Learning Chess at 40

What I learned trying to keep up with my 4-year-old daughter at the royal game. EDITORS' CHOICE May 22, 2022   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Dear Nautilus Reader, What can chess reveal about the growth of a young mind and the slowdown of a mature one? Tom Vanderbilt quickly found out when he taught himself and his four-year old daughter to play the royal game. In no time, he was losing to her. Vanderbilt’s wonderful [2016 Nautilus article]( formed a basis of his 2021 book, Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning. Plus, look out below for this week’s Behind the Scenes [with astrobiologist Caleb Scharf](. That and more, in some of the most popular stories this week. Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TO NAUTILUS](   [NEUROSCIENCE]( [Learning Chess at 40]( What I learned trying to keep up with my 4-year-old daughter at the royal game. BY TOM VANDERBILT [Continue reading →](   Enjoying this new section? [Let us know your thoughts.](mailto:newsletter@nautil.us) BEHIND THE SCENES [Should We Share Our Location and Identity with Aliens?]( What are scientists planning to tell aliens about us? We are here. This is what the solar system looks like. Here’s what we look like—“You know, all the kinds of things that on a ‘first date’ you want to get across,” astrobiologist Caleb Scharf tells me. “Yeah, I’m human. And I’m sorry I’ve only got two legs. But that’s how it is.” [In our conversation]( about his recent story “[We Better Think Twice About What We Say to ET](,” Scharf weighed the merits of broadcasting who and where we are, and explained what might drive us to do so despite the risks. It’s a question he took up in light of the latest effort, announced in April, to beam our details to the galactic core. [Watch here](. –Brian Gallagher, associate editor   [PSYCHOLOGY]( [Scientists Analyzed 24,000 Chess Matches to Understand Cognition]( Chess could be the ultimate window through which to see how our mental powers shift during our lives. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER [Continue reading →](   [Open Call for the 2022 Jackson Wild Media Awards]( We are seeking entries for the [2022 Jackson Wild Media Awards](! These awards celebrate excellence and innovation in nature, science and conservation storytelling. [Submit your film]( to nature’s equivalent to the Oscars today. The deadline is June 1, 2022. [Learn More](   [ENVIRONMENT]( [The Oceans Are Teeming with Unknown Species]( Scientists are finding 2,000 new marine species a year. Why it matters to name and categorize them. BY JORI LEWIS [Continue reading →](       [ASTRONOMY]( [An Astrophysicist on What the Black-Hole Image Reveals]( BY PANKAJ S. JOSHI No ordinary body could be so small and yet so dark and so massive. [Continue reading →](       [NEUROSCIENCE]( [“I Have to Admit, I Have a Very Low Opinion of Human Beings”]( BY BENJAMIN EHRLICH Why the father of neuroscience, toward the end of his career, preferred to study ants. [Continue reading →](       [PHYSICS]( [A Travel Guide for the Fourth Dimension]( BY CHIP ROWE Say goodbye to stable orbits and knotted shoelaces. [Continue reading →](   OCEAN [Explore the Ocean with This Special Print Edition]( This stunning, special print edition of the [Nautilus Ocean]( magazine takes you to new depths with stories and visuals about ocean conservation, exploration, and research. Discover [narratives that leap off the pages]( and ignite curiosity, awe, and wonder about the underwater world. [Buy 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]( .