The Top Science News

Plus: this week’s One Question—“Should social psychologists experiment with psychedelics?” and related Nautilus stories. [View in browser]( | [Become a member]( September 27, 2022   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Good Morning! Here’s the top science news—plus this week’s One Question and related Nautilus stories [READ NAUTILUS](   DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week   [Taste of Kale Makes Unborn Babies Grimace, Finds Research]( Babies can sense aromas from a mother’s diet present in amniotic fluid. [The Guardian→](   [NASA’s DART Mission Successfully Slams Into an Asteroid]( We have the potential to protect our planet from objects coming Earth’s way. [CNN→](   [How Many Ants Are There on Earth? You’re Going to Need More Zeros.]( If all the ants weigh about two Pyramids of Giza, how many are there for every human? [The New York Times→](   [New Webb Image Captures Clearest View of Neptune’s Rings in Decades]( The new space telescope reveals the ice giant in a whole new light. [NASA→](   [“A Trip to Infinity” and the Delicate Art of the Math Documentary]( In a new Netflix documentary, physicists Janna Levin, Stephon Alexander, and Carlo Rovelli, and the philosopher Rebecca Goldstein explain what infinity is, and what makes it endlessly interesting. [The New Yorker→](   [Women’s Experiences of Infertility After the Holocaust]( Immediately on arrival at the concentration camps, over 98 percent of women stopped menstruating. [Social Science & Medicine→](   [Nature, Nurture, Luck: Why You Are More Than Just Genes and Upbringing]( We underestimate the impact of flukes. [New Scientist→]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](   [iRobot, So You Can Human]( Experience the magic of smarter cleaning with [iRobot Roomba](—the robot vacuum that sparked a revolution. Celebrate robot vacuum innovation and [save up to 50%]( select iRobot vacuum cleaners today. [Clean The Smart Way](   ONE QUESTION [Should Social Psychologists Experiment with Psychedelics?]( INTERVIEW BY BRIAN GALLAGHER One question for [Sonja Lyubomirsky](, a psychologist at UC Riverside studying the sources and benefits of happiness, and the author of The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want.   Yes. That’s the premise of my recent [paper](, “Toward a New Science of Psychedelic Social Psychology: The Effects of MDMA (Ecstasy) on Social Connection.” I should add that some researchers put MDMA in a psychedelic category, but it’s usually called an empathogen or an entactogen. On MDMA, people report feeling understood, loved, and cared for—valued. So, it serves as a window into those processes. [Read the interview](   Related Nautilus Stories   [PSYCHOLOGY]( [How My Ecstasy Trip Turned Into a Rare Anxiety Disorder]( BY KASTALIA MEDRANO When I was at the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware, in the summer of 2014, I took a 200 mg pill of ecstasy—Red Riddler—something I had done before. [Continue reading →]( [PSYCHOLOGY]( [Mice on Acid]( BY CODY KOMMERS In the bowels of an animal research facility at Oxford University, mice are stirring in cages. [Continue reading →]( [PSYCHOLOGY]( [The Brave New World of Chemical Romance]( BY BRIAN GALLAGHER With Hamilton on my mind, I had a fanciful thought while reading the new book Love Drugs: The Chemical Future of Relationships. [Continue reading →]( [HEALTH]( [Hallucinogen Therapy Is Coming]( BY MOISES VELASQUEZ-MANOFF Three years later Daniel Kreitman still chokes up when he talks about what he saw, and how it changed him. [Continue reading →]( [NEUROSCIENCE]( [Psychedelics Open a New Window on the Mechanisms of Perception]( BY ANIL ANANTHASWAMY Everything became imbued with a sense of vitality and life and vividness. [Continue reading →](   Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher   COVER STORY [Under Anesthesia, Where Do Our Minds Go?]( General anesthesia redefined surgery and medicine, but over a century later it still carries significant risks. To better understand our brains and design safer anesthesia, scientists are turning to EEG. Read this story and others that showcase [Nautilus](' unique style of environmental journalism in Issue 45. [Join the discussion]( on the high price of cheap shrimp; the current status of the bees; and the political power of ecstatic sex. [Subscribe](   [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 To view in your browser, [click here]( . Don't want to hear from us anymore? Click here to [unsubscribe]( .