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2B034C5 In addition to Herman Melville's own experience on the whaling ship Acushnet, two real events served as the genesis for his Moby Dick. One was the sinking of the Nantucket ship Essex in 1820, after a sperm whale rammed her 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from the western coast of South America. The other event was the alleged killing in the late 1830s of the albino sperm whale Mocha Dick, in the waters off the Chilean island of Mocha. Mocha Dick was rumored to have 20 or so harpoons in his back from other whalers, and appeared to attack ships with premeditated ferocity.

Comment

Once Upon a Prime review: The connections between maths and fiction

Sarah Hart's engaging book about how central maths is to literature by authors from George Eliot to Georges Perec is a homage to both subjects

Culture

2F618EY Landing of the James Caird On South Georgia, 1916

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Presence review: A lively look at why we experience ghostly presences

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A feather made using the technique

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Origami glass technique produces hard-to-make shapes

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Physics

Ultra-fast random number generator uses quantum fluctuations

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A render of a quantum computer

Physics

Ultra-thin superconducting ink could be used in quantum computers

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Red matter superconductor

Physics

'Red matter' superconductor may not be a wonder material after all

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Cosmic Tumbles, Quantum Leaps review: Embodying Schrodinger's cat

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Cosmic Tumbles, Quantum Leaps review: Embodying Schrodinger's cat

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A diamond anvil

Physics

'Red matter' superconductor could transform electronics – if it works

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Creature review: Human nature is key to a sci-fi ballet

Humans

Creature review: Human nature is key to a sci-fi ballet

Culture

Anti-evolution books for sale in Dayton, Tennessee, where Professor John T. Scopes is on trial for teaching the theory of evolution in public schools. (Photo by ?? Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Humans

Magisteria review: How science and religion have a tangled past

Some argue that science and religion have always been separate and at war, but an eye-opening new book from Nicholas Spencer reveals complex and intertwined histories

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Humans

See the top shots in the Woman Science Photographer of the Year award

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Humans

Animalia review: Intriguing sci-fi thriller, shame about the aliens

Culture

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How to use the science of fat to make delicious, confit food

Regulars

Technology

Sci-fi magazine overwhelmed by hundreds of AI-generated stories

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