💡 A Jig for the Blues

What’s popular this week in Nautilus. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( EDITORS' CHOICE Presented by Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( This Sunday, read the latest and most popular stories from Nautilus—plus your free story of the day below [READ NAUTILUS]( PSYCHOLOGY [A Jig for the Blues]( New evidence for the curative effects of dance. BY ELENA RENKEN Some of us are always the first ones on the dance floor, while others have to be dragged from the periphery. [Continue reading →]( Illustrator Spotlight [ARTS]( [Why Artists Should View The World Through The Eyes Of A Tourist]( A conversation with artist Jorge Colombo. BY THE NAUTILUS MARKETING TEAM As a photographer and an illustrator, Jorge Colombo is a careful observer. [Continue reading →]( Email Sucks, But Our Newsletter Doesn’t [Hakai Magazine]( brings you the best stories from the world’s oceans and coastlines. It’s the perfect balance of heart, art, science, and sass—fearless and never clichéd. Sign up for our free, award-winning weekly newsletter, and never miss a story. [SUBSCRIBE]( WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... What is your most memorable experience of dancing, or being at a dance? 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 [“A Jig for the Blues.”]() Top Answers to Our Previous Question (On What “Planet Nine” Should Be Named If It Actually Exists) - I suggest “Erebos,” because this ancient god was the personification of darkness. In darkness is where a ninth planet would be lurking. I prefer the Romanized form to the Greek original (Erebus), for consistency with Neptune, the Roman version of Poseidon. – Peter B. - “Pluto,” of course. – Mark C. Popular This Week ASTRONOMY [Could Modified Gravity Kill Planet Nine?]( A controversial theory can explain phenomena attributed to the mystery planet. BY TOM METCALFE [Continue reading →]( NEUROSCIENCE [New Evidence for the Strange Geometry of Thought]( The brain may represent concepts in the same way that it represents space and your location, by using the same neural circuitry for the brain’s “inner GPS.” BY ADITHYA RAJAGOPALAN [Continue reading →]( The latest from Nautilus [T](ECHNOLOGY [How Quickly Do Large Language Models Learn Unexpected Skills?]( A new study suggests that so-called emergent abilities actually develop gradually and predictably, depending on how you measure them. BY STEPHEN ORNES [Continue reading →]( ARTS [The Dissent Hidden in an Iconic Scientific Image]( Gowan Dawson on his 3 greatest revelations while writing his book Monkey to Man. BY GOWAN DAWSON [Continue reading →]( The Smart Speaker With Alexa Built In Tuck it away on a bookshelf and the [Sonos Era 100]( bluetooth speaker will still deliver rich, robust sound by analyzing local acoustics. [BUY ON AMAZON]( Your free story this Sunday! ENVIRONMENT [The Death and Life of the Frontier]( A voyage to the limits of the knowable. BY CASPAR HENDERSON Where does the world begin and where does it end? [Continue reading for free→]( Better Sleep Through Science The [LectroFan EVO]( is more than a white noise machine. This Wirecutter top pick expertly masks noise with 22 unique non-looping sounds, including pink noise, brown noise, and the ocean surf. Get a weighted blanket that actually looks good. The [Bearaby Weighted Blanket]( is disguised as a chic, chunky-knit blanket and you can rest easy knowing it’s made of 100% organic cotton. You’ll be able to fall asleep anywhere with the [Nidra Deep Rest Mask](. Its comfortable, ergonomically designed cups completely block out the light without interfering with blinking. P.S. The 18th-century Scottish natural philosopher John Playfair was born on this day in 1748. He was a friend of the geological pioneer James Hutton (and Playfair’s perhaps best known for authoring a book that helped visualize his friend’s ideas, Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth. Hutton proposed that our planet is much older than typically supposed. In 1788, Playfair wrote to Hutton, [“The mind [grew] giddy by looking so far into the abyss of time.”]( 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, if you find our content valuable, consider [becoming a member]( to support our work, 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: NautilusNext 360 W 36th Street, 7S, New York, NY 10018 Don't want to hear from us anymore? [Unsubscribe](