💡 The Perpetual Quest for a Truth Machine

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 here. Today we have the perpetual quest for a truth machine. Plus, in the news: Are there signs of autism in poop, and astrophysicists said an ancient computer was made for what? And more. Check out today’s question (on your robot), and free story (on what love is) below. Have a good one! —Brian Gallagher The latest from Nautilus HISTORY The Perpetual Quest for a Truth Machine Why human attempts to mechanize logic keep breaking down. BY KELLY CLANCY In the 13th century, the young married patrician Ramon Llull was living a licentious life in Majorca, lusting after women and squandering his time writing “worthless songs and poems.” His loose behavior, however, gave way to a series of divine revelations. His visions urged him to write what he believed would be the best book conceived by a mortal: a book that could converse with its readers and truthfully answer any question about faith. [Keep on reading]( DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week The Concrete Benefits of This Green Tech Are Being Hyped Companies in CO2 mineralization are making claims that are “overstated” and “frequently poorly evidenced in the scientific literature.” [PNAS→]( We’re Destroying Our Forests More Than We Thought The results come from combining satellite remote sensing data on changes in forest cover with LiDAR estimates of canopy height and biomass. [Nature→]( Scientists Watch Individual Neurons Track the Meanings of Words A first-time look at single brain cells encoding language in real time. [Nature→]( Fresh Insights on Why Some Clothes Get Smellier Textile scientists simulate sweat to better understand how different fibers absorb and release odors. [University of Alberta→]( Popular Melodies Have Become Less Complex, Especially since 2000 “Those who wish to make claims about how and when popular music changed can no longer appeal to anecdote, connoisseurship, and theory unadorned by data.” [Scientific Reports→]( Signs of Autism in Poop “This does not necessarily imply causation, but suggests that the microbiome might influence the severity or expression of autism spectrum symptoms.” [The Guardian→]( NASA’s Planetary Radar Tracks Two Large Asteroid Close Approaches Turns out one of the asteroids has a little asteroid moon. [NASA→]( Cosmic Research Hints at Mysterious Ancient Computer’s Purpose Scientists used techniques from the field of gravitational wave astronomy to argue that the Antikythera mechanism contained a lunar calendar. [The New York Times→]( The Body’s Most Abundant Protein Did you know the body produces 1%-2% less collagen protein per year, starting in your 30s? As the most abundant protein in the body, this decline is a major contributor to signs of aging. Adding [NativePath Grass-Fed Collagen Powder]( to your favorite drink can restore collagen levels to: regrow cartilage, strengthen muscles, joints & bones, and hydrate skin. With over 4 million jars sold, the secret’s out. [Score 45% off]( + free shipping today! [Shop NativePath]( WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... If you could have any single-purpose robot—fantastic at doing one specific thing—what would you have it do for you? 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 Perpetual Quest for a Truth Machine](.[”]() Top Answers to Our Previous Question(On the Keepsakes You’d Bring to Mars) • My father’s pocket knife—it reminds me of all the lessons learned from a man who had to guess at how to be a father to begin with. His own father died when he was 10. My dog tags—anything I learned about being a survivor, having ideals, and sticking to your beliefs that my dad and mom didn’t teach, I learned from my 19-plus years in the Army. A photo of one of my long-dead dogs—Shadow was born blind. I took her in and learned more about not giving up and making the most of your life, and about love and compassion, from her in my later years than I had learned in all years before. – Thomas O. • Thumb drive for photos of loved ones and of Earth’s beauty; as well as the sounds connected to Earth’s various natural environments. I’d also bring a mini diffuser to dispense smells connecting me to the most powerful memories of Earth, such as odors of a rainstorm, newly cut hay, arboretum, seashore, forest flora, etc. And a container with different small “earthy” patches to touch, such as moist grass, crystalline snowflake, mammal fur, bird feather, moss, etc. – Russ L. • A necklace containing a small vial with a drop of water. Why? Water, to me, is the essence of life on Earth. We came from water. And many of my best days with loved ones have happened at the beach or on the water. – Christine J. • The two things I would take to Mars are a piece of the Berlin Wall I picked up in Berlin, in 1989, and a used rubber bullet I bought from two Catholic girls in Belfast in the mid 1980s. – Chris O. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Woven through the centuries is a utopian dream of automated certainty.” [Kelly Clancy writes about what one theologian's dream to automate truth can teach us about AI's limits.]( Your free story this Tuesday! ANTHROPOLOGY Love Is Biological Bribery Evolution uses all its tricks to make sure we procreate. But love in humans is a many-splendored thing. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER [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 Empress consort of Russia Catherine II overthrew Peter III, becoming Catherine the Great, on this day in 1762. A satirical comedy about her rise to power, The Great, illustrates her struggle to modernize Russia. In the show, the reign of the reason-and-science-loving Catherine nearly collapses when her husband Peter, the deposed emperor, storms into her private quarters, determined to imprison her. But seeing her tearful and in despair, he forgets his vindictiveness and hugs her. Later, he tells her, “I wanted your happiness more than my own.” “Wow,” she responds. “Indeed,” Peter says. “[Love has done a strange thing to me](. I wonder if you cut a man who has loved fiercely, you will see a different-shaped heart from a man who has not?” 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](. Copyright © 2024 NautilusNext, All rights reserved.You were subscribed to the newsletter from [nautil.us](. 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