Earth Day Reads to Reconnect with Nature

From the Nautilus archive: articles about the natural world and more from our partners. April 22, 2022   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Dear Nautilus Reader, They came in like a wrecking ball. The Proboscidea—ancestors of elephants, mammoths, and mastodons—knocked down trees, clearing out forests, as they moved through the African landscape. “They are deforesters basically,” paleontologist Matthew Mihlbachler told Nautilus. “It’s profound. When you go to Africa, to an ecosystem that contains elephants and lots of other large animals—you know, the entire world used to be like that.” This Earth Day, as we take stock of the forces shaping our planet, like deforestation, we’re thinking back to Jude Isabella’s 2014 piece, “[The Natural World Is an Elephant World,](” from Nautilus. In it, she takes us on a stroll with Mihlbachler at the American Museum of Natural History, and reflects on the restorative power of “rewilding”—an ecologist's tactic of inviting big herbivores into habitats to shake things up, and spark something new. “Rewilding Nature” seemed a fitting heading for that story. It’s the first of three themes we are exploring for Earth Day with two of our partners, 5 Media and WaterBear, through our articles, photographs, and films: Watch a documentary, from WaterBear, about a man on a mission to [clone California redwoods]( and relocate them to Oregon, and find out, from 5 Media, which endangered species are [coming back]( from the brink. Plus, follow actor Jeremy Irons in WaterBear’s Trashed as he learns about our [global waste problem](, and peek into the lives of those making a go at living off-grid in a short film from WaterBear and a piece from 5 Media. Finally, you don’t want to miss “[Six Pictures in Paradise,](” botanist Nigel Pitman's Nautilus piece about being, rather amusingly, puzzled by apparently unremarkable images of trees in the Amazon taken by photographer Thomas Struth. “I describe forests for a living,” Pitman writes, “and I found it sort of annoying that this German guy with a giant camera seemed to be saying I couldn’t.” –Brian Gallagher, associate editor Experience of the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers. [SUBSCRIBE TO NAUTILUS]( Rewilding Nature       [ZOOLOGY]( [The Natural World Is an Elephant World]( BY JUDE ISABELLA Elephant dung perfumes the air, a fresh, sweet smell, with undertones of sour vegetation. [Continue reading →](   FROM 5 MEDIA [The Lost Wildlife Making a Comeback]( BY ANNE-MARIE HOEVE From the Iberian lynx to the white-tailed eagle, countless species are under threat as we encroach on their habitats. [Continue reading →](   FROM WATERBEAR [Moving the Giants]( A documentary following one man, David Milarch, as he clones some of the world’s most ancient and largest living things—California’s coastal redwoods—and replants them in Oregon. [Continue watching →]( Circular Economy     [ZOOLOGY]( [Songbirds in the Suburbs]( BY AARON HIRSH House finches, Costco, and remaking the American wild. [Continue reading →](   FROM 5 MEDIA [Cool, Smart, and Circular]( BY JULIA GORODECKY Now is the time to establish a circular model that ensures widespread wellbeing. Brilliant minds and businesses are out there with innovative solutions. Here are just 10. [Continue reading →](   FROM WATERBEAR [Trashed]( A feature documentary following actor and activist Jeremy Irons as he sets out to discover the extent and effects of the global waste problem. [[Trailer](] [Continue watching →]( Us and Nature     [ENVIRONMENT]( [Six Pictures of Paradise]( BY NIGEL PITMAN I was puzzled by the artist’s photographs of my home in the Amazon—then I looked again. [Continue reading →](   FROM 5 MEDIA [Off the Grid: Meet the People Leaving Modern Life Behind]( BY JOHANNA KINNOCK When it comes to sustainable living, some of us are dipping a toe in the water, while others are diving in at the deep end. [Continue reading →](   FROM WATERBEAR [EVE: The Off-Grid Life of a Climate Activist]( A short documentary about a 9-year-old climate activist that encapsulates the human complexity of navigating the environmental crisis. [[Trailer](] [Continue watching →]( GET THE NAUTILUS OCEAN NEWSLETTER Dive Deep with Nautilus Ocean The [Nautilus Ocean]( newsletter has narrative storytelling about the ocean you won't find anywhere else. These stories take you into the depths of the salty waters and shine a light on the ripples it causes in lives and cultures around the globe. [Join a community of 100k+ curious minds]( connected to science and its power to illuminate culture, humanity, and the universe. Subscribe today. [SIGN UP NOW](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2021 NautilusNext, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from nautil.us. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext 360 W 36th Street, 7S, New York, NY 10018 To view in your browser, [click here]( . Don't want to hear from us anymore? Click here to [unsubscribe]( .