Psychology Lost a Great Mind

The latest from Nautilus, and this week’s Facts So Romantic. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( This Thursday, read the latest stories from Nautilus—and this week’s Facts So Romantic below [EVOLUTION]( [Psychology Lost a Great Mind]( With his wife, Leda Cosmides, John Tooby transformed our understanding of human nature. BY STEVEN PINKER On November 10, 2023, my dear friend John Tooby died—or as he would have put it, finally lost his struggle with entropy. [Continue reading→]( The latest from Nautilus [ENVIRONMENT]( [A Cyclone, a Flood, and a Very Big Park]( How scientists harnessed disaster to chart a path for climate resilience. BY KATHARINE GAMMON[Continue reading→]( [ENVIRONMENT]( [The Creeping Coral Killer]( Aggressive algae have been spreading unnoticed across reefs throughout the tropics for decades. BY ELENA KAZAMIA[Continue reading→]( [NEUROSCIENCE]( [These Cells Spark Electricity in the Brain. They’re Not Neurons]( For decades, researchers have debated whether brain cells called astrocytes can signal like neurons. BY LAURA DATTARO [Continue reading→]( [ARTS]( [Our National Parks in the Quiet of the Pandemic]( While everybody else seemed to be making sourdough bread, 70-year-old photographer Andy Katz hit the road to capture “America’s greatest idea” in a new light. BY KRISTEN FRENCH[Continue reading→]( FACTS SO ROMANTIC The Best Things We Learned Today The pathogens that constantly evolve to safecrack our tissues have to start all over with our siblings and children. [Nautilus→]( While neurons and their branching dendrites are often pictured as trees, astrocytes are more like a fungus. [Nautilus→]( Biologists have long wondered: How does an animal’s body size affect the ability to withstand the effects of storms? [Nautilus→]( Corals can, under the right conditions, live in their watery neighborhoods for centuries. [Nautilus→]( The deepest of the ocean trenches, the Mariana, is just shy of seven miles deep, dwarfing the tallest mountains on land. (Mount Everest could fit inside with a mile to spare). [Nautilus→]( The state of California has 1,200 miles of heavily populated coastline that is casually slipping into the sea. [Nautilus→]( [“Astonishing erudition, speed-of-light wit, panoptic curiosity, staggering intellectual power, and saintly good nature.”]( [Steven Pinker writes about his friend and colleague, John Tooby, a founder of evolutionary psychology, who died last week.]( Your free story this Thursday! [ENVIRONMENT]( [The Last of the Fungus]( A young scientist’s quest to transform a dying way of life BY ZHENGYANG WANG In eastern Tibet, high in the Himalaya, Tenzin stopped at a cliff edge. He lit another cigarette. [Continue reading for free→]( From The Porthole—short sharp looks at science [MATH]( [We’re All Math People]( Some of the power of math lies in the very fact that it’s made up. BY ELIZABETH LANDAU [Continue reading→]( [ENVIRONMENT]( [Sand Mafias Battle for the New Gold]( Violent gangsterism and illegal operations dominate sand mining in the global south. BY KATHARINE GAMMON[Continue reading→]( EXCLUSIVE MEMBER CONTENT | [Explore Memberships→]( [Enjoy Black Friday Early—Get 25% Off a Nautilus Membership]( [Join for unlimited, ad-free access]( to Nautilus’ unique brand of science journalism. [JOIN NOW]( P.S. NASA’s James Webb Telescope has spotted a planet that [rains sand](. That’s hardly the only strange thing astronomers have observed happening on distant exoplanets. Jillian Scudder wrote about how the shiniest exoplanet discovered so far has [clouds of titanium and glass](. 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. 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](