The Great Forgetting

Plus: [View in browser]( | [Become a member]( December 22, 2022   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Dear Nautilus Reader, As Nautilus’ editor, I’m proud to tell you that “The Great Forgetting,” featured this week, is one of the [most moving articles we’ve ever published](. It’s a beautiful piece of science writing by Summer Praetorius, a paleoclimatologist. In her day job, Summer excavates sediments and fossils to create portraits of the Earth we might see again in the future. With the heat rising, the portraits may one day inspire humanity to cool down. Summer shows us, though, that geological records are vanishing. Earth is losing its memory. What does that mean? What should we do? What should we have done? Summer gets us to think about these questions like never before by sharing the personal story that is never out of her mind as she confronts the results of her science. Summer grew up on a junkyard in upstate New York. Nearly every day when they were kids, she and her brother wandered among the rusted cars and remnants of American life, learning from them. They were explorers of the past. One day, following a snowboarding crash, Summer’s brother showed signs of memory loss. What makes “[The Great Forgetting](” such a special story is how Summer tells it. She juxtaposes the arc of her science with the arc of her brother’s life. The two narratives flow alongside each other, crossing paths, culminating in an article that I think you will never forget. —Kevin Berger [READ NAUTILUS](   GEOSCIENCE [The Great Forgetting]( Earth is losing its memory. BY SUMMER PRAETORIUS It had only snowed a dusting the day before, but my brother Jebsen had gone snowboarding at the local hill anyway. [Continue reading →]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](   [‘Tis the Season of Change]( Gift a timepiece that’s fighting ocean pollution. [TRIWA]( has the world’s first watch collection made from recycled ocean plastic. Save 20% and get free gift wrapping on select models. [Shop Now](   ARTS [The Human Story at the Heart of Science]( How Tangled Bank Studios learned to make science documentaries that feel like feature films. BY KRISTEN FRENCH [Continue reading →]( ASTRONOMY [Top 10 Underrated Astronomy Papers of 2022]( There was a lot more to this year than stunning images. BY PAUL M. SUTTER [Continue reading →]( HEALTH [Communication Breakdown in the Brain]( Inside the research to get neurons back in a healthy conversation with one another. BY SARA GOUDARZI [Continue reading →]( HEALTH [Are We Doctors or Data Workers?]( I want to solve illnesses, not scroll through them—the dilemma of electronic health records. BY MICHAEL DENHAM [Continue reading →]( TECHNOLOGY [Will Neurotech Force Us to Update Human Rights?]( One question for Nita Farahany, a philosopher at Duke University. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER [Continue reading →](   FACTS SO ROMANTIC The Best Things We Learned Today [Greenland remembers when Romans](started smelting silver, as the toxic lead dust settled over the ice; it knows too when Rome fell, from the cessation of this dust. [Nautilus→](   [All That Breathes was the first film ever to win best documentary]( at both the Cannes Festival and Sundance Film Festival. [Nautilus→](   [U.S. health measures]( are generally worse than expected based on how much Americans spend on health. [Nautilus→](   [People recognize the unique sensitivity]( of their thoughts and emotions. [Nautilus→](   [Gravitational evidence for dark matter]( exists everywhere humans look, from the rotation rates of stars within galaxies to the evolution of the largest structures in the cosmos. [Nautilus→](   [Insects and the City: Breeding Bugs to Fix the Food Chain]( Under a railway arch in London, a bug-farming entrepreneur has [hatched a plan]( for the coming protein crisis. [Read More](   More in Geoscience [How It Feels to Surf the World’s Biggest Wave]( Riding Earth’s mighty forces in Nazaré, Portugal. BY KRISTEN FRENCH [Continue reading →]( [Are We Ready for the Next Massive Volcano?]( It’s time to get prepared, argues a professor of volcanology. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER [Continue reading →](   Today’s newsletter was written by Kevin Berger   BECOME A SUBSCRIBER [The Most Awe-Inspiring Stories in Science]( [Nautilus]( is a different kind of science magazine. Science is brought to life through narrative storytelling, taking you into the depths of science to highlight today's most vital conversations. Enjoy the wonder and awe of science, distilled into captivating reads. [Subscribe to Nautilus Print + Digital]( today for only $89/year and save 50% annually. [Join 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](.