Plus: some good shit; protecting our seas; another path to intelligence; and cursive writing myths.
[View in browser]( | [Become a member]( EDITORSâ CHOICE August 28, 2022 Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Good Morning! Hereâs the latest and some of the most popular stories from Nautilusâand this weekâs Behind the Scenes below [DIVE IN]( [ENVIRONMENT]( [Itâs 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 â]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY]( [Scientific Wonders in the Palm of Your Hand]( [The Mini Museum](âs 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 âWe Only Think We Flush It Awayâ]( The science journalist Lina Zeldovich loves to talk shit. Sheâs 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 equationâthe science of how [our waste is turning our environment against us](, affecting our and other animalsâ 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 âthe other dark matterâ came from. She âhad a fairly unconventional upbringing,â 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 grandfatherâs farm. âHe fertilized our family farm with the content of our septic system,â she said. Every fall, her grandfather would use two large buckets to empty the septic tank. But he didnât just pour all the shit onto the land. Heâd 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. âWhatever was inside was fermented entirely,â she said. Zeldovich was amazed at what she saw when it came time to open up the pit. âNone of the original stuff was there,â she said. âIt 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.â The dirt was remarkably fertile. âPlants just popped out of it, and grew like crazy,â she said. âAnd thatâs in the pretty abysmal Russian summers that were short and rainy and cold.â [Thatâs some good shit.]( But Zeldovich also explained where it can hit the fan: âHuman shit can directly kill coral.â So many of us now worry about zoonotic diseases spilling into us. Well, Zeldovich said, âWe are quite literally spilling out human pathogens onto corals when we either donât sufficiently treat sewage, or when we have storm overflows.â Plus, thereâs also all the caffeine, among other toxins, like mercury, that weâre flushing into the ecosystem. âIt turns out it can inhibit growth in some species, impair reproductions in others, and cause skeletal deformations,â she said. âItâs like, âJesus, now I feel guilty drinking my tea.ââ [Watch here.]( âBrian Gallagher, associate editor [âWhat could be more important than protecting the thing that supports all life?â]( [There have been five attempts to negotiate an Oceans Treatyâwill 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 âdoingâ intelligence, and this is evident even in the apes and monkeys who perch close to us on the evolutionary tree.
[Continue reading â]( [HEALTH]( [This Is Some Good Shit]( BY LINA ZELDOVICH Iâm standing on an observation platform atop 24 colossal pressure cookers that belong to DC Water, the sewage treatment plant of our countryâs capital.
[Continue reading â]( [PSYCHOLOGY]( [12 Mind-Bending Perceptual Illusions]( BY STEVE STEWART-WILLIAMS Everyone loves a good optical illusion.
[Continue reading â]( [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 wasnât being allowed to write stories.
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