Hyenas led to a Neanderthal find

January 18, 2023
by RJ Hamster

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we discover the unusual home of a Neanderthal find, examine whether fasting can help you live longer, catch up on Prince Harry’s fight against landmines … and take the Nat Geo quiz.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PAOLO PETRIGNANI

Hyenas apparently stashed prehistoric bones in a cave on the Italian coast—of seven Neanderthal males, a female, and a child.

The discovery of the bones, at least 57,000 years old, may give us insights into our prehistoric cousins, the Neanderthals. The closest relatives to what would become humans, they made stone tools, hunted large animals, used fire, wore clothing, and possibly even buried their dead.

What led to this discovery? And what are we learning about our relatives?

Read the full story here.

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THE SOPRINTENDENZA ARCHEOLOGIA, BELLE ARTI E PAESAGGIO FOR THE METROPOLITAN CITY OF BARI

Human-ish: Between 2019 and 2022, excavations in Italy’s Guattari Cave (above)brought to light the remains, believed long guarded by hyenas. At top, anthropologist Giorgio Manzi examines two Neanderthal skulls. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY DOMINIC LIPINSKI, GETTY IMAGES

Prince Harry’s long mission to remove landmines from southern Africa’s Okavango region

Can fasting help you live longer? Here’s what the science says.

Chemical found in cosmetics, food packaging linked to tumors in women

We do a fair job recycling paper. Plastics? Not so much. Here’s what you can do.

Does an aging land hold lessons for U.S., Europe, China?

How scientists are making better psychedelics

These cute predators are back. Tourists love them. Fishermen don’t.

Excavations yield clues about the Viking explorers in America

What’s Nat Geo, celebrating our anniversary, got in store for its next 135 years?

Will a new Alzheimer’s drug prove safe for treatment?

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARCO ZORZANELLO

From the lagoon: The area is known for its waterways, but now tourists can hop aboard a boat to see how the working people plumb the sea in centuries-old work that is passed down through generations of families. Instead of merely dining on that softshell crab, you can see it being caught. Where are we? Click here for the answer!

WHERE ARE WE?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAVIER AZNAR, @JAVIER_AZNAR_PHOTOGRAPHY

Dinnertime! A female crowned woodnymph feeds her chicks in Ecuador’s Chocó rainforest. Baby woodnypmhs spend their first two weeks in cup-shaped nests made from moss, lichen, and even spider webs. Female woodnymphs are the sole nest builders and providers for their young.

CHILD OF MINE

THE NIGHT SKIES

ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FAZEKAS

A star is born: With the moon perched in the early morning sky for most of this week, evenings are perfectly dark for hunting down one of the most famous deep-sky treasures—the Orion Nebula. You’ll find it in its namesake constellation visible in the southeast in the early evenings. Start by looking for a line of three bright stars, the belt of Orion. At a right angle to that trio is his sword—made up of another, fainter line of three stars. The nebula is the fuzzy middle star (illustrated, above left). Binoculars and telescopes will both enlarge and clarify the view of this magnificent gas cloud that is lit up by dozens of newborn stars. On Monday after sunset look toward the southwest to see Venus and Saturn appear just one degree apart. — Andrew Fazekas

GAZE AT THE NEBULA

Today’s soundtrack: Kingston Town, UB40

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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Time To Spoil Your Pet! 🐾

RJ Hamster

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Hyenas led to a Neanderthal find

Hyenas led to a Neanderthal find

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