The Top Science News

The latest from The Porthole and the wider world of science. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( This Tuesday, check out the top science news—and the latest short sharp looks at science from The Porthole [READ NAUTILUS]( DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week [Sniffing Human Female Tears Makes Males Less Aggressive]( Maybe that’s why crying evolved? [PLoS Biology→]( [Molecules from Enceladus’ Plumes Could Spark the Origin of Alien Life]( Researchers detected the “presence of a rich, chemically diverse environment” that could support life arising on the Saturnian moon. [Nature Astronomy→]( [The Decline of Large Mammals Over the Last 50,000 Years Is Probably Our Fault]( Humanity’s worldwide expansion, rather than past climate dynamics, crushed population sizes of animals like elephants, giraffes, bison, and more. [Nature Communications→]( [Searching for Misinformation to See How Wrong It Is Makes It Seem More True]( This might be bad news for the people who say “doing your own research” is more reliable than trusting experts. [Nature→]( [School Shootings Increase NRA Donations]( Gun control movements tend to fizzle out, while efforts to counter them are “notably durable.” [Science Advances→]( [The Size of Extended Families Will Decline Dramatically Worldwide]( In 1950, a 65 year old woman could expect to have 41 living relatives. In 2095, a similarly aged woman is projected to have just 25. [PNAS→]( [The Role of Occam's Razor in Science]( A geneticist makes the case that, with mysticism growing, we need Occam's razor now as ever to distinguish science from superstition and pseudoscience. [Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences→]( [Psychologists Pinpoint Average Age Children Become Santa Skeptics]( Research found little ones typically begin to distinguish fantasy from reality during preschool years. [The Guardian→]( [Buy Art Pieces Featured at Art Basel Miami Beach]( Following the conclusion of Art Basel Miami Beach 2023, Nautilus is offering some of the showcased art for sale, with proceeds supporting Mobilize for the Ocean. - Place a bid on the two framed prints by Rodrigo Thome, [EYE CONTACT](, and [MOTHER OCEAN](, displayed at Frost Science. The auction ends on December 22nd. - Purchase one of the limited edition, Gayil Nalls' olfactory art pieces, [World Sensorium: OCEAN](, exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach. - Purchase one of the limited edition prints of Nicole Stott's [THE WAVE]( showcased at the Nautilus/UNESCO lounge at Art Basel Miami Beach. Sales from these artworks will benefit both the Space for Art Foundation and Mobilize for the Ocean. [VIEW FULL ART AT SEA CATALOG HERE]( WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... What science writing did you find most beautiful this year? Let us know! Reply to this newsletter with your response, briefly explaining your choice, and we’ll reveal the top answers. (This question was inspired by [“The Most Beautiful Science of the Year.”]() Top Answers to Our Previous Question (On Being Excited or Concerned About Deepfakes) - No problem with deepfakes—however we get to critical thinking is okay by me. – Ted A. (On a Memorable Encounter with an Animal) - One afternoon, I had a pre-arranged opportunity to swim with dolphins. A trainer made a gesture that summoned two dolphins. The dolphin that was directly in front of me moved forward until he was just inches away. The trainer immediately gestured to the dolphin to retreat, and apologized to me, but the dolphin approached me again and, this time, actually touched me on the chest with his snout. The trainer told us she'd never seen it happen before. The dolphin twice more approached me and put its snout against my chest. The next evening, I had a heart attack that should have killed me, and underwent a quadruple coronary bypass operation. At one point after the surgery, I was ruminating about coronary artery disease, which I hadn't realized I had, and it struck me that the dolphin who was poking me in the chest had probably been hearing a bruit in my coronary arteries, or a high-pitched sound that blood makes when it flows through a constricted vessel; when this occurs in the carotid arteries of the neck, it can be heard with a stethoscope since the arteries there are so close to the surface. The water of the marina probably magnified the sound enough for the dolphin to hear. He was just trying to hear it better when he was poking me in the chest. – Ron B. From The Porthole—short sharp looks at science [PHILOSOPHY]( [Is Santa Claus a God?]( Father Christmas bears some striking similarities to the divinities of many religions. BY JIM DAVIES Santa Claus occupies a strange place in Christian belief. [Keep on reading]( [Out-Of-This-World Gifts](​​ The sky isn’t the only place you can find a shooting star. Explore the stars with the perfect space gift at [Mini Museum](​​. From meteorites, NASA collectibles, and even a piece of the Moon, you will discover the perfect gift for anyone obsessed with space. Save 10% with code SHOOTINGSTAR. ​​ [SHOP NOW](​​ Your free story this Tuesday! [EVOLUTION]( [E.O. Wilson Saw the World in a Wholly New Way]( “Did you like the grenade I tossed in their midst?” the biologist asked me. BY DAVID SLOAN WILSON I first met Edward O. Wilson in 1971 when I was a student in an ecology course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. [Continue reading for free→]( EXCLUSIVE MEMBER CONTENT | [Explore Memberships→]( [Plastic Pollution Is a Nightmare]( Discarded plastic hurts our climate, ecosystems, agriculture, human health, and the oceans. To help you shop smarter and recycle better, [One5C]( has put together the definitive guide to plastics and plastic pollution. Check it out to begin your journey to a plastic-free future. [READ IT HERE]( P.S. The late entomologist E.O. Wilson, who developed the field of sociobiology, died on this day in 2021. David Sloan Wilson (no relation) wrote about his fruitful collaboration with the elder Wilson. [In his remembrance](, the younger Wilson noted that Rabbi Hillel was reputedly asked to explain the meaning of the Torah while standing on one foot, and replied, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. Everything else is commentary.” “The one-foot version of sociobiology Ed and I came up with,” Wilson wrote, “was: ‘Selfishness beats altruism within groups. Altruistic groups beat selfish groups. Everything else is commentary.’” 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](