💡 So Long Dark Universe, Seeing Silver Linings, What’s in a Fish’s Name?, and More

The latest from Nautilus, and this week’s Facts So Romantic. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( Together with Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( This Pi (Thurs)day, read the latest stories from Nautilus and this week’s Facts So Romantic—plus today’s free story below [PHYSICS]( [The End of the Dark Universe?]( A new “post-quantum” theory of gravity says we can wave dark matter and dark energy goodbye. BY SABINE HOSSENFELDER Please excuse me for being excited, but this hasn’t happened for more than four decades: Physicists have found a new approach to solving a problem which is almost a century old—how to combine quantum physics with gravity. [Continue reading→]( Banish Squirrels From Your Bird Feeder for Good Keeping squirrels away from your bird feeder is a never-ending battle, but you can outsmart them with a little science. As [this Nautilus article]( explains, it all comes down to evolution. Pepper plants have evolved a chemical called capsaicin that’s painful to mammals but doesn’t bother birds. That means when you fill your feeders with [Blue Seal Hot Pepper Suet](, you’ll attract birds and send thieving squirrels packing. [BUY ON AMAZON]( The latest from Nautilus [COMMUNICATION]( [What’s in a Fish’s Name?]( Indigenous words for fishes open a window into endangered cultures. BY MARK HARRIS [Continue reading→]( [PSYCHOLOGY]( [Why We Search for Silver Linings]( A tendency to reframe negative events may be embedded in our neurobiology. BY DEENA MOUSA[Continue reading→]( Watch Your Home From Your Phone The motion activated [Blink Mini home security camera]( lets you keep an eye on things from your phone and sets up in minutes. [BUY ON AMAZON]( WE'RE CURIOUS TO KNOW... Have you helped anyone see a silver lining in something bad? 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 [“Why We Search for Silver Linings.”]([)]( Top Answers to Our Previous Question(On the Place Where You Last Experienced a Pristine Night Sky) • Between the years 1990 and 1996, we lived on a 20 acre plot of land in Kalkaska, Michigan. The closest city was at least 15 miles away, and the closest neighbor 600 feet away. If one walked down our driveway, 20 feet away from the house, you had a clear view of the entire night sky, and during a cloudless, new moon phase, there wasn't a square inch of that view that didn't have stars in it. It was like standing out in a snowstorm of glowing snowflakes! One summer, our niece, who had never been outside of the city, came up to visit. That night, I walked her, with eyes closed to that very spot, then told her to open her eyes. All she could do for the next 5 minutes was stand, open-mouthed, whispering, "Wow"... – Daniel S. • In Picton, New Zealand, one summer evening, I stepped outside my hillside B&B with a friend and looked into the night sky above the harbor, toward the Tasman Sea. Never had I seen a sky so absolutely blanketed with stars! I was speechless. This place is not even mentioned as one of the top spots for stargazing in New Zealand. Nevertheless, the Milky Way was in full and stunning view. My friend and I found it difficult to return inside. – Louise M. FACTS SO ROMANTIC The 5 Best Things We Learned Today The gravitational pull coming from an entire galaxy gets smaller the farther away a star is from the galactic center. [Nautilus→]( While reframing a negative experience in a more positive way can improve one’s mental health, it can also reduce the likelihood of taking action to change that experience. [Nautilus→]( Fish knowledge has deteriorated to the point where many people can only name a handful of species, often only knowing them as filets in supermarkets. [Nautilus→]( Blind cave salamanders can live for more than a century and are famously thrifty with their energy (one olm in the Balkans didn’t move for seven years). [The New York Times→]( A deeply eroded giant volcano had been hiding near Mars’ equator in plain sight. [SETI Institute→]( [“It doesn’t make sense to say quantum particles are in any particular place.”]( [Sabine Hossenfelder explains an exciting new theory that rids the universe of “dark” substances.]( Your free story this Thursday! [PHYSICS]( [Why Stephen Hawking’s Black Hole Puzzle Keeps Puzzling]( The renowned British physicist, who died at 76, left behind a riddle that could eventually lead his successors to the theory of quantum gravity. BY JENNIFER OUELLETTE The renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, who died on March 14 at 76, was something of a betting man, regularly entering into friendly wagers with his colleagues over key questions in theoretical physics. [Continue reading for free→]( Travel Smarter and in Style Block out the world with [Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones](. They feature 11 levels of active noise canceling to keep you in a serene bubble no matter where you are and even have a microphone that adapts to noisy environments. Sleeping on the plane doesn’t have to be a pain in the neck. The [Travelrest Nest Ultimate Memory Foam Travel Pillow]( has an angled back designed to fit flat against plane seats while its thermo-sensitive memory foam cradles your head and neck. The [Amazon Kindle]( is the ultimate travel companion. It stores thousands of books, it’s small enough to stash anywhere, and it has a crisp display you can still easily read. A must-have for avid readers. 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 English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, famed author of A Brief History of Time, died on this day in 2018. “He was something of a betting man, regularly entering into friendly wagers with his colleagues over key questions in theoretical physics,” wrote Jennifer Ouellette. She quoted John Preskill, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology, saying, “I sensed when Stephen and I first met that he would enjoy being treated irreverently. So in the middle of a scientific discussion I could interject, ‘What makes you so sure of that, Mr. Know-It-All?’ knowing that Stephen would respond with his eyes twinkling: ‘Wanna bet?’” [And bet he did.]( 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](