The Magic of the Blackboard

The latest from Nautilus, and this week’s Facts So Romantic. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( Brought to you by Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( This Thursday, read the latest stories from Nautilus—and this week’s Facts So Romantic below [MATH]( [The Magic of the Blackboard]( Why scientists can’t quit chalk, even in the digital age. BY THEO ZENOU & THOMAS W. HODGKINSON In the beginning, there is nothing. [Continue reading→]( The latest from Nautilus [ENVIRONMENT]( [How Much Nature Is Enough?]( Health experts are working out the right dose for you. BY KATHARINE GAMMON [Continue reading→]( [ASTRONOMY]( [How to Find and Keep a Space Rock]( NASA cosmic dust curator Marc Fries is here to explain. BY KATHERINE HARMON COURAGE[Continue reading→]( [PSYCHOLOGY]( [Are You Hypnotizable?]( Why some of us are more susceptible to hypnotism than others. BY CONOR FEEHLY [Continue reading→]( [EVOLUTION]( [Evolution Led Humans into a Trap]( The cultural forces that fueled our success now threaten to end it. BY KRISTEN FRENCH[Continue reading→]( WE'RE CURIOUS TO KNOW... What antiquated technology do you refuse to give up? 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 Magic of the Blackboard.”]([)]( Top Answer to Our Previous Question(On Your Most Memorable Psychedelic Experience) - It's a quarter past 7am and I am in the desert. I am 12 miles into my 31-mile race. And the 100 micrograms of LSD I took at sunrise are just starting to hit. LSD is certainly not a performance-enhancing drug (assuming the performance is something athletic and not something like observing flowers). However, psychedelics can increase proprioception (awareness of your body position and movement). So I actually enhanced the sensation of lactic acid buildup in my legs. This is an advantage to an experienced runner who, while accustomed to ignoring pain, should actually pay close attention to too much pain; the kind of pain that can cause injury. With this increased perception, and a decreased sense of a time-motivated objective, I decided to occasionally run backward and grapevine. I have never run a race with less soreness the next day. – Sarah S. - As the LSD began to kick in, I was sitting cross-legged while listening to the Beatles. Soon I felt my “self” rising up out of my body. As I looked down on my body—feeling so much joy—my “self” snapped back in. I felt energized. It only lasted a few minutes, at the most. – Barbara S. - I once walked straight through a glass supermarket door—I was so surprised when it shattered around me, leaving me unharmed. I can’t recall how I tried to explain myself to the store manager. – Wendy L. - I communed with my departed best friend, beloved dog, and the child I did not have—and the three of them were happy to report they were together, and always available for conversation. Astounding. – Henrietta W. FACTS SO ROMANTIC The 5 Best Things We Learned Today What the notebook is for words, the blackboard is for equations. [Nautilus→]( There is probably one grain of cosmic dust under each footstep you take on Earth. [Nautilus→]( People who spend more time in nature have lower rates of depression, healthier blood pressure, improved eyesight, better pain control, and more. [Nautilus→]( Only about 10 percent of the US population seems to respond well to hypnosis. [Nautilus→]( Standing nearly as tall as a basketball hoop and weighing as much as a grizzly bear, Gigantopithecus blacki was the greatest ape to ever live. [The New York Times→]( [“When scientists collaborate in chalk, creativity flows.”]( [Theo Zenou and Thomas Hodgkinson write about why physicists and mathematicians favor a 1,000-year-old technology.]( From The Porthole—short sharp looks at science [ASTRONOMY]( [Jupiter’s Io Gets a Close-Up]( A new image of our solar system’s most volcanic body. BY KATHERINE HARMON COURAGE Across the surface of the otherwise-freezing moon, hundreds of volcanoes spew molten lava dozens of miles up, into a thin sulfurous atmosphere. [Continue reading→]( Your free story this Thursday! [PSYCHOLOGY]( [Why Scientists Need to Get High]( Psychoactive drugs have long been hailed as miracle cures. But you can only understand the paths they blaze through the mind if you’ve traveled them. BY STEVE PAULSON It’s remarkable how fast psychedelics have gone mainstream. [Continue reading for free→]( [Imagine a Trip to Scotland, Whiskey Drinkers]( A celebration of unrivaled flavor begins when we welcome one selected individual and a guest for a Toast to the Season. Enter our ballot for your opportunity to enjoy a trip to our world-renowned distillery in historic Dufftown, Scotland. This includes a private tour with tastings of several exceptional whiskies and a stay on the distillery grounds—all while enjoying our very best hospitality. Slainte! [ENTER NOW]( P.S. The philosopher William James, father of American psychology, was born on this day in 1842. James, like other 19th-century “psychonauts,” self-experimented with mind-altering substances to probe the workings of the psyche. “He took nitrous oxide in the early 1880s, and I think it was an experience that really stuck with him because he’d always been interested in mystical experience, but he’d never really had one himself, and he’d felt that he was kind of [a cold, rational soul who was never going to have one,](” Mike Jay told Nautilus. “So James’ nitrous oxide experience was a revelation for him personally as well as professionally. He saw introspection as central to the study of the mind.” 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. 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