What Does Love Do to Us?

Plus: the top science news this week; and Nautilus stories related to the One Question, answered by evolutionary anthropologist Anna Machin.. [View in browser]( | [Become a member]( December 13, 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   [Bigotry and the Human–Animal Divide: (Dis)belief in Human Evolution and Bigoted Attitudes Across Different Cultures]( You're less likely to be a racist if you believe humans are just another animal that happened to evolve. [Journal of Personality and Social Psychology→](   [Palaeopathological Evidence for Intraspecific Combat in Ankylosaurid Dinosaurs]( The recognizable club-like tail of this armored dino arguably evolved—not for defending against predators, like the T-Rex—but for dominating ritualized in-group fights over mates. [Biology Letters→](   [Fusion Energy, the Holy Grail of Clean Power, a Step Closer to Reality]( Fusion remains wildly impractical as an energy source—but the idea that it could work one day just got a bit more plausible. [The Washington]([Post→](   [11,000-Year-Old Carving of Man Holding His Penis, Surrounded by Leopards, Is Oldest-Known Depiction of a Narrative Scene]( Believe it or not, “this was a picture of the stories that formed the ideology of the people of that period.” [ARTnews→](   [AI Learns to Write Computer Code in “Stunning” Advance]( AlphaCode, from DeepMind, can also explain code it reads in plain language, so programmers can use it to understand each other’s work. [Science→](   SpaceX Launches Japanese Lander, UAE Rover to the Moon]( The rocket of a private American company is sending a Japanese company’s lander to the moon, so it can safely deliver a rover made by the United Arab Emirates to the lunar surface—a pioneering mission for the commercial space industry. [Space.com→](   [China Maps Out Plans to Put Astronauts on the Moon and on Mars]( “The progress they’ve made has been stunning—stunningly fast.” [The New York Times→](   [NASA’s Webb Reaches New Milestone in Quest for Distant Galaxies]( There are galaxies as far as the eye—or most powerful telescope—can see. [NASA→](   Base Editing: Revolutionary Therapy Clears Girl's Incurable Cancer](//sailthru.nautil.us/click/29963257.6795/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMi8xMS9zY2llbmNlL3NwYWNleC1pc3BhY2UtamFwYW4tbW9vbi1sYW5kZXIuaHRtbD91dG1fc291cmNlPW5hdXRpbHVzLW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZoZT1kNjZlM2Q0MzVkYjVmOWFmMDljYmI1NWUxMGRjZmVjZA/60aaa7da6c0d2461fe58eb64D9dbee622 Big news from the first use of a revolutionary new type of medicine. [BBC→](   [Measuring Times in Billionths of a Billionth of a Second](//sailthru.nautil.us/click/29963257.6795/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMi8xMS9zY2llbmNlL3NwYWNleC1pc3BhY2UtamFwYW4tbW9vbi1sYW5kZXIuaHRtbD91dG1fc291cmNlPW5hdXRpbHVzLW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZoZT1kNjZlM2Q0MzVkYjVmOWFmMDljYmI1NWUxMGRjZmVjZA/60aaa7da6c0d2461fe58eb64E9dbee622 Just how small can a fraction of a second be? [Griffith University→](   [Say Hello to the Toughest Material on Earth](//sailthru.nautil.us/click/29963257.6795/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMi8xMS9zY2llbmNlL3NwYWNleC1pc3BhY2UtamFwYW4tbW9vbi1sYW5kZXIuaHRtbD91dG1fc291cmNlPW5hdXRpbHVzLW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZoZT1kNjZlM2Q0MzVkYjVmOWFmMDljYmI1NWUxMGRjZmVjZA/60aaa7da6c0d2461fe58eb64F9dbee622 The alloy’s strength and ductility strangely improve as it gets colder. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory→]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](   [Explore Medical Science With Hands-on Kits]( Spark a love for medicine with [MEL Science Med](—the world’s first and only medical subscription box. Developed by doctors, biologists, and pharmacists, the immersive experience will appeal to teens and adults alike. [Use code MED50]( to get 50% off your first box. [Try It Now](   [ONE QUESTION]( [What Does Love Do to Us?]( INTERVIEW BY BRIAN GALLAGHER One question for [Anna Mach]([in](, an evolutionary anthropologist at Oxford University, where she conducts research on the neurobiology and psychology of human relationships, particularly romantic and parent-child relationships.   The reason love evolved was to motivate and reward us for taking part in relationships, critical to our survival. That goes for our reproductive partners, children, and extending to our friends. Humans are highly cooperative because we have to be. A species will be solitary unless it absolutely has to cooperate with somebody else. And that’s fine, except it’s incredibly stressful. You have to spend a hell of a lot of time monitoring everybody else’s behavior, making sure you’re spotting those people who are trying to cheat you or steal from you. [Read the interview](   Related Nautilus Stories   [ANTHROPOLOGY]( [Love Is Biological Bribery]( Evolution uses all its tricks to make sure we procreate. But love in humans is a many-splendored thing. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER [Continue reading →]( [PSYCHOLOGY]( [The Brave New World of Chemical Romance]( How love drugs will shape the future of our relationships. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER [Continue reading →]( [PSYCHOLOGY]( [The Transcendence of Tantric Sex]( A psychologist argues science can take a lesson from ritual about how to heal. BY DAVID DESTENO [Continue reading →]( [NEUROSCIENCE]( [Love Is Like Cocaine]( From ecstasy to withdrawal, the lover resembles an addict. BY HELEN FISHER [Continue reading →]( [ANTHROPOLOGY]( [Love, Death, and Other Forgotten Traditions]( What we don’t tell our children. BY DORSA AMIR [Continue reading →](   [A Tribute to the Legacy of Mario Ruvio]( Early career ocean professionals are invited to apply to the newly launched [Mario Ruivo Memorial Lecture Series](, a tribute to the legacy of Professor Mario Ruivo, former Executive Secretary of the IOU-UNESCO, and Portgual’s greatest champion of ocean science. [Submit your application]( by January 9, 2023. [Apply Here](   More in Neuroscience [What the Tiny Cluster of Brain Cells in My Lab Are Telling Me]( I’ve created organoids that, surprisingly, have a lot to say about how the brain works. BY KENNETH S. KOSIK My feeling was nothing less than elation. [Continue reading →]( [Why Your Brain Isn’t Into the Future]( What you can’t imagine clearly, you value less. BY JIM DAVIES Living for the moment gets a bad rap. [Continue reading →](   Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher   BECOME A SUBSCRIBER [A Surprise Delivered to Your Doorstep]( Your mystery issue of [Nautilus magazine]( provides an experience of the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers. Discover [deep, undiluted, narrative storytelling](that brings science into the most important conversations we are having today. [Order Now](   [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](.