💡 How a Total Eclipse Alters Your Psyche

The latest from Nautilus 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 from Nautilus—plus your free story of the day [READ NAUTILUS]( DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week [Social Media Influences National Park Visitation]( Do social media posts increase virtual (or online) enjoyment of park sites, substituting for in-person visits? [PNAS→]( [Scientist Who Gene-Edited Babies Is Back in Lab and “Proud” of Past Work Despite Jailing]( China’s He Jiankui, who used CRISPR to edit the genome, says he is working on genetic diseases and suggests human embryo gene editing will one day be accepted. [The Guardian→]( [Are Blueberries Blue? That’s Complicated]( New research explains how they achieve such a rare color for foods, even though their pigment ranges from pink to black. [The Wall Street Journal→]( [NASA’s Curiosity Searches for New Clues About Mars’ Ancient Water]( The Gediz Vallis channel is a winding, snake-like feature that—from space at least—appears to have been carved by an ancient river. [NASA→]( [Coronium, One of the Most Enduring Mysteries (and Mistakes) in Eclipse Science]( During the 1869 total solar eclipse, astronomers thought they had discovered a new element. They were wrong, and the truth was much weirder. [Atlas Obscura→]( [OpenAI’s Voice Cloning AI Model Only Needs a 15-Second Sample to Work]( Called Voice Generation, the model has been in development since late 2022 and powers the Read Aloud feature in ChatGPT. [The Verge→]( [Magic and Empiricism in Early Chinese Rainmaking]( Why people kept up rituals to affect the weather that clearly weren’t working. [Current Anthropology→]( The Stylish Way to Support Our National Parks There’s an old adage about enjoying nature responsibly: “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” Of course, if you’re going to take pictures you might as well look good in them, and that’s where [Parks Project]( comes in. Established in 2014, [Parks Project]( sells stylish outdoor gear that’s sure to earn you compliments on the trail. And you’ll not only look good, but feel good knowing you’re supporting a brand that’s donated over $2.6 million to fund projects in national, state, and local parks. [Shop Parks Project]( WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... What was it like going to witness your first solar eclipse? 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 “[How a Total Eclipse Alters Your Psyche.”]() Top Answers to Our Previous Question(On the Best and Worst Things You’ve Ever Tasted) • The worst thing I ever tasted was fermented noni. The best thing I ever tasted was raw, freshwater shrimp served as sushi. – Michael T. • The best thing I ever tasted was a Cherimoya fruit a friend received in a gift basket. The worst was a stink bug that crawled into my mouth when I was asleep. – Sylvia A. • One of the best things I ever tasted was bergamot marmalade from Sicily on a toasted, buttered English muffin, with black coffee on the side. One of the worst things I ever tasted was a mud pie my neighborhood girlfriend and I made when we were probably about three years old. – Steven J. From The Porthole—short sharp looks at science ASTRONOMY [How a Total Eclipse Alters Your Psyche]( The importance of feeling small and insignificant. BY JOEL FROHLICH Millions of people are preparing to bathe in the dramatic midday darkness of the total solar eclipse on April 8. We experience the cosmic rhythm of light and dark, the spinning and whirling of celestial bodies to their own beat, on a daily basis. Why are humans so awed by an eclipse, that seemingly rare, brief dip of the daytime sun behind the moon? [Keep on reading]( Your free story this Tuesday! [PALEONTOLOGY]( [What Made Early Humans Smart]( Walking upright made our ancestors easy prey. It also made them get smart. BY KEVIN BERGER Talking to Jeremy DeSilva about human evolution was so fun. [Continue reading for free→]( The Rockstar and the Squid Coming from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in western Washington, musician Katherine “KP” Paul, of Black Belt Eagle Scout, has a deep personal connection to the ocean. That’s why she was the perfect choice [to read]( Alex Riley’s special story about the search for a giant, mysterious, luminous squid—Taningia danae. We love this story because it shows how little we know about our deep oceans, and how even an animal sporting giant, flashing lights, can remain virtually unknown…until now. For the first time, you can listen to a Nautilus story on [YouTube]( or [Spotify](. Check it out and let us know what you think. [WATCH]( [LISTEN]( P.S. Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey was released on this day in 1968. The opening scene suggests that early humans, or our ancestors, were a violent species from the get-go and evolved the ability to walk upright to free our hands for weaponry. [That’s still a popular misconception.]( “It was based on a misinterpretation of fossils discovered at a site called Makapansgat in South Africa,” Jeremy DeSilva told Nautilus. “The bones were supposedly butchered at the hands of Australopithecus. But it turns out they were remains that had been consumed by hyenas.” 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 © 2024 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](