A Stinking Flower, Techno-Horror, and More from Our New Section

Holes in the "hygiene hypothesis"; what’s bubbling up on Europa; the destructive power of roads; and more. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( EDITORS' CHOICE Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( Dear Nautilus Reader, Earlier this year we launched a new section, The Porthole: Short Sharp Looks at Science. The Porthole is everything Nautilus is—vantage points on nature and humanity that surprise and delight and edify—except the stories are, well, shorter. This Sunday we wanted to show off and showcase The Porthole from the past week. Enjoy the lookout! [ENVIRONMENT]( [Save This Stinking Flower!]( The world’s largest and smelliest flower teeters on extinction. BY LINA ZELDOVICH In the lush forests of Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines, dwells Rafflesia, one of the most mysterious and enigmatic flowers on Earth. Rafflesia pops a bud—a brown cabbage-like sphere the size of a soccer ball—that erupts into a stunning, five-lobed red blossom, over three feet in diameter—the biggest flower on the planet. Its scent, however, makes a mockery of its beauty: Rafflesias smell like rotten meat. [Continue reading→]( [ASTRONOMY]( [A Crucial Ingredient for Life Is Bubbling Up on Europa]( Jupiter’s ice-capped moon has a storehouse of carbon dioxide in its subsurface ocean. BY COREY S. POWELL Something fizzy is brewing under the ice of Jupiter’s moon Europa—a familiar molecule that is inspiring fresh optimism in the search for life beyond Earth. Beneath its frozen surface, Europa has a balmy, globe-spanning ocean that may contain more than twice the liquid in Earth’s oceans combined. Life cannot get by with water alone, however; it also needs carbon. Now research suggests that Europa’s ocean has that, too, in the form of carbon dioxide, aka CO2, aka the stuff of Pepsi bubbles. [Continue reading→]( [Liking these stories? Join Nautilus today]( [ARTS]( [The Creeping Techno-Horror of “The MANIAC”]( Benjamín Labatut’s latest novel excavates science history to hint at the madness of AI advancement at any cost. BY NICK HILDEN “It was as if those awful things had a will of their own,” says physicist Richard Feynman in Benjamín Labatut’s latest novel The MANIAC. Feynman never actually said this—or if he did, I can’t find evidence of it—but the veracity of the quote is not what matters. Feynman is referring to the use of the first atomic bombs. In The MANIAC, Labatut suggests we’re watching history repeat itself regarding a new potentially dubious technology: artificial intelligence. [Continue reading→]( [HEALTH]( [Mice Dig Holes in the “Hygiene Hypothesis”]( New evidence suggests exposure to microbes in early childhood might not protect against allergies. BY LINA ZELDOVICH An empire of dirt awaits the newborn baby: dirty floors, dirty yards, dirty pets, dirty toys. In recent years, many parents have taken to letting their babies roam this scuzzy terrain freely without immediately applying soap and scrub brush. The dirtier, the better. The parents are motivated by the “hygiene hypothesis,” a popular theory that posits that excessive cleanliness can reduce germs needed to educate the immune systems of babies and young kids. Now, a new study with mice—some clean and others dirty—is further complicating this narrative. [Continue reading→]( [ZOOLOGY]( [My 3 Greatest Revelations]( The author on writing his new book Crossings, about the environmental destruction of roads. BY BEN GOLDFARB When I began working on Crossings, I assumed I knew what I would encounter. Roads wreak ecological chaos, and from the outset I planned to include a chapter about roadkill, one about traffic impeding migration, another about the chemical harms of road salt, and so on. Soon after I realized I’d missed one of the most pervasive problems: road noise. The noise pollution that emanates from car tires and engines billows away from highways, masking the subtle acoustic signals—the flap of a hawk’s wings, the crunch of vole feet—that predators and prey alike need to survive. [Continue reading→]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [JOIN TODAY]( [News, But Only the Good Stuff]( At Nautilus, we know news isn't only violence and crisis. That's why we love [Nice News](, an email digest that filters through 100-plus sources each day to send you the most uplifting stories. Begin your day in a positive state of mind and discover all of the good the world has to offer — from scientific discoveries to health advancements and cultural happenings. Join for free and start your mornings with a smile. [TRY IT]( P.S. A [new study]( out of Kruger National Park, in South Africa, shows that humans are the clear apex predator in the area. Researchers set up speakers in different parts of the park, and played recordings of different predators when prey animals like giraffes and zebras walked by. The animals were much more fearful, running away from the speakers faster, when the recordings played human voices compared to lion roars. Brandom Keim spoke with biologist Sean B. Carroll about the [importance of fear in ecosystems](—he was an executive producer on the film Nature’s Fear Factor, which explores the role the emotion plays in bringing balance to another wildlife preserve in Africa, Gongorosa National Park. Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher ON THE COVER [Weaving Together Fantasy and Reality]( “There wasn't much that didn't capture my imagination! The setting is in the Tibetan Himalayas, and the story is about a caterpillar-zombifying fungus (which is a cousin to the fungi that was responsible for the zombies in HBO's The Last of Us). The article itself is fascinating and explores a scientific mystery, eventually unearthing new information about this fungus.” This is why Nautilus’ cover artist, Jennifer Bruce, was immediately drawn to Issue 51’s feature article, [“The Last of the Fungus.”]( An award-winning artist whose intricate illustrations have been featured on the covers of a plethora of fantasy novels, Bruce certainly judges a book by its cover. “I tend to pick up books based on whether or not the cover intrigues me. I think we all do that innately—the cover and title are the first representation of a story that a potential reader sees.” You can read more about Jennifer Bruce’s thoughts on our latest cover story, the “tortured artist” trope, and what scientists and artists can learn from one another in Nautilus. [Read Jennifer Bruce’s Full Interview]( Thanks for reading. [Tell us](mailto:brian.gallagher@nautil.us?subject=&body=) your thoughts on today’s note. Plus, [browse our archive]( of past print issues, and inspire a friend to sign up for [the Nautilus newsletter](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2023 NautilusNext, All rights reserved.You were subscribed to the newsletter from [nautil.us](. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext360 W 36th Street, 7S,New York, NY 10018 Don't want to hear from us anymore? [Unsubscribe](