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King Herod’s secrets revealed

RJ Hamster

HUMAN ZOMBIE CELLS NEVER DIE VIEW ONLINE
INSIDE HEROD’S
PLEASURE PALACE
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
In today’s newsletter, we see new life spring from a WWII tragedy, unearth a biblical villain’s long-lost pleasure palace, learn why this Friday hits a religious trifecta … and discover that great white sharks can change their color—if not their appetites. Plus, a 370th birthday for Sir Isaac Newton.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC LIEBOWITZ, NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBC UNIVERSAL/GETTY IMAGES

The musical Jesus Christ Superstar portrayed King Herod as an impish, rocking, mocking monarch who challenged the man Christians call the Messiah to prove miracles—and to relax, chill out, and party at his place.

The real Herod (not Alice Cooper, shown above in a 2018 version of the play) did indeed have a pleasure palace and a magnificent tomb. But the biblical villain’s resting place had been hidden for centuries. In recent years, excavations have discovered it—and cast new light on Herod’s turbulent reign and its effect on the early Jesus.

Read the full story here.

Please consider getting our full digital report and magazine by subscribing here.
STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING
PHOTOGRAPH BY SOLSKIN, GETTY IMAGES
No time to exercise? Just 5 minutes could make a big difference.
What happened to these five ‘lost’ cities?
The natural, maximum human life span is 125 years. Will science get us there?
How the body accumulates ‘zombie’ cells as we age. They never die.
Rediscovered: One of the wonders of the ancient world
What sugar and fat do to your body
Epiphany. Three Kings Day. Orthodox Christmas Eve. Why Friday is special.
These ancient grapes may be the future of wine
What are NFTs, and how do they work?
WHERE IN THE WORLD?
PHOTOGRAPH BY SHIN SIRACHAI ARUNRUGSTICHAI, @SHINALODON

A shark paradise—and onetime battleground: This nation in Micronesia is known for its pristine marine environment and abundance of sharks, but it also was a major battleground in World War II. Photographer Shin Sirachai Arunrugstichai and Nat Geo Explorer Kiliii Yüyan saw how one casualty in the U.S.-Japan conflict, a sunken Japanese warplane, has helped nurture the growth of coral, sponges, and reef fish. Where is it? Click here to find out.

Related: The bounty from one of Earth’s biggest marine reserves
Also: Why Australia handed control of its newest national parks to Indigenous peoples

WHERE’S THIS WARPLANE?
THE NIGHT SKIES
ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS
Not just any full moon: If it is clear when darkness falls Thursday, you’ll see the nearly full moon smack dab in a super-bright pattern of stars known as the Winter Hexagon (illustrated above). The stars include Sirius from Canis Major, Procyon from Canis Minor, and Castor and Pollux, side-by-side, in Gemini. January’s full moon, known as the Wolf Moon, officially occurs at 6:08 p.m. EST Friday. — Andrew Fazekas

MOONS OF THE YEAR
LAST GLIMPSE
PHOTOGRAPH BY PORAS CHAUDHARY, THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX

More meaningful travel: You want to discover your heritage? Travel with several generations of family? Follow your passions? These are trends in travel heading into 2023, Nat Geo reports. What are you looking for in travel now? Let us know! (Above, hikers along the Trans Bhutan Trail in the Himalaya kingdom known for happiness.)

FOLLOW YOUR ARROW
Today’s soundtrack: Everything’s Alright, by Sara Bareilles, John Legend, and Brandon Victor Dixon (from a 2018 version of Jesus Christ Superstar)

This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Sydney Combs, and David Beard. Have an idea or a link? We’d love to hear from you at

david.beard@natgeo.com. Thanks for reading.
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