💡 The Top Science News

The latest from Nautilus and the wider world of science. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( Together with Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( Hello there Nautilus readers, and thanks for being with us. Today we witness the most unlikely migration. Plus, in the news: the impression voices make, what makes sex organs sensitive, and more. Loving all the recommendations coming in on authors to read for their distinctive style—I’m eager to check them out. I feel pretty good about my own answer to your question today (on a memorable voice), and for your free story, we flash back to the uncertain beginning of the pandemic, when, amid the lockdowns, you could take solace in the indifference of nature. Until next time! —Brian Gallagher The latest from Nautilus ZOOLOGY The Most Unlikely Migration 17 million insects cross the Pyrenees each year, with enormous impacts on the environment. BY ELENA KAZAMIA In late summer, as the days shorten and begin to cool, the marmalade hoverfly begins to prepare her body for the long journey ahead. Her flight muscles strengthen, her eyesight sharpens, and her immune system bulks up until she is no longer a frail maggot, but a formidable creature ready to take part in a massive seasonal migration. When the winds finally turn favorable, she mates, packs up the sperm, and flies south. With the help of tailwinds, she flies across the plains of Europe, crosses the Pyrenees mountains that straddle Spain and France, and lands in the green pastures of the Iberian Peninsula. Here, she fertilizes her eggs, lays them, and finally—likely exhausted—drops dead. [Keep on reading]( DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week Our First Impression of Voices “Within a second of exposure to a voice, listeners make up their mind about what kind of person they are dealing with.” [PNAS→]( Mysterious Neuron Balls in Genitals Reveal Sensory Secrets The Krause corpuscles located in the clitoris and penis, a study with mice suggests, may function as vibration detectors. [Nature→]( Mercury Is Hiding a Layer of Diamonds Researchers suspect it helps generate the planet’s magnetic field. [Nature Communications→]( Could We Put Data Centers in Space? Behold the benefits, environmental and otherwise. [Phys.org→]( Did the Society on Easter Island Commit Ecocide? Rethinking the story of Rapa Nui’s population decline popularized in Jared Diamond’s Collapse. [Science Advances→]( The Most Energetic Neutrino Ever Detected? A stunning discovery at a still-under-construction observatory at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea could trace back to a massive cosmic incident. [Interesting Engineering→]( Astronomers Find the Earliest and Most Distant Galaxy Yet “This discovery proves that luminous galaxies were already in place 300 million years after the Big Bang and are more common than what was expected.” [The New York Times→]( Who’s to Blame for a “Near Miss” from Space? A Florida family is suing NASA after a piece of space debris crashed through their home. [NPR→]( Get Movie Theater Sound in Your Living Room The [Bose Smart Soundbar 600]( slips beneath your television and uses unique upward-firing transducers to fill any room with immersive, theater-quality sound. With Bose’s exclusive TrueSpace technology, the [Smart Soundbar 600]( can intelligently analyze what you’re watching and adapt to deliver the best mix possible. Treat yourself to [a rich audio experience]( and never miss a line of dialogue again. [Shop Bose]( WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... When you think of someone with a memorable voice, who (famous or not) comes to mind? 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 time course of person perception from voices in the brain](.”) Top Answers to Our Previous Question(On an Author You Recommend for Their Style) • Harper St. Clair, author of the recent book Itch: The Art of Possibility. Very insightful and impactful read. Never seen this particular chapter setup and flow before. A “spiritual mystery” with vocabulary to keep you on your toes, but not so much that it hinders your progress. Excellent command of intricate subject matter, local flavor, and cultural nuance. – Scott H. • I love reading Deborah Crombie, an American who captures life in England, primarily London. Her books follow a family, two detectives who meet on the job, and soon combine their menagerie of kids and pets. Each mystery is enthralling, including English history, architecture, and culture. The hardback books include the cutest map of all the significant locations. – Mary G. • Doris Lessing, for the range of subjects and her brilliant insight into human emotions. – Isa D. • John Banville, because of the sparkling prose. – Ihor G. • John Updike. He was a master at describing people, places, and things in incredible detail. Such a joy to read. – Dennis M. • Anne Lamott, because reading her feels like a conversation with a cheeky but oh-so-loving friend. – Penrose J. • Stephen King. His versatility is the key for me. He can go from empathetic, to cold and calculating, to stain-your-britches horrifying all on the same page. – Todd B. • James McBride has a great distinct writing style that is unpredictable and couldn’t be easily reproduced by AI. – Jeff R.H. Your free story this Tuesday! ENVIRONMENT The Pandemic Can’t Lock Down Nature Witnessing wildlife carry on is not just an escape. It’s reassuring. BY BRANDON KEIM Needing to clear my head, I went down to the Penobscot River. [Continue reading for free→]( Keep on Rocking in the Free Will The punk band Cermony is best known for their constantly evolving sound, making dramatically different choices from album to album. “Just going into a room with the guys in Ceremony, we end up producing sounds in a way that I can never explain,” frontman Ross Farrar told Crack magazine in 2015. That’s why Farrar was the perfect choice to read Jim Davies’ story “Do We Have Free Will? Maybe It Doesn’t Matter” about whether our decisions are truly our own (or even decisions). You can now [watch]( or [listen]( as Farrar takes you on a journey through your inner mind on [YouTube]( or [Spotify](. The choice is yours. (Or is it?) [WATCH]( [LISTEN]( P.S. The English novelist, essayist, and journalist George Orwell was born on this day in 1903. In 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, Orwell, Brandon Keim noted, welcomed spring’s arrival in London’s bombed-out heart. “After the sorts of winters we have had to endure recently, [the spring does seem miraculous](, because it has become gradually harder and harder to believe that it is actually going to happen,” he wrote in an essay on the common toad. “Every February since 1940 I have found myself thinking that this time Winter is going to be permanent. But Persephone, like the toads, always rises from the dead at about the same moment.” 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](. 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