The Biochemist Who’s Tackled the Mount Everest in His Field

Plus: an ark for Antarctica; the physical process that powers a new type of generative AI; this week’s Facts So Romantic; and more. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( This Thursday, your free member newsletter includes the Issue 52 editor’s note. After that, be sure to check out this week’s Facts So Romantic. EDITOR'S NOTE The Beauty of Science for Science’s Sake BY KEVIN BERGER If I had to link the variety of stories in this issue under a single theme, it would be, “Because it’s there.” George’s Mallory’s famous quip about why he climbed Mount Everest speaks for the daring science on view. The ascent begins with Chinese biochemist Ting Zhu. As you will see in “[Mirror-Image Life](,” Zhu is embarked on what Nobel laureate Jack Szostak calls a “hugely ambitious” adventure. Zhu’s goal is to reverse the chirality of molecules to produce a new form of life. Chirality, a Greek word for hand, refers to the fact that molecules central to life, like DNA, twist in one direction, like the threads of a screw. Many scientists think creating mirror-image life can’t be done. “Indeed, it’s difficult and challenging, but that also makes it exciting, like climbing a high mountain,” Zhu tells Nautilus author Philip Ball. True, Mallory never did reach his summit; in fact, he died trying. As Ball’s fascinating article shows, Zhu is near his summit, with life and limb intact. So much important science, which has revealed the intricacies of nature, began with scientists striking out for uncharted territory. In “[Can We Stop Time in the Body?](” Nautilus author Elena Kazamia tracks a band of biologists on a mission to create a drug that would permeate every tissue in the body and slow down its metabolic tempo to adagio. Don Ingber of Harvard, a leader in biologically inspired engineering, tells Kazamia he likes the project because it’s “so out there.” I just love the minute obsessions of scientists. Who spends years and years studying the genes of [ancient sea sponges](, or [the sleep habits of tiny fish](in Mexican caves, or [the magnetic fields of the sun](? In this issue, you’ll meet them. It’s true: science for science’s sake often turns out to have important applications. Physicist Sidney Perkowitz has written in Nautilus how the discovery of quantum mechanics, a theoretical quest if there ever were one, led to the computer chip and light-emitting diodes that are moving us toward a greener world. “The interplay between pure theory, and its outcomes in the everyday world, is a continuing feature of science,” he wrote. The same is true of the science in this issue. Mirror-life molecules can improve drugs because they don’t incite immune systems to overreact and cause inflammation. Head and spinal cord injuries cause irreparable damage if aid is delayed. A biostatic drug, Kazamia writes, “delivered on the battlefield could buy time for fallen soldiers, improving their chances of survival.” The practical side of science couldn’t be more important to our health and our planet’s. Scientific breakthroughs in medicine and technology are newsworthy, and plenty of magazines cover them admirably. But I confess, it’s the romantic pursuits, with no practical goals in sight, that most inspire my choices as an editor. And what, to reveal my bias, make Nautilus special. More from Nautilus: • [An ark for Antarctica]( • [The physical process that powers a new type of generative AI]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [JOIN TODAY]( [Find Out Why Over 60,000 People Trust This Global Affairs Newsletter]( With a dedication to clarity over clickbait, [International Intrigue]( gives you only the most essential stories, helping you stay informed in under 5 minutes. Founded by a team of former diplomats who scour 600+ news sources a day, International Intrigue delivers industry-level analysis with absolutely zero BS. - Want to know more about North Korea and Russia cozying up? - Or why the US’ new $31B nuclear reactor isn’t going to plan? We do too, so [join 60,000 subscribers](—including the team at Nautilus—who trust International Intrigue daily. [SIGN UP NOW]( FACTS SO ROMANTIC The Best Things We Learned Today In Lake Turkana, fossils of at least three early hominids—Homo erectus, habilis, and boisei—testify to the Kenyan Rift Valley’s status as a point of origin for the human species. [Nautilus →]( In Antarctica, 12-armed starfish grow to the size of garbage-bin lids. [Nautilus →]( The galaxy Messier 87 shoots out a blue jet of electrons that glows its way through 5,000 light-years—about a fifth of the distance between the sun and the center of the Milky Way. Nautilus → The work of a wildland firefighter on a single day of wildfire operations is equal to a day of riding in the Tour de France. [Nautilus →]( An image can be succinctly described by an electric field. [Nautilus →]( As rodents dig their tunnels, they churn up the soil, releasing carbon and nitrogen, making these nutrients available to plant roots. [Nautilus →]( EXCLUSIVE MEMBER CONTENT | [Explore Memberships→]( [Support Independent Science Journalism]( [Join a community of curious minds]( and get more of Nautilus’ award-winning writing every month. As a member, you’ll receive unlimited, ad-free access to Nautilus’ unique brand of independent science journalism. Available both online and in print. [JOIN NOW]( P.S. The Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was born on this day in 1910. He once remarked that black holes, regions of spacetime whose gravitational field is so strong that not even light can escape its clutches, are the simplest, most perfect macroscopic objects in the universe. “Yet that simplicity,” Subodh Patil wrote, “hasn’t prevented the universe from becoming populated with a [veritable zoo of black holes](.” Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher Thanks for reading. [Tell us](mailto:brian.gallagher@nautil.us?subject=&body=) your thoughts on today’s note. 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