squirrels, and enjoying being together. We smile at each other and say, “It doesn't get any better than this.” – Hank E. The Don Valley. The valley of the Don River winds its way through midtown Toronto and through parkland, rewilded woodlands, wetlands, and sports fields, but the rewilded woodlands and scrub forest are the best. – B. Ross A. I live in northwest Ohio, and one of my favorite places is Howard Marsh. There are not a lot of trees, but the marsh is amazing. Watching families of pied billed grebes, common gallinules, American coot, and various ducks interact—and seeing the parents feed their babies—carries me through the summer. – Tracy M. Win a Chance to Have Your Nature Photos Featured in Nautilus—and More! Submit your best nature photos to “[Biodiversity: Through the Lens](” before August 31st and they could be featured during Art Basel Paris, in Nautilus online, and on Discover Earth’s IG account. [Enter here]( Today’s unlocked free story PHILOSOPHY Animals Feel What’s Right and Wrong, Too It’s time to take moral emotion in animals seriously. BY JAMES HUTTON Amy’s job is pretty repetitive, but normally she doesn’t mind doing what she’s asked. [Continue reading]( P.S. The animal behavior researcher and advocate Temple Grandin was born on this day in 1947. She maintained, along with Jane Goodall and others, that animals have feelings, on the basis that we share similar anatomy with them. She’s in good company. “Many species, from rats to pigeons to rhesus monkeys to chimpanzees, show a willingness to give up food to help another creature in distress,” wrote philosopher James Hutton. “These behaviors are evidence that these animals are experiencing emotions directed at the well-being of others rather than at their own lot, [removing any rationale for denying that these are genuinely moral emotions](.” 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](