The Top Science News

Digging up centuries-old relatives for DNA, ancient self-healing concrete, and more. Plus: this week’s One Question with astrophysicist Joseph Silk. [View in browser]( | [Become a member]( Newsletter brought to you by: January 10, 2023   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Good Morning! Here’s the top science news—plus this week’s One Question with author and astrophysicist [Joseph Silk]( [READ NAUTILUS](   DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week   [Community-Engaged Ancient DNA Project Reveals Diverse Origins of 18th-Century African Descendants in Charleston, South Carolina]( People let researchers dig up their colonial-era relatives and probe their genes and origins for science. [PNAS→](   [Future Socio-Ecosystem Productivity Threatened by Compound Drought–Heatwave Events]( How often these extreme events happen is projected to increase by tenfold globally under the highest emissions scenario. [Nature Sustainability→](   [Hot Mixing: Mechanistic Insights Into the Durability of Ancient Roman Concrete]( How the Romans created self-healing structures. (Maybe we should “[make concrete Roman again](”?) [Science Advances→](   [Papers and Patents Are Becoming Less Disruptive Over Time]( We’re standing on the shoulders of shorter and shorter giants. [Nature→](   [Mindful Attention Promotes Control of Brain Network Dynamics for Self-Regulation and Discontinues the Past from the Present]( What’s behind the feeling of living in the moment. [PNAS→](   [“Consciousness” in Robots Was Once Taboo. Now It’s the Last Word.]( “What started out as being spooky and kind of religious ends up being sort of straightforward, objective science.” [The New York Times→](   [Do You Hear What I See? How Do Early Blind Individuals Experience Object Motion?]( When it can’t see, the brain learns to listen. [Biological Sciences→](   [Once in 50,000-Year Comet May Be Visible to the Naked Eye]( Mark your calendars for February 1. [Phys.org→](   [Study Reveals Average Age at Conception for Men Versus Women Over Past 250,000 Years]( The average age that humans had children over the course of our evolution is 26.9. [News at IU→]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](   [Freedom for Them, Peace of Mind for You]( Dogs were meant to roam. [SpotOn]( lets them do just that with the world’s most innovative dog fence. Featuring their patented True Location™ GPS technology, SpotOn fences allow dogs to explore while keeping them safe. Reliable, flexible, and easy to use, SpotOn lets your pooch experience life unleashed. Save 15% with code [NAUT15](. [Learn More](   [ONE QUESTION]( [Should People Live on the Moon?]( INTERVIEW BY BRIAN GALLAGHER One question for [Joseph Silk](, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University and the author of [Back to the Moon: The Next Giant Leap for Humankind](.   Why not? We have to start somewhere if we ever want to leave Earth. And the only realistic place to start is the moon. It’s going to be for a minority, right? For explorers, for people exploiting the moon for commercial reasons, for scientists. They will be living on the moon within the next century. [Read the interview](   Related Nautilus Stories   [TECHNOLOGY]( [The Moon Is Full of Money]( Capitalism in space. BY POPE BROCK [Continue reading →]( [PHILOSOPHY]( [Why Colonizing the Galaxy Is the Highest Good]( Reducing the risk of global catastrophe is good on an astronomical scale. BY SETH BAUM [Continue reading →]( [GEOSCIENCE]( [Why Lunar Ice Caps Don’t Change My Moon Base Design]( For the author of The Martian and Artemis, it’s simple economics. BY ANDY WEIR [Continue reading →]( [PSYCHOLOGY]( [Your Brain Can’t Handle the Moon]( How the moon stirs tension between your conscious and subconscious minds. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER [Continue reading →]( [ENVIRONMENT]( [To Save the Deep Ocean, We Should Mine the Moon]( The moon contains a lot of mineral wealth—but how practical is mining it? BY BRANDON KEIM [Continue reading →](   [Connect to Clean Energy in Two Minutes]( No matter what type of home you own or rent, [Arcadia]( can provide 100% clean energy for just $5/month—with no long-term commitments or changes to your current provider. [Sign up for Arcadia today](, and get a welcome gift of $10 toward your power bill. [Get Your $10](   P.S. An AI-powered “robot” lawyer will be first of its kind to represent a defendant in court—to [fight a traffic ticket](. These days it can feel like AIs could soon be like our smartphones today: We use them for everything. But could AI really do something as deeply human as create, say, fine art? [Here’s what it would take](.   Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher   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](.