An unresolved ’Titanic’ mystery

February 6, 2023
by RJ Hamster

Monday, February 6, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we try to answer a Titanic mystery, seek to save the sacred baobab, count the manatees … and learn about reclaiming the sky for Black stargazers.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SPENCER STONER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

A debate has raged in the quarter-century since James Cameron released his blockbuster film Titanic. Could both of the lead characters, Jack and Kate, have survived on a floating door in the freezing North Atlantic?

Cameron, a Nat Geo Explorer at Large, tested that theory by scientifically recreating the scene (above) in a Nat Geo special now streaming on Hulu. (See the trailer). The special comes before Friday’s re-release of the movie—and heightened interest in the last hours of the doomed luxury liner.

An examination of that night found numerous warnings of danger—and opportunities to minimize risk and perhaps save more of those aboard.

Read that full story here.

Please consider getting our full digital report and magazine by subscribing here.

MAXIMUM FILM/ALAMY

The first time around: Cameron on the set with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in 1997. Wasn’t that door big enough for Leo? Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY NOAA FISHERIES

The world’s newest whale species (above in the Gulf of Mexico) is already critically endangered

Earthquake kills thousands of people in Turkey, Syria

China kept this 800-year-old shipwreck a secret for decades

Is 35 really a key age for women’s fertility? Here’s what science says.

Her quilts held a secret language—and inspired generations

Queen Victoria’s 300-pound wedding cake set a big new trend

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The scarlet macaw’s new protectors were once its hunters

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLIAM DANIELS

Running out of room: Madagascar’s sacred baobab trees have gradually taken root farther northward as deforestation and climate change have hit. But the African nation, home to six distinctive species, is surrounded by water—and there’s only so far north to go. Scientists are collecting seeds and eyeing sturdier strains to keep the baobabs going, Sarah Gibbens reports. (Madagascar’s baobabs photographed above by Nat Geo Exploer William Daniels.)

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIKA LARSEN

Counting manatees: “Where humans have fingerprints,” says Wayne Hartley“manatees have scar patterns.” Above, Hartley and Cora Berchem, of the Save the Manatee Club, perform a daily count and general health survey in central Florida’s Blue Spring State Park, using scars to identify individuals. Researchers estimate that 96 percent of Florida’s adult manatees have been struck by boats at least once.

SAVING THE MANATEES—AGAIN

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY BABAK TAFRESHI, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Reclaiming the night sky: For enslaved ancestors of many African Americans, the night sky was especially meaningful. They shared the same sky with family members they were forced to leave, and even with their oppressors. While few Black Americans have become astronomers, interest has grown significantly in recent years, Nat Geo reports. (Above, the Milky Way shimmers above Mammoth Lakes, California.)

THE SAME SKY

Today’s soundtrack: Irish Party in Third Class, Gaelic Storm

Today’s newsletter was curated and edited by Sydney Combs, Jen Tse, and David Beard. Have an idea or link to a story you think is right down our alley? Let us know at david.beard@natgeo.com. Happy trails!

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RJ Hamster

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An unresolved ’Titanic’ mystery

An unresolved ’Titanic’ mystery

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