Kristen French

1 week ago | nautil.us | Kristen French

For centuries, seemingly unknowable monsters lurked under the murky seas around Europe, revealing only glimpses of themselves to wary seafarers. During these expansive times, when ocean travel was revelatory and perilous, maps tended to feature drawings of hideous dragons and serpents of the seas. But slowly, Europeans became acquainted with these beasts as they washed up on the shores and as the whaling industry began to haul them alongside their ships.

2 weeks ago | nautil.us | Kristen French

In the 1830s, American poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow reportedly declared that “music is the universal language of mankind.” Since that time, many scholars and scientists have come to believe that making songs and rhythms is embedded deep in the biology of Homo sapiens, an evolutionary adaptation forged over millennia, likely to enable social bonding: Lilting lullabies to soothe children and bind them to their mothers, rhythmic jigs to connect groups in synchronous dance.

1 month ago | nautil.us | Kristen French |Jack Lohmann

Author Jack Lohmann started thinking about phosphorus when he learned the story of Nauru, the world’s smallest island nation, which lies between Australia and Hawaii. In 1899, a geologist named Albert Ellis discovered a strange rock propping open a door at a trading and plantation firm there named the Pacific Islands Company and realized it was in fact high-grade phosphate ore, a highly sought after source of fertilizer.

Dec 16, 2024 | nautil.us | Kristen French

Join ADVERTISEMENT Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. or Join now . Environment The true meaning of legal protection for nature. Sign up for the free Nautilus newsletter: On a blazing morning in October, I paddled my surfboard into a caramel-colored sea off a beach in Brazil, hoping to catch a wave with its own individual rights.

Aug 29, 2024 | nautil.us | Kristen French

Throw on the Power Lights! Rev her up to 8,500! We’re going through!” shouts the commander to his crew, as he navigates through the worst storm in his 20 years of flying. A harrowing scene unfolds but then Walter Mitty is brought back to reality by the sound of his wife’s voice, the daydream fading into the byways of his mind. Not long after that, he’s struck with a new fantasy, and then another.