Iceland to Harvard: Give us our skulls back.

August 4, 2023
by RJ Hamster

‘MASTER RACE’ EXPERIMENTS LED TO THEFT

Friday, August 4, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we learn why Iceland wants its skulls back, figure out why heart attack rates are rising in young adults … and discover a giant prehistoric manatee? Plus, how ancients imagined elephants.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ÍVAR BRYNJÓLFSSON, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND

The country has a national parliament dating back nearly 1,100 years. It is asking one of the world’s most distinguished universities to return 50-plus skulls of Icelanders spirited away for now-disgraced experiments on a supposed master race.

In short, what is Harvard University doing with these skulls in a basement of a Massachusetts museum? Shouldn’t these skulls be reunited in their homeland with their other remains (one pictured above)? What’s the holdup?

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Unlock this article with Nat Geo Premium! Get access now to exclusive stories, plus a century of archives, photos, and videos. See subscription options starting at just $19/yr.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY CORBIS, GETTY IMAGES

Did one of the solar system’s biggest mountains (above) form like Hawaii or the Azores?

Addicted to diet soda? Here’s the history of its low-calorie secret weapon

Despite declines among older adults, the proportion of heart attacks among younger adults is increasing

How would you draw an elephant if you’d never seen one?

Twins can become ‘unidentical’—and more fascinating twin facts

These toxic worms are probably coming to a backyard near you

This tick bite could make you allergic to red meat—and it’s spreading

You (and almost everyone you know) owe your life to this man

You think the shenanigans about the 2020 U.S. election were freaky? Look at 1876.

This book vanished when Anne Boleyn was executed. Now it reveals her secrets.

Who broke the Sphinx’s nose?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

ILLUSTRATION BY ALBERTO GENNARI

A giant prehistoric manatee? When first discovered, this whale’s 37-million-year-old fossil bones were so large, experts thought they were boulders. They came from what may have been the heaviest animal that ever lived (depicted above).

HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

PHOTOGRAPH BY GREG LECOEUR, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Can you spot it? There’s a camouflaged creature hiding among the coral above. Can you find it, and do you know what it is?

A. Bargibant’s pygmy seahorse
B. Red-spotted coral crab
C. Spotted moray

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWER

PAID CONTENT FOR
THE MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM

PHOTOGRAPH BY ACACIA JOHNSON

Sandy beaches, coastal charm, and tidal pools in Maine

National Geographic Photographer Acacia Johnson stops in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport to sample the state’s lobster, local culture, and granite coastlines. Follow her journey and learn about Maine’s tide pools, guided tours, and delicious seafood.

ONE GREAT STORY

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN HUET

Record-breaker: Move over, Michael Phelps. Katie Ledecky (above) now has 16 individual world champion titles, topping Phelps’ record with a victory last weekend. How does she do it? Ledecky studies readouts about her nutrition and bloodwork, and reviews video of her technique, which includes a near perfect freestyle stroke, Nat Geo reported in our 2018 story on building better athletes.

GRIT, PERSONIFIED

Today’s soundtrack: Warren Harding, Al Stewart

Happy Friday! This newsletter has been curated and edited by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. Feeling friendly? Say hey: hannah.farrow@natgeo.com

SHOP DONATE SUBSCRIBE TRAVEL

Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply.

This email was sent to: peter.hovis@gmail.com. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored.

This email contains an advertisement from:
National Geographic | 1145 17th Street, N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036

Stop all types of future commercial email from National Geographic regarding its products, services, or experiences.

Manage all email preferences with the Walt Disney Family of Companies.

What Animals Are Pearls Found In?

Line’s DRAWN – Biden Won’t PARDON Son

RJ Hamster

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Iceland to Harvard: Give us our skulls back.

Iceland to Harvard: Give us our skulls back.

Share this:

Like this:

Related articles