12 Mind-Bending Perceptual Illusions

Plus: some good shit; protecting our seas; another path to intelligence; and cursive writing myths. [View in browser]( | [Become a member]( EDITORS’ CHOICE August 28, 2022   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Good Morning! Here’s the latest and some of the most popular stories from Nautilus—and this week’s Behind the Scenes below [DIVE IN](   [ENVIRONMENT]( [It’s High Time to Protect Our High Seas]( The oceans belong to no one. But we can all take part to protect them. BY DONA BERTARELLI & LEWIS PUGH Look down at the Pacific Ocean from outer space and it appears to take up most of the globe. [Continue reading →]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](   [Scientific Wonders in the Palm of Your Hand]( [The Mini Museum](’s curated collection of natural treasures is a new way to explore the universe. Featuring 29 specimens from across the solar system, this [limited-edition collection]( inspires curiosity and education. [Explore the Universe](   BEHIND THE SCENES [Lina Zeldovich Takes Us Behind “We Only Think We Flush It Away”]( The science journalist Lina Zeldovich loves to talk shit. She’s the author of [The Other Dark Matter](: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth and Health ([excerpted in Nautilus](). Her latest story in Nautilus considers the flip side of that equation—the science of how [our waste is turning our environment against us](, affecting our and other animals’ well-being. What inspired her to write about waste? I figured she must have a poop story. [In our recent conversation]( Zeldovich explained, among other things, where her fascination with “the other dark matter” came from. She “had a fairly unconventional upbringing,” she said. Her parents were scientists in the Soviet Union, but lost their careers when they became dissidents. As a result, Zeldovich grew up on her grandfather’s farm. “He fertilized our family farm with the content of our septic system,” she said. Every fall, her grandfather would use two large buckets to empty the septic tank. But he didn’t just pour all the shit onto the land. He’d put it into a compost pit mixed with kitchen scraps and dead leaves and plants. Then he would cover the pit, and let it sit for three years. “Whatever was inside was fermented entirely,” she said. Zeldovich was amazed at what she saw when it came time to open up the pit. “None of the original stuff was there,” she said. “It was just dirt. Rich, black dirt that smelled so good, it smelled like a forest floor. It smelled of the promise of the next harvest.” The dirt was remarkably fertile. “Plants just popped out of it, and grew like crazy,” she said. “And that’s in the pretty abysmal Russian summers that were short and rainy and cold.” [That’s some good shit.]( But Zeldovich also explained where it can hit the fan: “Human shit can directly kill coral.” So many of us now worry about zoonotic diseases spilling into us. Well, Zeldovich said, “We are quite literally spilling out human pathogens onto corals when we either don’t sufficiently treat sewage, or when we have storm overflows.” Plus, there’s also all the caffeine, among other toxins, like mercury, that we’re flushing into the ecosystem. “It turns out it can inhibit growth in some species, impair reproductions in others, and cause skeletal deformations,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Jesus, now I feel guilty drinking my tea.’” [Watch here.]( —Brian Gallagher, associate editor   [“What could be more important than protecting the thing that supports all life?”]( [There have been five attempts to negotiate an Oceans Treaty—will this current one succeed?](   [For the Forward Thinkers]( Change starts with imagination. Join [5 Letter]( to discover positive solutions, inspirational people, and groundbreaking ideas for a better, sustainable future. [Subscribe for Free](   [EVOLUTION]( [Another Path to Intelligence]( BY JAMES BRIDLE It turns out there are many ways of “doing” intelligence, and this is evident even in the apes and monkeys who perch close to us on the evolutionary tree. [Continue reading →](   [HEALTH]( [This Is Some Good Shit]( BY LINA ZELDOVICH I’m standing on an observation platform atop 24 colossal pressure cookers that belong to DC Water, the sewage treatment plant of our country’s capital. [Continue reading →](   [PSYCHOLOGY]( [12 Mind-Bending Perceptual Illusions]( BY STEVE STEWART-WILLIAMS Everyone loves a good optical illusion. [Continue reading →](   [PSYCHOLOGY]( [Cursive Handwriting and Other Education Myths]( BY PHILIP BALL A recent newcomer at one of the home-education groups my family attends explained that one of the frustrations that led her to take her son out of the school system was that he wasn’t being allowed to write stories. [Continue reading →](   BECOME A SUBSCRIBER [Win a Telescope With Nautilus and Celestron]( Become a student of the stars when you [enter to win]( a StarSense Explorer TLT 80AZ telescope from Celestron. To enter, simply reply to any Nautilus newsletter with “Celestron” and your Instagram handle. Be sure you are following @[celestronuniverse](, @[nautilusmag](, and subscribed to the [Nautilus newsletter]( to be eligible. The contest runs until 8/31. The randomly selected winner will be announced on 9/1. [Enter to Win](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2022 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 Don't want to hear from us anymore? Click here to [unsubscribe]( .