💡 An Earthy Fallen Star

The latest from Nautilus, the top science news, and more. [View in Browser]( | [Join Nautilus]( Did a friend forward this? Sign up here Together with: Hello Nautilus readers, and thanks for stopping by. Today we consider a beautiful mushroom. Also, in the news: Could Mars have harbored life? And what’s special about Komodo dragon teeth? To answer our most recent question, I’d have to say the most foolish thing I ever witnessed was when a friend driving in front of me came to a full stop at a green light, waited for it to turn red—and then turned left. Check out today’s question on wild encounters and the free story on our moon’s violent birth, below. Until next time! — Liz Greene The latest from Nautilus An Earthy Fallen Star The strange mushroom that puffs life into forests around the world. [Continue Reading→]( Jupiter’s Incredible Shrinking Spot Earth’s meteorology could explain what’s behind the great red whorl’s waning. [Continue Reading→]( When the Composer Is a Geneticist Jenny Graves tired of singing about Adam and Eve. So she wrote a creation oratorio based on science. [Continue Reading→]( Don’t limit your curiosity. Enjoy unlimited ad-free Nautilus stories every month for less than $5/month. [Join now]( Restore the Planet, One Mission at a Time What if bees can help save elephants? What if dogs can be trained to protect sea turtles? What if a powerline can be transformed into an insect highway? Those are just a few of the innovative missions [Planet Wild]( is funding as part of their efforts to restore the planet. [Planet Wild]( is a community of nature lovers pooling their contributions to fund efficient projects that save animals, oceans, and forests. You can join them for as little as $6/month and cancel anytime you want. Nautilus readers get their first month free, just use the code NAUTILUS5. [The first 150 people to sign up via the link (coupon code automatically applied) will receive the first month for free as a special offer from us.]( *Thank you for supporting our sponsors. The top science news this week - A rock from Mars may indicate the presence of ancient life—but don’t get too excited just yet. [Read on Science→]( - A wildfire in Canada grew so immense that it made its own weather. [Read on The New York Times→]( - The teeth of Komodo dragons are coated in iron. [Read on National Geographic→]( - Super-cold seawater on "Snowball-Earth" could have spurred the emergence of multicellular life. [Read on Quanta Magazine→]( - The Great Salt Lake in Utah is drying up—and that drying is making it a serious source of greenhouse gas emissions. [Read on NPR→]( *Indicates sponsor/partner content. Thank you for supporting our sponsors. WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... What has been your most memorable experience with wildlife? Send us your answer! Reply to this newsletter with a brief explanation of your response, and we’ll reveal the top answers in a future newsletter. This question was inspired by “A Snaky Use for CRISPR.” [Read on Nautilus→]( Top answers to our previous question: On Foolish Behavior - In high school chemistry class, a friend of mine added things to a beaker in the wrong order, and burned off his eyebrows. The lab smelled like burnt hair for weeks, and we were all way more careful to follow the directions after that! – Laura P. - My pal mistook the hot sauce packets for ketchup, and doused his hotdog. No harm done, but the look on his face after that first huge bite was pretty memorable. – Mark S. Rewild the Planet Together Every month, [Planet Wild]( pools member contributions and funds nature restoration where it really matters. Join today to help save our planet. [The first 150 people to sign up via the link (coupon code automatically applied) will receive the first month for free as a special offer from us.]( Today’s unlocked free story ASTRONOMY The Violent Birth of the Moon Did a colossal collision with a doomed planet give us our satellite? BY REBECCA BOYLE In the beginning, about 4.6 billion years ago, all was chaos within a cloud of gas left over from a previous generation of stars. [Continue reading]( P.S. Humans first drove on the moon on July 30, 1971. The Apollo 15 mission carried the first rover, which was driven by two astronauts. It allowed the team to explore the surface of the moon much farther than ever before. Some of the data they, and later rovers, collected helped scientists develop the theory of how our moon came to be. “What happened in that cataclysm that resulted in a paired system of worlds, one dry and completely dead, and one drenched in water and life?” writes Rebecca Boyle in her Nautilus story, “[The Violent Birth of the Moon](.” Thanks for reading! What did you think of today's note? 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](. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext 3112 Windsor Rd, Ste A-391 Austin, TX, 78703 Don't want to hear from us anymore? [Unsubscribe](