💡 The Last Love of Jonas Salk

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 there Nautilus readers, and thanks for stopping by. Today we learn which foe is looming largest for native plants along the Yangtze River. Plus, we chat with Reality Issue illustrator Tim O’Brien about, among other things, how he works, and his thoughts on artificial intelligence and art. Also, in the news: crows hold years-long grudges, a new dinosaur-era mammal, and more. We appreciate the memories you sent in, in response to our previous question, on an unforgettable time at the river. When I lived in New York City, on the Upper West Side, I spent a lot of time in Riverside Park along the Hudson River—going on jogs, reading on a bench, drinking at the outdoor bar. I’ll never forget the pleasant times I enjoyed there. Check out today’s question (on your interest in science) and free story (on a renowned virologist’s love life) below. Be seeing you! — Brian Gallagher The latest from Nautilus Climate vs. Invasive Species Which foe is looming largest for native plants along the Yangtze River? [Continue Reading→]( Subverting Reality Through Art A conversation with artist Tim O’Brien. [Continue Reading→]( Don’t limit your curiosity. Enjoy unlimited ad-free Nautilus stories every month for less than $5/month. [Join now]( Tired of Battling Spam Calls on Your Phone? Here's How to Make Them Disappear. Every day, your personal data, including phone number, is sold to the highest bidder by data brokers. This leads to annoying robocalls from random companies and, worse, makes you vulnerable to scammers. Meet [Incogni](: your solution against robocalls. [Incogni]( actively removes your personal data from the web, fighting data brokers and protecting your privacy. Unlike other services, [Incogni]( targets all data brokers, including those elusive People Search Sites. Get [Incogni]( and put an end to those never-ending robocalls and email spam now. Nautilus readers can get 60% off using code "[NAUTILUS](." [Learn more]( *Thank you for supporting our sponsors. The top science news this week • Were it to completely melt, the Greenland ice sheet—about the size of Alaska—could raise global sea levels by about 20 feet. [Listen on KQED→]( • Scientists unearthed a new dinosaur-era fossil of a mammal that was big for its time—about the size of a chicken—and lived in what is today Colorado, in swamps near where a long-gone sea once submerged part of the western United States. [Read on Discover Wildlife→]( • Crows can hold a grudge for multiple generations, and might harass a particular person—squawking incessantly at them or launching dive-bomb attacks—for years. [Read on The New York Times→]( • The first images from a new space telescope observing the sun offer an arresting view of a coronal mass ejection, a kind of solar outburst that can, among other things, cause storms on Earth. [Read on Sky & Telescope→]( • Scientists searching for dark matter have narrowed the field, ruling heavy WIMPs—candidate particles that have more than 10 times the mass of a proton—out of contention. [Read on Smithsonian→]( WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... What was the thing or experience that inspired your interest in science? 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 “Subverting Reality Through Art” [Read on Nautilus→]( Top answers to our previous question: On an Unforgettable River Experience My ex-husband loved fishing at night on the river from a small boat. One night when I was with him, we were just off shore fishing in total darkness and heard an odd noise very close. I pulled out my small flashlight and it revealed an adult bobcat lapping up water. The cat stopped drinking for a moment and looked at me, then continued to lap more water. I could have reached out to pet that beautiful creature, we were so close. – Liz G. A group of us were hiking along a local river in Australia. A hush fell over us as we came upon a community of writhing, venomous, red-bellied black snakes sunning in a formation which could only be described as resembling a big pile of discarded bike tires. Our guide quietly murmured, “Just keep walking.” I mean, as if I was going to hang around! – Lisa R. I was on board an old Mississippi River steamboat that was working on the Rio Sao Francisco, in Brazil, when the astronauts made the first moon landing. The captain had kindly invited me to the pilot house to listen to the broadcast. It was a rather surreal moment on a beautiful river. – Janine C. 🚫Stop Robocalls, Spam Emails, Stalkers, Scammers, and More Protect your data, your safety, and your sanity in just a few clicks with [Incogni](. Nautilus readers can get 60% off using code "[NAUTILUS](." [Learn more]( Today’s unlocked free story HISTORY The Last Love of Jonas Salk The unusual union of a renowned artist and the discoverer of the Polio vaccine. BY CHARLOTTE DECROES JACOBS The first time they met, French artist Françoise Gilot seemed more interested in her salad than in Jonas Salk—somewhat embarrassing for her friend Chantal Hunt, who had insisted she join them for lunch. [Continue reading]( P.S. The American virologist Jonas Salk was born yesterday, on October 28, in 1914. As a scientist, the discoverer of the polio vaccine was less of a rational thinker than an intuitive one. “Things could be evident to him that were not evident to others, creating a lot of misunderstanding about his thinking,” said Salk’s wife Françoise Gilot, a French painter and a former partner of Pablo Picasso, in an interview. [She saw herself in Salk’s passion to uncover truth.]( “We were compatible mainly because, even though we were in different fields, we had that same intrinsic drive, the drive to get into an equation with the unknown,” she said. “The spirit of discovery allows one to get something known out of the unknown. That’s what he had. That’s what I loved best in him.” 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](